Viking Sword (14 page)

We kept running on the other side of the ditch. Our wild charge had demoralised the attack but now Magnus Skull Splitter ran at me, swinging his war axe and surrounded by his oathsworn.  We were no longer a wedge. We were a two deep arrow. My men had spread out as we had crossed the bridge. The remaining spears were passed back and I drew Ragnar's Spirit and held it aloft. It drew them all to me. The Weird Sisters are devious.  As the Danes came towards me, in the centre of the line, they converged and banged into each other; more importantly they stopped the axe men from getting a good swing. You need space to swing an axe.

A young, keen warrior out ran Magnus and he triumphantly swung his sword over his head to strike a blow which would split my head in two. I deflected the sword with my shield and stabbed him in the middle of his body.  I pulled the sword sideways so that his body fell to my right and tripped the second warrior up.  Cnut's sword ripped through his body.

The huge Dane stood before me. "Now I shall take your sword, your helmet and your armour.  Then the world will know that Magnus Skull Splitter is the invincible warrior who wields the sword that was touched by the gods."

I stepped forward as he swung.  Einar jabbed the spear from behind me and the movement distracted Magnus. I pushed up with my shield and struck his left hand. At the same time I stabbed forward and Ragnar's Spirit tore through his mail links and into his side.  It came away red. I saw his face before me and I head butted him as I took another step and pushed with my shield. He was a big man but I knew my business and I heard his nose break. His eyes began to stream as his nose spurted blood. I was too close to use my sword effectively and so I punched the hilt into the wound on his side.  He winced. I knew I had to end this quickly.  Behind him I could see King Coenwulf's men as they raced towards us. When arrows flew from behind I knew that Arturus was protecting me. I punched again with my shield and, as he stepped back, lunged at him with my sword.  His streaming eyes and blurred vision meant he did not see it coming and it plunged into his throat.  He fell backwards dead. I knelt down and picked up his axe.

"Back.  When I am across pull back the bridge."

I sheathed my sword and slung my shield across my back.  I would use the axe to keep them at bay. I swung it before me, two handed, as Saxons tried to rush me. Two died bravely before they realised they would need spears or arrows to hurt me.

"Now jarl!"

I turned and ran.  I felt a thump in my back which almost knocked me to the ground and then I was across the bridge. Half of my men formed a shield wall while the other half pulled back the bridge. I heard Arturus' voice from the ramparts. "Father! Ware left!"

I turned. I did so quickly and the movement made the spear which was stuck in my shield fall to the ground. I picked up the fallen spear and saw some of the warriors from the next bridge racing towards me.  Two were struck by arrows as I threw my spear at them.  I hit one and then ran towards them.  I swung the axe and knocked one into the ditch.  A second hacked at my side.  I felt a rib crack and I grabbed his belt and threw him into the ditch.  He screamed as he fell on the spear which had jammed into the bottom of the grey filmed, water filled ditch.

There were no more warriors before me but I could see the Saxons and Danes up ahead, crossing a bridge. I saw that my men had manhandled the bridge to the open gate.  "Ulfheonar on me!"

They ran to join me.  I saw that two wolf cloaked bodies remained close to the ditch.  We had not had it all our own way. I handed the axe to Erik Dog Bite.  "Take some men and destroy that bridge. The rest follow me." I drew my sword and we ran to the wall. The attackers had a couple of crudely made ladders and were trying to drive the men of Wessex from the walls.  I raised my sword high.  "Ragnar's Spirit!"

The men took up the cry and the man at the bottom of the ladder turned in fear.  With shields held tightly we ran along the wall. The two ladders were destroyed and the warriors atop fell to their deaths as we crashed into them with our shields and our bodies.  It was crude but effective. I swung my sword sideways at a warrior who lunged at me with a spear.  I shattered the spear and I brought the blade back to disembowel him. I waved to Erik Dog Bite, "Take the last bridge!" There was one bridge remaining at this western side of the fort. This time it was Guthrum's men who were assaulting the walls.  They were using shields held by their fellows to help them climb up.

"Wedge!"

