Varangian (Aelfraed) (7 page)

A voice sounded from the reeds.
  “Is that Jarl Gunnar Gunnersson?”

Warily our captain replied, “Aye it is.”

“It is Siggi Rosmusson and what remains of two crews.”

The Jarl said quietly to me, “They may be friends but watch them and listen for my command.” I nodded to show I had understood. “Come ahead then, we will watch for you.”

Slowly eighteen men limped, crawled and staggered from the reeds.  I could see that some had been wounded and others carried injuries.  When they reached the side, I looked up at Gunnar, who nodded. “Come on lads; let’s help the poor buggers aboard.”

As they scrambled aboard we began to see to their hurts. Some had broken limbs and others sword cuts and arrow wounds.
  Eric and I took the stoic warrior who had an arrow sticking from his back.  Despite that he still clutched his sword and shield; this was a warrior. “Eric, fetch some clean water.” Much to the amusement of the crew I had had Eric boil water when we could and fill water skins with it.  The murky brown water of the river did not look healthy and I needed to dress the wound with good water. “I am Thegn Aelfraed and what is your name?”

“Snorri Bjornson. Thank you for stopping.” More to keep his mind off what I was doing with my dagger than anything I asked him what had happened. “We stopped for the night.
  We put out the torches and set the guards.”

“Were you the two ships who left the day before we did?”

He shrugged, “We were two ships. They swam to the other ship and slit the throats of the guards.  They would have done the same for us but Benni, our leader saw them. He died giving us the warning. There were too many of them and, when we saw the bodies being thrown from the other ship then we knew we were lost.  The captain led us into the reeds and they left with the vessels.”

“This is the part which will hurt.” I gave him his dagger. “Bite on the handle. Eric, hold his arms.”I put my knife, which I had heated in the burning torch, into the wound to loosen the arrow. His leather armour had prevented it entering too deeply. He barely flinched, even though I knew that it must have been
excruciating agony for him. The strength from rowing enabled me to pull the arrow from the wound with a satisfying plop and I was pleased to see that the blood which erupted was healthy. “Eric, hold a cloth to the wound while I heat up the knife.” A glance at Eric told me that he was close to breaking, the sight of the blood and the operation had been too much.  “Just hang on Eric.  Snorri has survived.  Your job is to help him.”

As I heated the blade I heard the warrior talking to Eric.
  “First time you have seen a wound?”

“Yes.
  How did you stand the pain?”

I heard a deep laugh, “The pain would be there whether I wanted it or not.
  What good would it have done me to cry out?  I knew that it would pass, or I would die.”

I returned, smiling, Snorri was like every warrior who had stood beside me in the shield wall. “Hold his arms again Eric.” The hiss of the blade and the smell of burning hairs and flesh were too much for Eric who passed out at Snorri’s feet. In spite of his pain the gentle Snorri lowered the boy to the ground. “It is his first voyage.”

“He did well and he is a kind boy. Did you say that you were Aelfraed the Saxon?” I nodded as I bandaged his shoulder. “Harald Godwinson’s bastard?”

“Aye for my sins.”

“I have heard of you.  They say you defeated a Welsh champion, a Scots’ champion and killed Hadrada.”

“My men killed Hadrada and the rest is true.”

“If you would have me, my lord, I would serve you for I believe the Norns intended me to be here.”

“How so?”

“When they were hiring I had a bad feeling about the ships and a voice in my head told me to wait but I ignored it.”

“How does that relate to me?”

“Benni told how he fought at Jorvik for King Sweyn and there were two mighty warriors who saved many Danes lives, Benni was one, and how he wished to go to England one day and serve you.”

“Aah, well the other warrior, the berserker? He is over there, Thegn Ridley.
  I will gladly have you in my company for it is
wyrd
.  One of my men deserted, he was a traitor.”

“Thank you lord.” He clasped my arm.

“There is one thing; my men swear a blood oath.”

He grinned, “Then it is
wyrd
; for that is my wish also.”

While a recovered Eric and the rest of the crew found clothes for the wet men I joined the two captains at the bow.”Siggi this is Thegn Aelfraed, the captain of the guards.”

