Viking Sword (21 page)

Snorri nodded.  "Then Bjorn the Scout and I will find the best trail to the higher ground."

"Find three. If they follow us I do not want them to see us in single file.  They will know the path that way."

The two scouts were still to the west when Haaken and Cnut appeared and Ulfheonar reached us. They had their bows with them.  I explained my plan. "Aiden will have sent Arturus by now. We will see him before too long."

We all peered towards the north, vainly seeking the sight of Arturus and his mailed warriors. Snorri and Bjorn the Scout reappeared. "We have found the trails.  You are right Jarl.  The ground sucks at your feet if you step from the path. If they come at us recklessly then they will suffer."

"Then we will make them reckless.  When we run follow either Snorri or Bjorn the Scout.  We form up on the road.  They will have to climb that steep slope. If they drive us from the road then we fall back into the trees and work our way to Old Olaf."

Just then Erik Dog Bite shouted, "The Danes! I see them."

"Form up in two lines and string your bows."  I was the only one without a bow and so I drew Ragnar's Spirit. As I had guessed they must have spent some time approaching the burning fort cautiously expecting an ambush. It would have come as a surprise to see so few of us standing before them.

Snorri pointed north. "I see Arturus.  He is more than a mile up the Water."

I could not worry about that.  We had to delay the Danes and then irritate them into a premature attack. Their leader formed them into a boar's snout.  With two points of attack it was intended to outflank us. I took the opportunity to annoy Bothvar Bjarki.

"Bothvar Bjarki, go home! The King's wife chose to leave him.  You are working for a faithless man."

I saw the huge man clad in an enormous wolf skin which covered his head.  He appeared to have no armour but he carried a long sword and a large shield. He laughed, "He pays well and besides I would have done this for nothing. You and your little boys are not true Ulfheonar.  We are real wolf warriors and when I have torn your heart from your body I will take your sword and then destroy your people.  Who knows I may even take the pretty young queen for myself!"

"Leave now, Bothvar Bjarki, or be prepared for you and your wild men to leave your bones in my land."

His answer was instantaneous. "Charge!" They came at us at a fast walk for he was trying to keep them together. 

"Release!"

In the time it took for them to cover a hundred paces and come to within fifty paces of us my men had released three flights of arrows.  As far as I could see only two of the enemy had fallen but I knew we had had many hits.  These were tough men. Unlike us some of them fought without armour.

"Run!"

To the Danes it must have seemed as though they had terrified us with their charge.  We each followed either Snorri or Bjorn the Scout.  We could see the pattern for we were amongst it but the Danes just saw the twenty warriors running away from them.  I turned my head to watch as often as I could.  They were trying to keep their formation but already it was breaking up as eager warriors tried to close with us. The beck which led from the Water was wide, but, at this time of year was shallow.  The flood waters from the storm had made both sides the muddy quagmire.  Snorri and Bjorn the Scout led us across the stones hidden beneath the waters of the beck. I paused in the middle and saw that we had increased our lead.  The road was now less than five hundred paces away. 

Once we crossed the river we had to negotiate the worst part of the crossing.  Had it not been for Snorri and Bjorn the Scout we would never have made it. As the land began to rise it became firmer but the climb became harder. I felt the weight of my armour and the exertions of the run as I began to pant. I smiled to myself.  I was truly becoming a wolf!

I was the last to reach the road and my men had formed in one long line with a space for me in the middle.  Bothvar Bjarki and his Danes were now spread out.  I saw that at least eight were either stuck in the mud or struggling to cross the beck. Even as we watched I saw a heavily mailed warrior pitch forward in the mud as his foot caught on something. Bothvar Bjarki was berating his men for being women. It was not the way to lead.

As soon as they were in range my men released carefully aimed arrows.  They sought bare flesh and warriors whose eyes were on the treacherous ground and not on the line of warriors two hundred paces from them. Our arrows found flesh and warriors clutched at arms pierced by arrows or tore them from their legs. Two could not tear anything for they had been killed by the arrows.

