The Long Hunt (The Strongbow Saga) (40 page)

Hastein seemed, for the first time since I had met him, to be at a loss for words. It was a bad time for that to happen. Finally he drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, then asked, "Can you tell me, Herigar, why you believe we are your enemies?"

I did not think it a strong beginning. Neither did Herigar. He rolled his eyes and said, "This is why you asked for a truce? Do you think me simple minded? You and your men are not merchants. You did not sail all the way across the Austmarr, from Denmark to Birka, to trade the goods aboard your ships. You could have traded them at Hedeby, and been back home in your own beds within a few days' time."

It was so simple a truth that I had not seen it.

"It is true," Hastein said, after a few moments, "That when we left Jutland, the purpose of our voyage was not trade."

A triumphant look filled Herigar's face. "Then you lied to me, when you said you had come here to trade. And when you said your name is Hastings. Is it not true that your name is Hastein, and that you are a powerful jarl in the kingdom of the Danes?"

Hastein's surprise showed on his face. He and I exchanged quick glances. Surely this could have come only from Toke.

Herigar continued. "That struck home, did it not? I see it on your faces. So you lied when you said you came here to trade, you lied about your name, and you concealed that you are a powerful leader among the Danes. And yet you accuse
me
of treachery?"

Hastein shook his head. "I have my reasons for hiding my name," he said. "They have nothing to do with you, or with your town. And I
am
a jarl over northern Jutland—it is true. That I did not choose to announce that fact is my own business. But we did come in part to trade, though that was not our original intent. We acquired the goods you saw well into our voyage—at Oeland. And as we were bound for Birka anyway, we thought to sell them here."

Herigar waved his hand at Hastein's words, as if brushing away a fly. "You acquired your trade goods at Oeland? You have many bales of furs. When did Oeland become a center for the fur trade? You are lying again, Dane. You are here on behalf of Anund. Your plan was to sneak into Birka disguised as merchants, and hold the harbor's entrance so the rest of his ships could enter. With the harbor closed, he will have to attack by land and face the town's walls. But if you let him into the harbor, Birka's soft underbelly will be exposed. Do you think I do not see this?"

"Anund?" Hastein said. "I know no Anund. Is that not the name of one of the kings of the Sveas?"

"Your time is up, Dane," Herigar snapped. He wheeled, his cloak swirling around him as he did, and began walking away in long strides. "Come!" he called over his shoulder to his companion, who was backing away, watching us warily.

"Wait!" I cried. I had to know. "Was a man named Toke here? Was it he who told you we came to attack Birka?"

Herigar stopped. He stood still, his back to us, as if weighing my words.

"We came here hunting him," I continued. "That is why we are here in Birka. It is the only reason. He murdered my brother. He stole my sister, and brought her here to Birka to sell her into slavery. She has golden hair. Her name is Sigrid. Is she here?"

Herigar half turned and stared over his shoulder at me.
Come back,
I thought.
Listen to us.
But then he continued on, without looking back again. Watching him leave, I felt all of the hope inside of me draining away.

*   *   *

We waited all day for the attack to come, but it did not. Not long after Herigar stormed away, a longship crowded with warriors rowed across the harbor and anchored just out of bowshot, between our ships and the harbor's entrance. Beyond it, the ship blocking the entrance was pulled to one side, and a second longship rowed out of the harbor, raised its sail, and headed away toward the south.

Later in the afternoon, a smaller ship—a knarr—was rowed out and tied up alongside the anchored longship. Its decks were piled with wood, and several small barrels were stacked together in its stern. Torvald pointed at them. "Those will be filled with oil," he said. "They are going to send a fire-ship against us."

Waiting and waiting and waiting is a hard thing, when you expect at the end of the wait to die.

As the day wore on and no attack came, all but those standing watch in the ships' bows and at the barricade removed their helms. I unstrung my bow, for I did not want its limbs to take a set from being strung too long. Bryngolf and Bjorgolf used a pair of scissors to trim each other's hair and beards. "We want to look our best when we enter the feast hall of the gods," they explained.

