Viking Treasure (24 page)

"I am Cnut the Fearless and we are here to offer our swords to the Jarl who raises this army.  We were told in Lundenwic that Ragnar Ruriksson was taking on men."

"He is but he needs men who have their own drekar.  Where is yours?"

"Lying on the rocks off Syllingar. The master was drunk and ran us on the rocks."

"You were not the jarl?"

"No, that was Thorstein Ill Luck.  Thorstein the Drunk would have been a better name for him."

I risked a glance at the men who stopped us.  They were Danes.  There were three of them and they had expensive looking byrnies and carried the double handed Danish axe; their arms were laden with warrior rings.  If we could get by these three then we stood a chance. I did not recognise them and that was a good thing.

"Those islands are treacherous.  How did you get to the mainland?"

"We made a raft from the wreckage and the Allfather was with us.  The current brought most of us ashore."

"But not all."

"No and we came ashore with just what we carried. We are ready for food and a rest."

"We can use warriors who are so resilient and favoured by the Norns." He pointed to the beach.  "Each clan has their own camp. There is plenty of space by the beach.  The others do not like the sand flies.  You have little choice."

"And food?"

"What you can find and keep is yours.  Lord Ragnar has forbidden fighting in the camp.  You would do well to remember that.  Any infringement is punishable by death."

Cnut nodded, "Follow me." We passed the three Danes.  Worryingly they scrutinised each of us as we passed. I kept my head down. I looked around the camp.  Some of the fires had more men around than others.  They were obviously the crews of drekar.  Others had just a handful of men around them. I estimated that there were over a hundred men in the camp.  When we reached the dunes above the beach I sat and looked at the hall.  It was a hunting lodge.  A long low hall, it had but one entrance and that was guarded by two Frisians. The nearest camp fire was forty paces from it.  Ragnar Ruriksson was taking no chances.

Cnut was enjoying playing the part of a sour faced would be leader, "Karl, Ulf, go and find me some food.  I am starving.  Ketil and Arne find some beer."

I lay with my back against a dune.  I took off my helmet and began to examine the hall to see how we could get to Ragnar Ruriksson and still escape. Beyond the hall there was a brew house.  I saw a huddle of women there. If he ran this as his father had run Dorestad then the women would serve the beer and more.  I hoped that the distraction might allow us entry.

I leaned over to Alf Jansson, "Have a wander along the beach and tell me what you see."

"Aye, Jarl."

"Einar, Einar Redbeard, remember? Do not call me jarl or all this will end in bloodshed; ours."

"Sorry, Einar."

Ketil and Arne came back with a small bucket of ale and six horns. "If we are here too long we will have no coins! This is expensive ale."

Cnut shook his head and said loudly, "Fear not for we shall have our fortunes made when we raid!"

I let the others drink the beer.  From their faces it was not particularly good beer. It did, however, give me the opportunity to stand and look around the other camps. There was a small camp thirty paces or so from us.  We could hear them and I did not doubt that they could hear us. Karl and Ulf returned with food.  They told a similar story.  The food was not cheap; neither was it particularly good.  The black bread was not to the taste of my men but grumbles would be expected. 

Then I saw the  door of the hall open.  Ragnar Ruriksson did not come out but I recognised one of the men who did, it was Hermund the Bent.  He had served with Jarl Gunnar Thorfinnson.  I had not liked him.  He might recognise me and I was about to sit down again when the man next to him opened his mouth.  He had blackened, filed teeth.  It was Harald Black Teeth. I remembered him from the fight at
Beinn na bhFadhla. I mumbled, "Trouble." As I sat down.

To my horror the two of them came over to the camp closest to us. I lay back in the sand and put my helmet over my face as though I was sleeping. I could hear everything.  Perhaps the darkness focussed my hearing for the words they were speaking were as clear as though they were next to me.

"Why do we stay here, Harald?"

"I have told you Hermund, you address me as Jarl now! I have earned it."

