We did not have to travel to the court of the king to discover our orders. Karl Three Fingers fetched them. Having delivered them and returned to the king, Griotard had given us the cynical reason for that, “The king does not like us and he would rather keep us isolated. I think he regards us as a sort of hunting dog. Useful for bringing down enemies but best kept on a steel leash and as far away from him as possible.”
Perhaps he was right. To be honest it was better this way for we did not have to travel down the corduroy road and endure the false faces of King Forkbeard and his court. We liked Karl and away from the intrigues of Forkbeard, he was a different man. Lodvir was summoned from Ribe and we gathered around a table in Sweyn Skull Taker’s mead hall. As I sat with my cousins in the room, which was normally dark and full of bodies, I was able to enjoy the intricate carving on the roof supports and the beams. One normally did not see them for at a feast your eyes were down but not up. As we waited, I saw all the detail: the tree of the stars, Yggdrasil and the creatures of the heavenly world such as the messenger squirrel Ratatoskr who to me also seemed like an animal version of Loki. The perching hawk, Veðrfölnir now had a real relevance of Alf. The Norns were there too, spinning, on one side was Sól, the sun goddess, and on the other Máni, the moon god. There was the goddess of the earth, Jörð, as well as Dagr, the god of the day and Nótt, a jötunn of the night. Not that she would be invited but Mary would understand none of this and might even be fearful of what she saw as blasphemy!
Karl, Lodvir and our jarl entered the hall and we stood. Karl’s oathsworn were with him and they guarded the door. What was to be said was a secret but, Sweyn Skull Taker knew that he could trust all the warriors of the clan. The merchants were a different matter! After the usual pleasantries, Karl began, and he smiled at us when he said, “The king will not be leading this raid, I will!” That brought smiles to our faces and made the rest of the commands far more palatable. “Because we made war on the Norse last year the lands to the west were not taxed. King Aethelred did not have to send weregeld to us. He was foolish not to do so for now we will take payments from him in thralls and gold. King Sweyn was pleased with the efforts of the men of Ribe at Svolder and it is your ships and twenty I bring from Heiða-býr which will raid first Hamtunscīr and then Denshire. We shall use the island close to Hamtunscīr, the one the Saxons call Wiht as our base. There are no burhs there and we can control the mouth of the river. How many ships can you bring?”
Sweyn Skull Taker rubbed his beard and looked at Lodvir who held up his fingers, “Seven ships. We lost four at Svolder and with them, their crews.”
Karl frowned and then shrugged, “We will have to do with quality then and not quantity.”
Lodvir leaned forward, “And the profits from this raid, how will they be apportioned?”
“Two thirds for the king and his men and a third for you.”
I knew that we would take more than that for the payment of which Lodvir spoke would be the coin the Saxons paid for us to go and that which we took from their churches. When we raided each drekar crew would keep what it took from houses, towns, villages and warriors.
Sweyn said, “When do we leave and how long shall we be away?” Karl frowned and Sweyn smiled, “I ask because my foster son is to become a father. Will his bairn be walking before he sees him?”
Karl nodded, “We sail from Ribe at the start of Einmánuður when the men of Wessex will be toiling in their fields and we return at the end of Tvímánuður when we can take their harvests.”
“Half a year,” he nodded, “and if we are away so long, do we need to pay taxes to King Forkbeard?” With no men working for half a year it would be an unfair burden. The Saxons had no such option and our raids would not only take coins from them they would have to pay more taxes to keep us away in the future.
“Ribe and Agerhøne will pay no taxes this year!”
We feasted that night but it was a muted affair for we did not have long to prepare. I told Mary, not the places we would raid, for that was too personal, but the time I would be away, and she accepted it. She had changed since my mother had died and we had wed. She seemed less argumentative and our life was more harmonious. The prospect of being a mother had changed her. Once more I wondered at my decision to delay wedding her. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. It is always perfect.
