Viking Warrior Page 9

  We finally reached the warehouse and the relief on Sigurd’s face was obvious. “Thank you. I feel safer now that I am here.”

  “I will return with more of my men and trade goods.” I paused, “We will need Frankish sword blanks. You have them?” He nodded and I gave him a list of other items. He smiled and nodded. I hesitated and then took a deep breath. “My wife wishes something called lace. Is that easy to come by?”

  He shook his head, “No, and it is expensive. I know of no one here in Cologne. Any that we do get is bought by the priests of the White Christ who adorn their vestments with it. I am sorry. I will keep watch for any which comes in the future but it will be a high price.”

  “Do not worry about that. I will have to pay whatever the going rate is. I will have to explain to my wife that I tried.”

  Haaken and Cnut had similar problems. Their wives had asked for combs for their hair and brooches. We were good traders when it came to useful things but not these knick knacks which they seemed to adore.

  Back at the ship the rest of the men were pleased to see us. Harald Olafson pointed to the men lurking by the harbour walls. “This is a lot rougher than it used to be. There look to be armed gangs all around.”

  “I know Harald. We will leave half of the men on board when we take the trade goods. Arm yourselves and let no-one close to the boat.”

  I collected the precious metals and put them in a leather bag which I slung around my neck and shoulder so that it could not be torn from me easily. The rest unpacked our trade goods. I had more than enough men to carry and to protect our precious cargo. The only heavy items were the barrels of seal oil and they rolled. Haaken and I acted as guards and led the way back. I could see men eyeing up our barrels and sheepskins. They were wondering when to strike; on our way or on our way back. They had to be desperate men for few thieves would chance his arm with a Norseman.

  Rather like Sigurd earlier, I was relieved when we reached the warehouse. He looked at the oil and the sheepskins and gave me a value. It seemed reasonable and we used that to purchase those items which the other villagers had requested. He handed us coins as well. “The sword blanks?”

  He took me to a pile of Frankish blanks. They looked like iron bars with a tapered handle but they could, when Bjorn had worked his magic with them, become the deadliest of weapons. I distributed the coins between the men and then haggled a price for the blanks.

  “You still have the precious metal?” I nodded and showed it to him. “I can give a rough price and then you can take the blanks. You will have coin left over.”

  “Good.”

  He counted out fifteen sword blanks. Bjorn’s share would be ten of them. They were distributed between my warriors to carry back to the boat. “Are you ready to come back to Sigismund’s yet or shall we return for you?”

  “Return when you have delivered your goods. I will take this opportunity of conducting a little more business.” He smiled. “It was good fortune which brought you today. We have done more trade than in the past month. My uncle will be pleased.”

  As we made our way back I reflected that carrying the blanks was like carrying gold in plain view. Everyone could see the valuable cargo. In the right hands they could make ten times what we had paid. Had we used our trade for Frankish swords then I would be carrying just one. A Frankish sword was the most valuable weapon you could possess and men would kill for one.

  We were half way back to the ship and close to the river when the robbers struck. I had noted where all of the gangs had congregated on our way to the warehouse. We had tried to vary our route but the river drew all roads. The closer to the river then the more predators lurked there. They were still in the shadows when we returned; all apart from one gang. There had been one crew who were now absent. Where had they gone?

  “Be ready for an ambush. The ones who had the blanks had a readymade weapon in their hand and the rest had their trade goods on their backs. I loosened Ragnar’s Spirit. Suddenly wooden logs were dropped from the buildings above us. I was lucky; I was just struck a glancing blow. Jorgen was knocked cold by the one which struck him and some of the others fell to the ground caught by the heavy pieces of timber.

  The thieves came at us like rats swarming over spilled corn. I did not hesitate but swung my sword in an arc. All those before me were enemies and I had to protect the warriors of mine who had fallen beneath my feet. Two robbers fell, gushing blood. I swung the blade above my head and brought it down on to the skull of the thief who had his dagger out to slit Jorgen’s throat. The head opened like a ripe plum. Cnut and Haaken had killed their enemies just as quickly and the rest fled as they realised that we not easy prey. We had been saved only by our armour and our helmets. It had been a well conceived trap.

  “Haaken, see to Jorgen. Cnut, search the bodies. The rest of you keep your eyes peeled.”

  It was as though the street and alleys which led off had emptied. There was no-one in sight and the only sound was the screeching of the gulls. Jorgen slowly came to and Haaken helped him to his feet.

  “Can you walk Jorgen?” He nodded and picked up the fallen blade. “Back to the boat as quickly as we can.”

  The dead and bleeding bodies just lay where they had fallen. Soon we reached the safety of the boat. Once on board we secured the blanks below the decks. “Harold, take charge here. Move the ship a little further away from the bank. You can always pull it closer when we return.” Cnut deposited the swords, daggers and coins he had taken from the dead robbers. If you were a thief then you assumed that everyone else was one too and you kept your treasure about yourself.

  Oleg shook his head, “We have the swords let us leave.”

  “It is not honourable.”

