Viking Dragon (25 page)

Their leader survived.  He and five others saw Ragnar, still whirling around on his horse and making the dragon wail.  Although he was two hundred paces away they charged towards him. The Saxon leader was trying to leave with some glory.  The dragon banner would make a fine trophy.  Neither Wolf Killer nor my men could reach the horsemen. My grandson saw the danger and he galloped towards the stad.  The Saxon riders tried to cut him off.  It was a race. Ragnar had chosen a good horse but the Saxons were superb horsemen. I saw their leader as he raised his spear.  He pulled his arm back when he was twenty paces from Ragnar.  Suddenly a line of archers rose from the undergrowth and forty arrows knocked the six horses and riders to the ground.  I saw Snorri raise his bow. My grandson was safe!

I turned my attention back to Egbert.  The attack of the horsemen had been hidden from the Saxons by a fold in the ground.  He would not know the fate of his horsemen nor the presence of my archers. He had lost a good thirty men in his attack.  Many others, perhaps fifty or so, were so far downstream that, by the time they rejoined the army they would be exhausted. The river at the ford was gradually returning to its normal level.  My men had stripped the bodies of those they had slain and left them as a barrier to the next attack.

"Leif, signal the warbands to fall back."

My three warbands made their way back slowly up the slope.  It was slippery with water and they placed their feet carefully. They filled in the space between the Wild Boars and the Ulfheonar. We locked shields.  I saw many of those in the front ranks make water.  It made the ground even more slippery and it was always better to fight with an empty bladder.

It took some time for Saxons to decide on their next course of action. They were used to fighting Vikings who hurled themselves at their shield wall.  We were not obliging them. The forty Danes they had formed the front four ranks of the next column. Behind them came the men of Mercia and finally the Wessex warriors who had reformed. There were about a hundred and twenty warriors. As they moved towards the slope I saw that they were gathering the ragged remains of their army to exploit the success of their attack. When the hundred and twenty punched a hole in our lines then the last forty of their reserve would join in.

As they moved ponderously towards the river Aiden and his boys rode up. "It worked then?"

"It did and Ragnar did well with the Dragon Banner. When you reach the stad then send him back to me."

"I will, Jarl Dragonheart."

Wolf Killer asked, "Are you not finished with him?"

"We know that the rush of water was made by the dam.  The Saxons do not.  If you were a Saxon and you heard the wail of the dragon coming down the valley again then what would you think?"

"That the river was flooding again.  That might work but what if there are Saxons up the valley?"

I pointed to Aiden's messengers. "You boys, find a weapon.  You will guard the bearer of the banner!"

When Ragnar returned he looked excited. His father said, "You did well Ragnar. Jarl Dragonheart has another task for you."

"Furl the banner.  We will be attacked again soon.  I want you to ride, when I tell you, to the dam and then unfurl the banner and ride down the valley once more.  These boys will be your protectors."

"I need no protectors, Jarl!"

"Nonetheless you shall have them.  The Dragon demands an escort at the very least." He nodded. "Now wait on the other side of the hill so that the Saxons cannot see you.  Wait with Snorri. When you see the banner raised and lowered three times then ride to the dam."

Snorri and the archers could see my wolf banner which Leif held. We waited. "Slingers advance."

The boys with the slingshots moved from behind us.  They knew how slippery the grass was and they moved cautiously.  The Danes marched from the ford and started to ascend the slope. They knew now of the dangers and they were more cautious. The slingers hurled their stones and soon the shields came up to protect the warriors. It sounded like hailstones as they clattered off shields and helmets. Inevitably warriors slipped and, as they did so, the slingers found flesh. A well thrown stone could kill or render unconscious a careless warrior.  Four Danes fell. They were not dead but they were no longer in the column. Some of the Danes became angry at the incessant rain of stones and they made the mistake of running towards the boys to rid themselves of the irritation.  They slipped and the steepness of the slope caused some to slide back down, disrupting their ranks. The boys took advantage of the chaos, hurled their stones even faster and more warriors fell. 

