Fate's Needle (35 page)

“Caring for you has given her purpose. Her son is fiercely independent and won’t indulge his mother’s tears. He is much like his father, Rolf, was.”

They arrived at the beach, the gentle gray sea unfurled at their feet. Neither spoke for a long while, but Runa could guess that Ulfrik had more news. The great alliance of jarls was all anyone spoke of, even Toki seemed eager to join in the plunder. She listened to the rhythm of the waves, and waited. Ulfrik finally started the conversation, moving his arm over her shoulder.

“I was so close to Grenner that night. I wanted to keep pushing, especially once you were safe aboard ship. But I could not let you wake in such a dangerous place.”

Runa nodded and slipped her arm around his waist to demonstrate her appreciation. “From what I know, Grenner is gone,” she said softly, not relishing having to deliver the news. She understood what it meant to have ancestral homelands razed; this would be another common thread that bound them together. “After your brother’s failure, Vandrad killed all the hirdmen’s families, destroyed all their homes, even burned down your father’s hall.”

“What? Are you sure?” Ulfrik withdrew his arm, spinning to face her. “What about Grim?”

“I’m sure. I served in Frodi’s hall and heard all sorts of news. Your brother went north to serve Harald Finehair. I heard he has done well for himself, that he stands with the king.”

Ulfrik folded his arms and stared out to sea. “He serves Harald Finehair,” he repeated, seeming to speak to no one.

“You think you will meet him when you sail north to attack?”

“How do you know of the attack?”

“Even the mice here have heard of the attack. When will you all sail off to glory?

“Very soon, in fact.” Ulfrik appeared to relax, lightly touching her shoulder. “Messengers from Kjotve’s hall arrived just when you came. The call is going out to gather the men. We will sail within two days.”

“I am ready to leave today.” Runa smiled at him, already hearing the protests in her mind.

Ulfrik did not disappoint. “You will remain here, where it is safe. There’s no place on the battlefield for you.”

“I was not asking your permission, simply letting you know I am prepared. You have no choice in where I go.”

“Runa.” Ulfrik dropped his head in frustration and then pinched the bridge of his nose. “You have just lost a child. And I have to focus on a battle, and not on protecting you.”

“I’ll stay on the ship, of course. I wasn’t planning on holding your shield for you. But you will need a woman to cook, and to help with the wounded.”

Ulfrik still shook his head in refusal. “I cannot risk you.”

“Nor I you. I’ve come how far with you? That sword at your hip returned to you from whose hands? I am coming with you. Only two people matter to me in the world. I won’t watch them jump aboard a ship and leave me among strangers.”

Runa felt a tear on her cheek and swiped at it in frustration. She had never cried so much, and hated to show such weakness. Ulfrik’s face held no expression. He reached out and wiped away another tear with his thumb. Then he kissed her forehead. “You must do what I say and keep yourself safe. I cannot rebuild Grenner without you to give me strength.”

“Then why go at all? Why not sail away, take all these people and find a new land?”

“Because I am sworn to Thor and Kjotve. If they command me to join them, I must.”

“Come on, they would not have time to search for you if you sailed off. Why bother with this at all? This place belongs to Kjotve still, not you.”

He pulled away from her and strode into the surf. Runa watched him thinking as the breeze tossed his hair. She wanted to approach, but felt he needed space to make his answer.

He eventually replied, “Because I have to know, Runa. It’s the last thread that Fate dangles before me. I have to know that Grim comes to justice. I failed to bring justice once. The second time, I was a coward, hoping to not meet my brother in battle. But now, I feel Fate leaning on me. I have to make this journey and fight this battle. I must be the agent of vengeance, for my father and for Magnus, and of honor for my men. Then, it will be done, one way or the other. Grim will fall when his king falls. Then can I begin again with only peace in my heart; but not until.”

Runa suddenly felt the chill in the morning air, but the shiver that ran through her was not from the cold.