  He shrugged, “Who cares?”

  “Me for one but realistically we need Sigismund to continue our trades. We still owe him for the blades and he trusted us. I gave my word. Would you have me break it?” His silence was eloquent. “As soon as we are ashore begin to let out the lines. It will keep you safer.”

  The three of us were more alert as we headed along the river bank to get to Sigurd at the warehouse. I dared not risk the street with the dead robbers. This route might be as dangerous. We had no choice. We moved with drawn blades. I had been surprised once; the second time I would be ready.

  Thankfully we reached the warehouse without incident. Sigurd looked up, he was unconcerned. He had no idea of our ordeal. “I just have to…”

  He got no further, “We go now or you go alone! We were attacked on the way back to our ship and I fear for the safety of my men.”

  He nodded, “I understand.” Panic filled his face. “What about the men you said you would find?”

  “I gave my word. I will try to find you men.” Haaken rolled his eyes in exasperation.

  On the way to the house of Sigismund I kept watch for suitable places to find men. This time we kept to the main thoroughfares. It was safer that way. We passed two or three drinking houses; I saw the sheaf of barley hung from the door which marked them as alehouses. We would try those three. I had made a promise but I would not risk my men and my ship to keep it. If there were none within them then Sigismund would have to find his own protectors.

  Sigismund was relieved to see us. When I told him of the attack he frowned. “The city will have to take action. We survive because of trade. If traders cannot conduct their business then the town will die.”

  “It was not like this last time. What happened?”

  “Count Conrad is off in the east fighting a war and the men he has left are not the best.” He shook his head, “War is the enemy of trade.”

  “And yet if we did not need the weapons of war then we would have no need to trade here. We could trade our oil and our sheepskins closer to home.”

  “Perhaps.” He rubbed his hands together and then winced with the pain. “Show me what you have for me.”

  I emptied the metal out and he carefully divided into the different qualities. He weighed e
ach one and made a mark on a wax tablet. “These would pay for fifteen blanks.”

  “We bought fifteen.”

  Although he said, “Good,” Sigismund flashed a look of annoyance at his nephew and then handed me some coins. I think he wanted his nephew to have sold more. It irked him that we were taking coins away from a trade. “Hopefully I will be well the next time you come and the city will be safer.”

  I nodded, “We will go and see if we can find some men for you. There are three places we can try. We will return here either with them or without them.” I shrugged, “We cannot make such warriors.”

  “I know and I thank you."

  The first alehouse we entered was almost deserted and the men who were within looked more like the kind of criminals who might wish to bring harm to Sigurd. None had the look of warriors and that was what we sought; warriors such as us. We did not bother drinking there but entered the second one. This one looked to have more potential. There were warriors within. We sat at a table. There was no choice over our fare. We were brought three horns of beer. I put some coins on the table and the man took two of them.

  The ale was drinkable. We looked around at the other drinkers. One table looked to have warriors dressed much like we were and they were having a drinking contest. They would not be suitable candidates. The table next to us, however, had three warriors. They were nursing their beer and taking sips. I noticed that the only things which looked as though they were cared for were their weapons. They looked unwashed and their clothes were torn. These were warriors who had fallen on hard times. It happened to the best of warriors. Olaf had told me. Men followed a leader because of an oath and when that leader died they often found themselves many miles from home or friends.

  I waved to the man with the beer and held three fingers up. He brought three more over. I pointed to the men at the next table. He shrugged, took the money, and put the beer before them. They looked surprised and asked him a question which I could not hear. One of them, obviously the leader, stood and came over to us.

  He spoke our language. “Before I drink the beer you have paid for, can I ask, do I know you?”

  I smiled, “I have never seen you before in my life.”

  “Are you one of those who prefers men to women? If so I have to disappoint you. None of us are like that.”

  Cnut began to rise and I restrained him, “Peace, Cnut. There was no offence meant. I bought you the beer for we have money and, I think, you have not. You are warriors like we are but appear to have had less luck.”

  “That is true. Our ship was sunk off the coast and we made our way here. They have no need for warriors here.” He suddenly leaned forward, “Do you have a ship? Are you raiding?”

  “Yes I have a ship but we are not raiding. We are here for trade and we will return to our home soon.”

  “You look a little young to have a ship. Who are you?”

  “I am Garth.”

  The man looked as though the name meant nothing. Cnut said irritably, “You may have heard of him. He is called Dragon Heart and he has the sword touched by the gods.”

  The man looked at me in amazement. “I have heard the name and the stories. I thought they had been made by drink.”

  Cnut said proudly, “No, they are true. I was there when the gods touched the blade.”

  “We will serve with you.”

  “At the moment, I have neither need nor room for more crew but I will be returning soon and then I will offer you places. However, until then, I can offer you employment, shelter and money. If you are interested then bring your friends over and I will explain.”

  He brought them over and introduced them, “I am Rolf, this is Eric Redhead and the other is Ham the Silent. We thank you for the ale.”

