Viking Dragon (14 page)

I picked up the spear and, as we  reached the pyramid of warriors trying to climb the walls I stabbed it into the side of one of the shield bearers.  As he fell so the whole pile of warriors above him followed.  They tumbled to the ground.  We hacked and we chopped as they struggled to rise to their feet. It was like sending a stone down a mountain.  Soon the Danes were fleeing as we pushed out and Ketil's men rained death.  Once again the horn recalled the Danes to lick their wounds.  It was gone noon and I knew that they must be tiring.

"Despatch their wounded and gather any spears." I turned to Erik, "We must use the spears to make a barrier around us.  I want four of you on the walls.  When they attack again they will concentrate their efforts on Ketil's men."

Ketil and Aiden joined me. "That last attack almost succeeded.  The next one surely will, Jarl.  My men are brave but we are outnumbered."

"I know Ketil.  I will give you four Ulfheonar.  You can have two on each wall.  I will defend the gate with Rolf and Finni." I smiled at Aiden, "The dragon has saved me.  Look."

I held out the dragon hanging from the chain. The line scored by the sword could be clearly seen.

Ketil ran his fingers along it. "Is this new, Jarl?"

"We found it on the wall as the wizard Myrddyn told me I would."

"Myrddyn? Is he alive?"

"He came to me in my dream."

"
Wyrd
."

"Jarl, they come again!"

"Then we will repel them again!" I raised Ragnar's Spirit as Ketil and Aiden raced back to their posts, "Ulfheonar!"

My Ulfheonar took up the chant as the Danes advance once more.  As I faced our foes I began to think my ears were playing tricks for I could hear the chant still and it was to the south of us.  Suddenly Aiden's voice rang out, "It is Ulf and Haaken! They are attacking the rear of the Danish line!"

"Then let us join them and end this!"

We were the closest to the Danes and we ran directly at them.  The oathsworn of the brothers faced us but they could hear their comrades being slaughtered by Ulfheonar and the men from Thorkell's Stad. I ducked under a wildly swinging axe and rammed my sword into the middle of the Dane.  He had good mail and my sword slid down the links.  As I pulled back some of the links caught on the hilt of my sword and it dragged him towards me.  He could not keep his balance and I hit him with the boss of my shield as I disentangled the sword hilt. When he fell backwards I hit him again on the weakened mail links and this time the sword tore through them and ripped into his side.  I pulled out Ragnar's Spirit and thrust it through his mouth, pinning his skull to the ground.

Harald Halfdansson stood glaring at me.  Rolf and Erik had hewn two of his bodyguards already and were dealing with the other two.  I walked towards him.  "Before I slay you Dane, are there any other brothers I should watch out for? Do I need to take my drekar to your homeland and kill every member of your clan?"

He shook his head and looked like a dog drying itself.  "You have no need, shape shifter! My family lives in Jorvik and they will come for you soon enough!"

He swung his axe at my shield. Although I blocked it I felt my arm shiver. I moved my right arm behind me.  I wished to disguise my strike.  He took that as weakness and swung again.  This time I did not block the blow  but used my feet to step backwards and, as the axe head flew past me, stepped in and brought my sword backhand against his shield arm.  It bit deeply into his flesh. I pulled  my blade back and felt it grate against bone.  He was too close for a swing with his axe and he had to step back to free his arm.  I saw the blood dripping from his left arm and I brought my sword around to smash into his shield. He tried to swing at my head, one handed with his axe.  As I ducked beneath it I lunged up with my sword.  It went into his jaw and then into his skull.  As I withdrew my blade he fell at my feet. 

Rolf swung his axe and took the head.  He stood holding the Dane's blood skull and began chanting, "Dragonheart! Dragonheart! Dragonheart!"