Thirty-three

The
Wave Spear
led
Raven’s Talon
on the western flank of Jarl Kjotve’s fleet. Ulfrik manned the rudder as his men rowed. Dolphins stitched through the waters. Ulfrik waved to Toki, aboard
Raven’s Talon
, signaling him to pull closer to the main group of ships. Evening was approaching and they would soon put ashore in Rogaland, where Jarl Kjotve planned to meet Jarl Sulke’s force. They planned to gather allies as they sailed north, growing the size of their assault fleet on the way. Then the entire force of allied Jarls and their men would deploy to Trondelag and strike Harald’s center of influence. The so-called true leader of the alliance was King Eirik of Hordaland. Coming from the north, and having the greatest threat from Harald’s nearby military, he had waited for news of the fleet from the south. Only when he received it did he dare join the force, bringing with him eight large warships bristling with men. In total, the fleet numbered thirty ships, each filled with fighting men. No jarl wanted to be left out of the chance to pick over the spoils of Harald Finehair’s treasure hold.

Ulfrik had never navigated those coasts and fjords before. He hoped the fleet would be able to achieve surprise. His ships were small compared to those of the other hersir who served Thor and Kjotve, so they took the flanks and watched for signs of the enemy, or were used to chase down fishermen who might sail ahead to warn of the fleet’s advance. Ulfrik did not mind the menial duty. The real fight would happen on land, where he and his men would have a better chance at glory.

As Ulfrik leaned into the rudder, he considered the strong backs of the men before him, and wondered if he was leading them to their doom. Jarl Kjotve and Thor’s plans seemed too simple to succeed. They planned to sail into Harald’s homeland and destroy the king and his army. Ulfrik had not yet seen the final size of their army, but he wondered if it would be sufficient to overthrow a man who had won power through guile, politics, and conquest. In order for them to win, the gods would need to be on their side. Certainly, both Kjotve and Thor made enough sacrifices of cattle and wealth to buy some attention, but wouldn’t Harald be doing the same? And Harald had far more wealth and fame to offer.

Salty air filled his nose as the wind nudged the ships toward the coast. Ulfrik also doubted his own decisions. Runa had insisted on accompanying him. The men felt having a woman to cook and tend to the wounded was a good idea, and Ulfrik conceded it made sense. But he feared for her safety. She sat quietly on a chest, wrapped in a blanket and smiling with the wind in her face.
Maybe she doesn’t understand the uncertainty of the battlefield
, he worried
. If this adventure fails, she will again become a slave. And I will be dead and unable to save her
.

He pushed the thought away and started a song.

***

After several days of sailing, Ulfrik was uneasy about the quality of ships and the men the alliance had assembled. When he said as much to Thor one night, he received a cuff on the head for it. Neither Jarl Kjotve nor Thor wanted to hear of anything besides victory. King Sulke and his brother Sote were of a similar mind, although their ships and men were clearly inferior to the others. At least Eirik’s men appeared competent and their boats in good repair, which gave Ulfrik some confidence as they closed the distance to Trondelag. Yngvar and Toki shared Ulfrik’s view, but all learned not to voice their opinions. “If they keep toasting their future victories every night, we will have nothing left to celebrate when we burn Trondheim,” Yngvar quipped.

The day was bright, and King Eirik’s ship set the pace of the fleet. Ulfrik did not know where they were being led, but Jarl Kjotve had assigned him a man named Ari, who knew the way. Ari was gnarled and stubborn from years at sea, resembling a twisted old root. He did not row, but stayed with Ulfrik to guide him. A command signal was making its way from boat to boat. From Toki, aboard the
Raven’s Talon,
Ulfrik received the signal to head east.

“Where are we sailing?” Ulfrik asked Ari.

The old man scanned the distant blur of islands, reading them like rune stones. Then he spat overboard and scratched the back of his head. “Looks like Hafrsfjord.”

Ulfrik had not heard of it but trusted it was just one more fjord on the way to Trondelag. He hauled he ship around and the oars dipped and splashed as
Wave Spear
followed the fleet.

***

“Row harder!” Ulfrik commanded as he steered the ship toward
Raven’s Talon
. He had not yet seen the enemy ships, being on the far western wing of the fleet, but the frantic orders were clear. Hostile ships had struck from behind an island, catching the rear of the allied eastern flanks. His men were straining to see, and to row, and like Ulfrik they could see nothing from this vantage point.

“What can you see from there?” Yngvar, impatient as always, yelled for Ulfrik to be his eyes. “Raiders, do you think?”

Ulfrik did not hold out the lame hope of a raiding ambush. A fleet of thirty warships, all teeming with men, spears, and bows, would cause pirates to flee, not to attack. Harald’s men had ambushed them. He had no doubt.

