Viking Dragon (13 page)

"Find us a path!"

After a hundred paces or so he leapt from the wall with his horse to the soft ground south of it.  Most of the others managed to do so as well but Aiden was still shaken from his fall and he had to gingerly lead his horse. We galloped south towards the road. We had travelled almost twenty miles since dawn and we were exhausted.  The Danes would be too. We reached the road and we stopped.  Two of the horses were lame or would be soon and I had a feeling that the Danes were up to something. 

"Aiden, the Danes who waited for you, were they alone?"

He still looked shaken but my question made him become more alert. "They may have been but then again the men who took me spoke of large numbers of Danes."

Erik said, "If there were two brothers might that not mean two or even three drekar?  Remember that Halfdan the Black had over forty men with him.  That is not a small drekar. There could be seventy or eighty Danes out there."

Aiden's shoulders slumped, "I have let them make me panic and I should not have done so.  I knew you were coming, Jarl and I should have used my head. Of course there were two drekar. They had me.  It makes sense that they would have other men waiting to ambush you.  It was just luck that you evaded them."

"Or the Norns!"

"Aye , the Norns."

"Then we should stop running.  We are dancing to their tune. Ulf will be on his way soon. Leif and the men from Cyninges-tūn will be here tomorrow. There is another warband.  They are driving us towards it."

Aiden nodded, "That explains why there were Danes on the road close to the fort."

"We dismount. Aiden take the horses to the woods and hide.  Tonight we become Ulfheonar.  We will teach them to be wary of the darkness." We dismounted and hefted our shields around.  We helped Aiden to lead the horses to the dell between the wall and the road and we tied them to the trees.  Aiden drew his short sword. He pointed to the dragon around my neck. "The spirits would not give you that in order for you to die here on the wall. The Norns have plans for you.  What you do is right.  I feel it in my bones."

I led the Ulfheonar half a mile to the east and the edge of the woods. I was now down to a handful of men: Snorri, Rolf, Erik, Vermund and Finni.  There were six of us to stop a warband.  To many that would have seemed impossible but these were Ulfheonar. Snorri pointed to the east. "They have been driving us and I see now why  they did so. Have you noticed Jarl that it has been the men without armour we have seen?  They are saving the others for the battle. They will come across this open ground and then enter this wood."

"Then we wait here!"

We spaced ourselves out so that any who entered the wood would have to pass us.  The sun was setting early this night.  The clouds still filled the sky and it was dark.  That suited the men who wore wolf skins.

I stood behind a tree which masked my profile.  With my black cloak, black helmet and mail I was invisible.  The only thing which reflected light was my sword.  Ragnar's Spirit seemed to glow in the dark and I kept it hidden behind the tree.

I heard the Danes.  They were talking as they approached. "Why we have to do the chasing and Ragnar's crew just wait is beyond me!"

"He is the elder.  Besides we get to kill the Dragonheart and gain his sword."

"I will not risk that.  No man has fought him and lived."

"But the glory!"

Another voice shouted, "Shut up or I will cut your tongues out!"

"They are far ahead of us, Hersir! We would smell their horses."

"Spread out.  We have the chance to close with them. No more talking."

The last voices were just paces away and I held Ragnar's Spirit ready to strike. I watched as a warrior holding a spear and a shield passed the tree.  He paused and sniffed. Had he smelled me? Then he walked on. I put my left hand around his mouth and pulled Ragnar's Spirit across his throat. His warm blood gushed over my hand and I lowered him gently to the ground. I could not see my other men but I knew they would have slain those who had passed them. 

I turned to the other side of the tree. The Hersir had said to spread out. Sure enough I heard the Dane walking towards me.  He too paused and sniffed the air.  Could he smell blood? As he passed me I took no chances.  He was not wearing mail and I rammed my sword up through his ribs and into his heart.  I lowered his body to the ground too.

There was silence and then I heard a voice.  It came from the east. "Sven, where are you?  Are they close?"

