Viking Raid (5 page)

The Arab punched at me with his shield.  I used Ragnar's Spirit to block the blow but it numbed my hand.  I had to hold it lower. This was no good. A seax was not as good as a shield in a contest like this. His mail would stop my seax from striking flesh.  I had a sudden flash of inspiration.   The Arab grinned; he swung his scimitar back handed to make me use my sword to block it. I did not oblige him.  Instead I dropped to one knee and stabbed the seax through the Arab's foot to pin it to the deck. I then used two hands to ram the sword up into the Arab's unprotected groin and belly. I kept pushing until my hands touched flesh. When his bowels emptied then I knew that he was dead. I tore my sword out and his lifeless body fell to the hot wooden deck. 

As I pulled my seax from his foot I saw that we had cleared the dhow. My eyes narrowed as I saw Magnus Slender Leg and his three companions finishing off the wounded. I sheathed my seax and sword. Looking towards Trygg's knarr I saw that my captain was bleeding but he raised his hand when I waved. Sigtrygg shouted, "Jarl, the other dhow, it is approaching."

I nodded, "Take what treasures there are and get back aboard the drekar." I took the mail shirt, scimitar and helmet from the captain.  He had jewels on every finger and around his neck.  I took those too. I saw a box by the stern and I picked it up. I was about to leave when I spied a purse hanging from his belt.  I took it also. My weakened ankle meant that I was the last to leave the dhow. I barely managed to scramble aboard my drekar.

I deposited my treasure at the stern. "Haaken get the men on the oars!" I looked towards the dhow which was now heading towards us.  We had the wind but I had already seen how agile the dhows were. "Erik when we struck his bow we will have damaged him.  I want you to strike him a glancing blow with our bow."

"We cannot ram him, Jarl.  We might have weakened the prow already."

I shook my head. "He will turn and not risk us ramming I want you to nudge him.  With luck it will spring his hull or perhaps discourage him." I waved an arm around the bloody deck.  "We cannot fight another battle."

He nodded, "It is your ship, Jarl."

"No Erik this is your ship and you will save her."

I saw that we had lost men in the fight.  I would discover who later.  My priority was to eliminate the threat of the dhow. "Haaken when I give the command get the oars in quickly!"

"You had better make it soon, Jarl, for the men are tired beyond belief." I nodded. The new men had the shocked look of those who had been to the Underworld and returned.

The dhow was approaching us bow to bow.  We had the wind and we were flying.  The oars gave us extra speed and the dhow's captain was struggling to adjust his own, already damaged vessel.  He had seen how tricky we were. I could almost see what he intended.  He would sail along our side, destroy one set of oars and then swoop on the rearmost knarr knowing that he would have the weather gauge and could easily out sail us.

"Ready Erik?"

I heard him sigh, "I am."

"Haaken, oars in!"

The men were ready for the order and they slid the oars inboard so quickly that it must have appeared to the Arabs as though they had disappeared.  Erik put the steerboard over hard and then brought it back. It was skill of the highest level.  The Arab tried to get out of the way but the damage we had done to his bow made his turn slower than he would have wished. The steerboard side of our drekar ground along the side of the dhow.  Had we had archers then they could have slain many of the dhow's crew.  As it was I saw them thrown into disarray as our heavier vessel ran down the side of the greyhound of the sea. When we passed their stern I saw that the bottom was already filling with water and the captain waved an angry fist at us. The two knarr sailed closely behind us. By the time Siggi's ship had passed the dhow it was up to its thwarts in the Blue Sea. We had escaped.

It was only after I turned my gaze from the sinking ship that I realised that I was standing on a slick and slippery deck.  The bodies of two of the ship's boys along with Thorir Haroldson and Gunnstein Tryggson lay at my feet. "I am sorry Erik, I thought that just taking my Ulfheonar would have left enough men to guard you."

Erik's eyes narrowed, "You did leave enough Jarl." An accusing finger pointed down the ship.  "Those four followed you aboard the dhow!"

Every eye followed the finger and heard his words. I saw Magnus Slender Leg and his companions looking defiantly back at me. He stood and nodded, "He is right! We came here to fight and not to sit and guard a couple of ship's boys!"

Haaken suddenly leapt at Magnus Slender Leg and put his hands around his neck. Sigtrygg and Snorri intervened and pulled Haaken away.

"I will kill you for that!"

Magnus Slender Leg rubbed his neck. Sigtrygg back handed him across the face. "I did not stop him from killing you for any other reason that it is the Jarl's right to punish someone who disobeyed his orders."

Magnus looked at Sigtrygg as though he had spoken a foreign language.  "We joined this venture to go A-Viking!"

Snorri laughed, "You are a fool, Magnus Foresworn! You do not join this venture as you put it.  You follow the Jarl and you obey his orders. Take their weapons!"

My Ulfheonar had been ready and the four of them were secured and disarmed in a heartbeat. "What is this?" There was incredulity in Magnus' voice.

Sigtrygg struck him again. "Silence. The next time you open your mouth I will cut out your tongue!" The look in Sigtrygg's eyes left Magnus in no doubt that he meant it.  "Jarl, your judgement."