Torvald passed the time carrying all of the longest oars to the sterns of the
Serpent
and the
Gull
. He also filled every bucket on the two ships with water from the harbor, and lined them up in the rear of the ships. "When they send the fire ship at us," he explained, "if we can hold it off long enough, it will burn down to the water and sink. I do not fear dying from steel, but I do not wish to burn to death. It is a bad way to go."

Hastein opened a fresh barrel of the smoked herring we had purchased on Mon, and insisted that all eat to keep up their strength. The sight and smell of food reminded me of Rauna. I realized I had not seen her since the night before.

Fetching a water skin from my sea chest, I filled it from the big cask in front of the
Gull
's mast. Carrying it and two of the smoked herring in my hands, I walked along the stacked cargo back of the mast, calling out softly, "Rauna. Rauna, where are you?"

She had made a space between two bales of furs, and had stretched one of her own furs from her bedding above the opening. She was well hidden—I had no idea where she was until she pushed the skin aside and stood up. I noticed that she held her small-axe—the one she had killed Serck with—in her right hand.

"I have brought you some food," I said, and handed her the herring and water skin. She stuck the axe handle through her belt and took them from me, quickly raising one of the fish to her mouth and chewing at it hungrily.

What will happen to you,
I wondered as I watched her eat,
when the Gull is overrun?
I hoped Torvald's plan would be successful at fending off the fire ship.

An idea occurred to me. "I will be back soon," I told her, and hurried back to my sea chest. Digging down to the bottom of it, I found my gold torque and the small leather bag of silver coins I had brought on the voyage.

Returning to Rauna, I handed her the torque and told her, "Put this on your arm." She frowned and looked puzzled, but did as I asked. I passed her the bag and said, "These are silver coins. They are very valuable. Keep them with you. Hide the bag inside of your tunic, if you can."

"I do not understand," she said.

"Listen to me very carefully," I told her. ‘You must remember what I am telling you. The Sveas—the warriors here in Birka—are going to attack our ships again. Eventually they will win. You must stay hidden here until the fighting is over. Afterward, they will search the ship. They will find you. When they do, this is what you must say.

"You must tell them that you are the wife of the son of a great chieftain in Denmark. The chieftain's name was Hrorik Strong-Axe. Say the name."

She struggled with it. I repeated it again for her, and she said, "Rorik?"

"That is close enough," I said. "Remember it. And tell them that your husband's name is Halfdan, and that he is a famous warrior who is called Strongbow. The name was given to him by Ragnar Logbrod. Remember that, also."

"Why can you not tell them these things?" she asked.

"Because I will be dead."

A long silence followed. Finally she said, in a quiet voice, "You wish me to be your wife?"

"If you say you are my wife," I explained, "it may save your life. I wish that. It may keep you from being harmed. The men who are attacking us are members of the Svear king's own war-band. They will be men of honor. They will kill us because they believe we are their enemies, but they will not kill or dishonor the wife of a fallen foe." At least I hoped they would not. It was Rauna's only chance.

*   *   *

Despite the Sveas' preparations, the night passed without incident. By morning, we all were weary from lack of sleep, and from watching so long for an attack that did not come. Hastein in particular looked haggard. The fact that we were trapped, and he could think of no way for us to escape, was weighing heavily on him.

Just past noon, the longship we had seen leaving Birka the day before returned. A short time later, Herigar approached the end of the pier, accompanied by a single warrior who waved a white flag of truce.

"Come," Hastein said to me. "Let us see what he wants now."

When we reached him, Herigar told us, "I sent a ship down the channel to the sea, and for some distance beyond. They saw no sign of a fleet."

Hastein said nothing. He just stared at Herigar, a weary expression on his face.

"I am responsible for the protection of this town. For all of its folk," Herigar continued. "Their safety has been entrusted to me. I do not take lightly threats against them."

"We were never a threat," Hastein said.

"You said you knew nothing of Anund. When were you last in the court of King Horik of the Danes?"