It was only six paces between the ditch and the wall.  We filled it with our small wedge and ran, like a human battering ram, at the warriors. We careered into them, knocking warriors to the ground and landing in an untidy heap ourselves. I was on my feet and swinging even before I knew what I was swinging at.  My sword hacked into the side of one warrior.  At my feet I saw a Dane struggling to rise.  I rammed the edge of my shield across his throat. I stood to get my breath as my men despatched the last of the ones who had survived.  Erik and his men joined us. We manhandled the bridge sideways into the ditch.

"Do we go to the other bridges?"

I shook my head. I could see that they were reinforcing their last foothold on the fort side of the watery ditch. "We have tempted the Norns too much already.  We will go around to the south gate.  We can use fire to destroy the remainder of their bridges and hope that we have bought another day."

We trudged around the walls.  We held our shields in our right arms for protection although the arrows which were sent after us were hunting arrows. They would not penetrate our armour at the range they were using them. As we reached the river I felt my heart sink.  Our drekar had gone!

I had no time to speculate.  We ran around to the gate which was opened by some of Arturus' men. I said nothing but ran up the stairs to the tower of the south gate. I looked at the river and then I saw them.  They were heading towards Grenewic. "Do you know why my ships have left?"

The young warrior had a grin on his face.  He pointed to Grenewic and my ships, "It is the rest of the army.  Can you not see their banners?"

I shaded my eyes and saw, indeed, the banners of Wessex.  Erik Short Toe had used his initiative and he was ferrying them across.  We needed to hold just a short while and we might be saved. Even though I was exhausted I ran to the north east corner of Lundenburgh.  The enemy still had bridges standing.  I needed to give hope. I saw men at the top of the wall.  I drew my sword and I hoped that my Ulfheonar were with me yet. I saw a Mercian plunge his sword into the chest of a young Wessex warrior.  I ran and swung my sword as the Mercian stood on the stone ramparts.  My sword sliced through both legs and his maimed body crashed on to three warriors at the foot of the wall.  "Hope is here! King Egbert's army comes! Hold on for just a little while!"

I saw Eorl Edward and King Egbert turn.  "Is it true?"

"My ships have gone to Grenewic to pick them up.  These are the only three bridges left."

"Then we will hurl them back from whence they came. Men of Wessex show these dogs how we fight for what is ours!"

I saw that Bjorn the Scout was wounded, "Bjorn the Scout go to the south east corner and tell Erik to land the army to the east of the fort.  We can trap these warriors and then get to Aiden."

"It is but a scratch."

I shook my head as he headed off.  I had seen the blood and knew that it was far more than a scratch. "Arturus, fire arrows." I turned to Eorl Edward.  "Is there any fat or oil left?"

"A little."

"Then bring it to the bridge at the west.  We can trap the Mercians between the walls and your father's army."

There was just one amphora of heated pig fat and the bridge was thirty paces away.  We could now use it. Suddenly Arturus said, "Put it down on the floor." It was so hot we could see it smoking.  It would not take much to ignite it.  He took a length of cord from his waist and tied it around the neck of the jar.  "Snorri, have the arrow ready." He carefully lifted the jar to see if it would hold the weight and it did.  He whirled it around his head a couple of times to gain speed and then released it.  It looked as though it would miss but it smashed against the side of the head of a Dane standing on the bridge and shattered.  The flaming arrow flew straight and true and ignited the pig fat. The writhing Dane spread both the fat and the flames.  Soon the bridge was an inferno as warriors fled away from the danger.

"Use every arrow we have left on the last two bridges! Clear them. Arturus, let us take our men and sortie from the eastern gate."

We ran down the stairs and flung open the gate.  We had no order and there were Danes outside but we had victory in our sights.  I punched the first warrior with my shield as Haaken took the head from a second.  The warrior I had hit fell to the floor and Arturus plunged his sword into his chest. The arrows from above were clearing the bridge and our sudden assault made them flee. We were exhausted beyond words and our arms ached but with victory so tantalisingly close we could not stop; we dared not stop. We marched forward slaying all who stood in our way. The men we faced were not Vikings they were Mercians and they had no stomach for such fighting.  We were relentless. Our shields and armour made us hard to hit.  Even when their swords managed to hit our mail they were rarely good enough to penetrate Bjorn's armour.

