Warrior Heroes, page 4
“What will you do?” Finn asked.
“What will I do? What will we all do? We will find them and we will each of us take back what is ours. We will visit such fury on these people that they never again raid in these parts. Odin’s boy, you will come with us. I know we have the Gods on our side but a little extra help from Odin’s messenger would be welcome. Thorfinna, you will be our guide. We sail at dawn.” Hallvard looked Thorfinna in the eye. “And we will each have our revenge.”
CHAPTER 7
A thin mist hung over the water the next morning as Finn and Thorfinna waited silently on the beach. Behind them stood Ragnar’s party from the previous night – wives, children, grandfathers. Finn looked at Thorfinna and wanted to say something, but she had a distant look in her eye as she stared into the mist and he thought better of it. He shivered, and wrapped a sheepskin that he had been given more tightly around his shoulders.
Somebody put a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Inga.
“My husband believes that you are Odin’s messenger,” she said, staring into his eyes. “I do not know. All I know is that you and your brother appeared from nowhere and the very same night a raiding party came and took my son. So hear me,” she went on, her gaze hardening. “If you come back without my son then I will tear your beating heart from your chest and feed it to the crows. Do you believe me?”
Finn nodded, unable to speak.
“Good,” said Inga. “But if you are sent to us from Odin then know this. Hallvard has the power of Thor, but not always the wisdom of Odin. Brand is the same. And your brother also, perhaps?”
Finn nodded again.
“Then you must be wise for them. All the men will fight with honour and you too must go with a brave heart. But remember why you are there. The boys – bring them back. Every man dreams of death in battle but Brand and your brother are too young for Valhalla.”
“We won’t come back without them,” he said, sounding much more certain than he felt.
“Look now,” said Inga, pointing to the trees. “They are coming.”
Finn turned and caught his breath. Emerging from the forest onto the beach was a Viking longship. Gliding through the mist on the men’s shoulders it looked too perfect to be real. The sleek, elegant curve of the prow reared up high in the air like a breaking wave and at the top sat a beautifully carved serpent’s head. For the first time since he and Arthur had arrived, and despite the danger that Finn knew he would be sailing towards, he began to feel excited.
The others seemed to feel it too. Even Thorfinna’s eyes burned a little brighter as the men walked into the sea and gently set the boat down in the water alongside a small wooden jetty.
Mournful, mist-sodden silence gave way to a clatter of activity. Swift farewells were said, wooden chests were stowed and the mast was raised and fixed to the hull. Oars scraped and bumped into place. Large, round shields clacked down into their slots along each side of the boat and then Hallvard, standing near the prow, beckoned to Finn. Heart thumping, he stepped off the jetty and onto the longship with Thorfinna close behind.
“Farewell Hallvard,” cried Inga. “May Thor give you strength in battle. And may Odin guide you to victory. Bring my boy back home. Now go!”
One of the men still stood on the jetty. He leaned against the stern of the ship and slowly it began to slide forward until he jumped aboard and sat down in his rowing place. The rowers extended their oars and dipped them into the water. Ragnar stood in the stern of the boat, his hand on the steering oar, and began to call out a beat. The men heaved, their expressions grim, intense, and wild.
Finn watched the people on the jetty drift slowly backwards, getting smaller and smaller. He turned to Thorfinna but again her icy eyes were fixed on something very far away.
“Set the sail,” cried Ragnar. Two of the men began busying themselves with ropes and a large, red sail began to unfurl. A loud thwump drew a cheer from the men as the wind filled the sail. The mist grew thinner as the wind grew stronger and the salt spray splashed across Finn’s face. He turned to gaze forward and whisper into the wind, “We’re coming for you Arthur.”
Thorfinna looked at him for the first time that day.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “You must be worried about your brother. Tell me, what kind of person is he?”