I limped towards them. I saw that they had taken weapons from the dead on the dhow. Their greed had led to the deaths of our ship's boys and two young warriors.  "Snorri has named all of you: Magnus the Foresworn, Thord the Foresworn, Rolf the Foresworn and Alf the Foresworn. Your old names died with those you should have protected. I have the right to have you killed here and now but I do not choose to do so.  This was your first voyage but it will be your last.  When we return to Cyninges-tūn you will say goodbye to your family and you will then be banished.  You will be outlawed. I would leave you in Al-Andalus but it is right that your mothers have the chance to say goodbye to you."

The Ulfheonar all began to stamp on the deck and chanted, "Dragon Heart! Dragon Heart!"

Aiden came to my side.  "Come Jarl and I will tend to your foot."

I allowed him to take me to the stern.  The bodies were still there. I saw Cnut Cnutson looking terrified.  "Before you do that Aiden, cover the bodies.  We will need to bury them."

He nodded and found some old cloaks to cover them.  I looked at Erik.  He pointed ahead, "We will bury them beyond the straits.  This Blue Sea is not their sea.  They will join their fathers from our own waters."

I nodded, "So be it."

Aiden took off my boots and put my foot in a bucket of sea water.  Haaken joined me. I could see that he was still angry. "Sigtrygg should have let me kill him.  It will be better for everyone."

I suddenly remembered why Haaken was so angry.  "I know that Thorir was the son of your sister but think of their mothers." I waved a hand at the four warriors who sat apart around the mast fish. "These have committed a crime but not their mothers.  It is my judgement."

Haaken's face softened, "That is the blood of your mother coming through.  A true Viking would have slain them without any thought of their family. A Norse gives his son a sword and then says, 'Now go and earn your life'."

"And as we both know I am not Norse," I laughed.

We buried our comrades at sunset when we had entered the grey waters beyond the Pillars. All but Magnus the Foresworn joined us.  I think the other three regretted their actions but Magnus was their leader. It was a pity that he had not been able to follow our code.  In the fullness of time he might have been a fine warrior; possibly good enough to be Ulfheonar. Now he would be an outlaw and would hire his sword out or join others such as we beyond our world and our people.

It was only then I remembered the box I had taken from the Arab ship.  I opened it.  Aiden's eyes widened.  "It is a time device."

"A what?"

Aiden took out the glass container.  It was wide at the top and the bottom and narrow in the middle.  One half appeared to have sand within it. Aiden turned it upside down and the sand began to drop. "It is a way of measuring time.  When the sand has run through then you turn it and measure again."

"How does that help?"

"The Romans used them.  It means you can measure, for example, a watch on a ship. I will work out how much it measures." He seemed quite excited by the discovery although I failed to see its value. By the time we reached Vasconia he had calculated that you would turn it twenty four times and a whole day would pass. He examined it closed and found that it dated from the time of the Romans.  The Arab had obviously taken it from someone else but its value was in the care he had taken to keep it safe.

I was relieved to see Coen ap Pasgen's knarr at her mooring close to Bourde. She rode higher in the water than she had previously.  Her trade had been good. Before I went to see the Duke I went aboard Trygg's knarr.  We had had little time to talk since the sea battle. I knew he had lost men for the two knarr had buried men when we had held our own ceremony.

"How many did you lose?"

"I lost three of my crew and Siggi, two."

"Will that leave you shorthanded?" He nodded. "I will let you have some of my men.

Siggi noticed the four warriors who sat alone. "What happened there?" I told him.  "Then you cannot give us any of your men. We will try to hire some here.  Who knows there may be some adventurous youths who wish to voyage with us."

"Perhaps." I left two Ulfheonar to watch our four prisoners and then we went to see the Duke. He was delighted that we had returned and he threw us a feast to celebrate. I gave him the scimitar I had captured from the dhow's captain and his helmet.  The Duke was delighted with the gifts which made our alliance even stronger.

We left Bourde two days later for we needed the two days to repair our ships.  The seas through which we would travel would test us. Siggi and Trygg did manage to hire a few seamen. The struggle with the Empire meant that they had less ships trading. Our cargo was now split between three knarr.  They rode higher in the water.  We had spare space.  If I did not have four prisoners then we would have been able to raid.  I was acutely aware that we had no slaves yet.

With repaired ships we headed north. Aiden pointed to the knarr.  It was as though he had been reading my mind. "We still have spare hold space, Jarl."

I nodded, "And we have four men to guard too."

"They may give their word to behave and allow us to raid."

"I would not trust Magnus the Foresworn. I gave him one chance.  He does not get a second."

We headed north west across the dark grey seas which surrounded Britannia. We were able to use more sail as the three knarr rode higher in the water. I had thought to have a swift passage home but a sudden squall sprang up as we neared the island the Romans had called Vectis and the men of Wessex, Wight. The squally sea made our four ships toss and turn as they crested waves and dropped into deep troughs.  It ended as suddenly as it had sprung up. Our four ships could all see each other but we were spread over a large area.

Erik left Karl on the steering board and went to inspect the ship. When he returned his face was grim. "What is the damage, Erik?"