I glanced up and saw that the first warriors had disembarked from our two drekar and they were beginning to finish off the survivors who had fled our ferocious charge.  We had won.  The day was ours and the Weird Sisters had spun their webs.

Wyrd
.

We searched the field for our own dead and took them to the river to send them to the Other World. Four Ulfheonar and two of Arturus' men had died although many of our men had wounds. When I removed my armour I discovered a broken rib as well as a couple of slight wounds where blades had penetrated the armour. We had been lucky.  We laid out the dead and then returned to the field to despatch any of the Danish dying.  Most of the Mercians were Christian.  King Egbert could deal with those. Those of our men who were unwounded collected the treasures from the dead.  The Danes of Guthrum were the richest and my men all did well from it.

We used some of the gold we had collected to buy a small boat from one of those who had hidden in Lundenburgh.  We paid a fair price but the man was keen to win our favour.  We laid our dead within it on top of kindling and some of the better weapons we had collected. I placed the axe of Magnus Skull Splitter on the top.  Finally we hoisted the sail and loosed fire arrows into it.  It sailed downstream back to the sea.  Ran must have looked kindly on them for it did not sink immediately.  We saw the smoke still when it was well beyond the bend at Grenewic.

I had decided we would clean ourselves up and sail home but a messenger came from King Egbert asking me to attend a celebratory feast.  Arturus was to come too. Aiden, who had just returned from his healing, saw the look of doubt upon my face.

"You should attend, my lord.  We can leave in the morning.  They will all want to see you.  Everyone said that it was you and our warriors who won the battle for the king. They want to show you their appreciation."

"I do not want to but you may be right.  Erik, prepare the drekar to sail. We sail on the next high tide! Haaken and Cnut take the treasure and the weapons to the drekar. We are going home!"

They all gave a cheer as they marched from the fort to the two drekar. I saw that Tostig had a barrel of beer held on his shoulder.  They had used some of the coins already.

We washed and put on the fine clothes we had brought back from Byzantium.  They were beautiful silken tunics.  We rarely wore them for they were too good to damage but all of our other clothes were bloody. We washed and oiled our hair and we trimmed our beards.  There would be ladies present and we all knew how terrifying an unkempt Viking could appear. I strapped on Ragnar's Spirit only because I knew it would be expected of me. Arturus put his new sword into his old scabbard.  I was proud of my son.  He was a handsome young man.  He would soon find himself a wife.

We had buried our friends and taken some time to prepare ourselves. We were the last to arrive in the hall for the feast.  Embarrassingly we were greeted with tumultuous applause and the banging of beakers on the table. I had thought it would be just the king and his family but there were fifteen eorls present too. Some of them had women with them. There were two places for us next to a girl who looked to be a little younger than Arturus. I wondered if it was Egbert's daughter. I could not see his wife and I assumed that the journey had been too much for her. I allowed Arturus to sit next to the young girl while I took the chair next to Eorl Edward.  He looked to be the only one who was still reasonably sober.

Before I could sit, King Egbert raised his beaker and said, "Long life to Jarl Dragon Heart and his Vikings.  They are our allies and they did us a service today."

Every toasted us and cheered. I was glad when I could sit down.  I swallowed half of the beaker of ale without even tasting it. The slaves brought in the food. I said quietly, "Edward, where is the king's wife?  Was the journey too much for her?"

He lowered his voice, "She is the one seated next to Arturus, Elfrida. They married six months ago." My mouth must have dropped open. He smiled, "His other wife, Ælfthryt
h
,
decided to enter a convent and serve God."

"Truly?"

He shrugged, "It is the story we were told and who would argue with the king?"

"But she is so young."

"That is the way he likes them.  My mother was but thirteen summers when he bedded her."

"Where is she now?"

"She died in a Viking raid."

"Sorry."

