Viking Legacy (Dragonheart Book 21)

  Viking Legacy

  Book 21 in the

  Dragon Heart Series

  By

  Griff Hosker

  Published by Sword Books Ltd 2018

  Copyright © Griff Hosker First Edition

  The author has asserted their moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.

  All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Cover by Design for Writers

  Dedication: To Steve Flynn (USMC) he always has my back!

  Part One

  Gift from the gods

  Prologue

  I had to use a staff these days to climb the mountain we called Old Olaf. Uhtric had found it for me and I used it when I had to climb Old Olaf. There would have been a time when I could have almost run up it. Yet I knew that I was fitter now than a year ago when I had been passing blood and facing death. The voyage to Miklagård and my stay there had healed me and made me even stronger. When we returned I was strong enough to lead my men and defeat the Mercian King and his Danish mercenaries. We had so much treasure that my men did not know how to spend all that they had. Some of the younger ones had taken to adorning their helmets with gold and silver. The older, wiser warriors did not. And so, as I took the familiar path up the mountain we called Old Olaf I used a staff. I was wrapped in my wolf cloak with Ragnar’s Spirit at my waist for there was a thick mist about the mountain. Old Olaf was wreathed in cloud and fog. The path was treacherous and with sheer drops down both sides it was prudent to use a staff. Even though the sword which was touched by the gods would protect me.

  The younger men of my clan had thought my journey unnecessary. They could not understand why I needed to climb the mountain and to speak with the land. We would not need to war again. We had coin and weapons. Our borders were safe and secure. If we went to war then it would be for the sheer joy of battle and slaying enemies. As jarl and the oldest man any in the clan knew then I could enjoy the Land of the Wolf. I could enjoy the reprieve which the Allfather had given me. Ylva, my daughter, Aiden and the few Ulfheonar who remained knew different. They knew the heart of Dragonheart. They knew that my heart was the heart of the land.

  I climbed up the path which led around the blue tarn. Today it was a murky grey but when the sun shone then it was a blue only matched by the pommel stone on my sword or Sámr’s eyes. My great grandson, Sámr understood why I needed to make the journey. He had fought at my side since he had been little more than a child and he had grown into a young warrior on the cusp of manhood who would one day lead the clan. He knew that the reason for my journey was to ask forgiveness.

  The mist and drizzle clung to my thinning hair and beard like the rime of a winter frost. It made me look even older and greyer than I was. I smiled. I had never been vain. I cared not what I looked like. I was Jarl Dragonheart and I wielded the sword which was touched by the gods. Men took me as they found me. Those who were my friends lived and those who were not usually died. As I climbed the last few paces I saw the sky becoming lighter above me and, as I reached the col just below the peak, I cleared the fog and low cloud. It was strange for the sun shone and all that I could see below me was white and grey cloud. It was as though I had ascended to the place the followers of the White Christ called heaven.

  I took off my cloak and laid it on a rock to dry. I placed my staff there too and then I sat on a smaller rock with my sword cradled on my lap. I had been to Viking heaven. When I had had the blackness cut from my body I had been at the door of Valhalla. I had peered in and seen what awaited me. I was not afraid of death. However, a dream I had had, back in my hall at Cyninges-tūn had disturbed me. Ylva had told me that some dreams were just memories dredged from the past and not premonitions of the future. This dream had been just such a one. I remembered peering through Valhalla’s doors. I saw, with crystal clear clarity all the warriors who had died with a sword in their hands. I had not seen Haraldr Leifsson, Sweyn Alfsson, Cnut Axe Hand or Galmr Galmrsson. They had all set sail, before I became ill, in the knarr, ‘Örlög’. They had taken the former Greek slave, Atticus to the river where we had mined the blue stone and close to the place we had found the mysterious sword of my ancestor. That sword now hung over the fire in my hall. Atticus had been interested in the river which lay in the heart of the people we called Walhaz.

  I took out my ale skin and drank some of the brew. Had I not been ill at the time and hiding the illness from all then I might have sent more men to protect Atticus. I had thought I was dying and there was some hope that my Greek might discover some talisman along the river which would heal me. For some reason the blue stones seemed to give me comfort. I had wondered if they afforded protection too. I idly stroked the pommel stone. Atticus had taken the knarr with a crew of Haraldr Leifsson, Sweyn Alfsson, Cnut Axe Hand and Galmr Galmrsson. All were good sailors and good warriors. I had thought it enough men. They were the best who were not Ulfheonar. My illness had driven them and their quest from my mind until, when one of our drekar, ‘King’s Gift’ was sailing up the coast close to the island of the puffins, they had found the wreckage of ‘Örlög’. They knew it was her from the prow which Bolli Bollison had carved. We had thought them dead but if they were then why were they not in Valhalla? Had they been attacked at sea they would have died fighting. If the storm had taken them then, as they sank beneath the waves for the last time they would have grasped their swords. I had not seen them in Valhalla. We did not know where they were.