I risked looking around the tree.  It was the mailed warriors.  There were thirty of them and they had halted short of the wood. I guessed that we had slain all of their scouts. The warband halted and closed ranks.  Good warriors could smell trouble. I knew that they were listening. They would hear us when we moved.  No matter how quietly we shifted our position there would be some sound. I silently sheathed my sword.  The sheepskin in my scabbard ensured silence.  Then, cupping my hands together, I howled. The other Ulfheonar howled too.  And then, as one we stopped and I turned away to head through the woods. The effect of the howling of the wolf was always the same.  The warband tightened their ranks and drew together.  Those who had never heard it before asked others what it was and the leaders would try to determine how many Ulfheonar lay in wait in the woods. The noise of their questions masked any noise we might make.

I made my way back to Aiden and the others all joined me. We had bought some time and delayed the inevitable but sometime in the next few hours the warband we had seen and the one we had not would meet up and we would be in the middle.  Our only hope lay in Ulf and Haaken One Eye. I knew, in my heart, that the Ulfheonar would move heaven and earth to get to me. We were brothers and our spirits called to one another.

Aiden was smiling as he greeted us.  "The wolves howled."

Snorri snorted, "And the Danes filled their breeks!"

Just then we heard their feet, in the distance, as they ran along the road. We did not have the luxury of time.  We could not congratulate ourselves.  Our horses were now a little more rested. It was possible to risk riding them again. We clambered into the saddles and burst out on to the road.  Up ahead, on the road were the warriors. I should have known they would take to the road; it was less risky for them. They gave a shout of triumph as they saw us. Perhaps their leaders were angry that there were so few of us.  Until this moment they had only seen us in the distance and true numbers could not be ascertained.  Now they knew our paucity of numbers. We turned and rode hard to the west.  The Danes left the road to pursue us.

Aiden rode at the front with Snorri and our one spare horse. I rode at the rear with Erik. We kept up a steady pace.  The horses we rode would be ruined after this.  They were used to short journeys with grass and frequent rests. We had asked them to do the impossible and they had almost managed to do so. Our salvation came close to the river. Figures loomed up out of the dark and I feared, at first, that it was the second warband.

Jarl Ketil Windarson's voice gave me hope, "Jarl Dragonheart! There is a warband to the south of us!"

I reined in as his men appeared from the sides of the road. "And there is one behind us.  Aiden, take the horses, and we will form a shield wall."

Dawn was not too far off and we would be exposed by the sun but we could not run with two warbands hunting us.

"How many men are there with you?"

"Twenty. One of my riders met Rollo and he told us of your dilemma. He continued on to Ulf. I sounded the alarm and my people are inside my fort.  I brought my oathsworn."

Just then the Danes who had been pursuing us appeared at the top of the rise. We must have come as a surprise to them for they halted. In the dark our numbers would be hard to gauge. What was obvious was that there were more of us than there had been. A warrior stepped forward and shouted, "I am Harald Halfdansson. I am here with my warriors to collect weregeld for my brother Halfdan the Black!"

"Your brother hired out his sword and he perished in battle.  He had his sword in his hand! There is no weregeld to pay."

"That is not the way the Eorledman told the tale but it matters not. We will kill you and then I will wield the sword touched by the gods!"

"You will have to prise it from my dead hands first."

"I will do so."

They stood in silence. Snorri said, quietly, "I like this not Jarl.  Why do they not attack? They have the slope and they have numbers."

"You are right.  Ketil, have you archers with you?"

"Aye Jarl."

"Have them prepare their arrows.  On my command I want them to release a couple of arrows each at the warband and then we will run towards the wall. This road is a trap. At least there are towers on the wall where we can hold out until Ulf and Haaken arrive. Aiden send the horses down the road.  We are done with them now and it may fool the Danes."

"Aye Jarl. Bagsecg and Karl, organize the archers."

A moment or two later they said, "Ready!"

I shouted, "Release!" There were only seven arrows in each flight but they had the desired effect.  The Danes hid behind a tight shield wall. We were already running north towards the wall.  We would have a ditch to negotiate.  We knew where that would be but the Danes might not. There was a fort but that was more than a mile along the wall.  I doubted that we would have the time to reach it.  Dawn began to break in the east and the Danes saw that we had not continued down the road and they began their pursuit.

"Ditch!"