The Jarl who led them was a huge warrior with a winged helmet, axe and a skull on his helmet.  He roared. "Shields! Form ranks! Wait until Erik Skull Splitter gives you the order to move!"

The effect was instantaneous. The Danes halted.  The boys managed to hit another eight warriors.  Some would have broken limbs but the Danes formed up again.  They now had three ranks of seven. As they moved forward I realised that the slingers were in danger.  "Slingers! Retire behind the shield wall!"

They moved around the side and formed up behind us.  They all had plenty of stones. The river bed had been full of them and they had chosen wisely.  They were only boys but they knew the shape of stone they needed. Without the boys in front of them the Danes moved steadily up the slope.  We were standing on dry ground and we had taken a flat piece of the hill where we had solid footing. The Danes would be advancing up the slippery part of the slope.

"You know what to do, Sigtrygg."

"Aye Jarl!"

Sigtrygg's men had a wall of double shields. I shouted, "Ketil, Ulf, now!"

The two warbands moved quickly to form up behind Sigtrygg so that there were six ranks. They would match the advancing Danes. As the Danes neared the top of the hill Sigtrygg shouted, "Charge!"

They took three paces on the dry ground and struck the Danes as they crested the rise.  Their spears were at eye level.  I saw Erik Skull Splitter as Sigtrygg's spear was rammed through his mouth. It was such a powerful blow that it knocked the helmet from the Dane in the second rank. The Danes lost their footing and fell to the floor as the weight of three warbands hit them.  King Egbert had made a mistake.  He played into our hands by using a narrow frontage.  He should have employed a long line and outflanked us.

I yelled, "Ulfheonar!" and attacked the left side of the Danish line as Wolf Killer led his Wild Boars against the right side. The Mercians who were following were bowled over by the falling bodies of the Danes.  The men we slew lay on the ground wounded or were knocked from their feet.  They were slain as they lay below us. I saw King Egbert as he ordered his reserves and I shouted, "Leif, signal Ragnar!"

The banner was raised and lowered three times. "Fall back!" I did not want to risk my men slipping on the slick slope.  The water had been augmented by blood and guts.  It would be treacherous underfoot.

As we retook our original positions I saw that we had lost warriors too but the Danes had been finished. There were not enough of them to mount a serious opposition. The Mercians too had been disrupted.  However someone had realised our weakness. They began to form a long line. When the reserves joined the line then they would be able to overlap our short frontage and the slaughter would begin. I watched as the priests and the Saxon kings joined their men.  King Egbert had seen our weakness. He still outnumbered us and he thought he had seen through our strategy.

As his men reached the river and began to cross we all heard a wailing in the distance.  "Slingers, advance!"

As the Mercians and men of Wessex looked east and those in the river began to look fearfully for the wall of water, the slingers threw more of their deadly missiles. The enemy lost another six warriors before they regained their composure. I saw that some of the reserve had fled up the hill on the other side of the valley.  They had had enough.  As the dragon banner drew close I could hear the priests as they chanted their prayers to the White Christ.  It seemed to halt the flight of those who were afraid and the reserves crossed the river. My ploy had not worked as well as I had hoped but there were at least twelve warriors who would not fight for they had fled. The priests might have convinced their men that it was their prayers which had saved them but I knew differently.

"Slingers, withdraw!"

The boys ran quickly to shelter behind our shield wall. This time the Saxons were well aware of the slippery nature of the slope and they moved cautiously. They used their spears as walking sticks to offer themselves support. As they ascended the slope I shouted, "Listen for my orders! Every man obeys instantly!"

They all shouted, as one, "Aye Jarl Dragonheart!"

The shout was so loud that I saw the advancing Saxons slow as though they feared we would charge them. We each held a spear and we were in two ranks. The front rank of the Mercians had their mailed warriors spread out.  I guessed that the ones in mail were the Gesith with their oathsworn. The line would overlap ours by twenty warriors on each side.  The two flanks of our line were held by the two best warbands we had.  I had to hope we would hold.

When they slowly reached the top and were just five paces from us I yelled, "Charge!"