That appeared to be the signal for our enemies to flee.  Ragnar Halfdansson and his oathsworn began to run east.  The Danes who managed to disengage, followed him. I saw Haaken as he and my Ulfheonar despatched the last of the Danes. We had won! Against the odds my Ulfheonar and Ketil's men had succeeded. It had been impossible but we had done it. I looked around and saw, to my horror, that Vermund Thorirson lay dead.  I had lost another Ulfheonar. The dead Danes around him were testament to his courage and he would be in Valhalla now.  Each time an Ulfheonar fell it was like a marker for the future.  They were preparing my way to the Otherworld!

Haaken and my Ulfheonar left the task of ending the lives of the Danes to Ulf's men.  "How did you escape this trap, Jarl?"

"Trap?"

Beorn the Scout nodded, "I found the trail of the second warband, Jarl. They had been heading for Cyninges-tūn. I am guessing that they received word that you were here and they came north to join the others.  As soon as I discovered it I told Haaken."

"We came as fast as we could, Jarl, but the heavy rains made travel almost impossible."

I shook my head.  I saw the guilt on all of their faces.  "This was
wyrd
." I held the dragon symbol. "Had I not been pursued I would not have discovered this. My dream told me I would find it."

Rolf could not contain himself, "And we found the voice of the dragon!"

My men stared at him as though he had lost his mind. Aiden said, "It is true.  We found the site of an ancient battle.  It looked to me as though the two things came from the times of the Romans.  The Jarl is Dragonheart.  This is the link to that dragon and see it has saved his life already!"

He pointed to the scar running across the metal.

Ulf asked, "Is this over now, Jarl?"

"No, Ulf.  There is one brother left and others who live in Jorvik. The Danes are growing in power there. I think that the days of Northumbria are numbered. Soon we will need to make war on them. When we are finished here have your warriors train.  I will send word when we go to teach the Danes that this is not their land."

We did not leave straight away.  We were all exhausted.  Haaken and Ulf's men had had to travel without rest and we had spent three days fleeing across the land and fighting a relentless enemy.  We headed for the nearby Roman fort and camped there. Snorri and the others were closely questioned by the other warriors.  Everyone knew that what we had done was remarkable, I sat with Olaf, Haaken and Aiden.

"The Weird Sisters have woven a complicated web this time, Jarl."

"You are right Aiden. It goes from the Danes to Egbert and here to a time before the memory of man. I hope my son and the others are not entangled in this web."

"They will be, Jarl.  The Norns do not do things by half and I fear I cannot see across the sea.  I did not even see my own trap."

Olaf Leather Neck stroked the edge of his axe, "We rely on our weapons and our brothers.  That is all that a warrior can do."

If there was something good to take from this encounter with the Danes it was the weapons, mail and treasure we took back home with us. Ketil and his men had the first choice.  Had they not arrived when they had then we would be dead. But all of us benefitted.  We took the sword from Harald Halfdansson and buried it with Vermund and the others who had fallen.  He had earned it.  His golden wolf we took, along with his share of the spoils, for his wife. He had no children and his wife was young.  Another warrior would take her to his hearth.  That was the way of the warrior. When we had taken our leave of my Ulfheonar we began the long journey home. For Aiden and I it was a silent journey for we had much to ponder.

There was relief when we marched through the gates of Cyninges-tūn. I had had enough of riding and I had walked the whole way with my men. I know that Aiden wrestled with the problem of his powers and the significance of the dragon.  I was planning my attack on the Danes. I had learned that if you did not punish your enemies then they took it as a sign of weakness and came back. When the Irish had kidnapped my wife and children we had inflicted such punishment that they never attempted anything like it again. I would do the same to the family of Halfdan the Black.

Kara greeted Aiden but I did not see Brigid.  "Where is my wife?"

"It is nothing to worry about father, but she has a fever."

Fear gripped my heart, "Erika?"

"Your child is healthy.  We found a wet nurse for her."

I stared at Kara, "A fever? You and your women normally have cures for such things."

Kara came closer. "It may not be a simple fever but I think she will recover."

