Army of the Wolf
Army of the Wolf
Peter Darman
Copyright © 2014 Pete Darman
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author.
Formatted by
Jo Harrison
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Those marked with an asterisk * are known to history.
Army of the Wolf
Andres: Jerwen
Hillar: Rotalian
Kaja: Saccalian
Riki: Harrien
Tonis: Saccalian
Cumans
Afanasy: wife of Gerceslav
Gerceslav: warlord*
Khotyan: father-in-law of Mstislav*
Danes
Berengaria: wife of Valdemar*
Valdemar: King of Denmark*
Estonians
Alva: Chief of the Harrien
Edvin: Chief of the Wierlanders
Eha: wife of Kalju
Jaak: Chief of the Jerwen
Kalju: Chief of the Ungannians
Kristjan: son of Kalju
Germans
Albert: Bishop of Riga*
Albert: Duke of Saxony, crusader*
Bernhard: Abbot of Dünamünde monastery*
Gunzelin: brother of the Count of Schwerin, ally of the King of Denmark*
Henry: Count of Schwerin, ally of the King of Denmark*
Manfred Nordheim: commander of the garrison of Riga
Stefan: archdeacon: Governor of Riga, nephew of the Bishop of Riga
Theodoric: Bishop of Estonia*
Lithuanians
Aras: Selonian warlord
Arturus: Duke of the Northern Kurs
Butantas: Duke of the Samogitians
Gedvilas: Duke of the Southern Kurs
Kitenis: Duke of the Aukstaitijans
Mindaugas: son of Prince Stecse, son-in-law of Prince Vsevolod*
Rasa: wife of Prince Vsevolod
Viesthard: Semgallian prince*
Vincentas: Duke of the Semgallians
Livs
Fricis: leader of all the Livs
Rameke: warlord and brother-in-law of Conrad Wolff*
Vetseke: prince, former ruler of Kokenhusen*
Oeselians
Kalf: son of Olaf
Olaf: King of Oesel
Sigurd: son of Olaf
Stark: son of Olaf
Order of Sword Brothers
Anton: brother knight at Wenden Castle
Arnold: Master of Lennewarden Castle
Bertram: Master of Segewold Castle
Conrad Wolff: brother knight at Wenden Castle and commander of the Army of the Wolf
Friedhelm: Master of Uexkull Castle
Godfrey: Master of Holm Castle
Griswold: Master of Kokenhusen Castle
Hans: brother knight at Wenden Castle
Henke: brother knight at Wenden Castle
Jacob: Master of Gerzika Castle
Johann: brother knight at Wenden Castle
Lukas: brother knight at Wenden Castle
Mathias: Master of Kremon Castle
Rudolf: Master of Wenden Castle and deputy commander of the Order of Sword Brothers*
Thaddeus: chief engineer at Wenden Castle and Quartermaster General of Livonia
Volquin: Grand Master of the Order of Sword Brothers*
Walter: brother knight at Wenden Castle
Russians
Domash Tverdislavich: Mayor of Pskov*
Gleb:
Skomorokh
, follower of the old religion
Mitrofan: Archbishop of Novgorod*
Mstislav: Prince of Novgorod*
Vsevolod: former ruler of Gerzika*
Maps
Maps relating to the lands and peoples described in ‘Army of the Wolf’ can be found on the maps page on my website:
Odenpah hill fort, 1218.
‘It looks very different from the last time I was here.’
Conrad leaned on part of Odenpah’s ancient log ramparts and stared at the meadow to the south of the fort. Today it was empty aside from a few carts and walkers on the dirt track that led to the fort’s main entrance. The stronghold and surrounding terrain showed no signs of the great siege that had taken place in the depths of winter some eighteen months previously. The Christian dead had been buried and the slain of their pagan allies had been consigned to the fires. Now the land was green and peaceful, the only things in the sky being great snipes and corncrakes rather than crossbow bolts, arrows and spears.
Conrad heard a great thud and then the distinctive tones of Master Thaddeus’ voice.
