Viking Sword (11 page)

This time he dropped to his knees and began sobbing.  He had heard of it.  "I pray you, jarl, not the blood eagle.  Give me my sword and end my life."

I turned to Edward.  "This Mercian is no Christian." I shook my head at the man.  Answer the first question and I may give you the warrior's death."

The wounded man shouted, "Do not tell him, Aelfraed!"

I picked the sword out of the river mud and rammed it into the wounded man's chest.  He fell backwards writhing.  I left the sword where it was. "If you do not answer my question then like your friend there you will not go to the Other World but you will see Hel without your lungs and in great pain." I stepped close to him.  "Answer me."

His head dropped.  "King Coenwulf sent us. He wanted to know how many men were here and if you were still here."

"Because?"

"I answered your question! Give me the warrior's death."

"And now I ask you another.  You know that you cannot trust a Viking; especially not one who can change into a wolf. What does the king plan?"

"He is coming with an army to join Jarl Guthrum."

I smiled.  "There, wasn't that easy?  Give him a sword, Arturus."

Aiden handed him a sword.  I saw the hate on the man's face as he contemplated using it on me.  I took out my seax and held it at his throat.  You would be dead before the hand had moved an uncia!"

"I will wait for you in the Other World."

I nodded to Arturus as I said, "There will be many others ahead of you." His dead body joined his fellow.  When we had searched the bodies we threw them into the river. They bobbed downstream to the sea.

"What do we do now, Jarl Dragon Heart?"

"Nothing has changed.  We knew that Guthrum was returning.  Now we know that he has Coenwulf too. The two men came on horses which means that the army is not within walking distance. We know where Guthrum is. They will need to join up and then attack us.  Coenwulf and Guthrum will not risk losing because they rush here.  He must know that your father is still in Corn Walum."

"You give me confidence Jarl. I will have my men repair the traps in the ditches and try to get more of the fyrd."

As I returned to my hall with Arturus and Aiden my son asked me, "Are you confident, father?"

"No.  We are in a dangerous position for I believe that we have our enemies within a day's march of us.  We have delayed them by killing their spies. I think I have gained us a day but that is all.  It is fortunate that we have two ships.  So long as we hold the river gate we can evacuate most of the people across the river."

"But you sounded so calm."

"There is little point in making a nervous warrior more nervous.  This way his people will think that he has control and they will not panic. We need to step our masts and prepare for war. I think that the Weird Sisters are spinning once more."

There was urgency about our warriors as we prepared for an imminent attack.  The two hundred Danes had been a serious enough threat.  Now it seemed we would have many more enemies.  It was difficult to ascertain numbers for we had no idea where Coenwulf was. I had fought him before.  The last time his army had numbered five hundred.  We would be outnumbered when they came.

I had my scouts out all the next day but they returned without having sighted anyone. Eorl Edward had managed to bring in another twenty of the fyrd. They each had a spear but little else.  We had the Danish swords which we would have to let them use.  The shields we gave them, for what they were worth. I took all of my men inside Lundenburgh and had our two drekar tie up at the river gate. Half of the men were on watch while the other half were resting.  Every weapon had been sharpened and every piece of mail cleaned and repaired.  We rubbed seal oil in the mail and cleaned our wolf cloaks as much as possible.  We would look like warriors when the end came.

When the message came from Erik Sort Toe I felt my spirits sink. It was Karl the bright ship's boy.  "Jarl Dragon Heart, the captain says that there are men crossing the river upstream.  He cannot make out numbers but from the sound of metal he thinks they are warriors."

"You have done well Karl.  Tell him to prepare to push off for the south bank when I give him the word."

Eorl Edward was eating when Arturus, Aiden and I found him.  "We have been duped.  Warriors are crossing the river upstream.  You have best get your people inside quickly, if you can. I will have my men man the walls. My drekar are standing by in case you need to have any sent south, to safety."

He nodded, shocked.  "Perhaps we can make a stand that men will speak of."

"Perhaps."

We heard the cacophony of noise as Edward urged his people into the walls of Lundenburgh.  All the euphoria of our victory had evaporated. The Eorl and his men had a panicked look about them. It could not be helped and they could be deceived no longer.  I breathed a sigh of relief as the west gate was slammed shut.

Eorl Edward was, however, learning.  He had the pig fat heated as soon as he returned.  He and his oathsworn were dressed and ready for war. Even a limping Leofric climbed to the ramparts. When Eorl Edward tried to send him back down he said, "If I am to die it will be with a sword in my hand defending my lord and not laying in a bed like an old man!"

Suddenly an urgent voice from the west gate shouted, "My lord! I hear warriors approaching.  There seems to be a mighty host."

"Prepare arrows.  We will show these Mercians that the men of Wessex can wield a bow."