We had more work to do with our twelve new warriors. Training stopped as we helped them to prepare weapons. Their fathers and families had given them a sword of some description and some had bows but they needed spears. We had spears we had taken from our enemies, but a warrior liked to have his own. The best heads were taken from the shafts of the captured spears and we gave them to the youths. We took them to the woods where ash grew and they each chose a shaft that they would trim and polish. We showed them how to sharpen the spearheads and then each one finished them off themselves. The shields we had used had been training shields and each needed work for they would now be attached to a drekar. The four of us gave them advice as well as showing them our own shields. By the time we were ready to sail each of the twelve had a shield that was well painted and would afford protection in battle for they were double boarded, nailed and glued before having a cover of leather or sealskin.
While the unmarried warriors feasted and drank the night before we sailed, I spent the whole time with Mary. This time it was not my mother who fussed that I had taken enough with me but my wife. After I had returned from Svolder she had Egbert collect as much fruit as they could. Cooked with honey and suet and then sealed in waxed pots it kept well. She had one such pot ready for me. It was a thoughtful gift. When we were at sea and eating either raw fish or salted meat then a spoonful of the preserve tasted like nectar. The jars of pickled fish and venison were for my chest and would be my treat. That I would share them with my oar brothers was obvious, but they had been packed and prepared by my wife and that made them special. She had made my sealskin cape bigger so that I could sleep under it if I wished and she packed spare kyrtles and breeks. The squirrel hat might not be necessary, but it was good that I had it and the sealskin cap would be useful. The sea across which we sailed was often beset with squalls and storms. Being dry made it just a little more bearable. Finally, she gave me a jar of salve she had made up. It was my mother’s recipe which Mary had adapted. The sea dried a warrior’s hands and while they could bear the discomfort a scabbed hand could often become blackened and fingers might have to be removed. I had seen it happen to others. The salve was to ensure that we could row and fight.
“And when you come home there will be a child. I cannot promise you a warrior but I will do all in my power to ensure that the child is healthy.”
“Boy or girl I care not!”
“And I will name the child which will be baptised as soon as they are born!”
There was finality in her words which told me that she would brook no argument. I gave her none. I knew the reason behind her vehemence; she wanted the child to go to heaven and for that it needed baptism. If it was a boy, it would not affect his ability to be a warrior. That would lie in my hands.
“Whatever names you choose will satisfy me. One Eye’s son is like his father and grandfather, Sweyn. Calling out the name Sweyn will be a nightmare one day!”
For some reason that made her laugh out loud and after kissing me goodnight she was asleep. I lay awake for a short time. There was the slightest of bumps and, when I knew she was asleep and breathing steadily, I placed my right hand on it and spoke softly, “Child of mine, you are yet to be born and if the Norns have spun I may not return to see you. Know that even in the afterlife I shall watch over you. I shall be the thought which guides your hand and your eye. If I fail to return, then know I love you and I would have you watch and protect your mother for she is the dearest person that I know.” I leaned over and kissed the bump. Mary’s arm came over around my neck and that is how I fell asleep.
Mary did not come to see me off. I knew that she would cry, and she did not wish that. Instead, it was Egbert with two thralls carrying my chest who came to see me off, “Lord, Lady Mary will be safe while you are away. Lady Agnetha shows special interest in her. You and the warriors have made our home strong enough now and we will be safe. When you return there will be more animals and your crops will be ready to harvest. God smiles on your union and it has done my heart good to see the two of you together. It was your mother's dearest wish.”
It was the longest speech I had heard from my freeman and I smiled, “And I never thanked you for watching both me and my mother when my father was away. Know that I appreciate all that you do.”
He nodded, “The dark days were when I was first taken, and it was watching over you and your mother which brought joy and hope to me. I know now that God sent me here. You may still follow the pagan ways, lord, but in your heart, you are a Christian and I take some of the credit for that.”
I did not believe him, and he had not seen me fight but I knew that I was different from many of the warriors with whom I would sail. I knew that I was kinder and more considerate. Perhaps he was right!