‘No, no, no. You must step back before you release the throwing arm. I have seen men’s arms torn off by being careless.’
Thaddeus pointed a bony finger at the offender, a man half his age and twice his size, and then instructed the mangonel’s crew to wind down the machine’s throwing arm once more.
‘Master Thaddeus is a hard taskmaster,’ remarked Kalju. ‘To look at him you would not think it was he who saved this fort, and my kingdom, during the siege.’
‘And Conrad and his companions,’ added Eha, his blonde-haired wife, who smiled at the young brother knight, causing him to blush.
Kalju, the ‘rock’, the leader of the Ungannian people, shook his head as Thaddeus berated another of the mangonel’s crew.
‘When can you shoot a rock? When you learn to operate this machine properly, that’s when. And judging by your lamentable efforts thus far I will be in my grave before that happens.’
‘When he first came here he could not speak our language,’ said Kalju, ‘and now he has mastered it and more.’
‘He has a sharp mind, lord,’ said Conrad.
‘And an even sharper tongue,’ sniffed Henke.
If Conrad had been surprised when he was informed that he was being sent to Odenpah as part of a detachment of Sword Brothers to show Livonia’s support for its ally Ungannia, he had been astounded to discover that the commander of this detachment would be Brother Henke. The latter was many things, merciless killing machine being chief among them, but he was no diplomat and had neither the patience nor the intellect to lead a mission designed to deter the Russians from attacking Ungannia without the recourse to actual fighting. That said Conrad had to admit that since their arrival at the chief’s fort Henke had been courtesy itself, no doubt helped by the rapturous reception he and the others had received. The Ungannian people held the Sword Brothers in high esteem, not only for defending them against the other Estonian tribes, Oeselians and Russians during the terrible siege of the fort, but also for the crushing defeat inflicted on Lembit, the Grand Warlord of Estonia, at the Battle of St Matthew’s Day seven months earlier.
‘We are glad to have him here among us,’ said Eha, ‘and all our brave Sword Brother allies.’
‘Especially you, Conrad,’ added Kalju, ‘the man who slew Lembit.’
‘Took his head clean off,’ said Henke admiringly. ‘You should have been there to see it.’
Conrad stared from the ramparts again, turning the silver ring on his left hand as he did so. It had been the greatest Sword Brother victory since the order had been established and Bishop Albert, the prelate who had single-handedly created Livonia and the Order of Sword Brothers, had even mentioned his name in the letter he had sent to the pope informing His Holiness of the great triumph.
‘Most appropriate,’ remarked Kalju grimly. ‘Lembit grew too tall for his own good. I hope you were richly rewarded, Conrad.’
‘I swore an oath of poverty, lord,’ replied Conrad.
‘Ah, yes, I forgot,’ said Kalju.
‘And now we have peace,’ beamed Eha.
Conrad looked at Henke who grinned maliciously. Kalju’s wife saw the smirk on the older Sword Brother’s face.
‘You do not agree, Brother Henke?’
There was a glint in Henke’s cold eyes. ‘There is still some fighting left to do, lady.’
‘Saccalia and Jerwen have submitted to the bishop, have they not?’ queried Kalju.
‘True enough, sir,’ replied Henke, ‘but Jaak has fled north with some of his men, and the other pagan tribes, Estonian kingdoms, are still hostile to the bishop.’
Saccalia had been Lembit’s realm. Previously the most powerful Estonian kingdom. After his death its elders had submitted to the authority of Bishop Albert. The Sword Brothers possessed its two greatest strongholds – Lehola and Fellin – the former garrisoned by a crusader lord from England, Sir Richard Bruffingham, who had decided to stay in Livonia to atone for his sins. Sir Richard had fought on St Matthew’s Day where his retinue had been severely depleted so that he held the fort with less than fifty men. Fellin had a garrison of only a score of knights, men who had served under the great crusader, Sir Helmold of Plesse, who had also fallen on St Matthew’s Day. Like most crusaders who campaigned in Livonia, the rest were now on their way back to Germany after having completed their year’s service. Another crusader lord who was on his way back to Germany was Count Albert von Lauenburg, a brave and pious man whose soldiers would be sorely missed in the months to come.