  Aiden, Kara and Ylva had dreamed but they had seen nothing. That was not their fault. They were all volvas and seers yet their strength lay in the spirits of the dead of our family. My wife Erika, son, Wolf Killer, and grandson, Garth, they were the spirits who spoke. They did not know the spirit of Atticus. They were not certain if the men lived or died. They saw them not in the spirit world but they were not certain. They thought there was a fog which prevented them from seeing. Close to my land they were able to see more. I needed the clarity of the mountain to focus my thoughts.

  If they were unable to die with their swords in their hands then what had happened to them? I had come to Old Olaf to clear my thoughts and to make a decision. The world was wide and the sea even wider. When you were a Viking and sailed the empty oceans then you were in awe of the vast emptiness that was the sea. Where would we begin to search for them?

  I know not how long I sat and stared. I had sat with my back against the larger rock upon which my cloak was drying and I was facing south. Old Olaf had determined my position. My right hand fingered the hilt of my sword. I found myself playing with the blue stone while staring south. I felt a breeze upon my face. It was from the south and then I saw the clouds as they began to part. It was like a wife tearing an old sheet in two to make cleaning cloths. It was as though the clouds were torn. And I saw, to the south, the sea. I saw, in the distance, a trading ship as she headed for Whale Island and in that moment Old Olaf told me what to do. I should take to the sea and follow the trail of my knarr. I should search for their bodies and bury them. Then my dreams would not be haunted by their faces for I would know the truth. The sun shone more brightly. This would be a swift voyage. It would take four days to reach the river, discover the truth, and then sail home. My dreams would not be haunted by those I had abandoned.

  Chapter 1

  The crew who had asked to accompany me o
n ‘Heart of the Dragon’ were all waiting for me at my grandson’s home close to Whale Island where we kept our fleet of ships. Once they had received my request Erik Short Toe and Bolli Bollison had soon prepared my drekar for sea. Gruffyd had asked to come with me as had Ragnar but I knew that both did not really mean it. Ragnar ruled the southern half of my land and he was wrapped up in that. Gruffyd seemed distracted. My son and I were not as close as we should have been. I put that down to his new family. He and Einar Fair face had married women from Om Walum. When I returned I would spend time talking with my son. It was something I had put off too long. The men we sought in the river were my men. My son and grandson had their own warriors and they each had raids to make.

  As well as the Ulfheonar I chose leaders such as Ráðgeir Ráðgeirson, Lars Long Nose, Siggi Eainarson. My great grandson, Sámr was an easy choice for he had chosen to live in my hall. Where I went so did he. Baldr Saviour of Witches had asked to come but he had been hurt by a horse he had been training just a month earlier and his leg had not healed. He was angry with himself for having been so careless and missing the chance to raid. He had been slave we had rescued when we had been in the east. His people were horsemen who lived in the flat lands north of Miklagård. Mordaf wished to come too but his mother was loath to let him go to sea. The witch at Syllingar had almost taken his life and she wished him to become a man before he sailed again. I did not blame her but I was disappointed for Mordaf. He saw Sámr, his cousin, having adventures whilst he stayed safely at home. The rest of the crew was made up of the warriors who had yet to take part in a successful raid. These were the ones who had a sword and a shield. They had seal skin boots and a rough cloak. They had a seax and that was all. They were as I had been when I had first sailed with Old Olaf and Prince Butar.

  My daughter and her family had dreamed but seen nothing. Something was masking my men from them. They did not know if it was good or it was ill. I thought that this was a bad thing. When they could not see it normally meant a stronger power was at work. The mine lay to the south of Wyddfa. Was that significant? Aiden had made me maps and told me all that he could remember of the river and the mine where we had found the stones. Before I had left Cyninges-tūn I had asked them bluntly, “Have you dreamed my death? Should I make my farewells now?”

  Ylva had slipped her arm through mine and squeezed it, “No, Dragonheart. Your thread has yet to be cut but I have woven a spell to keep you safe.” She held up a small piece of material. I saw that there was a wolf and a shiny crescent moon.

  “What is the meaning of the moon?”

  “It is the moon of the east. Atticus is not Norse. You need to find him and I have put him in the spell. If he is alive then you will find him and if not…” she shrugged, “it is wyrd.”

  I had clutched my wolf amulet. I might survive the voyage but my family did not know the fate of my men. It would be up to the Dragonheart.

  As I left my grandson’s hall and walked towards my ship, with Sámr by my side, I saw the new sail which had been fitted to my drekar. There had been so much treasure from the ransom for the priests of Mercia that we had been able to buy a new canvas and great quantities of the dye we needed. The sail now had a wolf upon it. I confess that I had felt tingles down my neck when I had seen it. It made my old drekar come alive. I say old but all the damaged and weakened timbers had been replaced and she had a new steering board. We might fail in our quest but our ship would not let us down. I had made a blót on her deck, close by the steering board the previous night. The blood was still there and it would bring us both luck and the favour of the gods.

  Since I had been reborn in Miklagård my view on life had changed. Each day was now a gift from the gods. I found myself smiling more and worrying less about minor inconveniences. When one of the ship’s boys dropped one of the pots of pine tar which we would take with us in case a repair was needed while Erik Short Toe ranted and railed and the boy, Sven, quivered I said, “Erik we have more pine tar. It was fortunate that it fell close to the bow where nothing is stored. It will soak into the deck and make us stronger. This is a good thing.”

