Viking Raid Read Online Free PDF Page B

a place where a large number of warriors could eat. Slaves and servants were hurriedly putting drinking horns, cheeses, ham, bread and amphorae on them.
    We waited until the Duke had seated himself and waved us to our places before we sat.  his men sat on one side and my Ulfheonar on the other.  I sat next to him with Aiden to my left. It was annoying having to speak through Aiden but there was no other choice.
    "I would buy your fine cloak from you, Jarl Dragon Heart. How much would you want for it?"
    "It is old and not worthy of a Duke.  When I return home I will hunt a wolf and send you a new one. It will be the foundation of our trading alliance."
    He had nodded as Aiden translated the words and he toasted us.  We were not drinking beer but a powerful red wine.  I hoped that Haaken and the others would exercise caution.  I did not want them beginning fights because they were drunk.
    "What have you to trade?"
    Aiden listed the goods we brought and it seemed to impress him.  He held up his goblet.  "We have this fine wine.  Perhaps we could trade it?"
    I looked at Aiden. He nodded, "We may not have much use for it but they like it further north in Frankia."
    "But we cannot trade with Frankia." I wondered what Aiden was thinking.
    "Coen ap Pasgen can. If this Dukedom has rebelled then there will be a shortage of wine further north.  It will have a higher value." I should have known that Aiden had thought ahead.
    After we had eaten we returned to our ships.  I was pleased to see that my men had exercised some restraint. When the Duke had examined our goods we made a trade which, in my eyes, was highly profitable.  He seemed happy to take the iron which Bjorn Bagsecgson had thought too poor for his purposes. He liked our swords and spear heads too. We emptied Coen's ship and filled it with wine.  He would head north to trade it and the Duke agreed that his ship could await our return in his port. I suspect he saw a way to continue trading and making money by using our ship.  Pasgen's son was clever enough to make money from it. We put some other barrels of wine in the hold of Trygg's knarr and bade farewell to the Duke.
    As we headed back to sea Aiden asked, "Will you send him a wolf cloak?"
    I nodded, "I look forward to the wolf hunt.  I have not needed to join the young men but now I can."
    My men were all in good spirits.  Sadly Magnus Slender Leg and his fellows took offence at the fact that they had been left aboard while my Ulfheonar had been feted.  Snorri tried to explain to them that it was because of the wolf cloaks but they were having none of it.  I feared that this would be the first and the last voyage that Magnus Slender Leg would take with us.  We did not need this dissension in the drekar.  We had to be of one mind.
    We kept our weapons and armour close to hand once we began to approach the Muslim kingdoms. The Duke had told us that the land of Asturia was hostile to everyone, including themselves and they attacked first and asked questions later.  We had decided to avoid that place and Olissipo too.  The Blue Sea beckoned.  We would not sail to Miklagård but we would try, instead, Italy.  Aiden was curious about Rome's influence.  We had seen much evidence of their works in our land.  How much more would we see in their homeland?
    Although I was worried about pirates coming to attack us I still sailed close to the coast.  Aiden needed to mark the towns and ports on his maps.  We kept the two knarr to the west of us.  I felt that we could handle any attacker. We saw one or two places which looked as though they might be raided. They were the ones with a wooden tower and little sign of a castle. As we sailed I saw Haaken looking wistfully at them. The breeze was bringing the smells of the towns towards us.
    "There would be rich pickings there, Jarl. I can see no castles."
    "And we may raid them but not yet.  When we have finished in the Blue Sea then we will consider that.  Are