CHAPTER 5

Arthur stepped away from the tree, free at last.

“What’s happening?” he asked as he rubbed his bruised wrists. “How many people are there?”

“Hallvard sent people to different places to watch for raiders. Brand was at the beach and it was him who blew the horn.” Thorfinna pointed past the longhouse. “If they know where they’re going the raiders will be here first. Our friends from the other farms will take longer. Here,” she went on. “I brought weapons.” On the floor were an axe, a bow and some arrows.

“If we are not running away then I’m going back to the longhouse,” Thorfinna concluded. “It’s up to you what you do now.” She turned and dashed away.

“Quick,” said Arthur. “We need to impress Hallvard and win his trust. You’re the expert archer. Let’s get you up on the roof of the longhouse and you can be a sort of sniper.” Finn was used to Arthur taking charge when fighting broke out and he didn’t argue. They both gathered up the weapons on the ground and raced over to the longhouse and up onto the wood stack. Arthur helped Finn up as he had done earlier that evening, and Finn pulled himself up onto the roof.

“What are you going to do?” he whispered.

Arthur grinned. “I’m going to see if I can sink the raiders’ boat. If that doesn’t impress Hallvard, nothing will!” Finn opened his mouth to reply but before he could say anything Arthur had jumped away from the longhouse and disappeared into the night.

The longhouse stood side-on to the path that led away in what Finn presumed was the direction of the sea. He took up a position just below the top of the roof so that when he peered over the ridge of the roof he could see a good distance along the path.

Finn could hear Hallvard barking orders in the longhouse and it soon became clear that he planned to get everyone into the trees for safety and to set an ambush for the raiders. The people inside needed no encouragement, and in no time at all the house stood empty. Looking down Finn saw Ragnar leading a small party of women, children and old men away from the farm and back towards the woods where he and Arthur had first arrived. There was no sign of Thorfinna.

Hallvard, meanwhile, was calling out brisk orders to three other men. Moments later they disappeared into the trees on each side of the path.

For a short while the only sounds that could be heard were the occasional cries of wild animals. Then, very faintly at first but growing louder and louder, came the thundering sound of men running.

Finn’s heartbeat quickened. He notched his first arrow and stared along the moonlit path.

The sound of running stopped.

Finn drew the bowstring back.

Silence.

Shadowy figures began to emerge as around twenty Viking raiders crept out from the trees, their huge, round wooden shields held in front, swords, spears and axes, held at the ready.

Finn waited. Why isn’t Hallvard attacking? The men crept closer. Finn stared along the arrow. Should I fire first? A shout went up from the back of the group of raiders.

“Ambush! ” - Two of the men at the back of the group fell to the ground with arrows sticking out of their necks.

Finn fired his first arrow and a third raider went down. This might actually work!

But the raiders reacted quickly and those that remained, scattered into the woods on both sides of the path. From the shouts and the loud clatter of the wooden shields Finn guessed that Hallvard’s men were now engaged in close fighting in the trees.

Finn kept his eyes on the path. Suddenly Hallvard leapt backwards onto the path followed by one of the raiders, their swords flashing in the moonlight. Hallvard smashed the edge of his shield into the raider’s face and lunged forward with his sword, burying it in the man and then kicking him backwards onto the path.

Two more raiders appeared as if from nowhere to replace the fallen man and swung at Hallvard, who ducked and parried but was driven back towards the longhouse. Finn fired another arrow and it whistled past Hallvard and into the chest of one of his attackers, who fell to the ground.

Yet again, the fallen man was replaced by two more raiders. Now Hallvard found himself facing three men. Finn fired again and missed as one of the raiders took a huge swing at Hallvard with an axe. He blocked the blow with his shield but was forced down on one knee as the shield splintered and cracked above him. The man brought his axe up once more, but then dropped to his knees with a scream. As he fell forward, Finn could see an axe protruding from the man’s back.

Shouts rang out and a new group ran towards Hallvard. Reinforcements from the farms! The two remaining raiders turned and disappeared into the trees with Hallvard’s allies in hot pursuit.

Finn almost laughed with relief but his joy was premature. Two more raiders emerged from the trees near the longhouse and ran forward. Finn’s heart raced. He brought one of the men down with an arrow and the second raider looked straight up at him. Finn froze as the man bared his teeth. In a split-second the man brought an arm back and sent an axe spinning through the air towards Finn’s throat.

He ducked instinctively as the axe whistled overhead. Losing his footing, he slid down the roof and crashed onto the wood stack, winded. As he scrambled to his feet he saw the axe buried in the ground. He staggered over to it and desperately tried to yank it free before a snarl made him look up. His stomach lurched. The axe-thrower had rounded the corner of the longhouse and was running forwards, his face twisted into a terrible expression of rage. He held a sword aloft in one hand and roared as he charged.

Finn wrenched frantically at the axe. The raider was almost on him. His palms slipped on the handle of the axe and his body slapped face first into the ground once again just as the raider reached him. Taken by surprise, the huge man tripped and fell directly on top of Finn. He felt the raider begin to lift himself. This is the end, Finn thought. I wonder if dying here means I’ll go to Valhalla…

Just as the raider began to lift his weight off Finn he grunted and collapsed back on top of the boy. Finn felt a warm liquid flowing down his neck. That wasn’t so painful. Then the weight of the raider was gone entirely and Finn rolled limply onto his back, gazing up. Standing over him was a giant of a man.

“Maybe you are Odin’s chosen one,” said Hallvard, pulling a sword roughly from the raider’s back.

VIKING WEAPONS

Here’s a list of all the kit the well-prepared Viking needs.

SWORD

His sword is a Viking’s most precious possession, so much so that he often gives it a name. It marks him out as a warrior and offers him the chance to win glory and honour on the battlefield. The Viking sword is a double-edged blade made of iron, sometimes with steel edges. It is about seventy five centimetres long and five centimetres wide. The edge of the sword is more dangerous than the point. So it is mostly used for slicing rather than stabbing.

SHIELD

The shield is made of wood. It is up to a metre across so can be used as an attacking weapon as well as in defence. It is often painted in simple patterns.

AXE

Not every man has a sword, but most have axes. They are made of iron, with wooden handles. They can be used in battle to chop but can also be thrown to bring down an enemy from a short distance.

SPEAR

Also made with an iron head and a wooden handle. If you can’t afford a sword you should definitely carry a spear. You probably won’t use it for throwing, but more for thrusting and stabbing so that you can reach your enemy before he can reach you.

BOW

Bows and arrows are normally used for hunting rather than battle, though they can have their uses in some fighting situations. Bows are generally made form yew, and are nearly as tall as a man.

ARMOUR

Wealthy chieftans might have chain mail and round iron helmets, but most Viking warriors make do with leather helmets and armour. Nobody has ever heard of a real Viking wearing a helmet with horns, so get that idea out of your head!