Then we heard a voice boom out. "Why are the gates of my own burgh barred to me?  Open up I am Egbert the King of Wessex and I am both tired and hungry!"

The Norns had played another trick upon us.  I think we had all aged five years at least but now we had hope.  The king was with us.  I hoped he had brought enough warriors.

King Egbert burst out laughing when he saw our preparations for war but when Edward took him to one side and told him the reason his face became dark. He came over to me.  "Thank you Jarl Dragon Heart.  My men will take over the watch.  Your men can rest.  We have been marching for days but this is Wessex now and we will defend it."

I nodded.  He was right.  "Eorl Edward, we will return to our hall.  We do not wish to overcrowd you."

Our marching west was a sign for the people of Lundenwic that there would be no attack that night.  Many returned to their homes too. The King had returned. We spent a restful night; my men drank and I studied Aiden's maps. When we rose there was a sense of an anti-climax.  We had expected to fight and to die.  Now the threat had gone. As we ate our stale bread and drank our small beer I made a decision.  "Now that the King is here we are no longer needed. We will leave this morning and head north."

"We will raid the north of the Dunum?"

"No Arturus.  We will sail up the Ouse and we will raid the lands of Wiglaf."  That surprised everyone, including Aiden.  I smiled.  It was rare that I could astound him.  "I have studied the maps and we can sail close to the city.  We could sail to the very walls of the fort if we chose.  We will sail along the river towards Jorvik and then raid as we head south east again. We will have the river with us and we can outrun any of their ship.  It will send a message to Wiglaf and yield us a healthy profit too."

They all smiled, except Aiden.  He looked troubled. While my warriors all spoke excitedly my Galdramenn looked askance. "I am not certain that our work here is done, Jarl Dragon Heart."

"The spirits?"

"Aye Jarl.  We have thrown a stone into this Mercian pond and the ripples have yet to reach the shore."

"Nevertheless as the king is here we will sail and we will raid. I have no desire to squat on this river waiting for something to happen. We leave." I stood; happy now that the decision was made and we made preparations to leave.

We were like ants as we toiled to provision our ship.  The tradesmen of Lundenwic did well out of us and were sad to see us leave.  It took most of the morning to prepare but eventually we were ready. I was just saying farewell to Cwoenthryth when King Egbert arrived.

Wyrd
!

He was followed by Edward and his oathsworn.  I recognised many of them. "Jarl Dragon Heart! You are leaving?"

"I stayed for Lundenburgh and Lundenwic needed my protection.  Now they have King Egbert and they are safe.  I have overstayed my welcome and we needs must sail."

He put his arm around my shoulder and led me down towards the river. "My son has told me all that you have done.  I owe you much.  Wessex owes you much. This is not finished.  Coenwulf and Guthrum come."

"And you have enough men and warriors to defend your town and defeat them."

He spoke quietly, "I did not bring all of my army. I brought my oathsworn and those who could keep up with us. I have just over two score of warriors.  They are the best but… The rest are on the road and will not be here these seven nights." I hesitated and I think he sensed that I was wavering. "I will pay you and your warriors to fight for me.  At least until my army gets here although I believe that our enemies approach even as we speak."

I looked over his shoulder and saw that his men were shepherding the villagers towards the fort. "Until my men arrive." He waved a hand and two of his warriors walked towards us with two small chests. He opened one. It was filled with coins all bearing his face. "Take this my friend as a reward for what you have done and what you will do."

There was more treasure in the two boxes than we could possibly hope to take from the lands along the Ouse. I nodded and clasped his arm.  "I will get my men into the fort."

He smiled and spoke conspiratorially. "I have a better solution." He explained his plan to me.

I watched the king and his entourage hurry towards the fort.  I waved Arturus and Aiden over. Pointing to the chests I said, "We fight for King Egbert.  Here is our pay put it on our ships. We will divide it up when this is over."

As we headed to our drekar Arturus asked, "Should we get the men into the fort?  It seems the king thinks that a battle is imminent."

"Not yet.  I have to explain King Egbert's plan to our men."

Had King Coenwulf been a little cleverer he might have wondered why my men and I all wore our armour as we drank horns of ale on the river bank. His scouts must have reported back to him.  Snorri and Bjorn the Scout had watched them as they spied upon us and then hurried back towards the north and west. What they had not seen was the ship's boys and their captains aboard the ships already and waiting to cast off.  They did not count our men and see that at least twenty were not carousing on the river bank. They also appeared to have failed to see the shields arrayed along the sides of the drekar. Whatever the reason when King Coenwulf and his horsemen burst from the woods to the north he must have thought that he had the vaunted Jarl Dragon Heart. He had not!