  I saw the relief on Sven Tomasson’s face. Erik shook his head, “But the deck will be sticky there for some days.”

  I shrugged, “Then we avoid it. This is not worth getting upset about. Had it happened at sea when we could not replace it then there might have been a problem.”

  Haaken One Eye was nearby and he could not help laughing, “Is this the same Dragonheart who would rant and rave if the wind changed direction and slowed our voyage?”

  I nodded, “We all change… all save you! You are still the same. A little greyer, a little gaunter but still the same youth who stood back to back with me in Norway all those years ago.”

  “Aye and now my granddaughter is to be wed then I know my age. How did that happen? Why are we not yet dead?”

  “The Norns are saving us for something and I doubt it will be pleasant.”

  The pot of pine tar had been replaced and Erik shouted, “Prepare to cast off! We had best hurry before Sven the Clumsy drops something else.”

  I saw Sven’s face fall. He had no name as yet and if Erik’s stuck then he would have to live with it.

  I shouted, “Then cast off but I do not think that Sven the Ship Sealer will ever drop anything else!”

  I was Jarl Dragonheart and my word was law. Sven had just been given his Viking name. He looked relieved. Men would, I knew, ask him how he got his name and he would still have to tell them the story but men would not judge him first. If he had been Sven the Clumsy then he would.

  Our families had come to wave us off. There were no tears. That was not the way of the Clan of the Wolf. They would all go about their own business and carry on as though we had not gone across the western seas. They knew that it would do no good to brood. If the Norns had spun then we might be away for a year or more. We might never return. When our sail was seen over the horizon then there would be great celebration and there would be joy unbounded. The life of a Viking was hard and it was dangerous but we had all chosen it.

  We had to row against the tide to reach the open sea. We used a simple chant. It would begin to bind the crew together. This was a new crew.

  The Clan of the Wolf have backs that are broad

  All our enemies are put to the sword

  When we roar and howl then fear

  The Clan of the Wolf have teeth and are near

  The Clan of the Wolf have backs that are broad

  All our enemies are put to the sword

  When we roar and howl then fear

  The Clan of the Wolf have teeth and are near

  As soon as we cleared the island Erik put the steering board over and shouted, “In oars! Loose sail!”

  The ship’s boys were all ready at the mast head and the half-furled sail dropped to reveal the red dragon. Those who had not seen it cheered and, almost as though it came to life the wind caught us and the sail billowed. It looked as though the wolf was roaring. It was a good sign and a good start to the voyage. We headed west along the coast. The wind was from the north and east. Once we cleared the coast of my land then the wind would be stronger and we would have open water.

  I stood at the steering board with Erik as the crew stacked their oars at the mast fish. Olaf Leather Neck cuffed the ones who did it wrong. He believed that a Viking did not make mistakes. His mighty fists were just his way of enforcing that dictat. No one minded for they knew that Olaf was the ultimate warrior. He had never married and spent each day honing his already mighty skills. It was a mixed crew. Many had grown up in the Land of the Wolf and I either knew them or had fought with their fathers. Cnut Cnutson’s grandfather had been with me when the gods had struck my sword. Now the youngest of that family sailed with me. Then there were others whom I knew less well. Vikings still drifted towards my land. Some were ones who had left their own clan or been banished. Others had fallen on hard times when others, like Bergil Hafþórrsson had sought us
out. He, his brothers and their families had landed close to the Stad on the Eden. Their tiny ship had succumbed to the rocks just off the shore and they had scrambled ashore. They were a family of three brothers and their wives with two children. Bergil was the head of the family. They had come from the islands off the coast of Strathclyde. The family were not pure Norse. They all had dark hair. From what Bergil told me their ancestors had come from the land of Hibernia. That explained their hair but they were Norse in their ways. Aiden had said that they might have got their hair from their mother. In all likelihood she had been a slave. Certainly, the name Hafþórr was Norse.

  They were all well-built warriors but they had precious little with them. I could see why they had come. Our land offered prosperity and the chance to be warriors. They had arrived when I had been in Miklagård and Aiden and Kara had deemed them to be worthy to join our clan. That first winter the brothers had gone up the Lang’s Dale and killed four wolves. They wore their cloaks. They were not Ulfheonar but that did not prevent them from wearing a wolf skin. Bergil had been in battles when he had fought as a paid sword. Fighting without a helmet was a risk and he had lost the front part of his scalp to a sword. He was lucky not to have lost his head and his life. Their families farmed at Torver which lay at the southern end of the Water. They were hardy people and after the remote island where they had lived then the Land of the Wolf seemed like paradise. I knew that I was lucky to have Bergil, Beorn and Benni.

  The presence of the three brothers meant that I had ten experienced warriors. The only ones with mail were the Ulfheonar, Sámr, Ráðgeir Ráðgeirson, Lars Long Nose and Siggi Eainarson. Like all of my veteran warriors they had good mail and good helmets. They had mail aventails and some had face masks. If we found trouble then they would be their steel which would save us.