"It was not you and I have come to learn that not all Vikings are the same." He ate some of the food. "You were right, Jarl, we should have heeded your words more. We wasted too many arrows. It nearly cost us dear. If we had had more arrows then they might not have been able to cross those bridges they made."

"You learned and I believe that Coenwulf and the Danes will leave now."

"And you?"

"I would be gone already if it were not for this feast." I ate some of the venison placed before me.  It was old and it was tasteless.  I suspect it had been salted and then washed clear of salt. I was suddenly not hungry.  I drank some more of the ale. As I did so I glanced at the girl. She looked happier now that she was talking to Arturus and the two of them were becoming quite animated. Egbert asked her something and she looked suddenly sullen. "She looks unhappy about something."

Edward's voice became almost a whisper, "I do not think she is happy with a marriage to a man three times her age." He looked worried, "You would not say anything would you?"

"Eorl Edward, you are the one friend I now have in Wessex.  Your words are safe with me."

We were interrupted when the king stood.  He was drunk.  Some men can be funny when they are drunk, Haaken was one.  Others can be nasty and mean.  King Egbert was both of those and loud too.

"My warriors and Eorls, today I have won a great victory over not only my enemy Coenwulf of Mercia but also the Vikings who sought to attack us. The men of Wessex have shown all that they are the greatest warriors in the world!" He glanced down at Elfrida but she was talking quietly with Arturus. Egbert scowled. "We can now conquer the whole of this land. With warriors such as you behind me then there is nothing to stop us!"

While his eorls began to chant and shout their agreement Egbert leaned down and said something to Elfrida. She shook her head and he slapped her. She ran from the room weeping. My hand was across Arturus before he could move.  I knew my son and I knew his temper.  "No, Arturus."

"I want to kill him!"

"There are many men that we can kill and probably will.  He just isn't one of them. When the moment is right and he sits down we shall leave.  I, too, have had enough of this."

The room had quietened and Egbert stared at the two of us.  He put on a false smile. "Jarl Dragon Heart.  You may think I disparaged your men by not mentioning them. I did not mean to do so but we both know that they fight the way that they do because of the magic sword. You use it well but imagine what I could achieve, a king, if I owned it.  Why I could challenge the Holy Roman Emperor himself! I will buy the sword from you.  I will give you another chest of gold.  What say you?"

His sycophantic eorls began to bang the table and chant even louder. The king looked at me expectantly. I stood and shook my head. "You cannot expect me to give up the sword which was touched by the gods. I was meant to have it."

"And you have done all with it that you can. I have said that I will buy it from you.  Name your price! If a chest of gold is not enough then what is?"

"It was touched by the gods.  It is beyond price!"

His face darkened, "You are a pagan! There is but one God.  I could have you burned for blasphemy!"

He was beyond reasoning and I could see that this would get worse rather than better. I turned to Eorl Edward, "You will always be my friend but we leave now before I shed blood." He nodded.  "Arturus, we are leaving!"

It took a moment or two for the king to realise what was happening.  He became enraged, "Stop them! Bind them!"

Edward stood and held his arms out.  "Go quickly, jarl; I will try to reason with them."

We had our swords out as we ran to the doors. Two warriors had heard the commotion and the king's raised voice and were standing there as we opened the doors.

"Kill them!"

The two warriors were not to blame and I could not draw blood. I drew my hand back and punched one with the pommel of my sword.  He went down like a stunned animal. Arturus was more angry and he stabbed the other in the leg.  We ran. Once we were through the next doors we turned to race across the parade ground to the river gate and the safety of our drekar.

Suddenly I heard a voice, "Arturus, wait for me!" There was Elfrida and a woman a little older than she was. They had emerged from the hall and were running towards us.

"I will not leave her to him father.  He is an animal." I nodded, "Run Elfrida!"

The two ran towards us.

Four of the eorls had grabbed their weapons and were racing towards us. They were drunk and they were overweight. We stood to wait for the two women. I parried the first blade and ducked under the second.  I brought my sword around and it tore into the upper arm of one of the eorls. The second tried to stab me but it was a clumsy mistimed blow and he paid for it with his life as I ran him through.  Arturus had killed his two although he had a cut to his arm. The two girls were at the gate already. We joined them there and then lifted the beam holding it secure. As we opened it I yelled, "Ulfheonar!"

