Viking Vengeance Read Online Free PDF Page A

kill my Ulfheonar.  Rolf Eriksson raced between them.  He smashed the spear in two and then backhanded the spearman with his sword. Olaf nodded his thanks and retrieved his axe. The last two nobles who tried to flee on their mounts were slain by Snorri and Beorn with their arrows.
    I ran to Olaf, "We should name you Olaf the Mighty! I have never seen such blows.  Two horses with two strikes!"
    He looked sadly at the two young men who had fallen next to him.  "I would that they had lived.  They were fearless and stayed by my side.  They will be in Valhalla."
    "Truly!"
    Olaf turned to Rolf and said, "You have saved my life young Rolf." He took his Danish war axe.  He had captured it when he had slain its owner two winters before. "Take this as payment for my life."
    "I cannot take your axe!"
    I smiled, "Do not insult Olaf, Rolf.  Take it."
    He did so. It was right that Olaf should pay for his life.  It pleased the Gods and ensured that others would do the same in the future. Olaf would capture another fine weapon soon enough.
    "Olaf, have your men search for treasure.  Have the dead horses butchered.  We will eat well tomorrow.  Meet me at the main gate."
    I was confident that we had won.  The nobles would not have fled had they thought that we could be defeated. As I walked through the streets I saw many dead.  Not all were warriors.  In the dark my men would have killed first and asked questions later. Haaken and my other Ulfheonar had already gathered the captured monks and the riches from the church.  I saw three Holy Books.  Those along with the metal from the church had made the raid profitable already.  The weapons the nobles had had were also a boon.  And the coins and food we would take back would also make my men rich.
    "Haaken, have everything gathered here.  I will see Erik Short Toe.  We can use the men who guarded it to begin loading.  I would head downstream as soon as we can."
    "It was a good haul. If all of the men hereabouts are as poor as this we could conquer it in a matter of months."
    I shook my head.  "If you wish to stay and conquer this land then do so but I intend to go back to the land which Olaf the Toothless and Prince Butar chose for us."
    "Aye you are right.  But we have no worthy subject for a saga."
    "Speak with Olaf Leather Neck and you may have one.  Great deeds were done this night."
    In the event the sun had broken by the time we were ready to return to our camp.  We were so laden that I had to send forty warriors along the southern river bank on foot for our ship was overcrowded.  When they reached the coast Erik would ferry them across. Snorri and Beorn led them.  They would use the opportunity to scout out that side of the river. I saw Asbjorn and Eystein as they drove their captives and treasure along the northern bank.  We had succeeded. We would now have enough food to last some time. What we needed was a knarr to transport it back to our home.
    When we reached the camp and had unloaded the captives and the animals I saw that we had a problem.  We needed a pen to contain them all. I set the monks to building a wooden fence under the supervision of Haaken. We built a tower for the guards who would watch over our valuable human treasure. More animals were slaughtered and, along with the hunks of horsemeat we had taken, we ate well.
    I took off my armour and went to the river to wash.  I watched Erik ferry Snorri and his men across.  "Is there aught worth raiding yonder?"
    Snorri shook his head.  "A few farms but that is all and the weapons these warriors use are poor."
    "Perhaps the Emperor or the King of the Franks keeps the better warriors close to hand. Remember the Emperor of the Romans in the East?  His bodyguards were the better armed warriors."
    "Aye you may be right."
    "Erik, you had better erect your mast again.  Tomorrow we sail up river." I returned up the hill.  I waved over Asbjorn.  "Have your drekar and 'Red Snake' moored in the middle