Viking Clan

by Griff Hosker

  As Ketil had a guest of honour he invited his hersir and hearth weru to the feast. I had fought with most of them but there were some to whom I was a stranger. They were keen to speak to the warrior with the magic sword. Speaking with them gave me an idea of their mettle. All had fought but the ones I did not know had only fought in small-scale encounters. The large battles with hundreds of men on either side were a mystery to them. It gave me much to think on. Ketil and I were the last two to retire.

  I knew that we had to find these men and find them quickly. Eight families had already been destroyed. “Much depends upon Carr and his men. We cannot wander the north seeking the raiders.”

  “I know. And when they are defeated….”

  “Do not tempt the sisters, Ketil.”

  “They will either be defeated or we will be dead and we will not have to worry overmuch.” I nodded. He was right. “As I said, when they are defeated, how do we deal with the threat of the Danes?”

  “Have your farmers build a series of watch towers and beacons from here to Úlfarr Water. That way we will know if there is danger here. We can also have them lit if we are attacked.”

  “You do not wish us to come to your aid?”

  “When you hunt the wild boar, you have to be wary of its teeth and tusks. Often the best way is to divert the attention of the boar and then find its vulnerable spot. It seems to me that the Danes have so many men that they could attack us in many places merely to destroy you or Windar’s Mere. If you are attacked then let me know. I will send men to investigate but it may be that you have to defend yourselves until I can come. Much will depend upon Ráðulfr Ulfsson at the Stad on the Eden. He will be the furthest from the Danes and so long as he has enough men to defend his walls, he could bring men to aid either you or me.”

  “Then I am satisfied and I will have my farmers build the towers.”

  The men of the north gathered north of the Eden. They began arriving at dawn. Aðalsteinn and Dagfinnr would be my bodyguards. They were honoured. As we waited with Ketil for the rest to arrive I turned to Erik. “We may not fight today but whichever day we fight your only task is to carry my shield. When the battle starts then you wait behind the shield wall. If I fall then you get back here. You have had no training yet. Aðalsteinn and Dagfinnr will be there to either die with me or fetch back my body.”

  “I can fight! I have my bow and my sling.”

  “Then use them but if an enemy comes for you then run!” I stared into his eyes, “So swear!” I did not want him to die.

  He nodded, “I swear.”

  Most of the men had arrived by noon and Ketil prepared to march towards Pennryhd as north of there was the last place that we had heard of the raiders. Oswald and one of his men arrived just as we began to march west. “Jarl Ketil, my father says that they are at Hautwesel just south of the wall. They are camped there and they have been reinforced by another twenty men.”

  Ketil turned, “That is thirty miles away. If we leave now, we can be there after dark. Jarl Dragonheart, do you wish a horse?”

  I shook my head, “The day that I cannot march with my warriors is the day I sit by the Water and fish with the other old men. Do not wait for me. I will keep up with you!”

  We set off using the run and walk technique which we had used for years. We ran for five hundred paces and then walked five hundred. If time was not as important then we would walk for a thousand paces and run for five hundred. Time was vital. If we could get there by dark and remain unseen then the surprise value might swing the odds in our favour. We ran hard.

  I was not worried about myself. Despite my age I could keep going but Erik was another matter. I had him next to me with Dagfinnr on the other side of him. We talked the whole time for that kept Erik’s mind off the pain of running and marching so far. We were heading for Halfdenby. It had been one of the first places that the raiders had destroyed. The farm and four huts had been burned. It lay on an exposed ridge where the High Divide began. It made our journey harder but shortened it by five miles. We then descended to the valley of the Tinea. Here we would have cover but, as the afternoon was wearing on and clouds began to gather, then we were more hopeful that we would not be seen. We stopped at the river to fill our water skins and to drink. This was not my warband and so I was not at the fore. Instead, I was in the middle. Ketil had placed eight of his best warriors around me. He did not want me to come to harm before the battle. My sword and my name might make the difference. My red wolf shield was well known.