When they reached the bottom of the slope Bothvar Bjarki and half of his men did something which surprised us.  They halted and, while their fellows protected them they began to bite the edges of their shields.  "They are preparing to go berserk.  Half of you have your shields and swords ready.  The rest target the berserkers."

I had seen this once before but then it had been one warrior. They were working themselves up so that they could go on a killing frenzy.  Aiden had told me that he thought they had some potion smeared on the edge of their shields to make them immune to pain.

Tostig's voice came from the left of our line.  "Arturus is less than four hundred paces from us."

We had hope.  Suddenly the Danish line erupted as they hurled themselves at us.  They might have had the desire to reach us quickly but the steep slope meant that they struggled to stay upright. Four of the berserkers were struck by arrows before they were halfway up the slope. Still they climbed to get at us their bodies oozing blood. One of the younger ones, fitter than the rest, made straight for me and, even though his arms had arrows in them he swung his war axe one handed at me.  He was below me and I jumped over the axe head as he swung it.  He took another step forward and I swung Ragnar's Spirit. The sharp blade, which had yet to taste blood that day, took his head off in one blow.  Even a berserker cannot fight without a head. His falling body took the legs from a second berserker who tumbled down the slope.

It was too close for arrows now but my men had the advantage that the Danes were below us. I could hear them struggling for breath as they tried to clamber the last few steps to the road.  I punched one warrior back down the slope with my shield as another swung his sword at my legs.  If I not been wearing the metal greaves I had been given in Miklagård then I would have lost my legs.  As it was I was able to swing my sword and cleave his head in two. The pressure was mounting, however, as the Danes forced us back.  And then the berserkers launched themselves at us.

The mad warriors had no regard for their own lives and I saw that one was fighting naked! We fell back in the face of the onslaught. A wound did not slow them. A lost limb did not impair them.  You killed them or they would keep on fighting even though they were dying. Few warriors could stand against them.  You could deal with a single berserker but here there were eight or ten of them. Most men would have fled before them but my Ulfheonar would prove who was the stronger.

I saw Einar the Swift fall to the ground as a berserker plunged his sword into his leg.  Sigtrygg swung his sword and took the warrior in the neck. Even with his life blood spraying around him he tried to finish off Einar. Then I had to give all of my attention to Bothvar Bjarki for the mighty warrior barged Tostig aside with a contemptuous blow from his war axe.  Tostig tumbled down the bank.

The Dane's axe came at head height for we had fallen back from the steep edge and Bothvar Bjarki was a big man. I ducked and jabbed forward with my sword. It gouged into the knee of the berserker but he did not seem to feel it.  Aiden must have been right; they must have taken a potion. Perhaps the potion gave power to their arms for Bothvar Bjarki did not pause in his swing and he brought it against my shield.  The force of the axe and the berserker's height meant that I was forced back.  As I stumbled backwards I saw arrows beginning to rain upon the Danes.  Arturus had reached us.  I had not time to look for him. Bothvar Bjarki brought his axe over his head to swing it down on me.  A warrior wielding a Danish war axe usually tired after a few blows but Bothvar Bjarki was getting stronger. I took the blow on my shield which gave an ominous creak.  It was well made but these blows would have felled a tree and I felt my arm begin to numb.

I stabbed upwards as I reeled back and the tip of my blade caught his arm. I do not know what I managed to cut but his swing became less powerful.  When he hit my shield a third time it hurt my arm but the shield remained whole.  I took heart and instead of recoiling I pushed forward with my shield so that he could not swing.  I wanted to get in close to him. Our faces were close together and I saw that he had filed his teeth.  He roared at me. "You are the trickster they say you are! You are the spawn of Loki!"

I did not answer but pushed my sword forward.  We were too close for me to be able to stab him but the edge of Ragnar's Spirit tore down his side.  I felt it grate on his ribs. He roared in anger and then head butted me. I fell backwards and I was slightly stunned.  As I lay prostrate on the ground I saw him raise his axe in a triumphant swing and bring it down towards me.  Had he connected then I would have been gutted like a fish. I had no choice.  I threw my sword like a huge dagger at him. It hit him in the chest and, as I rolled to one side, he fell to the ground.  His own weight drove the sword into his chest and his heart. I jumped to my feet, took his axe and decapitated him. I threw the helmet away and held the skull by his long lank hair.

