The Long Hunt (The Strongbow Saga) (27 page)

"What is your name?" I asked him. On closer examination, I realized he was much younger than I had at first thought.

"Skjold," he answered.

"How long have you followed Toke?"

"Since he left."

I frowned, not understanding. "Left where?"

"When Hrorik banished Toke from his home, I left with him. I was from the village. I have been with him ever since."

When Hrorik had banished Toke. It seemed a lifetime ago. In truth, it had been less than three years. So much had happened since then. So much had changed, so many had died.

"Gudfred will want to hear this," I told Einar. "Help me lift him."

I had intended that we would grab the prisoner under his arms and drag him down the deck to the stern, but he quickly protested. "Untie my legs. Let me walk. I give you my word that I will not try to escape. Where would I go?"

At the stern, we sat the black-haired man down on the edge of the raised rear deck and—despite the promise he had given—I tied his feet again. "You do not need to do that," he said. I stared at him coldly but did not answer. To Gudfred, I said, "His name is Skjold. He says he is from the village near the estate. He said he left with Toke when Hrorik banished him."

Gudfred stared at him for a time, then frowned, shook his head, and said, "I do not remember you. Who is your father?"

"Gorm."

Gudfred nodded. "I knew him." To me he said, "He was killed fighting the English on Hrorik's last raid." Turning back to Skjold, he asked, "Why did you leave your home? Why did you choose to leave with Toke, when Hrorik sent him away?"

Skjold shrugged. "I was the middle of five sons. My father's lands were not enough to provide a living for us all."

"The
Sea Steed
," I interrupted impatiently. "How did the pirates come to take her?"

"It was Toke's doing. We learned of the pirates when we passed Mon. A ship we met warned us of them. But we knew only that they were hunting the waters around Oeland. Toke did not think our company was strong enough to fight them—we have only enough men to lightly crew both ships—and he did not want to risk losing…" he glanced up at Gudfred, then at me. "He did not want to risk losing the woman."

"You mean Sigrid?" I asked. He nodded.

"Toke pulled most of the crew from the
Sea Steed
when we neared Oeland. He left only five men—just enough to sail her. I was one of them. Grimar—the man you drowned—was, too."

"Where are the other three?" Einar asked.

"They were killed in the fight with your company. They were among those slain aboard the
Sea Steed
."

"You said the
Sea Steed
's capture was Toke's doing?" I asked.

Skjold nodded. "He told us to sail her up the channel between Oeland and the mainland. He said that if pirates were watching, they would give chase. While we drew them off, Toke would sail the
Red Eagle
past Oeland on the seaward side, out of sight of land. If there were no pirates, we were to meet along the coast, a day's sail past Oeland. If there were pirates…." He shrugged. "At least Toke and most of his men would pass safely by."

"It was a great risk for those of you who sailed on the
Sea Steed
," Gudfred said.

Skjold shrugged again. "Toke was our chieftain. The others—those who sail with him on the
Red Eagle
—were our comrades. A man who will not face risk to save his own comrades is not worthy to be called a man. And Toke promised he would reward us well, if we came through safely—if there were no pirates."

"But there were pirates," Einar said.

Skjold nodded. "Aye. There were pirates. Toke told us that if there were, and we could not outrun them, we should surrender the ship without a fight. He told us she was not worth dying for."

"And that was what happened?" I asked. "The pirates pursued you, you surrendered the
Sea Steed
to them, and then you joined them?"

"I am surprised they did not just kill you," Gudfred said.

"It was a near thing at first," Skjold admitted. "But Toke had given us a plan. He told us we should ask to see the pirates' chieftain. He said we should tell him that we knew of a very valuable prize that would be coming his way soon. We were to offer to tell the chieftain all we knew of the prize, if he allowed us to join with his band and share in the taking of it. Sigvald agreed."

"What was the prize?" Einar asked. But I already knew.

"It was you," Skjold answered. "All of you. We told Sigvald that a ship would be sailing this way that had just returned from the war in Frankia. We told him of the great ransom that the King of the Franks had paid, and said that the sea chests of every man aboard the ship would be filled with silver."