“I am pleased that you have warriors Gunnar.  Only one of mine survived, Snorri.”

“And he has asked to join my company. Is that a problem?”

Siggi smiled, “No for I would not have been able to pay him anyway.” He looked serious. “There were many of them Gunnar and I fear that they will attack at the portage.”

“Will you be staying aboard captain?”

I asked the question because I liked the idea of extra men. “We will have to, with Gunnar’s permission of course. Once at Miklagård then I can get the funds to get another ship.”

“You are welcome Siggi for I could not leave fellow sailors here but we can only feed you.”

He shrugged, “As the alternative is death that seems a good bargain.”

“Gunnar, if we had more weapons then we could defend ourselves a little better.”

“Once past the portage then we pass a settlement on the Toropa River where we could buy them.  But the money?”

“I will buy them and try to sell them in Miklagård.”

“You will not get as much.”

I laughed, “Aye but if that means we actually get to Miklagård then it is money well spent is it not.
  And, Captain, it will not come out of your share.”

The Jarl gave me a shrewd look.
  “You are a strange one Englishmen.  Are all Englishmen like you?”

“The ones who did not die at Senlac and Stamford are.”

I left him with that enigmatic thought and went back to my men.  We were now ten again and I liked the roundness of the number.  The Norns were weaving again and the traitor had been replaced by a hero, it seemed a good bargain to me.

The next few days were tense as we had a very crowded boat, half of whom were nervous about the prospect of being attacked again. We did have a full complement of warriors for watch once more and, with two captains, the navigation and steering proved easier.
  When we reached the portage I was intrigued for the Weasel and the other rowers had told me what it entailed and I thought that they were joking for they said that you had to pull the boat up the side of a hill and down the other. When we reached the portage I saw that they were speaking the truth and the hill was quite steep marking, as it did, the ridge between two valleys.  At the side of the river we could see many logs, some of them showing the signs of damage. As soon as we landed Gunnar sent me and my warriors, with our axes to cut down another ten straight logs whilst he and the rest of the sailors began to offload the cargo.

I had never chopped down trees with Death Bringer and I was loath to do so.
  Harald laughed and offered me his.  “I care not what my blade cleaves so long as I am paid.”

After a few hours’ work we had the ten logs trimmed and cut and we trudged back to the ship with them. By the time we had returned the cargo was offloaded and the bow of the ship was lying on six logs.
  The rest of the crew were spread before them. Gunnar carefully placed our new logs in the right place and we hauled the ship out of the water and on to the logs.

“I will stay here with most of my crew and we will repair the hull while it is out of the water.
  Siggi will take his men and lead you over the hill to the other side of the portage.” He smiled at my puzzled face.  “He will show you what to do.  This needs not brain, merely brawn!”

As the men picked up the cargo Gunnar gestured for me to join him.
  “Leave Eric, Stig and the wounded warrior to guard the cargo and then you and the rest can return here to help pull this beast over the hill.”

Carrying the bales of furs was not hard but they were awkward to grip but after a good three hours’ climb and a slightly quicker descent we reached the river. Siggi was all for just dropping the bales.
  “No captain.  I want the bales made into walls and then Stig, Eric and Snorri will have some defence should they be attacked.”

Siggi and the rest of his men were incredulous.
  “But that will take time!”

“I don’t care.
  These men may be here all night and the bales will provide shelter and protection.  Don’t argue, just do it!” Siggi knew the portage but I was used to giving orders and expecting them to be obeyed.

The Hammer and my men grinned at the interchange but eventually the bales were stacked as I wanted them. We left an entrance so that they could get in and out.
  “Stig you are in charge.  If anyone should try to take the bales then we have made it difficult.”

Stig laughed, “And bloody cosy, my lord!”

I was just leaving when the first arrow flew to embed itself in the back of one of Siggi’s men. Rivers were new to me but I knew ambushes.  “Shields! Get inside the bales!”

My men swiftly picked up their shields, as I did, and we heard the pock, pock as they were peppered with missiles. Once everyone was inside I joined them. “Hold your shields up to make
a roof.  They will soon realise that the bales can absorb the damage.”