The
Wave Spear
turned and pulled alongside the
Raven’s Talon
. In a defensive battle, Ulfrik and Toki would each lash their ships to another to make a platform from which to fight. Although Ulfrik had seen it done before, he had never had to do it himself. The boats glided together, the oars drawing in like men pulling their arms into their shirtsleeves. Toki and his crew had already taken up their shields, and a few were slipping on their mail hauberks. They all looked over the starboard rails; Ulfrik followed their gaze.

A fleet of splendid warships materialized like a fist before them. The beast-headed prows caught the sun, shadows filling their open maws. Several ships of the allied fleet had already been captured, and Ulfrik saw the distant shapes of men boarding the unlucky vessels. Those ships and crews were already lost, having been isolated from the main formation. At the center of the enemy fleet was a red-hulled, high-sided ship with a mass of oars. It streamed towards them, as graceful and predatory as a crane hunting in the water. Its sail filled, adding to its speed and revealing the great raven of High King Harald Finehair. The king himself had come to battle. Ulfrik swallowed hard at the sight.

Shouted orders came weak and thin out of the distance. Ulfrik understood, even without hearing the words. Their fleet was already striking sails and beating oars to flee the approaching enemy. Ulfrik shouted for his men to raise the sail and start rowing. “We will form up and make a defensive line to receive the enemy. Now row, you dogs! Your lives depend on it.”

The men had started the tasks before Ulfrik had finished commanding them. The wind grabbed the square sail and the
Wave Spear
shot forward. Ulfrik’s smaller, lighter boat would outpace the heavier ships, but the enemy also had their share of pursuit vessels. He looked over his shoulder, seeing Toki guiding his ship just behind. The blocky shapes of enemy sails were not much further away, and he could already hear the distant howls of the closing enemy.

Runa stood in the rear of the ship, gazing over the back as if she were on a pleasure trip. Her thin voice floated up to Ulfrik. “They’ve pulled up their oars.”

Ulfrik looked back again. The ships were even closer than they had been before. He saw a hint of movement, read it instinctively. “Arrows! Arrows!”

The first gray-feathered shaft plunked into the boards between Ulfrik and Runa. He pushed her down against the gunwales. Then all around he heard the thump of arrows. Someone on Toki’s ship screamed, and one of his own men yelped as a shaft nicked his arm.

“Keep rowing,” Ulfrik bellowed. “If anyone stops, I’ll stick him myself.” Ulfrik’s threat was unnecessary; the angry thwack of arrows drove them forward. Ulfrik chanced a look at Toki: he was urging his men on the same way.

Ulfrik wished he could get down and row with the men. The energy of a fight in the offering was building in him, and he ached to take his blade into battle. At least rowing would release the tension. More horns blew and orders rushed from ship to ship. Ulfrik leaned into the rudder, turning the ship suddenly and shouting orders to take in the sail. Two men jumped to the work.

The lighter vessels had shot too far ahead of the jarl’s larger ships. They were being ordered around to join a main line, forming a defensive barrier to those high-sided ships. Ulfrik planned to take his ships to one flank, where he could either lash to the line or seize an opportunity. The ships at the center would be protected from boarding, but they also surrendered their mobility. Ulfrik wanted to ensure his ships, and his men, were able to move—if not to seize an opportunity to attack, then at least to find an escape.

The larger, older vessels of the allied jarls were clunky and not lining up fast enough. Jarl Sulke’s ships were already boarded. Across the sparkling indigo water, the shouts and clashes of battle came like a wave. Ulfrik urged his men on. Fate’s work would soon be done.

Thirty-four

“We’ve still got arrows,” Yngvar shouted, barely able to finish his words from the exertion of rowing. “We’ve got to get into this fight, Ulfrik, or we’re done for!”

Both the
Wave Spear
and the
Raven’s Talon
had low sides—too low, leaving them vulnerable to arrows and to boarding action from the higher-sided ships of the enemy. Ulfrik kept the two ships close together, for support and to discourage boarding attempts. Harald’s forces were preventing them from joining the defensive line formed by King Eirik’s vessels, and already the
Wave Spear
had been swept off the flanks by a fast-moving ship and a storm of arrows. One of Toki’s crew was already dead and several others injured.