Toke had not known for certain that we would pursue him. What if we had not? It had been a near thing. Would Sigvald have eventually killed Toke's five men when no rich prize appeared? Did Toke care about the danger he'd placed them in?

"Where is Toke bound?" I asked.

"To Birka. He plans to sell the woman in the slave market there. He said she will bring a very high price from the right buyer."

"The
woman
has a name," I snapped. "It is Sigrid. And she is not a slave to be bought and sold. She is of high birth. She is my sister. Your chieftain, Toke, is her foster brother. A man who would so betray another—a woman, a member of his own family—is not worthy to be called a man," I added angrily, using Skjold's own words. He flinched and hung his head, glancing up at me nervously like a dog that has been kicked. After a few moments, I continued. "You yourself lived in her household for many months, yet helped betray her.
You
are no man. You have no honor. You are a Nithing. One gives a gift to all true men by killing such as you."

I reached behind my back and grasped the handle of my small-axe. I intended to bury its blade in this foul creature's head. But Gudfred reached out and placed his hand over mine, preventing me from drawing the axe from my belt.

"Do not," he said. "Not this way. Not now. You must honor the promise that Jarl Hastein gave these men."

Reluctantly I withdrew my hand from my weapon. But staring at Skjold, looking into his eyes, I made a promise to myself. Somehow, I thought, I will see you die.

"My sister—Sigrid," I said. "Has she been harmed?"

Skjold shook his head. "Toke would allow no one to touch her. He said that there are buyers, slave traders who sell to the Araby kingdoms far in the south, who will pay dearly for beautiful women who have never known a man. The kings and lords there place a high value on the taking of a virgin, especially those of great beauty, with hair the color of gold, or red like fire."

Einar turned his head and spat upon the deck in disgust.

"You should know," Skjold added, "that most of us did not realize what Toke intended to do, before it happened. Most of us were readying the ships to sail when he picked fifteen men, told them to arm themselves, and went up to the longhouse with them. I was among those who were left down at the ships. Then Toke and the others came back at a run, and there was fighting. We cast off as soon as he was aboard. It was done before many of us even knew he had taken the wo…had taken your sister."

"But after? None spoke against it?" Gudfred asked.

Skjold looked away. "Not to Toke. There were some of us who thought it was bad thing, who were worried about what Toke had done. I was among them. But no one spoke against it to Toke."

Skjold looked up at me. "Toke has a very great hatred of your family. Of your father, your brother, of you. He would not have listened, had anyone spoken up. It would just have made him angry. He did not take your sister only for the price she will bring when he sells her, although he believes she will prove to be a very rich prize. He took her to dishonor you, all of you—even your kin who are already dead. He thinks that if she becomes a slave, whose master uses her for his pleasure as he wishes, it would shame all of you. And he said you, more than anyone else, will know how she will suffer."

"After Birka," Einar said. "Where will Toke be bound?"

It was a good question—one I should have thought to ask. I could not afford to let my anger and distress at what Skjold had told us cloud my thoughts.

"To Ireland," Skjold answered. "Toke has allies there."

Just then Bram came trotting down the deck from the bow. "There is a boat that has put out from the island," he said. "It is approaching the
Gull
." He glanced briefly down at Skjold, then stared longer, studying his face carefully, and added, surprise in his voice, "I know you."

"A ship?" Gudfred asked.

Bram shook his head. "A small-boat. There look to be maybe four or five men aboard it. They are waving a white flag."

*   *   *

It proved that the folk of Oeland were not our foes. The pirates had not been their allies. Rather, they had oppressed them cruelly. The men who had ventured out to the
Gull
in the small-boat assured Hastein we would be warmly welcomed on Oeland, and offered to lead the way to a sheltered anchorage further down the island.

By the time we reached the small cove which was our destination, a crowd of the islanders had already gathered there to greet us. Dusk was falling, but they had built bonfires on the shore, and had brought food—simple fare that could be carried easily: bread, sausages, and cheese, and most welcome of all, several small casks of ale—to share with us.