"Sorry, Jarl but I do not see why we wait here.  The food and ale are like pig swill and the prices make us poorer by the day.  From our words with this Frisian Prince I doubt that he will stir himself before midsummer. He seems not to know his own mind."

"But when he does we can reap greater rewards than you can imagine.  We can plunder the Land of the Wolf.  You have been there and you know."

"They have the Dragonheart and his sword.  We would not survive. Let us go and raid Jarl Gunnar Thorfinnson.  He has treasure too.  It is not as much as the Dragonheart took but it will be easier to steal."

A third voice piped up, "I agree with Hermund.  We have two drekar now and I spoke with Ulf the Squint Eyed.  He is keen to sail with you, Jarl."

"If the Norns had not played tricks with us we would have had even more drekar. How they trapped us at Beinn na bhFadhla I will never know."

"That is in the past, Jarl.  Let us slip away this night.  If it does not work out then we can always come back.  We have time until midsummer."

Harald Black Teeth had a voice which growled and when he spoke again he sounded like a wounded bear. "We stay because Ragnar Ruriksson needs us.  He has but thirty Frisians left, no Franks and one crew of Danes.  Our crews are the best that he has."

"What of those with the Jarl on the boats?  There are Frisians there. I have spoken with men who say that the warriors of the skull are fearsome warriors."

"I know not.  Perhaps he and the Prince have fallen out. He rarely visits those ships.  Why are they not off the beach with ours? Forget those men. We are the ones who hold the balance of power."

"So we wait?"

"Dragonheart will come.  His son was killed.  I served with his men. He and his son were close. They might have the death wish upon them. Ulfheonar are but a skin away from being berserkers."

"Then we do wait. If Dragonheart is coming then we should be ready."

"Yes Hermund but I like your suggestion.  We will go and visit with Ulf the Squint Eyed.  It does not hurt to have allies. If things do not work out for us then we raid Thorfinnson!"

When their voices faded I risked removing my helmet and sitting up. Alf Jansson reappeared over the top of the dunes. He sat next to me and took the horn of ale proffered by Ketil.  He spoke quietly out of the side of his mouth.  "There are six drekar just off the beach.  I spoke with a sentry.  He said another six, those of the Frisians and a Dane are anchored in the estuary of the river.  He knew not why.  He believed the Prince, for that is what he calls himself, has some Frisians sleeping aboard his ships as he fears an attack by the Dragonheart. The sentry seemed afraid of the Jarl of the White skulls who appears to command at least one of the drekar."

I smiled, "It is good that we inspire such fear."

"The six which are close here do you know any?"

He nodded, "I saw
'Eagles Heart'
; it is Black Teeth's ship."

I nodded, "He was just here. Are they close in?"

"Two are beached.  They could be refloated easily enough but at low tide, which will be soon then they will be high and dry.  High tide they will float, just."

Nodding I took the horn from him and drank some. We would steal a drekar and try to fire the others. I had an escape plan now.  When we arrived I had had none.

A loud voice shattered my plans. "Cnut Cnutson! I thought you sailed with the Dragonheart! It is me Olaf Twisted Lip."

We had been recognised.  "One of the men from Black Teeth's camp came over with another warrior.  Our worst fears had been realised. We had to fool them. Was Cnut up to it?

"I left him two years since.  I joined a crew which raided Wessex."

The man nodded, "It is rich pickings but dangerous. Who is your jarl now then?"

"We have none.  He drowned when our ship foundered off Corn Walum."

When Cnut said the word, '
drowned
' the warrior clutched his hammer of Thor. "That is bad luck. And you come here to seek work?"

"We have not eaten well and we will take any work."

Olaf Twisted Lip said, "You could do worse than join us.  We could use good warriors. Even if this does not come to aught we have a certain success.  Two of Thorfinn's sons have taken an island off Frankia.  They have great treasure they took from the Franks.  One of them is a pup and they have no walls.  It will be easy."

"We will consider that but we have yet to meet this Ragnar.  I prefer to speak with a leader before I make up my mind."

He was about to turn away when he asked, "Why did you leave the Dragonheart?  Your father was one of his closest warriors."

