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  War King

  Hakon's Saga Book III

  Eric Schumacher

  Copyright (C) 2018 Eric Schumacher

  Layout design and Copyright (C) 2018 Creativia

  Published 2018 by Creativia

  Cover art: David Brzozowski, BlueSpark Studios (additional art by Conor Burke and Dominik Mayer)

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Glossary

  Part I Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Part II Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Part III Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Historical Notes

  Other Books by Eric Schumacher

  About the Author

  To my family and friends, for your love, patience, and continued support.

  Acknowledgements

  This is the third book in the story of Hakon the Good, and there are many people to thank for its existence. I again want to thank Marg Gilks and Lori Weathers, whose keen eyes and attention to detail honed my thoughts and words into the story you are about to read. I am also indebted to Gordon Monks, chief marshal of “The Vikings” re-enactment group, and all of the early readers, who served as an invaluable source of insight and feedback during the final days of writing. I want to thank my graphic designer, David Brzozowski, whose masterful artistry helps my covers stand out in the crowd, and my publisher, Creativia, for taking a chance on not just one of my stories, but three. And last but certainly not least, I want to thank you, my readers, for nudging me, encouraging me, and patiently waiting for me to finish this novel. It is to you all, and to the countless others who have gladly accompanied me on this journey, that I owe a huge debt of gratitude.

  Glossary

  Aesir – One of the main tribes of deities venerated by the pre-Christian Norse. Old Norse: Æsir.

  Balder – One of the Aesir gods. He is often associated with love, peace, justice, purity, and poetry. Old Norse: Baldr.

  bonder – Free men (farmers, craftsmen, etc.) who enjoyed rights such as the use of weapons and the right to attend law-things. They constituted the middle class. Old Norse: baendr.

  bragarfull – A ritual drinking cup or drinking horn upon which men swore oaths and made promises. Also known as the “promise cup” or “chieftain's cup.”

  burgh – A fortified settlement.

  byrnie – A (usually short-sleeved) chain mail shirt that hung to the upper thigh. Old Norse: brynja.

  Danevirke – A defensive earthwork “wall” that stretched across the southern neck of Jutland. The main portion is believed to have been built in three phases between AD 737 and 968 to protect the Danes from the Franks. Old Norse: Danavirki.

  dragon – A larger class of Viking warship. Old Norse: Dreki.

  Dubhlinn Norse – Northmen who live in Dublin.

  Eastern Sea – Baltic Sea.

  Frey – Brother to the goddess Freya. He is often associated with virility and prosperity, with sunshine and fair weather. Old Norse: Freyr.

  Freya – Sister to god Frey. She is often associated with love, sex, beauty, fertility, gold, magic, war, and death. Old Norse: Freyja.

  Frigga – She is the highest-ranking of the Aesir goddesses. She's the wife of Odin, the leader of the gods, and the mother of god, Baldur. She is often confused with Freya. Old Norse: Frigg.

  fylke (pl. fylker) – Old Norse for “folkland,” which has come to mean “county” in modern use.

  fyrd – An Old English army made up of citizens of a shire that was mobilized for short periods of time; e.g., to defend against a particular threat.

  glima – A form of Viking wrestling, which can also be used as self-defense. It is still practiced in Scandinavia today.

  godi – A heathen priest or chieftain. Old Norse: goði.

  greave – Armor worn on the shin (or forearm) to protect that part of the leg. These were most likely “splint greaves”, i.e. strips of metal connected by leather straps.

  hird – A personal retinue of armed companions who formed the nucleus of a household guard. Hird means “household.” Old Norse hirð.

  hirdman (pl. hirdmen) – A member or members of the hird. Old Norse: hirðman.

  hlaut – The blood of sacrificed animals.

  Hogmanay – The feast preceding the Yule, which has come to be associated with the last day of the year.

  infirmarius – The monk or nun attending the sick in a monastery.

  Irland – Ireland.

  jarl – Old Norse for “earl.”

  jarldom – The area of land that a jarl ruled.

  Karmoy (or Karmøy) – Karm Island. The island on which King Hakon's estate, Avaldsnes, is located. Old Norse: Kǫrmt.

  Kattegat – The sea between the Northlands and the Danish lands.

  kaupang – Old Norse for “marketplace.” It is also the name of the main market town in Norway that existed around AD 800–950.

  knarr – A type of merchant ship. Old Norse: knǫrr.

  Midgard – The Norse name for Earth and the place inhabited by humans. Old Norse: Miðgarðr.

  Night Mare – The Night Mare is an evil spirit that rides on people's chests while they sleep, bringing bad dreams. Old Norse: Mara.

  Njord – A god associated with sea, seafaring, wind, fishing, wealth, and crop fertility. Old Norse: Njörðr.

  Norns – The three female divine beings who influence the course of a man's destiny. Their names are Urd (Old Norse Urðr, “What Once Was”), Verdandi (Old Norse Verðandi, “What Is Coming into Being”), and Skuld (Old Norse Skuld, “What Shall Be”).

  Odal rights – The ownership rights of inheritable land held by a family or kinsmen.