"You speak in riddles.  She will be fine and then it may not be a simple fever.  Which is it?"

"Since the spirit of Myrddyn returned I have not thought clearly. I suspect my husband has not either.  Is not that right?"

He nodded, "I told you that I should not have been caught so easily.  My mind is clouded. "We must go to the cave and dream."

Kara smiled, "It is what I thought too.  We will wait until Brigid is healed for we will need to leave Ylva with her grandfather."

"I thought you said that Myrddyn's return was good."

"It is but it was you who went to the cave and it should have been us."

I hurried to my hall.  Uhtric and my wife's women were tending her. They bowed when I entered.  "How is she?"

"She has warmed to the touch since the morning and her eyes fluttered as though she might wake."

"Did the nuns of the White Christ help her?"

"They have rarely left her side.  It is only since we had word of your return that they have left."

I stroked Brigid's head, "Kill a chicken, pluck it and cook it.  Pour in half of a small jug of the red wine I was saving.  I will feed her!"

They scurried off.  This was not what I normally did but I remembered that my mother had used chicken broth when we were ill.  The wine was just an afterthought.  The taste warmed me through and I believed it could not hurt. "Fetch me my children!"

Gryffydd and Erika were brought and poor Gryffydd looked fearfully at his mother.  "Fear not, my son, we shall heal her.  Come and sit on my knee."

He began to stroke the dragon around my neck. "What is this?"

"It is the sign of the dragon." I took it off and placed it around his neck. "There, you shall wear it."

He looked pleased and then he frowned and took it off, "Mother needs it more than I do father.  Let the dragon heal her." He placed it around her neck.  After a few moments her breathing seemed easier. It became regular and a little colour came back into her cheeks and as we watched, her eyes opened. Gryffydd grinned, "See, I told you!"

She looked up at me, "I dreamed you were attacked.  Was it true?"

"It was but I came to no harm and I am home now."

She put her hands on mine. "How long have I been ill?"

"A few days." She nodded and looked at my face and then Gryffydd's.

"The dragon cured you!"

"The dragon?" Gryffydd held it up for her to see. My poor wife looked confused.  "I do not understand."

"I found this near the Roman Wall and it saved my life.  I put it around our son's neck and he placed it on yours.  It seemed to work."

She took it off and looked at it.  Her eyes widened.  "Do you know what this symbol is?"

"It is a dragon such as came to me in my dream. The old wizard, Myrddyn, said it was connected to me and was important."

She shook her head, "No, husband. I have seen this many times before and it is important. This is the symbol of my people.  It is the banner under which we fight. It is said that one day this will unite all the peoples of this land." She clutched at her cross and closed her eyes.  "This is pagan and cannot be happening!"

"You cannot fight your destiny.  When I first took you from your home I did not know where the road would lead.  I still do not but we cannot get off the path that has been chosen for us. I now see that the dragon ties us together.  It is
wyrd
." It took some time to calm her down but eventually she did.

After she had eaten some of the broth I had had made for her I sent for Kara so that she could examine my wife.  She was pleased and, when we told her of the dragon, she became even happier. The only person who seemed sad about the whole thing was Brigid herself.  After she had fallen asleep Kara took me to one side. "Do not worry, father.  There are two demons fighting inside of her.  Brigid must make her own choices. But this is good. Your son shows that he too has a gift.  He placed the dragon around her neck.  We did not tell him to do so.  Who did?"

After a couple of days, when Brigid was able to move around the hall and showed signs of recovery, Kara and Aiden left to sleep in the cave.  Macha and Deidra came to stay in my hall to help Brigid recover.  It left my son and I some time alone.  I was aware that I had neglected him. The dragon had changed the lives of all in my home.  I did not fully understand it but I was aware that it had some power.  I hoped that the visit to the cave would bring with it some knowledge. I took Gryffydd to Bjorn Bagsecgson.

"I think, Master Blacksmith, that it is time for my son's first weapon."