Snorri had spied them and warned us.  As soon as they emerged, less than a hundred paces from us we ran to the drekar and were aboard before the horsemen were halfway towards us. As we clambered aboard our captains lowered the sails and the twenty archers who had been hidden on the drekar sent flights of arrows towards the horsemen. It was too late for them to halt and they had to suffer sixty arrows before they could retire out of range. There were dead horses and warriors littering the river bank. As we headed downstream, towards the sea, we watched the rest of the army appear and, from the woods to the north of Lundenburgh, the Danish army of Guthrum.  He had thought to trap us. He had failed. He would think that we were deserting the Saxons.

As Haaken rowed he could not help laughing. "This will make a fine saga.  How the Mercian king was duped by empty beakers."

"Let us hope that we continue to dupe him then or this plan will go seriously awry."

Although the plan was a good one it depended upon many things, not least the moon and the tide. Aiden and I had modified the plan suggested by King Egbert. As we sailed beyond the fort I saw him and his men standing along the walls.  There were slightly more men in the fort now than had been there when we had fended off Guthrum's attack but now those besieging Lundenburgh had three times as many warriors. The odds were even more in the attacker's favour than they had been before. We sailed around the bend of the river to Grenewic and tied up there to wait until dark.

I looked at the sky; it was clear. "Are you certain that the clouds will come?"

Aiden was confident. "I am, Jarl Dragon Heart, and they will come when the tide turns. Fear not this is the work of the Norns."

We had listened to the sound of the assault on Lundenburgh and seen the flames rising in the sky. Lundenwic was burning.  I daresay that our hall was destroyed too.  The sting in our tail had left many of King Coenwulf's best warriors, his horsemen, dead and dying. He would want vengeance.  King Egbert's plan had hinged on Guthrum and the Mercians believing that the Norse had fled in their dragon ships. He would ignore the river and yet the river would become a dagger aimed at his heart. We would be that dagger.

I watched the river begin to rise and saw the smug self satisfied smile upon Aiden's face.  My Galdramenn had done it again.  He knew nature and the spirits had guided him. We pushed off and, without raising the sail, we sculled upstream with the incoming tide. The clouds and the river hid us from prying eyes.  The fighting had died down and we saw the watch fires which ringed Lundenburgh.  King Coenwulf and Guthrum had them sewn up tighter than a pig skin. Their main camp appeared to be north of the river and north of Lundenwic. We went beyond them to our jetty at Celchyth.  Our hall was a burned out shell; only the shrivelled turf roof remained.

We disembarked close to some willow trees. I waved to Erik as we led our men north.  The two captains would have no warriors to protect them this time.  They would be reliant upon themselves. They had Sigtrygg with them.  His injury meant he could not move quickly enough.  He was the only warrior we left behind. I had no doubt they would acquit themselves well.  They had no enemies upon the river.

The Ulfheonar led. Terror would be a weapon we would wield. We spread through the woods almost invisible in our black armour with wolf cloaks.  Snorri and Bjorn the Scout led.  Their task was to find any sentries who might be watching. They returned, as the moon briefly emerged from behind the clouds. "They have no sentries and their camp is sixty paces to the east of us.  They are sleeping."

I turned to Arturus. "You know what to do?"

"My men may not be Ulfheonar but we can move silently when we need to.  May the Allfather be with you."

"And with you."

With shields slung around our backs we headed towards the camp.  We all held a sword and a seax.  With our wolf cloaks and red eyes I hoped that we would look like creatures from Hel. We moved silently in a large semi circle into the camp. We would have but a short time to do what we needed before the camp was awake. I saw that the ones through which we passed were Mercians.  The Danes were further north. When we were forty paces in I turned to raise my sword. My men did the same and I brought it down on the neck of the sleeping giant at my feet.  The first few died silently but inevitably some woke.  At the first gurgled scream the camp was in uproar and warriors jumped to their feet.  As they grabbed their weapons they stared in horror at the red eyed wolves who wielded swords and were in the middle of their camp.  The fear cost many their lives as they hesitated. As I stabbed one half awake Mercian I sensed a warrior from my left and I instinctively brought my seax around in a sweep. My hand was covered in his gushing blood as he fell trying to push his entrails back inside.

I heard the alarm in the Danish camp and knew that we had not long left before we would have to flee.  The oathsworn of the Mercian king were donning their armour.  They knew better than to take on the Ulfheonar without mail. I felt a blow from a sword across my back.  The wolf cloak, armour, and padding cushioned the strike and when I swung with Ragnar's Spirit I saw the fear in the man's eyes.  He thought he had slain me and I turned and slew him.

"Back! Ulfheonar, back."

