Viking Raid (2 page)

Haaken smiled, "All of the Ulfheonar will watch over our old comrade's son.  He will return safely."

Kara who had just appeared shook her head, "It does not do to antagonise the Norns, Haaken One Eye. Do not make promises you cannot keep."

"Then I will promise that if the sea swallows up our drekar Cnut Cnutson will be tied to a mast so that he may paddle his way home watched over by his father and the spirits of the Ulfheonar."

It was a silly statement to make but it worked, my men all cheered and banged their shields. I turned to Kara, "Watch my people for me. We will return in half a year if the Gods and the Norns are willing."

"Fear not, Father.  Mother will watch over you no matter where you are." She kissed me on my cheek.  "I am sorry for bringing so much trouble to you."

I hugged her, "Your mother and I chose to bring you and your brother into this world. How can you be any trouble to me?"

We waved goodbye to our loved ones and turned to leave by the large gate. We left Cyninges-tūn to march to our ship. Our emotions were a mixture of excitement and sadness.  It was hard to explain to someone who had not gone A-Viking.

The drekar was waiting for us but the knarr had sailed to the estuary.  They had trade goods to load.  Karl, the senior ship's boy was waiting at the gangplank.  He was keen to see who he would be training. Erik Short Toe stood behind him.  It was Haaken who presented him. "Captain, this is Cnut Cnutson; he is you new ship's boy."

"Welcome, Cnut.  I knew your father well and know that I started much as you did.  You have a whole world awaiting you.  Karl will instruct you.  Listen to him and you will not go far wrong."

It always seemed chaotic when we first boarded the drekar especially with so many new men.  Haaken took over Cnut's role and assigned where the men would sit. They put their chests at the oar he indicated.  I could rely on his judgement.  Weaker men would be paired with stronger men; lighter with heavier.  All was to do with balance. The drekar was a finely balance war machine. It was not a lumbering drekar. Aiden and I put our chests at the stern.  We had space beneath the deck but it always took time to get something you needed and we had learned long ago that no matter how much you planned if the chest was below deck you would need something from it. It was easier to have the chests on deck and they gave some shelter from the elements to enable us to sleep. I had my old wolf skin which I used as a blanket too.  It would keep out both the spray and the rain.

Eventually all was ready and Erik snapped, "Get a move on or we shall miss this tide!"

On the drekar he was the captain and only I could or would overrule him. I rarely did so.  He knew his business. Once in position we began to row.  Haaken sang our latest rowing song.  The new men would soon learn it.

The storm was wild and the Gods did roam

The enemy closed on the Prince's home

Two warriors stood on a lonely tower

Watching, waiting for hour on hour.

The storm came hard and Odin spoke

With a lightning bolt the sword he smote

Ragnar's Spirit burned hot that night

It glowed, a beacon shiny and bright

The two they stood against the foe

They were alone, nowhere to go

They fought in blood on a darkened hill

Dragon Heart and Cnut will save us still

Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar

Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar

The three knarr were there waiting for us.  I saw that they all rode low in the water.  That was a good sign.  They were well laden. It was a happy omen that we sailed towards dusk.  We would pass the treachery that was Mann in the dark and we would negotiate Ynys Mon at dawn. Once we had passed those two places our journey would be uneventful until we reached On Corn Walum.

The winds were with us as we sailed down the coast.  The warriors had been able to stop rowing once we had passed the Lune. The knarr had to rely on sails.  They had four oars but they were for an emergency only.  I was able to sit on the chest and watch my men, new and old as they spoke and moved around the drekar. The Ulfheonar were the centre of attention. All wanted to know what it was like to be a wolf warrior. The exceptions were four young warriors who kept to themselves. They were all quiet. 

Magnus Slender Leg looked to be the leader of the little group. He and the others had not grown up in Cyninges-tūn.  Their mothers had all brought them there three years since after a combination of a bad winter, Hibernian raids and wild wolves had driven them from the home to the north of Lang's dale. Their fathers were all dead. They had all been youths then but my people had taken them in and all had been cared for. In the settlement they had kept apart. It would be interesting to see how they got on aboard my drekar. The other three, Thord the Big, Rolf Arneson and Alf Red Hair could be a valuable asset in a battle for they would all fight together. That was never to be discounted. Haaken had allowed them to sit together towards the middle of the oars.  That way they would learn from the more experienced rowers around them.

Haaken was the leader of the Ulfheonar now. Sigtrygg might be the better warrior and Snorri the better scout but the warrior they all looked to when I was not there was Haaken.  It was reassuring for Haaken had been with me as a fighting companion since before we even dreamed of becoming Ulfheonar.

Up at the top of the mast were Karl and Cnut Cnutson. I smiled.  That was the most precarious of perches. It had been many years since I had done so but you never forgot. It was necessary at the moment as Mann was to the west and soon Ynys Mon would be to the south.  It was doubtful that there would be ships hunting us at night but it paid to be careful.  It would help the new ship's boy to gain confidence. I wondered if his father would be watching from the Otherworld. As he had come aboard I had seen that someone had made him a crude copy of the wolf which I had given, made in gold, to my Ulfheonar.  He wore it around his neck as his father had done with his golden one. Cnut's wife now had her husband's.  Many of the new warriors had had copies made.  I took it as a compliment; most warriors wore Thor's hammer about their neck.  My men preferred the wolf.

When dawn came we were passing the island of Ynys Enlli, as the Welsh named it. We were able to relax a little for our enemies were to the north of us. Most of the men slept.  Karl sent Cnut to sleep while just Erik and I stayed by the steering board. We would both sleep when we pulled into a cove later that day.  We did not make a habit of sailing at night.