“He’s a trouble-maker,” said Finn. “He loses his temper and picks fights and doesn’t think before he does something. And he thinks he’s always right. And he never listens. I wanted to tell him not to go to the beach – I knew there would be raiders guarding the boat and I knew he’d get caught. But he ran off before I could even say a word. He gets himself into these situations and then I have to worry about how to get him out alive.”
Thorfinna smiled. “Sounds like most men I know. Is there anything you like about him?”
“He’s my brother,” Finn snapped. “I love him. That’s why I’m here.”
Hallvard came up behind them and put a strong hand on Finn’s shoulder. “Look at the men in this boat,” he said. “Each one of these men will fight to the death under my command. Have no fear, we will find those boys.”
Finn looked back at the two lines of men. Their fierce eyes, wild grins, huge limbs, and battle-scarred faces were more comforting than anything he had ever seen.
“They won’t bring my family back though,” Thorfinna muttered, her expression as dark as the sea.
“And if you see Moldof killed,” said Finn carefully. “Will that bring them back?” Thorfinna’s eyes flashed like knives.
“Tread carefully, Odin’s boy. That dog’s death will restore honour to my ancestors.”
Finn nodded. “I just hope that Moldof doesn’t have this hold over you for much longer.”
“And what would you do? What would you do if you had seen your entire family murdered by the man who then sold you as a slave?”
Finn thought about all he and Arthur were doing to help the spirit of their great grandfather finally find peace and all he was risking to rescue Arthur now. Who could say what they would do if their loved ones had been slaughtered in front of them?
“I hope we all get what we need,” he said quietly, but Thorfinna did not hear him. She was staring down into the foaming, heaving sea.
* * *
The sun was dipping into the water at the end of the following day by the time Thorfinna announced that they were close to her former home.
“How far?” Hallvard asked.
“We will come to the inlet just beyond the next headland.”
After a brief consultation with Ragnar, Hallvard decided that they would find a safe anchorage and wait until dawn before attacking and Ragnar turned the boat towards a small cove. The sail was taken down, the oars placed into the sea once more and soon the boat was rocking gently in sheltered waters, bounded on three sides by sheer, grey cliffs.
As darkness fell, the men fixed a tent to the edges of the boat and everyone looked for a place to sit that would allow them to sleep as best they could. Salted fish and ale were shared around, and as the men filled their bellies, Hallvard spoke to them.
“Eat well friends,” he began. “For tomorrow we fight. We fight for our honour, we fight for my son, we fight for loot as always and we fight for Odin, who sent us these two brothers to warn us of the attack.” At this some of the men began muttering to each other.
“If anyone has anything to say, then let me hear them!” Hallvard shouted fiercely. There was a nervous silence but eventually one of the men spoke up.
“Some of us think that the boy brings bad luck,” he said.
“Bad luck!” roared Hallvard. “He warned us a raid was coming. Had he not then my family, and many of yours, would have been slaughtered while we slept. And when the raid came this unlucky boy killed three of the raiders by my count. Show him some respect. I tell you he speaks for Odin. And his brother also – a mere boy who alongside my son tried to sink our enemy’s ship. If we fight with half the courage these boys have shown then victory is certain. Let not another word be spoken against Odin’s boy. Now eat, sleep, and tomorrow we attack!”
“Well said, Hallvard,” Ragnar cried out from the back of the ship. “A cheer for Odin’s boy!” The men cheered and laughed, and Hallvard thumped Finn on the back. Finn smiled with pride in the darkness. Later, as he settled down to sleep, in the bottom of the boat, Hallvard called over to him, “What will you dream of, Odin’s boy?”
“I will dream about my brother,” he replied.
“And I will dream about my son,” said Hallvard.
“And I will dream of revenge,” whispered Thorfinna.
VIKING LONGSHIPS
Vikings do lots of things well. They are very good at fighting, and drinking, and telling stories. But if they do one thing better than anything else it must be building and sailing ships. So, what’s so good about a Viking longship?
•You can sail it across an ocean – Vikings have sailed through icebergs to Greenland, and across the Atlantic to North America.