The ditch was not the same as when the Romans had built it and the sides were not as steep.  However if you ran and did not know it was there then a fall could still break an ankle.  We scrambled out of the other side and made our way to the wall.  I spied a small tower; the Romans called them mile castles. This one looked to be largely whole and we could use it for defence. The gate had long gone but the wall still ran around the top.

"Ketil, have your seven archers climb to the tower. Aiden,  join them. Place your men on the wall above the gate.  The Ulfheonar will hold the gate."

Ketil knew me well enough not to object.  We were the best and the gate was just wide enough for six warriors. Ketil's men would have to keep the Danes from pressing too closely.

The ditch did indeed slow them up. We had just formed up in the gate when the warband appeared over the rise and rampart before the ditch.  Three warriors, eager to get at us failed to noticed the ditch and they tumbled into the bottom.  I heard their cries of pain.  Suddenly Aiden shouted, "Jarl Dragonheart! The second warband approaches!"

I turned to Snorri, "So both brothers are united!"

"Do not fear Jarl, Haaken One Eye will not let us down."

"He has far to come and Leif may have run into this warband."

Snorri laughed, "He is Ulfheonar. He only runs into that which he intends!"

When they had climbed from the ditch Harald Halfdansson began to organize his men. This would not be a wild attack.  Dawn and daylight were his allies. He had his brother to join him and we could run no more. If we left the mile castle then they would surround us.  He knew that we had to stay where we were. The second warband was more numerous than the first.  Their scouts had not been decimated by Ulfheonar.  I saw the warrior I assumed was Ragnar Halfdansson.  Like his brother he had a four legged symbol painted on his shield.  Both brothers had long Danish axes.

I shouted, "Aiden, how many do we face?"

"There look to be over sixty, Jarl but the ones at the back are milling around.  There are at least twenty in mail byrnies."

One of Ketil's men shouted, "Good! I tire of my leather one!" Others laughed and that gave me hope for they were in good spirits. We had chosen the one mile castle which could not be attacked from the west.  There was a cliff and a quarry there but that also meant we had no escape that way.

The Danes made a wedge. They did not use all of their men.  It just had thirty men but the front half were all mailed. The two brothers would use that to force us from the gate and then unleash the rest of the warband. Aiden commanded the archers. Ketil's men knew that they had a galdramenn with them and would obey him. By using the tower we had increased the range of the arrows and when the first flight flew over I knew that Aiden had judged it well.  He did not have the archers target the ones with mail at the font.  Instead they struck the ones at the rear.  Two were too slow to raise their shields and they fell. The wedge was already weaker. More importantly the ones at the rear now had to have their shields held over their heads.  They would not add their weight to the attack.

Ketil's men above us used some of the loose stones and they hurled them at the Danes. One mailed warrior fell when a large stone struck his helmet and the rest were forced to raise their shields to give themselves some protection. As they did so I shouted, "Charge!"

It was a surprise move and it took them by surprise.  Only the Ulfheonar could have done what I intended.  With their shields above them they had no protection and my sword rammed into the middle of the surprised warrior at the fore. Rolf's axe took out a second and Vermund the head of a third. "Back!"

We raced back to the gate and Ketil's men continued to hurl stones. I heard a horn and saw that the brothers had decided to withdraw their wedge. They had lost four of their best men; two in mail and two others.  It had been costly and they would have to reorganize.

"Search the bodies of the dead.  We can use their weapons." We would take the mail later but their axes, swords, spears and seaxes would come in handy. We passed the weapons up to Ketil's men. They could throw the spears down when next the Danes attacked. I kept a throwing axe.  It was more of a hatchet than a true throwing axe but it would have to do. Then we made a small barrier of bodies.  They would either have to halt and clear them or climb over them.  Either way we would take advantage of their disarray.

Aiden shouted, "Jarl Dragonheart, there are more Danes coming from the east."

Snorri said, "They would be the ones who could not keep up.  The odds are lengthening."

"So long as we are above ground then there is hope."

Ketil's men brought around skins with ale around to us and some dried venison. I kept watching the Danes as they organised another wedge.  This time it was made up completely of mailed warriors.  There were thirty of them.  Some were still in reserve but the brothers were counting on breaking us with these warriors.