We turned and moved swiftly through the camp. To the warriors who were pursuing us it must have looked as though we had disappeared for all that they saw was the black of our cloaks.  It was why I had chosen the Ulfheonar for this task.  There were a few warriors before us and we slew them.  The men formed on me.  I knew that Haaken and Cnut would bring up the rear.  They would turn a few times so that the Mercians and the Danes could see our direction.  We wanted pursuit.

It was the time of year when the sun shone for far longer than there was night.  It had been part of the plan.  Behind us I knew that dawn's light would be breaking and that we would be running into the dark.  When I heard the low whistle then I knew that we were almost at the ambush site.  We emerged into a clearing and when I reached the far side I turned. We had run hard and I was out of breath.

My warriors formed on either side of me.  I saw that Harald Thin Neck was not with us. We would see him in Valhalla. When Haaken and Cnut appeared and went to the extreme ends of our line I breathed a sigh of relief. We were drawing the enemy on to us.

We heard them coming down the track, keen for revenge. I saw a faint light to the east. It had worked perfectly for by the time they reached us the first rays of the sun would light our faces and fear would return to the vengeful pursuers.

Guthrum and his Danes led and they were cautious.  They had taken the time to arm and don mail.  They halted at the far end of the clearing and began to form a wedge.  Guthrum, I assumed it was him from his magnificent armour and helmet, shouted, "You may frighten these Mercians with your red eyes and wolf skins but I know you for what you are! You are a half breed trickster.  You are not Odin's child but Loki's! I swore vengeance when you slew my son and I will give you the blood eagle. I swear this."

He thought to anger me but I remained silent.  I wanted the delay. When the Mercians came they would be terrified despite Guthrum's words.  When they attacked Lundenburgh we wanted them afraid of the Wolf Men before they even moved towards the walls.

He saw that he was getting nowhere with his insults and he ordered his men forward. I noticed that he and his oathsworn kept back and the only mailed warriors were the eight at the front of the wedge. They were thirty paces from us when the arrows rained down on them from behind. I saw some turn and look only to be pierced by the black arrows which came from all around them save where their enemies were. The rear ranks of the wedge dissolved as men fled or died. Although the eight at the front were mailed their rear was exposed.

Arturus and I had planned this well. His men had hidden in the woods when the enemy had followed. After releasing their arrows they had run to line the enemy's flanks. Once they had released those they ran behind us.

"Now!" My warriors swarmed around them.  I smashed my sword against the haft of the spear from the lead warrior and jabbed forward with my seax.  It went into his eye and penetrated the skull at the rear.  He died instantly. All eight fell and we stood back in line.

King Coenwulf appeared with his warriors.  Guthrum's men were sheltering from their invisible foe. Another shower of arrows fell.  Had they not been in a state of shock they would have realised that the arrows no longer came from behind them; Arturus and his men had moved down the sides towards us and were now raining death from the north and the south of the Mercians.

I saw warriors protecting the two leaders with their shields while they argued. Now was the time for a final gesture to inspire fear. We had decided to intimidate and terrify the enemy.  They were in the clearing and we knew the effect of a wolf's howl. The Ulfheonar stepped forward. Each warrior began to howl like a wolf and our enemies just kept moving into the centre of the clearing.  Behind us Arturus' men were forming up in the woods with their bows ready with nocked arrows.

I raised both my hands.  My warriors fell silent as I yelled in Saxon, "The Ulfheonar strike in the night. When you camp tonight, Mercians, keep your weapons close and your armour on for we will come and you will die! No matter how many sentries and guards you have we will come!" A strong ray of sunlight chose that moment to shine on my black armour and revealing my red face. I saw them recoil. We turned as one and ran towards the woods.

"After them! It is a trick!"

King Coenwulf's voice broke the spell and Mercians and Danes ran after us. Two flights of arrows slowed them down. We ran until we reached the ships.  We quickly boarded ours and half of the warriors took the waiting bows and nocked arrows.  Arturus and his men were right behind us.  My archers sent discouraging flights towards the pursuers while Arturus and his crew jumped aboard their own drekar and cast off. The Danes and the Saxons had not brought bows and they had to watch impotently as we sailed downstream towards the safety of Lundenburgh.  There would be no attack this day. King Egbert's army was another day closer.

We tied up next to the southern gate.  The gates were opened and King Egbert and Eorl Edward awaited us eagerly. I clasped their arms. King Egbert looked over my shoulder as my warriors disembarked. "Did you succeed?"

I nodded, "We surprised them and I do not think they will attack today."

King Egbert looked disappointed. "You did not kill many then?"

I felt my hands clenching into fists. Aiden caught my eye and shook his head. "If you mean we did not lose many of our warriors then you would be correct but we slew many.  However each of my dead warriors is worth more to me than fifty dead Mercians."