  It was harder to set off after such a stop and I saw Erik gripping his side. It was common when running. You suddenly found a shooting pain in the side. Dagfinnr saw his action and said, “Just run through it, Erik. You need to fight it as you would an enemy. If you wish I can carry the jarl’s shield for you.”

  He gritted his teeth and shook his head, “I am shield bearer. I will run through this pain.”

  As the valley ran on a north to south alignment the sunset was not gradual. It was sudden as though a candle had been extinguished and we ran in the dark. I hoped that we did not have far to travel but I did not know. We were not on a road. The Roman road which crossed from east to west lay to the north of us. That would have markers. We ran on an ancient greenway. The men in front stopped. One turned, “Jarl Dragonheart, we are here. The jarl would speak with you.”

  I saw that Erik was doubled over trying to get his breath. I turned to Dagfinnr, “Watch Erik for me. He has done well!”

  I made my way through other men many of whom, like Erik, were also doubled over. Those, like me, who wore mail had suffered the most. Ketil was with Carr and the rest of his scouts. He pointed north. I could see pin pricks of light, “There lies their camp. Two Danes arrived before dark and they have joined them. There are sentries all around. They are wary.”

  Ketil said, “Do we make a night time attack?”

  I shook my head, “These men we lead are not Ulfheonar and we have marched a god’s distance this day.” I turned to Carr. “Is there a way around their camp so that we could attack from the north?”

  He nodded, “Aye, Jarl Dragonheart, but it would mean a two-mile walk and your men would have no avenue of escape.”

  I nodded, “True but we would have the higher ground and the element of surprise would be ours. Our thirty archers would be able to loose over our heads. This way they would be attacking uphill.”

  Carr looked at Ketil. Ketil was his lord and I was almost a stranger to him. Ketil nodded, “Lead on Carr but we will walk this time. I am too weary to run.”

  Carr knew the land well and he led us, unerringly, around the raiders to a wood which lay between two burns. Neither piece of water was particularly large but they would be an obstacle. More importantly we were above the village and their camp. The woods in which we camped gave us shelter. We could not speak for fear of giving ourselves away once the raider’s camp fell silent but we would eat cold rations, make water and sleep. I had until the morning to come up with a battle plan.

  Erik was asleep as soon as he had eaten his last mouthful of food. Carr and his scouts took the first watch. I did not sleep but I lay looking at the cloud laden sky. I sensed rain and that might help us. We had over a hundred men. Twenty would be used as archers. They also had shields and swords but the bows were the one weapon the enemy did not possess. I planned on a three deep shield wall. With thirty odd men in each line we would have the front rank made up of mailed men. From what Carr had told me only the Danes and the three chiefs were mailed. We would have to kill those in the first encounter. Arriving in the dark meant I had not had time to choose the best ground from which to attack but I planned on rising before dawn. I had no Ulfheonar with me but I was Ulfheonar and I had my wolf cloak. I would scout out the land myself.

  Ketil woke me after a short sleep as I had asked him to. He would have come with me but knew that I would be more silent if I was alone. I did not take my helmet nor wear my mail. As I walked, I counted out the paces. I crossed the
narrower burn as the first drops of rain fell. The ground had not been tilled. I smelled cattle dung. The cattle would have been taken north or slaughtered. The land fell gently to the south. It was the kind of ground which, when you climbed it, sapped energy from legs. As I moved closer to the enemy camp the rain started to fall harder. If it rained in the battle then the bow strings would be too wet to be effective. Was this another trick of the Norns? Were they making the ground slippery for the raiders and yet denying us the advantage of bows?

  I stopped four hundred or so paces from their sentries. I saw them moving. They were silhouetted against the fires. With cloaks around their heads they would see little. I was bareheaded but my wolf cloak disguised me. I spied a couple of head sized rocks. They looked to be from the Roman Wall and were a light colour. Picking them up I walked back. Counting the steps going out helped me to place the two rocks close together so that I would be able to see them when the attack began. I was marking the range for our twenty bowmen.