We pulled our shields around as they approached. They came steadily.  They were not risking slipping on the mud.  The previous wedge had churned it up. When they struck us then it would be at a walk. Aiden held the archers.  Not one arrow was wasted. The Danes, however, had the shields of the ones at the back raised in case we did. They came so slowly that we had time to assess the warriors we would face in ten paces. The front three all held spears.  They had learned from their first attack.  The ones at the side held axes.

"Ketil! Have the men ready with the stones." During the lull they had gathered more stones from the northern wall.  The Romans had used them to make a cobbled surface and they made perfect missiles.

Ketil and his men waited until the Danes were climbing over their dead warriors.  The bodies were slick with blood and gore and, as they stepped across them, they were pelted with stones. It is hard enough to fend off stones but it was doubly difficult while trying to climb across a slippery pile of bodies. As they flailed around trying to keep their balance my men threw spears and arrows at them.  One of the Danes lost his balance and fell towards me. I rammed my sword under his byrnie and into his gut. I twisted as I pulled it out. The first five men were all either wounded or slain before they could get to us.

Holding Ragnar's Spirit in my left hand I threw the throwing axe. It embedded itself in the face of a Dane. He fell with the others.  All order was gone in the wedge but the Danes were now angry and desperate to get to grips with us. They were wild with fury. We, in contrast, were calm. Rolf swung his axe and it scythed across the weapons the Danes held before them. The rest of us stabbed and slashed at the wall of mailed warriors who tried to force us from the gate.  Had they had a proper wedge with men pushing from behind then it would have been easy. As it was it was almost impossible.

A spear was thrust at my head and I raised my shield to block it. I chopped at the shaft of the spear with my sword and the head fell at my feet.  Vermund lunged forward and took the warrior in the gut. A throwing axe was hurled at me.  I only saw it at the last moment and I did not manage to get out of the way.  It glanced off the side of my helmet. Bjorn had made my helmet strong.  It was merely dented. And then the horn sounded again and the Danes pulled back.

I turned, "Is anyone wounded?"

Finni wiped some blood from his cheek; he had been cut by a spear. "A nick, that is all, Jarl."

Rolf had not fought in such a battle before and he said, "We could stay here all day!"

Erik shook his head, "They will realise that the gate is not the weak point.  It is the walls which are.  They have enough numbers.  The next attack will be on the walls."

Erik was right. "Ketil, Aiden, prepare for an attack on the walls."

Once again we saw the Danish brothers gesticulating as they decided what to do.  They had the numbers to surround the mile castle and overwhelm our men.  They could use their shields to climb the walls; we had done so ourselves before now.

The whole of the Danish line moved forward. The mailed warriors were spread out amongst those without mail.  This time the attack would break us. Aiden and the archers now had more targets and they used their arrows well. The warriors who came towards the gate were not in a wedge and they had time to step over the bodies of the dead.  It was a measured approach. When they were just five paces from us they threw their spears. It was not difficult to block them but, in doing so, we were unable to attack them and they used the opportunity to climb safely over the bodies.  One or two stones were thrown at them but the majority of Ketil's men were defending the walls from the advancing Danes. I saw one of Ketil's men pitched from the wall as he was hit by a spear. 

I reached around and pulled the spear from my shield and rammed it into the ground so that I could use it later. Then they hit us.  Our shields were already before us and we braced ourselves for the swinging axes. Even as I took the blow from the two handed weapon I jabbed upwards with my sword.  The Dane's shield came up to catch the tip but he just forced it up to his helmet.  It rammed his head back and, as he was overbalancing I punched with my shield. He was using his axe one handed and he did not have the strength to swing it. He began to totter backwards and I ripped my sword across his throat. The warrior next to him saw his chance and he tried the same blow.  I was wearing the dragon around my neck and the sword rasped along it. I brought my own sword down and hacked into his right arm.  Blood spurted and the sword fell from his fingers.

The gate was now free of attackers. We had been faced by seven men and now five lay dead and two more would not last an hour. "Erik and Snorri, take Rolf and clear the wall to the west. Vermund and Finni we will take these on the east."