With the King of the Franks fighting a civil war and a Saxon king on the verge of death Hrolf the Horseman embarks on a series of raids and attacks to make his land more secure and to give his son an inheritance. When he raids the Seine, along with a fleet he discovers the treachery of erstwhile allies. His son, Ragnvald enjoys command for the first time. We see two leaders with the same blood as they take pieces of Frankia to make the land that will, one day, be Normandy!
This is book number 90 I have published. We are getting closer to the first Duke of Normandy. His father is Ragnvald Hrolfsson. I have written it from the perspective of both Ragnvald and his father Hrolf. I hope it meets with your approval.
Excerpt
We ran down the river path. The eight men carrying the ladders were in the middle and I led with Beorn Fast Feet. I had my short sword out as we ran. We passed four huts. They appeared to be empty for there was no sign of any animals and no smell of wood smoke. I was grateful. Discovery now would ruin my plans. We slowed when we saw the walls of Caen loom up. There were huts on our side of the ditch and I could smell smoke. They were inhabited. We moved cautiously down the track which had grown from the path. It was wide enough for six men. I had just passed one of the huts when I heard a soft sigh. I looked behind me and saw that Erik Green Eye had slit the throat of a man who had left his hut. We had to hurry.
I saw that they had one wooden tower on the corner. I tapped Beorn Fast Feet on the shoulder and he and the four other archers loped off. They would eliminate any sentries. The rest of us edged towards the ditch. I saw a white face look over. There was a temptation to pull back but that would have been a mistake. With blackened faces, we were invisible but a sudden movement would have been seen. Suddenly the figure seemed to stand stock still. Then I saw the arrow in his throat. His hands went to the arrow and the movement tipped him over the wall and into the ditch.
There were other sentries but they were not on this section of the wall. We ran and slid down the ditch. The Frank was still lying in the bottom of the ditch trying to remove the arrow. Einar knelt down and slit his throat. We clambered up the side of the ditch. It was like the one at Carentan, too shallow to be effective. We placed the ladders against the wall and with a man bracing each one I joined Einar Bear Killer, Erik Long Hair and Gunnar Stone face in racing up them. I had just reached the top when I saw the three sentries in the tower all struck by arrows. They disappeared. I both hoped and assumed that they were dead.
I ran towards the wooden staircase which led down to the town. There were burning brands placed at strategic corners and as I passed one I grabbed it. We would head towards the river gate. There was a flash of light as a door opened. Erik Long Hair did not hesitate. He and Gunnar ran to the light and, with their short swords slew the two men who had just emerged. I heard the horses and knew that the men had come from the stable. I gestured for Einar to lead the rest of the men to the sea gate. I pointed to Erik Long Hair and he entered the stable. I saw Beorn and my archers arrive. They would be our rear guard.
The door the men had used was a side door. There was a pair of double doors further along. Erik had already opened them. The horses could smell us and they were moving about nervously. Taking my seax I began to slash the ropes which tethered them. As soon as Erik joined me I took the brand and went to the hay bales. I plunged it into them. Then we both flapped our arms and shouted. The horses bolted through the gates. The Franks would know we were here but the fire, once started, would be hard to put out. The wood and the hay in the stable were perfect for starting a fire.
The two of us ran out and we heard the sound of weapons clashing. It was soon drowned out by the sound of the horses as they fled the flames. The fire took hold quickly. We had barely reached the next house when fire reached the roof. With my archers watching my back Erik and I went into the houses on either side of the main road. A man stepped towards me wielding a sword. I rammed the brand in his face and then slid my sword into his gut. I heard screams. I shouted, “Get out while you can!” They had a fire burning already and a pile of logs next to it. I used my sword to drag the coals out and then I dropped a wooden chair on to it. The chair was old and flames ignited it. The family rushed passed me and out of the door. That suited us for we needed the confusion.
Once outside I saw that the town was ablaze. I yelled, “Back to the drekar!”
I prayed that Einar and the others would have opened the sea gates and I hoped that when we arrived the ‘Dragon’s Breath’ would be waiting in the river for us! The guards in the town had now awoken to the fact that there were raiders in their town. They had a dilemma. Half of the town was on fire and we were running through the town as were the burghers. They knew that we were Vikings only when our swords slashed and stabbed them. As we turned a corner I saw that Einar had managed to open the gates and others had set fire to the wall. There were armed men trying to get at them. My archers, along with Erik and I, were the last of our men. Shouting, “Clan of the Horse!” we fell upon the undefended backs of the men who were trying to get to Einar Bear Killer. I drew my seax as well as my sword and used the two of them to hack and rip the Franks before us.
I saw Lars Ragnarson fall and two of my men picked him and ran through the gate and over the bridge. I could not see, through the flames and the drifting smoke, my ship. I shouted, “Back to the ship!” I turned and ducked as a two-handed sword was swung at my head. I hacked sideways with my sword and felt it bite into the Frank’s thighs. As I dropped I ripped my seax across his throat. Turning, I saw that the death had made the enemy halt. I faced them and, raising my sword shouted, “I am Hrolf the Horseman. Tell your new king and his count that I have not finished with them yet. Lock your doors and guard your women! We will be back.” I roared and lunged with my sword at the eight men who faced me. They took a step back. I laughed and ran back across the bridge to the drekar. A flurry of arrows sped into the open gate and I saw Franks fall. The walls were now truly ablaze as we headed downstream and my men chanted my name and banged their shields. I joined Siggi at the steering board and saw the three cloak covered bodies that were our dead.
He pointed downstream. I could see flames, “Thorbolt has given us our beacon!”
“Good then the first part of our revenge is complete.”