"Aye well he was always comparing me to my father.  I am my own man. I wanted to make my own name. That is why I am now Cnut the Fearless."

He laughed, "A better name.  I will mention to the Jarl that you might consider joining us."

"Let us speak amongst ourselves first.  I would not wish to fend this Jarl."

"As you wish but if we do not sail soon then I fear he will leave in the night! And as for meeting Prince Ragnar then you have to wait to be invited.  He fears assassins and he rarely leaves his hall."

Cnut nodded, "Then we will wait."

Olaf Twisted Lip waved and then he and his companions headed towards the ale and the women. Cnut sat next to me.  "Did I let you down?  I tried to think what was best to say."

"You did well.  We were just unlucky to be so close to them.  We cannot move now." I raised my voice slightly, "Two of you watch but do not make it obvious. If there is danger then whistle. We will try to move closer to the hall when it becomes darker."

I rolled my cloak to make a pillow and this time I used my leather helmet protector to hide my face.  My helmet I laid next to me with my sword and shield. I was not aware of actually sleeping but I think I must have for I suddenly heard voices close by.

"If it had not been for the sword, shield and helmet I would have sworn this was the Dragonheart!"

"You are a fool.  The Dragonheart is an old man with a white beard and hair. This is some warrior who wishes to be taken for the Dragonheart."

"More fool him then!"

"You awake! I wish to speak with you!"

I was going to open my eyes when I realised that they were kicking Cnut to waken him. "What is going on?  Is this how you treat someone who wishes to serve your prince?"

"You were all sleeping so soundly that we could hear your snoring from the hall. The Prince would see you but it will be after dark.  He is busy at the moment! He will decide if you are to join us or not.  He only wants the best warriors.  To be honest you look as though the Saxon fyrd could walk over you."

"I have killed men for less!"

"We shall see. Come after the sun has set. You may bring two warriors only.  No shields and keep your hands from your weapons."

"He fears three men?"

"He is careful.  There are assassins who will slit a throat for the price of a sword.  You look desperate enough to risk that. If you do not wish to serve then leave before dark.  We have a close watch after the sun has set."

"Very well!"

When their voices had receded I sat up.  Cnut said, "They were Frisians.  Big bruisers too. They had many warrior rings. How do we do this, ja...Einar?"

"You me and Olvir will go to speak with him.  Einar Hammer Arm can command the rest. Haaken and the Ulfheonar will take care of the sentries.  You need to congregate in small groups close to the ale and the women. When we go inside see if you can cause trouble and a disturbance.  Sven, Alf and Bjorn you watch the sentries. When they move then try to enter."

"There are many ifs there."

I nodded, "And I chose all of you because you are young and can think.  We come here to slay a snake and escape." I nodded to the ale hut and the women.  "Already men are drunk.  They have idle hands and coins. We are ready for war and they are not.  They outnumber us that is all. We will try to capture a drekar if we can. I do not relish a foot race back to our ship. Let us move closer to the hall and away from Black Teeth."

In ones and twos we stood and wandered closer to the hall and further from Black Teeth's camp.  It was closer to the sand flies but we would live with that. Our new position meant we could see the guards at the hall from the side.  We were almost hidden behind the hall itself.

The afternoon seemed to drag.  We were further away from Black Teeth but we could still see his camp. Harald Black Teeth and Hermund the Bent returned with another warrior. They sat amidst their men and their heads were close together.  They did not notice that we had moved. From the conversation I had overheard I guessed they were plotting.  I would have to send a message to Jarl Gunnar Thorfinnson when we returned home. As the afternoon wore on so the crowd at the ale hut grew and the women spent more time inside pleasuring the men than serving beer.  It caused some trouble.  We had been told that fights were punishable by death.  That meant fights with weapons. Fists and feet did not count as weapons. There were frequent bouts of ill temper which were settled in a sudden flurry of blows, kicks and bites.  Crowds formed a circle when they occurred and afterwards they surged back to the beer.  We were the only clan which appeared not to want to participate.