•You can scare the living daylights out of people with the monster figurehead that sits at the top of the prow, and with the blood-red sail too for that matter.
•When you get to the other side of the ocean, you can land on a beach or row up a river. The lowest point of a longship sits only about one metre below the water.
•If anyone attacks the boat you can keep rowing – your shield fits into a slot along the top edge (gunwhale) of the boat, protecting you from arrows.
•If you need to take an overland shortcut to speed things up then your ship is light enough that you and your fellow sailor-warriors can lift it out of the water and carry it overland.
•If you need to get away quickly, or if you suddenly spot an iceberg, you can reverse easily rather than turning around. The front and rear of the ship are almost perfectly symmetrical.
•And last but not least, everyone is so scared of how fierce you are, and so sure that your boat is faster than their boat, that if you are about to attack then the enemy will be expecting to lose!
CHAPTER 8
“It’s time,” said Ragnar at first light. The men in the ship began to stir and rub cramped limbs after a fitful night’s sleep. Finn stretched and stood up, letting out a long yawn. The tent came down as quickly as it had gone up and food was passed around as Hallvard addressed the men.
“Each of you check your weapons now. Be ready. We will beach the ship out of sight of the village as Thorfinna knows the shore here well. We plan to take Moldof by surprise but we may be seen – so remember, as soon as we are clear of this anchorage we may need to fight at any time.”
The men reached into their sea chests and withdrew an array of swords, axes, knives and spears. Hallvard turned to Thorfinna and Finn, holding out two bows and two quivers full of arrows.
“May your aim be as true today as it was a few nights ago,” he said to Finn, before reaching down and handing over a pair of swords and shields. “Take these also,” he said. “Do not rush into the battle. You are both brave, but you are both young and I hope you will not need to use them.”
Thorfinna’s expression as she snatched the weapons suggested that she felt differently.
“We all know what we need to do,” Hallvard shouted. “May all of us fight well, and any of us that fall be taken by the Valkyries to feast in Valhalla. Ragnar, take us to battle!”
They made swift progress around the headland and the sun had not yet risen as they began to pull into a long inlet under Thorfinna’s guidance. Soon enough Thorfinna had directed Ragnar towards a thin strip of beach and the men had stopped rowing, jumped into the water and dragged the boat onto the sand.
“No sign of a welcome party,” said Hallvard. “Thorfinna, the village is near?”
“We will see it from the top of that ridge behind the beach,” she replied, her voice strained, “ten minutes on foot.”
“Good,” said Hallvard briskly. “Men, make ready. Ragnar, Finn, Thorfinna, with me.”
Shield’s strapped to their backs, Finn and Thorfinna followed Ragnar and Hallvard as they strode across the sand and then bounded up the rocks.
“Is this the place?” Hallvard asked, pointing along the coast to a collection of ten or so houses next to another strip of sand. A longship was moored to a jetty a short way from the houses.
Thorfinna nodded, her face pure white. “Yes, and that is the ship that Brand and Arthur tried to sink.”
Ragnar and Hallvard stared at the village. It lay on the shore at the bottom of a wooded valley, on one side of which the hills sloped steeply down to the shore while on the other they ended abruptly at a small cliff that overlooked the sea and the village.
“Thorfinna,” said Ragnar. “It seems to me that if we want to get close and stay hidden we should approach from the trees on the hill. Is that correct?”
She nodded again, not taking her eyes off the village.
Hallvard turned to Ragnar “What are your thoughts?”
“We must cut off Moldof ’s escape,” the old man replied. “He could make off with the boys when we attack.”
“Two groups then?”
Ragnar nodded.
“I agree,” said Hallvard decisively. “You will lead a small party and conceal yourselves as best you can along the path at the bottom of the valley. I will lead the main group and attack from the hill.”
“One more thing Hallvard.” Ragnar looked worried.
“What is it?”
“We are not certain that Moldof is here now,” said Ragnar thoughtfully.