‘Jaak may have eluded you,’ remarked Kalju, ‘but he will not fight on his own. He needs allies to stiffen his resolve.’
‘He has them,’ said Henke flatly.
‘Who, Alva and Edvin?’ scoffed Kalju.
Alva was the chief of the Harrien, an Estonian tribe that inhabited the lands that ended at the Gulf of Riga, while Edvin was the leader of the Wierlanders, a people who had the Novgorodians for neighbours.
‘Without Lembit to lead them you will find they will submit easily enough,’ said Kalju.
‘I’m glad he is dead,’ spat Eha. ‘He tried to barter Ungannia like a cheap trinket in the market.’
It was Lembit’s refusal to support Kalju against the Russians that led to the breach between the two, resulting in Ungannia seeking the friendship of the Bishop of Riga. Now Kalju’s kingdom was a free and valued ally of Livonia, and the other Estonian kingdoms stood on the brink of subjugation. In the capacity of friendly relations Master Rudolf, castellan of Wenden, the order’s most powerful fortress, had despatched Henke, Conrad, three of the latter’s friends and brother knights and ten sergeants to Odenpah, Kalju’s capital. Among the party had also been Master Thaddeus, quartermaster general of all Livonia and the kingdom’s chief engineer, a man possessed of an enquiring mind and great experience.
‘Idiots! I am surrounded by idiots,’ wailed Thaddeus as his students again failed to observe the proper procedure.
Thaddeus also had a short temper brought about by an intolerance of those less intelligent than himself, which unfortunately meant most of the population of Livonia and Estonia combined.
‘Don’t worry, sir,’ said Henke, ‘he’ll soon have your men fully trained.’
‘Why do they need to learn to use those machines if the Sword Brothers are about to conquer the rest of Estonia?’ asked Eha.
Conrad laughed. She really was most perceptive. Henke frowned at him but it was a reasonable question to ask. There were six mangonels inside the inner ramparts of Odenpah. They had originally been brought to the stronghold when the Sword Brothers and crusaders had strengthened the garrison prior to its siege, but had been abandoned in the snow in the retreat afterwards. However, when the snows melted Kalju had the machines brought back to the fort. His men had no knowledge of their use but after Lembit had been defeated the chief contacted the bishop requesting that Master Thaddeus visit Ungannia to instruct some of his men in their operation. He also requested some Sword Brothers to show the Russians that his kingdom had powerful allies.
‘It is always wise to be prepared, lady,’ said Henke. ‘You never know when enemies are going to appear.’
Eha fixed Henke with her piercing green eyes. ‘You mean the Russians.’
Henke shrugged. ‘It’s no secret they tried to conquer Ungannia. But Bishop Theodoric agreed a treaty with their prince so I doubt the Russians would wish to break it in the near future. In any case Bishop Albert will be arriving at Riga soon with a new crusader army to campaign in the north. The Russians will be occupied by our soldiers on their northern border and will have no time to think about trying to take Ungannia.’
Conrad thought Henke’s answer thoughtful, which was remarkable. But he was right: the bishop would soon be arriving at Riga with a fresh army of crusaders – lords and their retinues recruited from northern Germany – and they would join with the Sword Brothers and the native Livs to conquer northern Estonia and impose the rule of the Holy Church on all the lands between the River Dvina and the Gulf of Finland.