  Odin – Husband to Frigga. The god associated with healing, death, royalty, knowledge, battle, and sorcery. He oversees Valhall, the Hall of the Slain. Old Norse: Óðinn.

  Orkneyjar – The Orkney Islands.

  seax – A knife or short sword. Also known as scramaseax, or wounding knife.

  seter – A simple wooden cottage in the mountains with a barn where farmers (bonders) brought their livestock (cattle, goats, and sheep) to be milked after a day of grazing in the mountain pastures.

  Sjaelland – The largest Danish island.

  sjaund – A ritual drinking feast held seven days after a death to celebrate the life of the person and to officially pass that person's inheritance on to his or her next of kin.

  skald – A poet. Old Norse: skald or skáld.

  shield wall – A shield wall was a “wall of shields” formed by warriors standing in formation shoulder to shoulder, holding their shields so that they abut or overlap. Old Norse: skjaldborg.

  steer board – A rudder affixed to the right stern of a ship. The origin of the word “starboard.” Old Norse: stýri (rudder) and borð (side of the ship).

  skeid – A midsize class of Viking warship.

  skol – A toast to others when drinking. Old Norse: skál.

  Terce
– A service forming part of the Divine Office of the Western Christian Church, traditionally held at the third hour of the day (i.e., 9 a.m.).

  thane – A word used to describe a class of military retainer or warrior. Old Norse: þegn.

  thing – The governing assembly of a Viking society or region, made up of the free people of the community and presided over by lawspeakers. Old Norse: þing.

  Thor – A hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, and the protection of mankind. Old Norse: Þórr.

  thrall – A slave.

  Valhall (also Valhalla) – The hall of the slain presided over by Odin. It is where brave warriors chosen by valkyries go when they die. Old Norse: Valhöll.

  valkyrie – A female helping spirit of Odin that transports his favorite among those slain in battle to Valhall, where they will fight by his side during the battle at the end of time, Ragnarok. Old Norse: valkyrja (pl. valkyrjur).

  wergeld – Also known as “man price,” it was the value placed on every being and piece of property.

  woolsark – A shirt or vest made of coarse wool.

  Yngling – Refers to the Fairhair dynasty, who descended from the kings of Uplands, Norway, and who traces their lineage back to the god Frey.

  Yule – A pagan midwinter festival lasting roughly twelve days. It later became associated with Christmas. Old Norse: Jōl

  Part I

  The fire-spark, by the fiend of war

  Fanned to a flame, soon spreads afar.

  The Heimskringla

  Prologue

  Ostfold, Fall, AD 954

  The old man was tied to a flame-blackened post. His matted gray beard rested on his chest and his legs were splayed out before his body. He leaned forward so that only his arms, which were pulled behind him and tied to the post at the wrists, held him upright. To Hakon, he looked as dead as the corpses lying around him.

  “He lives,” called Toralv, Hakon's champion, whose massive frame dwarfed the man he knelt beside as he felt his wizened neck for a pulse.

  Hakon exhaled loudly with relief. This was the fourth razed settlement they had found along the Ostfold coast. A survivor had been left in each of the other villages in a similar manner, but this old bugger was the first they had discovered alive. Now, hopefully, they could learn more about the raiders who had lain waste to this stretch of coastline.

  “He will wish he had died when he awakens to this,” commented Ottar, who was the head of Hakon's hird, or household guard. And he was right, for there was nothing left in the seaside settlement save for smoke and ash and bloated corpses on which an army of flies feasted. Ottar was the nephew of Hakon's longtime friend Egil, who had held his same position before him. Ottar had joined Hakon's service when Hakon was but a whiskerless teen, and he not much older. Now, deep grooves lined the commander's hawk-like face and his forehead, highlighting the keenness of the eyes that studied the destruction.

  “Untie him,” called Hakon to his champion as he ran a dirty hand through his sandy hair. “And give him some water.”

  Hakon need not have wasted his breath, for Toralv was already pulling his knife from its sheath. They had known each other so long, the one knew what the other would say long before he said it. Toralv cut the man's bindings and gently lay him on his back, cradling his old head in the crook of his muscled arm so that he could pour some water over the man's chafed lips.

  “A silver coin says he dies before nightfall,” wagered Bjarke, who rested his thick forearms on the head of his long axe. He was a thick man with a mane of wheat-colored hair that encircled his round head. Among Hakon's hird, only Toralv was taller.

  “I'll take that wager,” said the smaller man next to him. Garth was his name. He was a good man, but a better scout, whose red hair, big ears, and small, dark eyes often put Hakon in mind of a harvest mouse. And like a mouse, something on him was always moving. Busy fingers. A tapping foot. Active eyes. At the moment, it was his head, which swiveled on his neck as he took in the grisly scene around him. “This man is lucky. The birds have made a right feast of the others, but there's not a peck on him. Aye, I'll take that wager.”

  “Have some respect,” growled Ottar, “and make yourselves useful. Bjarke, search inland for survivors. Garth,” he called to the harvest mouse, “take some of the others and check the corpses and dwellings. See if there is anything here left to claim.”