As Cnut curled up in a ball at the bow with the other ship's boys I asked Erik, "What think you of Cnut Cnutson?"

"He is much like his father.  He is serious and he listens more than he speaks.  Those are good things but unlike his father there is sadness within him.  His eyes show that he misses his father."

I nodded, "You and I are lucky, Erik, we barely knew our fathers.  In my case he was a Saxon who beat me.  You were too young to grieve.  Cnut grew up in a village where his father was a hero and he was taken before he had time to know him."

"Who knows, Jarl, that may make him a better warrior."

"You think he will be a warrior?"

"That depends.  Ask me after this voyage and I will tell you." He pointed to the mast head.  "Karl will not be a warrior.  He likes the sea and he would be a captain like me. The others do this to be close to warriors and to watch them much as you did, Jarl. That is good for we need more warriors than captains do we not?"

And so we sailed south. The kindly winds meant that we were able to reach the coast south of the Sabrina where we found a sheltered beach for the night. I slept well.

As we sailed the next morning along the coast of On Corn Walum, we headed our small fleet. I wanted any watchers on the cliffs, and I knew there would be some, to recognise us for what we were, Vikings. When we passed Mark of On Corn Walum's lofty eyrie, I looked for any sign of his warriors.  There was none. We were more worried as we passed the islands which marked the end of old Roman Britannia.  The Ulfheonar knew that a witch lived there.  If you sought her you never found her but if she had a message for you then the tides and the weather conspired to send you to her clutches. All but Aiden breathed a sigh of relief when we passed them.  Aiden always liked to speak with the witch.

It was as we headed east that the Norns begin to play with us. The rope on the rudder boss suddenly began to fray.  Erik stared at it.  "Jarl we replaced that but seven days ago.  It should not fray."

I stared back at the islands some four leagues to the west. "I do not think it is anything you could have avoided.  How long to replace it?"

"We will need to stop. That means lowering the sail.  Then it is a quick job."

"In that case get the sail down.  I will speak with Trygg when they come abeam of us." One of our signals was that if our sail came down unexpectedly then the knarr should close with us.  Trygg's knarr was the closest to us. "Snorri, take Bjorn the Scout and your bows.  Go to the bow and keep watch."

With the sail down we slowed dramatically.  I cupped my hands as Trygg began to lower his sail and he came to speak with me. "Trouble, Jarl?"

"A frayed rope."

"Should we wait?"

I shook my head, "Erik says it will not take long and we are faster than you anyway.  Keep on course and we will follow." He waved his goodbyes and the sail was raised.

I could see that Erik was angry by the way he snapped at Karl and Cnut.  It was not his usual way. "Erik, this is not your doing.  It is
wyrd
."

"I know but the ship is my responsibility."

"You will work better if you put the past behind you."

"Aye Jarl."

Almost by saying the words calmed him down and he worked with Karl and Cnut.  He wasted no time on the old rope.  He severed it cleanly while the boys held the two parts of the rudder boss together. He began to whip the new rope tightly around the two pieces to hold them in place.  It was a neat job but to do it as well as Erik required both great strength and skill.  He said, "Let go boys."

They released their hold on the offending item and I saw the blood rushing back to fingers which had held tightly for fear of Erik's wrath.

"Good that will hold.  Hoist the sail boys and well done!"

I knew by his tone that he was embarrassed with the way he had spoken to his crew.  It was all part of the lesson of leadership. As I looked ahead I could see that the three knarr had disappeared over the horizon.

"Haaken we will row a little to catch up with our knarr.  I like not them being out of sight." Snorri and Bjorn began to come back from the prow.  "No you two keep watch.  When we sight them we can stop rowing."

It would be no bad thing to exercise the men and have them working in harmony. We needed to row faster. Haaken began a different song from the one we had used before.

Ulfheonar, warriors strong

Ulfheonar, warriors brave

Ulfheonar, fierce as the wolf

Ulfheonar, hides in plain sight

Ulfheonar, Dragon Heart's wolves

Ulfheonar, serving the sword

Ulfheonar, Dragon Heart's wolves

Ulfheonar, serving the sword

With the sail unfurled and the oars biting into the choppy sea we leapt like a greyhound after a hare. This speed could only be kept up for a short time but it would enable us to catch our other ships.

"Up to the masthead, Cnut."

"Aye, Captain."

Cnut could not swarm as agilely as Karl but he was soon seated comfortably on the top of the spar. He had not been there long when he shouted, "Two ships following the knarr."

Had it been Karl he would have been able to identify them.  Were they warships or merchants?  Erik said, "Karl go and tell us what they are."

He was soon next to Cnut. "They are Saxons, captain.  They have a small sail and oars.  They are closing with Siggi's ship."

"Haaken, let us catch up with them."

"Aye Jarl. Come on warriors and row! Are you women? Cnut and I could row faster on our own!"

We went back to the first chant but Haaken and the crew chanted faster.  It made the blood rush through our veins just to hear it.

The storm was wild and the Gods did roam

The enemy closed on the Prince's home

Two warriors stood on a lonely tower

Watching, waiting for hour on hour.

The storm came hard and Odin spoke

With a lightning bolt the sword he smote

Ragnar's Spirit burned hot that night

It glowed, a beacon shiny and bright

The two they stood against the foe

They were alone, nowhere to go

They fought in blood on a darkened hill

Dragon Heart and Cnut will save us still

Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar

Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar

Of course the song and chant helped and we were soon flying through the waves. I donned my helmet and grabbed my shield.  I left my sword in my scabbard for a spear was more use at sea. The Saxon ships were not as well made as ours and a larger mast and sail would break their backs. It meant they relied more on oar power.  For that reason they had a bigger crew than we did.  However our larger sail meant we could easily catch them.