We did not run but walked purposefully.  It was but five strides.  However we hit them with two solid lines of warriors.  I thrust my spear into the chest of a warrior who was standing next to the Gesith.  Haaken stabbed at the mailed Gesith. My spear struck him in the chest and I felt the head of my spear sink into flesh.  His arms splayed wide as he fell back.  The Gesith was punched by Haaken's spear and he too took a step back.  I withdrew my spear and punched at the next Mercian.  He had not quite made the firmer, drier ground. My spear hit him in the cheek and tore out through the back of his skull.  Two spears jabbed out from behind me and two more warriors were knocked to the ground.

I lifted my shield and yelled, "Push!" While punching with my spear I joined Olaf and Haaken to push hard with our shields and hit the struggling Mercians.

It would have been easy to get carried away and push them down the hill but that would have been a mistake.  We would have slipped and we were in danger of being outflanked.  Leif, in the second rank shouted, "'Ware right!"

That was the signal to withdraw. He had seen enemies outflanking us. "Fall back! Fall back!"

We each punched at the enemy and then began to walk backwards. It was Haaken to my right and Rolf behind him who would have the most difficulty for they had Mercians attacking them.  Rolf and Haaken threw their spears as they took long steps back.  I threw my spear too and took a long step. We were echeloning back with Sigtrygg and his men as the point of our arrow.  We had five hundred paces to march before we dropped below the dell. There Snorri held a surprise for the Saxons.

I drew Ragnar's Spirit. The spears had bought us time and three men lay writhing with the spears we had thrown.  The slingers, behind us, continued to hurl stones at the Saxons.  They could not run for fear of tripping over the wounded and dying front rank. We continued to move as quickly as was prudent.  Some of the Mercians chose glory and they ran at us individually.  It was brave but foolish. I blocked the axe of one Mercian on my shield and rammed my sword into the warrior's gut.  Haaken and Olaf, protecting my sides, did the same.  Leif used the wolf banner as a spear to gouge into the eyes of any warrior who came too close to me.

As soon as we started to drop down the slope to the dell before the stad I began to shout out orders. "Steady and lock shields!"

While still walking backwards we half turned so that every shield was locked with its neighbour. The front rank had no spears.  We would have to rely on our comrades in the second rank. The Saxons stopped on the ridgeline. Once again there was someone giving orders.  I saw the men of Wessex form the front rank and they too tightened shields. The delay enabled us to walk back to the archers and the ditch which surrounded the stad. As the Saxons began to move forward I heard Snorri snap out the order, "Release!"

Fifty arrows soared high into the air followed a heartbeat later by another fifty and then another. A hundred and fifty arrows falling on unsuspecting warriors can be devastating.  Those with quick reactions were able to protect themselves with their shields. Those with mail had some additional protection but thirty odd warriors fell. Some killed and some wounded. The gaps created meant that another ten fell with the next flight and then they locked shields to protect them from all sides. We were in the position I wished us to be.  We were anchored to the two sides of the stad.  The slingers were now in the two towers while Aidan and his specially selected slingers were on the gatehouse.

I saw that the field had some of our own warriors lying upon it.  They had lost more men but then they could afford to. Any loss for us was most grievous. The Saxons gathered themselves for their next attack. I knew when King Egbert had arrived for there was the sound of a horn and the Saxons formed a boar's head.  It was a double wedge and the points would strike at Ketil and Ulf's men. Egbert had realised that the flanks held our best warriors. We had to hold them until Aiden and his men could use Dragon Fire.

As the Saxon line began to advance I heard, in the distance, the wailing of the dragon. I did not expect it and neither did the Saxons.  They hesitated and it cost three men their lives as Snorri and his best archers targeted them. My grandson had taken it upon himself to inspire fear in the enemy. Wolf Killer's son was a true warrior. Then the Saxons hit us. They had many more men than we did and we felt the weight.  Before the shields collided their spears darted out.  They did not hurt us for we had large shields and mail beneath.  I suspected that Ketil and Ulf's men would suffer more. We were being pushed back by sheer weight of numbers.