The jarl and his hearth weru were the last to board and as we set sail to head to the muster, the clan cheered. There were warriors left to watch our home. We had tried to persuade Griotard to be one, but he refused. There was also the next generation of young warriors who waved us off and I saw the regret on their faces. They would be the ones we would train the next winter. Life at Agerhøne was like a circle but the world appeared to be changing. A few generations ago there had been no kings and now they made decisions for us. How long would this circle remain unbroken?
More than half a year had passed since we had rowed. We also had twelve new warriors seated on their chests, and when we began to row we were ragged. Griotard growled and grumbled as we headed past the outlying islands north to Ribe. We used simple chants and it brought a little bit of order, but we knew that once we joined the other ships of Ribe we would all have to row better. When we reached Ribe the three of us would speak with the new crew and give them advice. Lodvir the Long had done so with me when I had first sailed, and I had a duty to do the same. Since ‘Stormbird’ had been sunk we were now the largest drekar in the Ribe fleet. We had every oar double crewed and, in the case of the first three chests, triple crewed. It made for a crowded drekar but one whose warriors would lead the line behind the jarl and ahead of the men of the Ribe coast.
When we moored, the jarl had a berth reserved for him, we left Griotard to give the sharp edge of his tongue to the crew and headed for the jarl’s mead hall. It was now Lodvir’s home, but Sweyn Skull Taker was not precious about such things. He had chosen to live with the Agerhøne clan in their settlement and I knew that he did not regret his decision. Once we reached the hall he said, “I will be safe here with Lodvir. Until we sail then your time is your own.” He looked at his youngest son and gave him what we knew was the serious eye, “Remember that you are the hearth weru of the jarl! Behave accordingly.”
We all nodded but One Eye and I knew he was talking to Hawk!
The last time we had been in Ribe it had been Jarl Harald’s town. Now it was Sweyn Skull Taker’s and his hearth weru were accorded all sorts of courtesies and privileges I had never imagined. Those who sold items in the markets were desperate for us to take their wares. I knew why for they could then tell others that the hearth weru of Sweyn Skull Taker used their carved eating spoon or decorated bowl. Had we wished we could have taken enough drinking horns for the first two chests of rowers! We did not take from everything which was offered but we would have offended had we not taken some of the proffered gifts. The alewives happily filled up our horns for free and I saw that it was good business for as we drank other warriors came to buy ale and ask us about the Battle of Svolder or Oathsword. We had entered a different world! We had thought to buy food but we had no need. As we drank ale the alewives sent platters of choice pieces of meat, fish and cheese as well as warm bread covered in melting butter. Again I knew why; it was to make a profit for younger warriors thought to emulate us. They would spend their coins happily knowing they were in the company of veterans with names earned in combat. When we had been the hearth weru of a hersir we had not been as important. Men had asked to see the dragon sword but that was all. Sweyn Skull Taker’s elevation had elevated us. Our names were known. Warriors used the names as though we had known them for years and yet they were complete strangers, and we did not know their names. By the time we returned to ‘Sea Serpent’ we were almost dizzy with the changes which had been wrought!
The new warriors we had trained looked as though they had been used to clean the decks and had the look of chastened hounds. Griotard knew how to curse! We deposited our newly acquired wares in our chests and went to sit with them at the prow; the end reserved for novices. I remembered it well from my time with Siggi! I smiled, “Griotard the Grim let you know that you were not the best of rowers?”
Snorri nodded miserably, “We have not yet been to sea and no one told us how to row! Everyone seems to think that we know what to do without ever having been to sea!”
Faramir said, “I was a ship’s boy for one voyage, and I had been to sea but I did not know that rowing was such a hard thing to do!”
I smiled, “You row in pairs.” They nodded. “And which four are at the fore of you?” Dreng, Snorri, Faramir and Gandálfr all raised their arms. You four just watch the warriors in front of you and copy them, exactly. The rest can copy you. It is repetition, that is all. You slide the oar on the narrow side and then pull with the blade. When the others raise you do but you cannot be tardy nor delay for an instant. Today was an easy day for we sailed alone. Tomorrow or the day after, whenever we sail, we will be with a fleet and if we drop back then the rest of the Ribe fleet will too. If you thought Griotard was a grumpy bear awoken from his winter sleep too early, then make a mistake before the other ships and you will see a bear whose cub has been taken!”