"I fear that our collisions have damaged our hull.  We are taking on water.  We need to beach her so that we can caulk her hull again."

I looked to Aiden who had his charts out. "Could we make the islands of Syllingar?"

Erik shook his head, "It is too far and too risky." He pointed to the sky.  The squall was heading to the west.

"Then that means Wessex.  Vectis is the nearest place."

"That is risky but it seems we have little choice. Head north and we will signal the other three ships when they draw near."

Our three knarr returned, like lost sheep, to the safety of our stern. They too had damage and, like us, would need to repair.  As luck would have it we discovered a small beach which appeared deserted below a high set of cliffs. With no settlements in sight and dusk approaching it seemed a good place to land.  We were now two ship's boys short and Snorri and Bjorn the Scout stood at the prow to jump ashore and secure us to the beach.  As we neared the shore I saw that there was a sandy beach close to a path which twisted up the cliffs to the plateau above.  It looked to be just big enough for our four ships but it would be tight.  With our sail furled we went in under oars so that we just nudged the sand.

Snorri and Bjorn raced ashore with the two ropes and tied them to two large rocks.  They then scurried up the path. They were scouts and would detect any dangers hidden to us on the beach.

We jumped into the water, all save our four miscreants.  Erik too stayed aboard and directed us as we pulled the drekar sideways on. "Karl, Cnut, come and help me to lower the mast.  We do not want it damaging." While they took down the mast and laid it on the mast fish I watched the three knarr as they, too, beached themselves. My back was aching with the strain of holding the rope.  When the mast was taken down he said, "Everyone off now." He glared at the four sulky youths.  "That means you too!"

Once we were all off we began to pull the ship on to its side.  Karl, Cnut and Erik ran along the water's edge jamming flat stone beneath the hull so that we could repair it.  After what seemed an age Erik shouted, "Let go, gently!"

We lowered the ropes and the drekar stopped moving. Erik came around as we rubbed our arms to get the feeling back into them.  "Can we light fires?"

"Wait until Snorri returns."

He nodded, "We can make a temporary repair but I will need a fire to heat some fat."

"Haaken, sent two men to the cliff top to keep watch. Karl and Cnut, collect sea food from the rocks.  If we cannot cook then we can eat them raw."

Sigtrygg pointed to the four youths, "And them?"

"Have the two Ulfs watch them."

"It would be simpler to bind them… or kill them."

"I have said I will let them say goodbye to their mothers first."

Snorri and Bjorn returned after dark. "There is a small fishing village along the coast.  It is, perhaps, four miles away."

"Could they see our fires from there?"

"I do not think so."

"Erik, light your fires." I turned to the rest of the men.  "We have hot food this night." The sea food would be added to a stew using the salted ham and venison we had brought.  It would be a hearty feast.

Erik came to see me with a downcast expression. "What ails you Erik?"

"I have failed you, Jarl.  We did not pack the pine tar.  It is my fault.  We left in a hurry but I should have remembered. There is no excuse."

I turned to the three knarr captains. "Did any of you pack the pine tar?" They shook their heads and looked shamefaced.  All had made a mistake but there was little to be gained by berating them. "Then how do we seal the planks?"

"We could use pig fat and sheep's wool."

I sighed, "Have we sheep's wool and pig fat?" There was a collective shaking of heads.  As I glanced at Magnus the Foresworn I thought I detected a smirk.  Perhaps I would let Sigtrygg wipe it from his face.

"They have pigs and sheep in the village we saw, Jarl."

I could always rely on Snorri for answers. "Good.  Then we will go there now.  Arm yourselves."

Only the Ulfheonar had mail but the effect of mailed men descending into a village at night always ensures victory.  When we were ready I turned to my knarr captains and Erik. "Watch our four friends here.  We should be back before dawn."

There were more than enough to repair the knarr and watch the four. As we set off up the cliff path I asked Snorri, "How many huts are there?  And is there a tower?"

"They have a stone wall around three sides.  The fourth is the sea.  They have their boats drawn up on the beach."

"Then they may have pine tar too."

"Perhaps.  We saw no tower."

"If we can get them I want male slaves.  We need miners."

Perhaps this was good fortune to repay us for the attacks in the Blue Sea. I turned to the warriors behind me.  "The Ulfheonar will take the village.  The rest make sure that none escape to raise the alarm."

We smelled the smoke from the fires of the huts as we approached.  The Ulfheonar spread out in a long line with the newer warriors behind us.  As we neared the wall I signalled the inexperienced warriors to wait there. A dog began to bark as we approached the village. It could not be helped but we moved faster anyway. A light appeared from a doorway as a man emerged to silence the dog.  He saw us and shouted, "Vikings!"

Snorri raced towards him and struck him on the back of the head with the pommel of his sword. I heard a scream from within. Snorri stuck his head inside and said, "Just women and children."  We left them to continue through the village.  There were shouts and screams as men were clubbed unconscious or bound.  Women and children screamed in fear. Our appearance was terrifying. With our wolf cloaks, full face helmets and black armour we must have looked like the very devil which these Christians feared so much.