  Despite the fact that they were watching for me I still managed to rise, like a wraith, next to Windar Ketilsson and the sentry who were watching for me. They both jumped as I rose up.

  “How did you do that Jarl?”

  “Years of practice. I was helped by the rain. It makes it hard to see. Let us hope it stops by the morning or else our bowmen will find it hard.” I now regretted not bringing the new bows for Aðalsteinn and Dagfinnr. Hindsight was always perfect! The only new bow we had was Erik’s and he was not strong enough to use it effectively. “Keep watch although I do not think that they will come. They do not know we are here.”

  I went back to the camp. Men had found whatever shelter they could from the rain. Aðalsteinn and Dagfinnr had rigged their cloaks between two trees so that the three of them were dry, I slipped beneath it and took off my wolf cloak. I laid it on the sleeping shield bearer and then sat next to him. The fires I had seen suggested more men than Carr had reported. Perhaps they had had more reinforcements. We would have to hurt them before they closed with us. I wondered at the Danish presence. The numbers did not suggest that they were as allies. I suspected that they were scouts and also to see how the Picts and men of Strathclyde fought. The Danes were ambitious. They had Northumbria as a client. Were their greedy eyes on the land to the north? I doubted that the Danes would fight in the front rank, if they fought at all. They wore mail and they would be a threat if they fought. If they stayed at the rear, we would not have to face them in the first attack.

  When dawn came it was a grey affair. The division between night and day was almost non-existent. However, as I had sat beneath the cloaks, I was aware that the rain was lessening. It pattered less on the soaked oiled cloak. The Norns were not playing a trick. They had made the ground boggy but our archers would have taut strings. I rose as I saw Ketil and Carr walking towards me. I began to don my mail.

  “Well jarl, what did you learn?”

  “That we can defeat them.” I explained my strategy to them and they nodded. “If you gather the men with bows, I will explain my plan to them. Then march a hundred paces down the slope and form our line”

  Erik, Aðalsteinn and Dagfinnr had risen and were ready for battle. “Erik, take my shield to the Jarl Ketil’s brother, Windar, and place it next to him. Then fetch your bow and join me.”

  “Aye Jarl.”

  As I went, I turned to my two bodyguards. “You two go to Windar. We will be next to him. You two will stand behind me with spears.” I saw their faces fall. “You have no mail. You will be needed when we have broken their front rank. Fear not I can fight unaided.”

  Men were being moved by Ketil, Windar and their hersir. They picked up their weapons and moved from the camp towards the place we would fight. Even though it had been dark I had seen the place where we would hold them. It was where the slope before us would be at its steepest. There might need to be some adjustment when the sun finally broke but not much. By the time I reached the archers Erik had rejoined us. “I will be in the front rank. When you see me raise my sword then nock your arrows. When I lower it, you begin to loose. Loose into the air and use all the power that you have. I have paced out one hundred and fifty paces to a pair of markers. That will be our killing ground. Keep sending arrows until you have all loosed twenty. Then be ready to pick off any who are close. Today we depend on you twenty men.”

  “We will not let you down!”

  “I know Sven Haraldsson.” I nodded encouragingly at Erik.

  I made my way through the ranks of men who were forming our shield wall. Their feet had already churned the ground into a muddy slush. The enemy who would advance towards us would have an even harder time to keep their feet. I would not be using a spear but most of the others held them. They would keep an enemy at bay. The enemy spears were often just fire hardened sticks. Ketil stood next to me but his son was at the left-hand edge of our line. He would be our anchor. The lightening sky made our line seem pitifully small. I saw the ranging stones and knew that soon we would be seen from the raider’s camp. Even sentries huddled beneath sodden cloaks would spy us. I turned to see that all was well behind me and that Aðalsteinn and Dagfinnr were where they should be. Their spears would poke over my shoulders. The archers stood ready behind the third rank. I had just turned my head when a shout went up from the enemy camp. We were seen.