One Eye laughed at the image and I knew that he would use it in a saga.
Gandálfr said, “But how can we row harder?” He showed me his hands. They were red raw already.
I shook my head, “Did you pack your own chests?” The looks they gave told me that they had not.
Faramir said, “I made sure my weapons were at the top, but my mother and sisters packed the rest.”
“Each of you, open your chests and see what treasures the wise women of Agerhøne have hidden for their foolish sons and brothers.”
It was as though they had discovered a chest of gold and jewels as they took out clothes, hats, capes and food. Then Dreng said, “What is this?” He held up a small pot.
“Open it.” I saw others discovering equally intriguing items. Dreng opened it and wrinkled his nose, “Mother has given me some food which has gone off!”
Laughing, Hawk went over to him and took a fingerful of it. He smeared it on Dreng’s reddened hands. Dreng’s eyes widened, “It cools them!”
I nodded at the jar in the young warrior’s hands, “So, Gandálfr, when we raid the Saxons find a good present to take back to your mother for she knew that you would need her salve.”
Sweyn One Eye said, “And we will not tell them that their sons were too foolish to find it!”
It marked a change in the young warriors. After they had soothed their hands, they examined everything and then repacked it. It was a lesson learned.
Karl Three Fingers led the other ships into the harbour the next morning. His own ship, ‘Firedrake’ was a large vessel; she had twenty oars on each side. Double crewed it gave her more than eighty fighting men. At least half of them were mailed and all were well-armed. It was clear that these were the best of King Sweyn’s men. His very best would be with him, his hearth weru bodyguards but he was ensuring that Karl Three Fingers had men with him who could do the job. As the crews disembarked to visit Ribe’s market I stood with Griotard. Hawk and his brother had gone to take Karl to their father and the two of us estimated the men we would have when we raided.
“We have three hundred or so, roughly. There is one snekke there and that shows Karl Three Finger’s wisdom. You need a sneaky little snake to go places they would spot a drekar. I think that Karl had brought more than eight hundred warriors. This is not the largest warband the king has ever sent but we are enough to raid as well as any warband and we are led by a good man. I am hopeful, Sven.” Griotard would not be sailing with us but he and some of our crew would join Lodvir. Griotard would be the sailing master. Griotard was rarely optimistic and it heartened me. Karl also showed that he would not waste one moment in port more than he had to.
The winds were in our favour, but Sweyn Skull Taker still made a blót before we sailed. Had the king been with us then we would not have been allowed to for it was not a Christian act. Karl just shrugged and we set sail in three fleets. The lithe little snekke, ‘Adder’, sailed ahead of ‘Firedrake’ in the centre. We were the steerboard fleet and one of King Sweyn’s other jarls, Eirik Mighty Fist, led the other. It was a wise precaution. If a storm came upon us then each group would be easier to reform and we had waypoints already decided where we would wait. We were heading due west by south to make for the river the Romans had called the Dunum. It lay in the land colonised by our kin already, Northumbria, and we knew that there were friends in Jorvik. We would not necessarily land but we sailed there as it was the most direct route and there would be no chance of Saxon ships and warriors waiting to pounce. If we had rowed the whole way, then we could have reached the estuary in two days and nights. We would not row all the way. We would use the sails when we could and sail under reefed sails at night. We would row but that was to harden the crews and to make them one.
We reached the mouth of the river in five days. We spent a day there making minor repairs to some of the Heiða-býr ships. Thorstein the Lucky was less than complimentary about their captains for he knew that had they prepared for sea better then no repairs would have been necessary. While we waited, some warriors went ashore to hunt the seals which basked upon the sands there. We even had time to render down some of the flesh to make oil while giving us both fresh food and skins! The blót had been a good one! With all in good order, we sailed down the coast. Even our kin who lived there would be watching our sails warily as we edged along their sea. There were Danes who held the land all the way south to the Tamese but that did not mean that news would not be spread. Riders would already be heading inland to tell King Aethelred that a Danish fleet was close. The wolves were heading for the sheep pens!