“That is the ship,” Thorfinna hissed. “He’s there.”
“We must be certain,” Ragnar insisted. “If we are wrong we will be starting a war. I have an idea,” he went on. “I suggest that Finn and Thorfinna take a position on top of the rocks that overlook the village. As soon as Thorfinna sees someone that she is sure serves Moldof then she and Odin’s boy begin shooting and that is our signal to attack.”
“Agreed,” said Hallvard. “It’s settled.”
Hallvard turned and waved to the men back on the beach. Finn’s chest tightened as the men ran forward. Several of the men had painted their faces and they now looked more like gods and monsters than men.
“Look!”cried Thorfinna. Finn turned in time to see some rocks tumbling down to the water a short way towards the village.
“Was anyone there?” Hallvard asked quickly.
“I don’t know master,” said Thorfinna. “I thought I saw someone in the trees.”
“Quiet everyone,” Ragnar hissed. The whole group froze, straining to catch any sound that indicated someone running. There was nothing.
“We must move forward,” said Hallvard eventually. Quietly he explained the plan to the men as they walked up to the trees and began the march towards the village.
They had not walked far before Thorfinna turned impatiently to Hallvard. “Master, Finn and I should go ahead as we have the furthest to go.”
“Agreed,” he replied. “Remember, Finn, we will be waiting for your signal.”
“Yes sir,” said Finn.
“Come on,” Thorfinna urged. With Finn close behind she began running quietly through the trees. It was hard going, weighed down by the huge shields, sheepskins and weapons, and before long Finn was whispering hoarsely to Thorfinna to stop. She turned impatiently.
“The longer we take the more likely it is that Moldof will know we are here,” she said. “We can’t keep stopping.”
Finn nodded, holding a hand up as he stooped to catch his breath. A stick snapped a short way ahead of them. Finn’s eyes widened and they both froze.
Silence.
Thorfinna beckoned Finn on. The track began to lead downhill and a few minutes later Thorfinna held up her hand and stopped again. Finn gasped for air. Ahead lay a break in the trees, which Finn soon realised must be the main path along the bottom of the valley towards the village. Thorfinna scurried across the path and back into the trees on the other side. Glancing both ways and seeing nothing, Finn dashed after her. He had just reached the cover of the trees when another stick snapped, this time behind them. They spun around. Nothing.
“What if we’re being followed?” Finn whispered.
“Nothing we can do,” Thorfinna replied. “If there is someone tracking us we can’t see them and they haven’t attacked us.”
Finn was not sure. “Should we wait for Ragnar’s men at least to warn someone that Moldof may know we’re here?”
Thorfinna shook her head. “We can’t change the plan. Hallvard needs us on top of the cliff to signal when to attack. Come on.” She turned and ran off again. Not wanting to be left behind, Finn followed immediately. They ran uphill, Finn’s chest ragged as he heaved in great gulps of cold air. Finally, to Finn’s almost tearful relief, Thorfinna slowed to a walk.
“Nearly there,” she hissed, crouching down as she turned off the track and walked downhill towards the sea. They reached the edge of the trees.
“We should stay hidden,” Finn whispered.
Peering down through the lowest branches they had a perfect view of the village and beyond it the hill from which Hallvard would attack.
Thorfinna frowned.
“What is it?” Finn asked.
“They know we’re here. I can feel it. Look, there’s smoke coming from the houses, and there are roosters crowing, but nobody is outside. Something’s wrong. You stay here, I’m going to warn Hallvard.”
“Wait!” Finn hissed. “A few minutes ago you were saying we couldn’t change the plan. What if you get caught? What will Moldof do to you this time?”
“This time I’ve got this,” she said, brandishing her sword. “And the next time I see that animal I will split his festering heart in two.” She held the sword in both hands as her knuckles whitened and her jaw stiffened. “I pity the fool who tries to stop me”, she spat, and Finn dared not argue any further as Thorfinna turned and disappeared back into the trees.