  “Mayhap you will find the silver coin you will owe me,” Bjarke quipped as he hefted his axe onto his shoulder and moved out. His friends, Bard and Asmund, went with him, looking like gods of war in their byrnies and helms, which gleamed in the pale autumn sunlight. They had also been with Hakon a long time, and had profited handsomely in his service. But they deserved it. They all did. Those in Hakon's hird were the finest of the fine when it came to warcraft, and to Hakon's mind, deserved every ounce of the riches they wore.

  “You mean the one I will be adding to your lost wager?” Garth called after him.

  Bjarke waved away the back talk with a grunt and wove through the wreckage in the direction of the tree line. Garth headed in the opposite direction, using his foot to poke at the corpses while batting at the angry flies that swarmed about him.

  “Danes, do you think?” asked Ottar.

  Hakon shrugged as his blue eyes swept over the smoke-shrouded bodies. “Danes. Swedes. Some bold sea king trying to make a reputation for himself. Only God knows. Hopefully now we shall find out,” he said with a nod toward the unconscious old man.

  “Whoever they are, they grow bolder,” his nephew, Gudrod, said as he sleeved beads of sweat from his high forehead. Long ago, he'd been a thin man with wiry muscles and a shrewd face, but summers of wealth and peace had rounded his cheeks and softened his body. He wore a patch of cloth over his left eye to cover the wound he had received in a battle many summers before, so that it was with his right eye that he now appraised Hakon.

  The renewed attacks could not have come at a worse time. For Gudrod's cousin, Trygvi, who ruled this area and who relished a good fight, had tired of the peace that had graced his realm these past summers and had just sailed west in search of adventure.

  “Your cousin has picked a poor time to raid in the West,” remarked Hakon, giving voice to his sour thoughts.

  “Do you not find it strange that raiders should come now, after so many years of quiet? It is as if they knew Trygvi was gone,” Gudrod said with a suggestive lift of his brow.

  The thought jolted Hakon, for it suggested something larger than a series of random attacks was at play. “How long has Trygvi been gone?” Hakon asked.

  “Not long, lord. Mayhap half a moon,” Gudrod said, then swatted in annoyance at the flies attracted to his sweating face. “Damn flies.”

  Hakon grunted. “Long enough for word of his absence to spread.”

  “Aye,” Gudrod confirmed. “Word often travels quicker than man.”

  “Lord!” called Garth, drawing Hakon's mind from Gudrod's troubling suggestion.

  Hakon and Gudrod picked their way through the carnage and stopped by the hirdman, who was now kneeling beside a partially burned shield, running his finger over a painted black rune that stretched from the shield's top rim to its bottom. Garth's eyes shifted from Gudrod to Hakon, then back to Gudrod. “Have you ever seen the like?”

  Gudrod scratched his beard. “No. Never,” Gudrod said.

  “Do you know anything of this rune? Or its design on a shield?” asked Hakon.

  Gudrod shook his head. “It is the rune of the one-handed god, Tyr. But beyond that, I know not what it could mean. I will ask the traders in Kaupang. Mayhap they have seen the like before.”

  Gudrod ruled the only trading town in the North, Kaupang, which lay north and west of their current location. For the right price, a man could find all he needed in the town, including information.

  “Do so,” Hakon commanded.

  The search revealed no more clues, so Hakon ordered his warriors to burn t
he villagers' bodies. Their bloated carcasses were filling the air with their stench and the birds were returning to the scene. He could not leave them for the animals and the maggots to devour.

  The warriors dug a shallow ditch in the center of the settlement, which they then lined with logs. These they covered with fish oil before placing the bodies onto the wood. Hakon ran his eyes over the dead. There were eighteen in all. Most were old, though some infants also lay in the grave. All had been brutally killed. Butchered, then burned by the flames that engulfed the settlement's structures. The young and healthy had been captured and carried off to a grim future of thralldom. Though he had seen such atrocities too many times to count, he had never grown accustomed to the wickedness and injustice of it all. It was a cruel fate indeed for these villagers, and one they certainly did not deserve.

  Ottar touched a flaming brand to the oil-slick wood, which responded instantly to the heat. Fire snaked across the logs and the bodies while the warriors looked on silently. Grimly. Some clutched the amulets at their necks. Others spat in the turf to show their ire. Hakon said a silent prayer for their souls, then turned from the flames and stalked to his ship.

  The old man's haunting scream shattered the still night. Hakon sat up with a start and grabbed his weapon, the hair on his arms standing up straight. That is, until he realized it was just the old man, at which point he cursed. Around him, his men grumbled. They had brought the man on board and wrapped him in furs to keep him warm, and these he now threw off as he peered about him with a face full of fear and confusion.

  “Balls,” Bjarke grumbled as he put his head back down.

  Near him, Garth allowed a smile to stretch across his face. “I will collect my coin in the morning, Bjarke.”

  Hakon approached the old man. “Peace,” he said. “You are among friends now.”

  “Who are you?” the man croaked. His lips had split, so that he spoke with a mumbling dullness devoid of enunciation.