  The shock and surprise could be spied from our position just five hundred paces from them. There were frantic gestures and shrieked shouts. We had moved silently and without noise. It would have appeared as though we had materialized from the earth. These were not followers of the White Christ we fought. These were followers of the old ways. I saw men waving hands and shouting orders. Some men formed a ragged line just two hundred paces from us. Behind them I saw a huddle of warriors conferring. From their helmets at least four of those speaking were Danes. The other two had the trappings of chiefs. They would be the leaders of the Picts and the men of Strathclyde. More men joined the line. It was already fifty men wide and would overlap ours once they began their attack.

  Ketil saw their line and said, “I have placed our best men on the flanks in the second rank. We are surrounded by my hearth weru. We will hold them Jarl Dragonheart.”

  Had this been my men then they would have sung one of our songs to intimidate the enemy. Ketil’s men did not have songs. They had no Haaken One Eye. I began banging my shield with the hilt of my sword. Everyone took it up, banging their shields with their spear hafts. It had an effect on the enemy for I saw them looking at each other. They wondered what it meant. Although I was banging my shield, I was also watching the enemy. The leaders finished their conference and the two chiefs moved to the line. They separated and one went to the middle of the Picts who looked to be facing Windar and the other went to the middle of the men of Strathclyde. I could hear their words as they gave their orders. The Danes stayed at the rear.

  I saw that the enemy had a variety of weapons and shields. Some had small round ones. Others had oval ones and a couple had large round ones such as we used. I turned to Ketil. “They are not going to lock shields. Where the Picts meet the men of Strathclyde will be the weak point. If I had been them, I would have used Picts in the front line. We have a chance.”

  “Aye, Jarl. Lock shields!”

  We swung our shields around so that the left edge was tucked behind our neighbour’s shield. Spears poked from the top. I felt the spears of Aðalsteinn and Dagfinnr as they slid over my shoulder. I held Ragnar’s Spirit ready. The fact that we had stopped banging and presented a wall of shields seemed to spur them. The two chiefs raised their swords and led their men forward. They did not do so at the same time. It was as though two separate warbands were attacking us. I saw that they had three ranks of fifty although within a few paces all order had disappeared and it was a mob of men who negotiated the slippery slope. The Danes remained with about twenty men at the rear. Were they a reserve or did they have another plan?

  I concentrated on the attack. I rais
ed my sword. The two bands were now trying to race each other to get to us. It was as though there were two rough wedges. Some without shields had run from the rear rank and were running alongside well-armed men. Some men slipped and fell. They were trampled by those behind. Holes appeared in the lines. We had yet to respond but they were defeating themselves. I saw the first chief reach the stones and I dropped my hand.

  Twenty arrows are not a great number but they plunged from the sky and struck the shoulders and, in some cases, the unprotected heads of the warriors. Even as they realised they were under attack a second flight hit them. The first forty arrows had a dramatic effect. Men fell. In their falling they brought down others and some of those, lying prostrate, were hit by the third and fourth flights of arrows. We had so few bow men that their arrows were concentrated on the middle of the enemy line. The flanks were almost untouched.

  Ketil shouted, as the line was twenty paces from us, “Brace!”

  I placed my right foot behind me and turned it an angle to make it harder for us to be pushed back. Although we had thinned their centre the two chiefs had seen the mail and shields of Ketil and myself. They led their hearth weru for us. It was a Pict who came for me. He had a vest of mail covering his naked chest. His sword was a long curved one and he had an oval shield. On his head he had a high domed helmet with a pair of wings coming from the side. He had his beard and moustache plaited. He came for me. He screamed as he led his oathsworn towards me. I saw the sweat on his face. Racing through the muddy morass had taken its toll. His legs would be burning with the exertion.