  “You are welcome. There is a trader who lives not far from here and he was recently attacked. He needs men to protect him and his nephew. I said I would get him some men he could trust.”

  “And you trust us? You barely know us.”

  “I am a good judge of men. You are warriors; I can see that. You have little money yet your weapons are in perfect condition. You ask sensible questions and you wish to be warriors still. However, if I am wrong and you let me down then I will hunt you down and kill you.”

  I said those words without anger and without any animosity. The aptly named Eric the Redhead began to rise but Rolf pushed him easily down. “Calm down my excitable friend. This is Dragon Heart and I can see that, despite his years, he is a warrior and I would do the same. I say this to you, Garth the Dragon Heart, I will serve this man, if he will have us, for half a year and then I would serve you.”

  I gave him my arm. “And I will offer the three of you a place on my ship and we will raid Saxons together.”

  Chapter 9

  I felt good as we boarded my ship. Rolf and Sigismund had liked each other as soon as they saw each other. Sigismund was happy to have warriors in his home although he did ask them to bathe. Rolf and his men were just pleased to have a roof over their heads. Events had turned out well and we were able to leave the city in the middle of the night. I was anxious to depart as soon as possible. We also had a bonus. Sigismund had heard of Erica’s desire for lace and he gave me a piece of white lace. At least he said it was lace. It seemed small and flimsy to me. It was only as wide as my hand and as long as my arm. It appeared to have more holes than material. If it were not for the fact that the holes were regular I would have said it was the work of mice. He told me that it had been ordered by a bishop of the White Christ who had decided to rebel against the king and he had paid the price with his life. I was satisfied and happy for Erica would be pleased.

  Oleg smelled the ale on our breath when we returned. “You could have brought some for us.”

  Haaken loved to tease Oleg. “You wouldn’t have liked it. It was sour.”

  “Better sour ale than no ale.”

  We hoisted the sail and let the current leisurely take us west towards the sea. I felt relief when we hit the sea. It was daylight and there was not a sail in sight. I knew how lucky we had been to avoid serious trouble. Perhaps the next time I would bring a bigger crew or a bigger ship. Even as those thoughts tiptoed into my head I knew that ‘Wolf’ was the only ship for me. I ran my hand down the oak rail. This was a sturdy and swift ship. Her small size merely made the boat livelier and more responsive to the helm. I knew that I could turn inside any ship which was bigger and, with the right wind, out run anything that sailed. Her only weakness was when there was no wind. The small number of rowers meant that, in a sea chase, we would be caught.

  The men cheered as we left the estuary for the wind was from the south; it meant no rowing for them. We fairly leapt across the water as the water on our quarter made ‘Wolf’ run as though alive. I needed Cnut’s help to fight the sea. It took two of us to keep the ship heading north west.

  A day and a half later we had just passed the island they called Wight. It was a fearful place for it was believed to be inhabited by spirits. Of course no-one had ever met anyone who had seen one of these unearthly creatures but that did not stop the legends and stories spreading. I knew the crew would want us to give it a wide berth but the wind seemed determined to make us strike the shore. I managed to miss the jagged rocks but we passed close enough to see the cliffs and rocks; they were far too close for comfort.

  “Well Dragon Heart, if we can avoid the evils spirits on Wight then we may escape with our lives on this journey.”

  Haaken’s words proved hollow for as we cleared the island we spied three Saxon ships laying in wait for us. They began rowing after us. The wind was still in our favour and took us further from them but I knew that once they cleared the island then their sails and their superior numbers would begin to tell. “Out oars. Cnut, you had better row. Snorri, come and help me. Eric, go to the bows and watch for rocks.”

  The warriors had been rested but, if the Saxons had been waiting then they too would be rested. This would be a test of ships and of
men. I prayed that my faith in ‘Wolf’ would be justified. I risked a glance astern. They were about half a mile back. So long as the wind and my men’s backs held then we might hold them but if the wind failed us then they would draw us in like a fisherman landing a catch. They were tubbier than we were and there was no dragon at the prow. That might mean little to them but to us it meant that we had the gods of war on our side. I knew that the men rowing on ‘Wolf’ regarded it as a good omen that they had a dragon at the prow and a Dragon Heart steering. To the Saxons it would mean nothing except a fear of the warriors within.

  Snorri was rapidly growing and would be joining the warriors soon. He put his weight on the tiller. He snorted his derision, “It takes three Saxons to try to fight one drekar.”

  I laughed. He was right. “Never forget, Snorri, that a wolf can bite and this wolf is full of wolves with sharp teeth. They may yet regret their action.”

  As the wind caught their sails I could see that they began to close the gap. They were slowly and inexorably gaining on us. The worst action I could have taken was to panic. We were sailing with the wind on our quarter which was the most efficient. The rollers coming in from the west negated some of the advantage their extra oars gave them. This would not end quickly. Cnut was keeping the beat by singing our rowing song which Haaken had composed.

  Push your arms

  Row the boat

  Use your back

  The Wolf will fly

  Ulfheonar

  Are real men

  Teeth like iron

  Arms like trees