It took just under four days to reach the Isle of Sheep at the mouth of the Tamese. Some captains questioned Karl’s decision to land there for it told the Saxons where we were. Sweyn Skull Taker not only approved, but he had also been party to the decision. When, as we roasted some of the sheep we had captured, one or two of the older warriors wondered why we had alerted the Saxons our jarl explained as though to a child.
“We want the Saxons to know we are abroad and even now, in Lundenwic, they will be barring the gates and raising the levy. Further south, in Cent, the great churches will be ringing their bells to warn people that we are close. They will wonder where we will attack. They may even, although I doubt it, send ships and men down here to shift us. It matters not for on the morrow we shall have vanished like the morning mist and they will wonder where we have gone. Their burhs will be manned, and all will go about armed.”
“Aye, but we still have to land, and they will be ready.”
“Bergil, do you know where we will land?”
The older warrior looked shamefaced, “Wessex?”
“Perhaps, but if you do not know for certain then how will the Saxons know? They rely on their burhs to defend their people, but they can only stay there for so long. They have fields and animals to tend to. We will disappear from view and they will watch the sea and see nothing. When we do reappear it will be from the south and catch them unawares. It will be like the shepherd boy who watches the sheep and shouts ‘wolf’ too many times.”
We left well before dawn and by the time the sun came up, we were well to the south and west of the easternmost tip of Cent. We sailed due south before heading directly west for a day across the sea and then we headed north to the island which lay off the coast of Wessex. Our strange route meant we did not cross the path of any Saxon traders and were as good as invisible. The gods smiled on us for it sent squally and wet weather. I was dry beneath my seal skin as we rowed north but with poor visibility and only those who had to be at sea then the Saxons would be blind to our approach. It was ‘Adder’ which left us and then raced north to find the beach we sought on the eastern coast of the Isle of Wiht. The fire they lit to light our way ashore showed us that the landing site was safe and we drew the boats up on the sand.
The next part involved us. Lodvir had selected twenty warriors from the Ribe and Agerhøne contingent and our job was to make our way north, across the island. The snekke crew would also sail around the island and the intention was for us to head to Shamblord on the west side of the River Meðune. With ‘Adder’ blocking the river we would destroy any boats we found and slay any defenders so that our ships could sail around and then hide in the river. We would be able to strike into the heart of Wessex and raid before the Saxons even knew we were there. The plan seemed to me to be flawless.
There was pride involved as we slung our shields on our backs and hung our helmets from our spears. We had to be at Shamblord before ‘Adder’ to secure the tiny fishing port and I knew that the snekke would be equally keen to beat us. Lodvir let me lead and he brought up the rear. The warriors who had been chosen were all the best. Lodvir’s hearth weru were with us as were some of the other hearth weru of the Ribe hersirs. It was dark but I knew that all I needed to do was to run north by west. When I reached a river, I would keep that to my shield side. The Allfather favoured us with a good moon. With cloaks over our mail, we would be hard to see and the moonlight meant we could see, in the distance, the shining of its light on the water. Every five hundred steps or so, I counted in my head, I would pause and glance around. Sweyn One Eye and Hawk were always close and as the light showed me that Lodvir had not fallen back I kept the same pace. I only stopped when I saw the two separate settlements of Shamblord. One lay on each bank of the river and between them lay their boats.
Our planning had been perfect, but it had assumed there would be just one settlement or that the boats would only be on one side. This upset everything. The Norns had been spinning. I waited for Lodvir to join me and he took in the problem immediately. “We will have to wait for ‘Adder’ She can take the western village and we will take the eastern. Let us get into position.” As we donned our helmets he said, “You did well, Sven. That was a good pace and none were left behind.”
