Free Varangian (Aelfraed) by Griff Hosker Page A

who dared to board within eight paces of me.   My long arms and the long handle meant that I could swing with impunity.  Stig and Snorri also had axes whilst the Hammer was also causing casualties with his own mighty war hammer.  Eric had retreated to the stern and was firing at any barbarian which we missed. Soon there was no-one left to attack but the deck had eight bodies littered along its length.  The first rays of the red sun peeped from our left and I saw the horde retreating.  Had Olaf not woken me we would have all perished for they were numerous. It was then that I saw Ulf on the river bank sat astride a pony with, what looked like a couple of chiefs.  He had survived! He still had his scowl; Eric chanced an arrow which plunged just before him and the party retreated.  We had halted them, but they would be back.
    As the anchor was raised and the rowers began to take us south I checked our casualties.   My warriors had emerged unscathed but some of the crew had suffered wounds. At least we now had some extra weapons from the bodies left littering the deck and would not need to call at a settlement to buy some.  We also took the metal bracelets and torcs.  They would all make useful additions to the protection for the men’s shields.
    The warband followed us down the river.   They had ponies and, whilst we moved swiftly with the current, they could cut out the loops in the river and get ahead of us. It was a warning that we could not be distracted for an instant and, when we reached the next portage, we would have a battle on our hands. As we chewed on our breakfast of dried meat Snorri came to look at my axe. The others had all the opportunity of examining the blade but Snorri was new.  “It is a fine Danish blade my lord.  May I hold it?”
    “Of course.”
    He swung it easily.  “It has a fine balance and feels like a smaller axe.  It is a good weapon. How did you get such a weapon?” I told him the story of my first battle in the woods of Mara and he nodded, “ Wyrd . I can see that I was meant to serve with you my lord.”
    “Why is that Snorri?”
    “The other warriors I fought with were mercenaries.  They fought for the coin.”
    “I am now a mercenary.   I now fight for coin.”
    He shook his head, “No my lord, Eric has told me that you seek to fight with the Varangians and I know why.”
    No-one, not even Ridley knew the real reason I had headed south to Byzantium.  How had this man who barely knew me divined the reason? “And why is that?  Do you not see me as a sword for hire?”
    He laughed, “No my lord for Eric has also told me that you have coin, no the real reason is that the Byzantines are the only ones who can defeat the Normans.   You hope to go to Italy and fight them there.”
    “As the Emperor is now a prisoner of the Turks and the Varangians lie on the field at Manzikert with bleached bones it does not seem to matter.”
    “There will be a new Emperor and there will be more Varangians but you my lord, you are a strategos.”
    I was going to ask how he knew that but I worked it out myself, “Eric again?”
    He smiled, “Yes my lord.  The boy sees you as some sort of hero who has taken him away from the hell that was his home. He told me that he has never been happier than on this voyage.”
    “He is a fine boy; he did not deserve to suffer in Hedeby.”
    “No my lord, but a mercenary would have demanded money to take the boy and then been rid of him as quickly as possible.” He was right but it unnerved me that he had seen all of this through his words with Eric.
    “I hope that he will find all he seeks in Miklagård.”
    “He will, my lord, I will see to that, for he has shown kindness to me without thought of reward or gain and that is a rare thing in our world of war.”
    Late in the afternoon I was summoned to the tiller where the two captains were in conference.   “That was well done last night Aelfraed and we are safe for a while. I intend to