Sure enough the barbarians began to fire up in the air but the small space of the interior of my improvised fort was easily protected by our eight shields. Siggi looked worried.
  “The fort is a good idea my lord but when it becomes dark they can close with us and slaughter us.”

I looked at Ridley and grinned, he nodded.
  “If we are here at night time. Stig, you take charge.  Ridley and I will deal with these.”

Even Stig looked amazed.
  “But you have no idea how many men are out there!”

“True but tell me this, do you think that they are armoured?” Siggi shook his head.
  “Do they have arrows which can pierce mail?”

“No, no one does.”

Ridley grinned, “Not quite true but it matters not. Ready?”

“Aye but follow me this time!”

I burst out of the door with my sword held before me and my body protected by my shield.  I knew that Ridley was to my left and would follow me wherever I went. I saw the barbarians who were pulling back on their bows having left the safety of the forest. We took them by surprise and they watched in horror as these two giants leapt from the river side, roaring at them.  I killed two before they had time to run and then the rest turned and shot their arrows at us.  The shields took most of the damage but I heard them ping off my helmet and felt them tug at my tunic as they became embedded in the mail. They had thought to kill us quickly but we reached them unharmed and then it was a slaughter for they had no protection against the sharpened blades of two Housecarls. The handful of survivors ran.  Ridley and I pursued them for a good eight hundred paces and even caught a couple whom we despatched. Exhausted we halted to catch our breath.

“If all the barbarians at Miklagård are like that we will have an easy posting.”

“I somehow doubt it. Pick up the quivers and a couple of bows and break the rest.” By the time we reached the bales we had ten quivers and two bows.  The rest had been destroyed. “Stig you can come out now.  It is safe.”

The incredulous survivors came out and inspected us. Siggi shook his head.
  “But you are not dead.”

“I should think not.
  They were only armed with bows and we wore mail.”

Harald laughed, “Now I understand the story of Ridley the Berserker.
  All Englishmen must be mad!”

“No but we have a short temper.
  Harald you had better stay here, they may be back and here are two bows.  I hope you can use them.”

Jarl Gunnersson was worried at our late return but when Siggi told him of our exploits he smiled.
  “The Norns, Thegn Aethelward, they must like you or have some special plan in mind.”

The boat was now on a line of logs with long ropes attached.
  We were split into four groups and each group given a rope. Four men were left to move the logs. They had the hardest task.  We began to pull.  The ground was flat and we moved quite quickly at first. The four men raced from the stern to bring the logs we had rolled over and put them at the front.  Then, as we went up the incline it became harder and only two men ran with the spare log, the others jammed a log at the stern to prevent the boat slipping back down the hill. There was a technique to it which we quickly mastered and we found the going much easier. Once we reached the top we halted to catch our breath and to move more logs in front of the ship.

Gunnar was pleased, “Now we stop pulling and we stop the ship from travelling too quickly.” The boat was balanced at the top of the hill.
  Gunnar, Siggi and the First Mate went to the stern and tipped it up.  The momentum moved the bow forwards and the ship started to slip down the slope.  It was hard to stop it crashing through the trees and being destroyed; we had to dig our heels in to make it move at a reasonable speed. The log men were soaked with sweat as they raced around us to replace the log rollers. By the time the sun was setting we could see the river and soon the boat was once againin its natural home, the water.

Stig and the others had had no further problems and, as the furs and cargo were packed again, the talk was of the two mad Englishmen and their reckless charge into a band of barbarians. “Why are you not dead my lord?”

“Simple Olaf.  There is only one kind of arrow which can pierce this mail and my old friend Branton is the only archer to use them.  Unless you are unlucky and an arrow strikes bare flesh you should be safe and, besides, it is hard to concentrate when two giants such as we charge you screaming and waving our swords.  We learned that at Stamford Bridge when the three naked Norwegian berserkers, Harald’s countrymen, held off a whole army. Most men, even soldiers, fear death and those who seem more reckless make them think twice.”

They all examined the armour for signs of damage but what we did gain from that wild charge was the respect of our men who had seen us put ourselves in harm’s way to protect them. They knew that we would never back down from a fight and, in the next few weeks, that was the difference between survival and death.