I looked up to Lodvir and his words meant a great deal to me.
This time he led and it was I who followed him. We could smell the woodsmoke from the houses which lay close to the beach. These would be fisherfolk and with no wall around the huts showed that they did not expect to be attacked. There was no reason why they should, but they were in for a shock. We would not need our shields and so we all left them on our backs which allowed us to have two hands on our spears. I had not used Saxon Slayer at Svolder but on the land, it was another matter. The spear meant that even if the Saxons fought back our weapons would be longer and certainly have a better head. Saxon Slayer was sharp enough to shave with and even a glancing blow would be deep. We would take no chances for the whole raid depended upon our success.
When we were just a hundred paces away there was a glow of light from one of the huts. Lodvir and I were on our knees so quickly that it would have seemed we had the same thought at the same time. We watched a fisherman come from his hut and make water in the vessel just outside the door. It would be used to kill lice on clothes before they were washed. We could hear his noise and it showed just how far noise travelled at night. I breathed a sigh of relief when he re-entered the hut. When we reached the huts Lodvir waved his arm to spread us out. There were ten dwellings, and he assigned the men he knew best first. Some huts had two of us watching them but the one I was given, the one closest to the beach had just me as a sentinel. Lodvir pointed to me to keep watch to the estuary as I was the closest.
‘Adder’ had made good time and I think that they must have rowed hard as well as using the sail. The sail was down when we approached the moored ships. There were four large vessels in the water and another ten drawn up on the beach close to me. The settlement on the other side of the river was smaller with just four dwellings and three boats. I waved my spear to attract their attention and Benni, the captain waved back. I pointed the spear towards the other side of the river, and he waved back. Along with Lodvir and the others I watched as the snekke rowed to the beach. Most of the crew disembarked and four men rowed the snekke back to the middle of the estuary. We were ready and having done my part I turned to face the door of the dwelling. I had done my part and now we awaited Lodvir’s command. I saw him wave his spear and I stepped towards the door of the hut.
The huts were all identical. There was a crude door hung on leather hinges and an opening in the roof to let out the smoke. Made of wattle and daub they were quick to make and easy to maintain. I pulled open the door and saw, by the glow of the fire a family of what looked like six. There was a man and his wife under a blanket made of sheepskin and four children under a second. Before I could say anything, the man flashed open his eyes and sat upright. Had I chosen to, I could have slain him there and then but Mary had changed me and as I spoke perfect Saxon I showed a more charitable side.
Pointing Saxon Slayer in his direction I said, “Saxon, if you wish to die then draw a weapon. If you wish to live, then stand and put your hands upon your head. You have my word that neither you nor your family will be harmed.”
He stood and spat out, “And what is the word of a Viking worth? I would rather die fighting you.”
“But that is not the Christian way is it?” My hand darted out and I scored a red line down his side with the spear, “My friend, I could have killed you then.” He heard the cries of others and the clash of steel. Not all had obeyed us. “I am not alone.”
His wife reached up to touch his hand and she nodded to him. He put his hands on his head.
“Woman, bring me his weapons and I will leave you alone.”
She rose and, with the cloak around her shoulders to hide her modesty she went to the corner and fetched a seax and a short sword. As she handed them to me, she said, “You are a strange Viking.”
I smiled as I took the weapons, “I married a Christian who was the daughter of a priest. I kill only those who try to kill me.”
When I emerged, I saw that the sun was beginning to rise in the east. There were three dead Saxons. Lodvir looked up and I said, “I have the weapons of this one and they are within.”
He nodded, “I am not sure that King Sweyn would approve but I cannot find fault with you.”
We had done what was asked of us and we stood to watch until ‘Firedrake’ edged around the headland. We now had our camp and it looked to me to be a perfect place for the fleet to wait. As the sun had illuminated the valley I saw that the twist in the mouth of the river meant that we could anchor the entire fleet and they would be hidden from the main channel by the fishing boats. The plan had nearly gone awry but Lodvir and Benni were both good leaders. All was well.