Behind me the hall had emptied and King Egbert was leading his eorls towards us. They were drunk and they were getting in each other's way. We pushed the huge pair of gates open. Arturus shepherded the two women towards the waiting drekar.  I swung my sword in a wide arc to keep the eorls at bay and then I turned and ran. My heart soared when I saw the Ulfheonar with shields and swords forming a protective shield by the side of my drekar.

"Erik, get us to sea!"

The men of Wessex were drunk but not drunk enough to risk the wrath of Vikings. The wall of shields bristled with swords and spears. They halted. As soon as I leapt aboard we cast off and the tide took us towards the sea. I glanced astern and saw Arturus with his arm around Elfrida, the Queen of Wessex, aboard the '
Josephus
'.  The Norns were weaving once more.

Wyrd
.

There was no pursuit and so we did need not row. The river was taking us to safety.  The king had no ships with which to pursue us. The rivers and the seas were always our allies. Haaken and Cnut came aft to join me and Aiden when the danger of attack abated. "What happened then? How did you upset the King?"

"It was he who upset me.  He wanted the sword.  He was drunk and I would have ignored it but he threatened to have me burned as a pagan."

"He seemed happy enough to have his pagans fighting and dying for him."

"That is not how he tells it. The victory was down to the men of Wessex.  It was the sword which helped him.  In his mind he thinks he deserves the sword for the victory."

"The man is insane.  We are well rid of him. And where now?  Raiding?"

That, of course had been my original plan but it seemed that the Weird Sisters did not wish me to do so. I did not answer them. Aiden said, quietly, "And who is the girl whom Arturus took on board his drekar?"

Haaken said, suddenly intrigued, "A girl?"

"Elfrida, the Queen of Wessex."

Haaken laughed so loudly that it must have carried all the way back to Lundenburgh. "He is your son, Dragon Heart.  We all knew he would take a wife soon but to take the wife of a king! That is worthy of a mighty song! You must tell us all."

He was correct. I owed it to my oathsworn.  I knew not what effect this stone thrown in the pond would have.  They were part of it and they deserved to understand how this thing had come about. Even as I was speaking to them and telling them of what I had learned I was already deciding that we would return home and forget the raids. Kara would need to speak with the spirits and I would need to warn our knarr captains that Lundenwic might not welcome us again.

When I had finished the tale Cnut nodded, "Arturus did right.  A man may hit his wife but not before others.  That is a private matter."

"And if she is young enough to be his granddaughter," Haaken shuddered, "there is something not quite right about that."

Aiden had said nothing.  The river and the tide had taken us into the estuary of the river and soon we would need to row and for me to decide our direction. "This was
wyrd
, Jarl Dragon Heart.  I could not foresee this but it feels right.  You have decided to return and seek the advice of Kara and the spirits?"

"I have."

Behind me I heard Erik Short Toe's voice, "Then we will be heading south soon and I will need the mighty Haaken to row while he composes his verses! The wind will not be in our favour."

Soon the Ulfheonar were rowing. I heard them talking as they rowed.  There were no secrets on the
'Heart of the Dragon'
. I looked astern and saw the
'Josephus'
following behind. Aiden looked astern with me.

"Tell me Aiden, you know him better than I do.  You were inseparable when you were young. How can you explain what he did; what just happened? It was so sudden. I do not understand it."

"I am a stranger to women, Jarl but from what I have heard you were meant to be with the Lady Erika were you not?  From what Haaken told me the whole settlement of Hrams-a knew that you were born to be together and so it turned out." I nodded remembering that midsummer when we had sat and talked on the beach for hours. "The Norns make plans for us and we do not know of those plans.  If Jarl Erik and his family had not come to Mann then you might never have met her. The Norns made them land there so that you would meet her, marry her and sire Kara and Arturus. When that was done they took your wife from you to be a spirit to guide you."