"On the morrow we will prepare a proper feast, and give thanks to you and to the gods, who sent you in answer to our prayers," a white-haired islander named Nori told Hastein. He was a godi—a priest—and the headman of one of the small villages that were scattered across the island. Turning to face the crowd of islanders arrayed behind him, in a loud voice he cried, "Away now! We must all away, and leave these brave men to rest in peace this night. They must tend to their wounded and their dead, and no doubt they are weary after their labors this day. Let us away, and in the morning we will gather at the old fort north of here and prepare for an offering and a feast." To Hastein he said, before he walked off into the darkness, "I will return in the morning."

In truth, we were weary. My steps dragged as though I had sacks of stones tied to my feet.

The cove's shoreline was shallow and sandy, so we had pulled the bows of the three ships up onto the beach, the captured ship in between the
Gull
and the
Serpent
. Those in the two crews who were badly wounded—there were ten in all—were carried ashore and a simple open tent for them was rigged facing the fires so they could be kept warm, and so Cullain could have light by which to dress their wounds. Because Cullain was busy tending to the wounded, each of us made a cold and simple night's meal for himself from the food brought by the islanders. The decks of the
Gull
and the
Serpent
were tented to provide shelter for the rest of us who were not wounded, and many made their way there to seek sleep as soon as they had eaten.

Hastein and Torvald posted sentries in the bow and stern of each ship, plus two to keep the prisoners under close guard, and arranged for them to be relieved at regular intervals throughout the night. "We are all weary," Hastein said. "None of us will find it easy to stay awake for long hours this night. But we must not let our guard down. The folk of Oeland have shown a friendly face to us thus far, but smiles sometimes hide treacherous intent."

After eating the light fare and washing it down with a cup of ale, I made my way toward the shelter where the wounded were arrayed, intending to look for Tore. But before I reached it, I came upon the bodies of our dead, which had been lined up off to one side of the tent. Though we had fared far better in the battle than the pirates had, our losses had been dear. Twelve of our company—eight from the
Gull
, including Hrodgar, and four from the
Serpent
—lay lifeless on the ground.

Four torches had been stuck in the sand at regular intervals along the line of bodies, and by their dim light men were tending to their fallen comrades, stripping off their clothes and armor, stiff and stained with blood, washing their bodies, and combing their hair and beards. Bram was there. The men from the village had sustained heavy losses. Bram's comrade Skuli and another man from the village named Kari, who had also sailed with us on the
Gull
, had been slain in the same fight that had taken Hrodgar's life, and a third villager, who had sailed aboard the
Serpent
, had been killed during the final fight against Sigvald's ship. Hroald, the village headman, was helping Bram clean their bodies.

Beyond them, a group of men was kneeling over the bodies of three men. As I passed them, one looked up and called my name. It was Gudfred. He stood and stepped across the body he'd been helping remove a tunic from.

"We lost three of our men," he said, "and another is badly wounded."

Our men. It was the second time Gudfred had said that to me, speaking of the carls from the estate.

"Who are the dead?" I asked.

"Grimar, Hemming, and Baug."

Before this voyage, I could not have put names to the faces of either Grimar or Hemming. They were little more than strangers to me. Baug I knew, though only slightly. He and his brother Floki—who had confronted me in the hayfield—had been close comrades to my brother Harald, and they had assisted with my training when we had practiced fighting in a shield wall.

If the estate was mine, as I had so brashly claimed, then the deaths of these men should matter to me. But I felt nothing.

"Can I assist you with their bodies?" I asked.

One of the kneeling men turned toward me and snapped, "No!
We
are their comrades. This is for us to do."

"Floki!" Gudfred said sharply, scowling at him. Turning back to me, he murmured, "His heart is heavy with grief."

"I lost my brother, too," I said, and looked away. "I understand. If you do not need my help, I will leave you now."

At the end of the row of bodies, Einar was trying to ease Hrodgar's brynie up over his shoulders. He was struggling with the task, for the death stiffness had begun to set in, plus the wound to Hrodgar's neck was so great that his head flopped about loosely whenever his body was raised.