Conrad and Henke walked with Kalju and his wife round the outer ramparts and then accompanied them to Odenpah’s inner stronghold, built on a higher part of the hill on which the hill fort had been constructed. During the siege the inner part of the fort had been crammed with frightened women and children and dozens of wounded men, but now it was quiet, tidy and filled with the pleasant aroma of food being cooked in the kitchens in preparation for the evening’s feast in Kalju’s great hall. A gentle breeze ruffled the banners that flew from each of the fort’s towers, all bearing Ungannia’s golden eagle symbol. Guards wearing mail shirts and armed with spears flanked the entrance to the inner stronghold and the doors of the great hall. Others equipped with bows stood sentry in the towers. But war and bloodshed seemed far away as Eha linked her arm in Conrad’s while they walked into her husband’s hall.
‘What will you do when the war ends and there is no more fighting?’ she asked him.
The thought of the Sword Brothers not fighting had never occurred to him. He shrugged. ‘I suppose I shall have to go to the Holy Land to take part in the war to recapture Jerusalem, lady.’
‘Where is the Holy Land?’
‘Somewhere in the east,’ he replied. ‘Master Thaddeus has been there. He tells me it is very hot.’
‘Why is it called holy?’
‘Because it is where Christ was born and Jerusalem is where he was put to death.’
They walked into the reception chamber and followed Kalju and Henke into the great timber hall with its high roof from where the chief ruled his kingdom.
‘And who possesses this Holy Land now?’
‘The Saracens, lady,’ he answered. ‘Satan’s servants.’
She looked confused. ‘Who is Satan?’
‘The devil, lady, the prince of darkness.’
‘Like Sarvik.’
Conrad looked at her. ‘Sarvik?’
‘A devil that lives in the forests and torments people.’
At Wenden he had been taught that all the pagan gods were mere figments of the feeble minds of ill-educated natives and that there was only one god and one devil. But he liked and respected Eha and saw no merit in provoking an argument.
‘Yes, lady.’
Kalju walked over to his high-backed chair, above which was hanging a great banner displaying a golden eagle. Conrad escorted Eha to the chair next to Kalju’s.
‘Will you not forsake your tents and accept the offer of quarters in my hall?’ Kalju asked Henke.
The brother knight shook his head. ‘Thank you, sir, but we will keep to our tents.’
Kalju nodded. ‘As you wish.’ He saw a steward loitering at the hall’s entrance. ‘And now you will have to excuse me. The business of being a chief calls. Tomorrow we shall go hunting so my sons can show off their skills to the Sword Brothers.’
Henke and Conrad bowed and took their leave, walking back to the tents that had been pitched between the fort’s inner and outer walls. After they had groomed and fed their horses in the nearby stables Conrad and his friends sat on stools in their tent to clean their swords. They had all journeyed to Livonia together years before as boys. Now they were all brother knights and veterans of fighting the Russians, Lithuanians and Estonians. Conrad was closest to Hans, the former malnourished beggar from Lübeck, but he also trusted Johann and Anton with his life.
‘We are going on a hunting trip tomorrow,’ Conrad informed them.
‘Hunting and feasting, sounds like paradise,’ said Hans with relish.
‘You need to build up your strength before the bishop arrives, Hans,’ Johann told him, ‘so you do not faint when the campaign begins.’
Hans had an insatiable appetite, but however much he ate he still remained stick thin, a consequence of the years of living on the streets of Lübeck as a starving wretch.
He and the others were basking in the fame of their victory over Lembit and were relishing every minute of it. And soon the bishop would be landing at Riga and the final campaign against the Estonians would begin, adding more glory to the order and increasing the prestige of its soldiers. Conrad smiled as he wiped his sword blade with a soft cloth. This year would see the Estonians crushed by a great crusader army.
*****
Lübeck had been thrown into a frenzy of delight when news reached the city of the Christian victory over the pagans at the Battle of St Matthew’s Day. The city fathers had authorised three days of celebrations and heralds had been despatched to the towns and cities of Germany to relay the news that the crusade in Livonia had been won. Pope Honorius III had declared that it was a sign from God that His crusaders would achieve victory in all countries and everyone considered it an auspicious omen for the great crusade that was being led in the Holy Land by King Andrew of Hungary. All of Christendom was certain that Jerusalem would soon be taken from the heathen Saracens.