Partly because we now had more men and partly because Jarl Gunnersson was worried about another attack we were excused rowing duties. “You are the warriors.  The men we rescued are sailors and rowers.  No offence Aelfraed but each man to his own skill.”

I was not offended and I took the opportunity of finding out how good my men were as archers.
  As well as the two bows we had collected in the woods we had found four other similar weapons including a strange looking bow which had horn and wood combined.  Stig held it to show us.  “Now had this archer fired at you then you would have been dead for this is the bow of the men of the steppes and it is a fearsome weapon.”

When Ridley tried it out he found out that, despite its relative small size, it could hurl an arrow to embed itself into a mighty tree. Someone had been watching over us. “So the Pechengs will have bows like this?”

“Aye my lord.”

“Then we need to improve the shields we use.” Ridley and I were the only ones with the large round shields studded with iron plates and we set about manufacturing shields for all of our men.
  The wood was plentiful along the river and we cut down a couple of trees and began to make them. Each day without an attack became a bonus. Although the wood was not seasoned it would afford some protection.  The problem was finding the metal and we scoured the ship for nails and small pieces of discarded metal.  We did not find many but each shield had some and it was better than nothing. The archery of the men was adequate and a bonus was that it was a skill which Eric had somehow acquired in his childhood.  He might not be able to stand and fight with a sword but, if we came to grips with barbarians, he could annoy them with a bow.  Snorri had taken to the boy for Eric had tended the warrior’s wounds and they soon became inseparable.  Snorri was a sound warrior who was very quiet but, when we had a practice with our swords, I saw that he was more than competent and he increasingly reminded me of Osbert.

I was still worried about Ulf.
  I hoped that he had drowned but I suspected that he had survived; he had had that sort of look about him. They say the good die young and that suggested that Ulf would live a long time. The attack on the other boats had happened too soon for him to be involved which meant he was still out there with the confederates from Velikiy. As we were not rowing, the night duties were not as tiring which was fortunate for two days after the portage, when we were anchored on the Dvina River, the attack came. Olaf was one of the sentries and he came to shake me.  “My lord, I have heard noises by the river.”

I had drilled into them that they should wake me for anything which seemed strange.
  I would rather lose a night’s sleep than men’s lives. “Wake Ridley and the others.”

“It may be nothing.”

I smiled in the dark.  “True Olaf, in which case, I will apologise to the men for the loss of their precious sleep.”

I went to Pig, who was the other sentry.
  Silently he pointed to the low trees which overhung the river.  I could see nothing clearly but the shape of the trees seemed wrong and there was total silence along the river bank.  That in itself was unusual for there were many animals that lived along the river and you would normally hear a duck or a waterfowl at night. It all pointed to men being on the bank. When Ridley arrived with the other warriors, all armed, I left them to wake the captain.

He had the nearest thing we had on board to a cabin; chests surrounded a sleeping mat and an awning gave him protection. As soon as I touched him he awoke. “It may be nothing
but we think there are men on the bank.  My warriors are ready.” He nodded and I returned to my men.  We were downstream and it would be simple enough to raise the anchor and float down the river but travel at night was dangerous.  My men had told me of the rapids we would have to navigate and we did not want to try those at night time. When I returned to the side of the ship I could see that there were, indeed, men at the river side and they were slipping into the water.  A horrible thought entered my mind.  What about the other side? “Ridley, stay here, Snorri, Hammer, Stig.  Come with me.”

I took them to the other side and sure enough I could see the slick bodies of the barbarians pushing reed mats through the water. There was nothing to be gained now from silence and I roared.
  “To arms! To arms!” The crew were instantly awake for the attack on the other boats had served as a warning to all of them.  Each man grabbed whatever weapons he could and they ran to the two sides.  I slung the bow I had with me as did Eric and we began to fire at the bodies coming towards us.  From the screams and shouts on the other side I knew that Ridley was doing the same. The night was dark and it was hard to aim accurately but I am sure that we struck four or five before they reached the side and began to clamber up.  They were wiry half naked men, each one with a topknot and pony tail.  They carried wicked sharp curved blades and they were numerous.  I dropped the bow and took up Death Bringer.  We were spread out along the length of the boat so that there were warriors and crew intermingled.