"I attended a council there in the spring. Many chieftains of the Danes did also. Afterward, we carried war against the Franks. King Horik took a fleet against the town of Hamburg and burned it. My men and I sailed with a second fleet against western Frankia. We returned to Denmark less than a month ago. I have not seen Horik, nor been to his court, since the spring. We left Jutland on this voyage only days after we returned."

Herigar let out a long sigh. "For many years, King Bjorn shared his rule over the Sveas with his younger brother, Anund," he said. "But Anund is an ambitious man. He grew tired of sharing power. He tried to incite the people against Bjorn, by telling them that the gods were turning away from the Sveas because Bjorn had allowed the worship of the White Christ to be practiced in Svealand. He said we must purge our kingdom of the foreign god, and all who worship him, to regain the good graces of the gods.

"Matters came to a head at midsummer. There has been a drought lasting for months now that began in the spring. Because of it, the harvest this year will be small. Many took it as a sign that what Anund had been saying is true. Some of those whom Anund swayed came to Birka. They burned the Christian's church King Bjorn had allowed to be built here, and killed its priests. Only one, a Frank named Gautbert, escaped their fury. I helped him hide, and to make his way safely back to Frankia.

"King Bjorn was enraged, and banished Anund from Svealand. He fled to the court of King Horik. We know that he has been seeking to raise a fleet there, to support his return and help him capture the throne. When he comes, he will strike at Birka first, for it is the gateway into the kingdom."

"And you thought, merely because we are Danes, that we were the vanguard of Anund's attack?" Hastein asked incredulously.

"Not
merely
because you are Danes. You and your men are not merchants—that is clear. As I pointed out before, the goods you have brought could far more easily have been traded in Hedeby. Then there is the matter of your name. You told me it was Hastings, but while he was piloting your ship, Alf heard men address you as Hastein. And you are a jarl—a powerful leader among the Danes. A man such as that might well join Anund in a bid to capture the Svear throne."

"How did you know Hastein was a jarl?" I asked.

"Ah," Herigar said. "Yes—that is the other part of this. There was a man—also a Dane—who came to Birka before you."

"Did you also suspect
him
to be in league with Anund?" Hastein asked. There was a bitter tone in his voice. He and I both knew who this Dane had been.

Herigar shook his head. "He came in but a single ship, and even that was undermanned. But I questioned him to learn if he knew about Anund and his plans."

And from your questions, he no doubt learned that Anund had been banished, and had fled to Denmark seeking support for his return,
I thought.

Herigar continued. "He told me he did not know anything for certain, but he said there was a jarl, a frequent visitor at Horik's court, who was a great adventurer and Viking. If any in Denmark were likely to join with Anund, he would almost certainly be among them. He told me this jarl was named Hastein."

"The name of the man who told you this—it was Toke, was it not?" I asked.

Herigar nodded. "It was."

"I did not tell you my true name because we are hunting Toke," Hastein said bitterly. "He is a clever and dangerous foe. I did not want him to realize, if he was still in Birka, that we had arrived here, too." He sighed. "Toke plays men against each other like they were pieces in a game of hnefatafl. At Oeland, he told pirates that we were carrying much silver on our ships, so they would attack us."

"I have heard there is a strong band of pirates at Oeland," Herigar said. "I have urged King Bjorn to send a force to clear them out."

"There is no need," Hastein told him. "They are all dead now. The goods we carry—the goods we brought to trade here in Birka—we took from their camp, after we defeated them. Toke—where is he now?"

"He is gone," Herigar said. My heart sank.

Herigar let out a long sigh. "It seems," he said, "That this Toke has indeed played me against you. I acted out of concern for the safety of Birka and its folk, but…." He shook his head and sighed again. "I am thankful that at least none of your men died as a result of my error. It weighs heavily enough on me that some of my own men have died due to my mistake of judgment."

He hesitated, then extended his hand to Hastein. "It is much to request, I know. But I ask your forgiveness for how you and your men have been treated here at Birka, and offer my hand in friendship."

I thought it a generous gesture for Herigar to say he had been in the wrong.

Hastein reached out and clasped wrists with Herigar. "I accept your friendship, and will value it. As to what has happened between us here, had I been in your place, I might well have done the same."