"Behold! Bothvar Bjarki the berserker is no more! Ulfheonar!"

It gave heart to my men who began to howl.  I saw Arturus leading his men in a wedge to fall upon the demoralised Danes. Haaken and Cnut urged on the Ulfheonar who survived and they began to hack their way through the oathsworn Danes who all died with their chief. I rolled the body over and retrieved my sword. I was about to rejoin the fray when I saw that they were all dead. King Egbert's hunters were gone.  Elfrida was safe.

The warriors all began to bang their shields and roar with the exultation of victory.  I looked at the Ulfheonar who would fight no more. Karl the Bold, Sven Four Fingers, Erik Dog Bite and Einar all lay dead. Tostig Wolf Hand, Snorri, Bjorn the Scout and Sigtrygg all had wounds which would keep them from fighting for some time.  But we had won and I silently gave thanks to the spirits who had protected us.  We were at the very edge of Old Olaf's mountain and I knew that he had aided us. My Ulfheonar had done well but this had been our severest test.  Had Arturus and his warriors not arrived things might have gone badly for us.

Arturus and Cnut helped to search the bodies.  Cnut came to me with a puzzled expression upon his face. "These warriors have no treasure upon them."

Haaken laughed, "That is the problem with berserkers, they have nowhere to keep things."

"They must have been paid by King Egbert.  I cannot believe they have spent it. And where are their cloaks? Arturus they must have a camp somewhere.  Take your warriors and find them.  I suspect they may be either at Grize's Dale or Hawk's Stad. If you hurry you may catch them."

Eager to please, Arturus led off his warriors at a steady lope. We bound the wounds of the injured.  "Cnut, you appear to be unwounded.  Go to Cyninges-tūn and fetch carts and Aiden. There is no rush to leave here."

After we had bound the wounds of the wounded and given them water we looked at the weapons we had captured. The axes showed that the warriors of Bothvar Bjarki had spent much gold upon them.  They all had intricate carvings upon them and that of Bjarki was inlaid with gold. These were not weapons to melt down nor were they weapons which we could use. We would take them back with us and decide how best me might employ them.

It was getting towards dark when Cnut arrived back. He had brought men from the stad as well as Aiden. We laid the dead on one cart and the wounded on the other three along with the weapons.

"Where is Arturus?"

"I sent him to find the camp of these Danes. I am not worried.  He will be able to handle guards.  Come let us get back for we have done much work here today."

As we walked, or rather trudged, up the road to Cyninges-tūn my men chanted one of the rowing chants in honour of the dead who would never share an oar or a bench again. Ulfheonar were not easy to replace and when '
The Heart of the Dragon'
sailed again half of the crew and more would not be Ulfheonar. I knew that we could not retain all of our warriors forever.  We would be reunited in Valhalla but I would miss the faces which had faced me on so many voyages. My world was changing.

Arturus and his men arrived back at Cyninges-tūn after dark.  They brought with them two horses and a string of ponies. They also had the treasures the Danes had left with their guards. "They were not the best of warriors but we slew them.  I did not think you would want them as slaves.  They died with their swords in their hands."

The Danes had indeed been rich.  It seemed they liked gold more than even we did and there were many gold bracelets and torcs. We found the gold given to them by King Egbert.  His image was on each coin.  One day I would take some of those coins and throw them in his face. I smiled at the thought of him waiting, over the winter, for the return of the Danes and his child bride.  He would worry that they had taken her for themselves.  The word of their fate would take many months to reach Lundenwic.

Kara and her healers took our wounded to their hall.  Elfrida had shown some skill in that area and she helped.  As Aiden and I prepared to leave for Wolf's Lair with the few Ulfheonar who lived there she came up to me and hugged me.  "Thank you, jarl. I will honour the warriors who died to protect me and I will care for those who were wounded.  I am happy that I chose to come here. It is
wyrd
.'