Maroboodus: A Novel of Germania (The Goth Chronicles Book 1) (26 page)

Before me rose two wooded hills with palisades on top and smoke was rising from the roofs of beautiful, long halls, solid structures. There was a glittering lake, swampy woods and there, between the hills was a village with many burned up remains of halls. Snowlake.

There was a warparty of ten Svea riding in. There were two women on horses. One was clearly Hild.

And there, also, was Saxa.

She was being escorted to her father. Something had gone wrong.

There was no sign of Ceadda, not at first, but then I saw twelve men jogging after the Svea and I saw they were the Saxons. They had lost some men, and I realized Hild had betrayed them. Her intensity, her strange questions the night before, her look as she regarded me. There was something about it. She was going back to Gislin, and she was bringing a grand prize with her. Saxa.

I looked behind me, and knew I’d not be able to hide. I didn’t want to. None would fetch me to safety. I burst into a run. I could not scream, I could not do anything but keep my legs pumping, and my lungs felt like they were bursting out of my chest. My wife reached the village, and I saw men rushing about, some on horseback and spears were glinting. The Saxons were hanging back, hesitating and I cursed them for failing to protect her, though likely it was not their fault.  

I looked behind as I ran. Some horses were now emerging from the woods, and Maino sat on one sturdy beast, having commandeered one from his men. A Goth was running faster than the others, unburdened by armor. He held a javelin, and he threw it. It sailed near me, embedded itself in turf and I kicked it as I ran. He was a good runner, young man of Bero’s dominion and apparently had spared his stamina to capture me, to gain fame and honor in front of the gods. He was grinning, puffing and fingering a thick seax, a dagger of crude make. The Saxons were pulling at each other and I thought I saw Ceadda pointing a finger at me.

I ran for them, but let the Goth get closer. I stumbled and cursed and heard him laugh hysterically, sensing his kill, his capture, his fame. I felt him right behind me.

Then I turned, lightning fast, agile as a lynx, and stabbed upwards.  The blade pierced his chest, and he fell on the edge, which I ripped out as we fell.

The Goths were closing, and I got up to my feet. I saw there was a field right before me, and a rut dug around it, and I jumped over the rut. The Saxons were coming for me, and the Goths were nearly there and it would be desperate.

Someone in the village pointed a long sword our way. It was an older man. Gislin. It had to be, and the man I had planned on killing, would perhaps be our only hope. He would help, surely, against the Goths. But he would not spare the Saxons. Or me. Unless Saxa made it so. She would try. I thought I saw her there, arguing with the old man. Then someone rushed from the side, pulled at Saxa, held on to her. They grabbed the man, and Saxa was holding on to him as well, and would not let go. She struggled, was talking to the man and I felt my head spin as it was Aldbert, whom they finally tore from her. They kept them apart.

Had he escaped Maino? How did he end up in Snowlake?

I turned to stand and faced Maino’s men across the rut. It was a muddy, nasty field, and I held on to my shield ferociously.

The pack of beastly warriors ran at me, encouraging each other, but now Ceadda was there for me and his men, all carrying hide-shields spread around. I wept, laughed, and cursed. They guarded the ditch and Ceadda grabbed me. ‘Not a Lord Pup anymore, eh?’ he laughed thinly. ‘Looks and smells like a proper Saxon, no?’

‘Woden and Donor thank you, bless you,’ I wept. ‘Saxa?’

He swallowed and looked at the village. ‘Some Goths caught up with us. Had to fight, and while we won, that whore völva … she had men waiting for them. Probably had fetched some during the night to grab Saxa. I’m not sure who betrayed Agin and us, Aldbert or her, but neither are friends to us. I’m sorry. They knew the land and we gave chase, but—’

‘You’ve done more than we agreed on,’ I said, swallowing the unreasonable need to blame them.

‘Yes, we have,’ Njord said, but smiled to take the edge of the comment. ‘It’s Ceadda’s fault. Got lost in the woods, the idiot,’ he added.

‘First we deal with this,’ Ceadda barked. ‘Then we get her back. Shieldwall!’

We formed one. We had six men in two ranks, and we held the ditch. The Goths across from us cursed, some twenty of them now. Some men had ridden in, and they dismounted, looking at the village with apprehension, but Maino was beyond caring about the Svea. He pointed his ax at me. ‘Bring him to me. Slit the bellies of the others. In fact, slit his belly as well, but do it well, so he lives a while, holding his traitorous entrails.’

‘She is safe, cousin,’ I told him. ‘Safe from you. Married to me, by the way.’

He grunted as their shieldwall formed. Eadwine was on one end, Maino in the middle and Danr on the other end as they crouched behind their thick shields, their eyes gleaming over the rims. They were eying the ditch, and yes, they could jump over to our side, but we could kill many as they did. Maino growled at me and looked across the field to Saxa. ‘She is safe for now, cousin. But I’m not giving up on her, no. Never. Know that in your death. We will wage war with them after we deal with Hughnot’s Black Goths, the hall-burning bastards. We’ll hump their skulls like I will hump yours, and she, Maroboodus, will be a widow, won’t she? In a bit. I have time. Just wait and watch from the afterlife.’

We braced our feet. In Snowlake, dozens of men were gathering, shields could be seen, spears flashed, but there would be no help coming our way for a while. ‘Come, cousin. I already killed dogs today. One more won’t feel any different,’ I said and tried to hide the despair in my voice.

‘I’ll hang your ugly face from my standard,’ he grinned, and so they marched forward, hitting the spears on the rims of their shields. They stopped at the edge of the ditch, so close we could nearly touch them. They were hesitating, and that is when the six men in our second rank grabbed rocks and began pelting the enemy. One struck a man in the mouth; another bounced off Danr’s shield to scrape his face, and that is when Maino roared, in his battle rage.

They jumped over. It was a mad, crazy move that nearly caught us unaware.

They crashed into us, pushing us back, some fell into the ditch and flailed as they tried to get over and then we pushed back. Three Goths fell to the spears, our second rank pushed the first rank, our backs, and we bowled them all into the ditch, Maino included and there, above that rut the killing began. We stabbed down. They slashed and pulled at our feet and blood flowed. A shield rim caved in a man’s face, a seax cut one’s nose, but then two Saxon fell and were dragged to the damned ditch and there Maino and Danr hacked them to death. Then another Saxon fell as javelins were thrown at us by men who had stayed across the ditch and we answered with rocks. I slashed at a wrist that was reaching for me and the man howled. Another pulled me on my knees and Maino ripped at my shield with his hands, his face enraged beyond all sense. I slashed the sword into his helmet, then to his shoulder, drawing blood, and so the terrible battle went on until Eadwine jumped over to the side and ran his sword through a Saxon throat. He turned to kill another and Ceadda turned to face him and then things changed.

An army rode out of the woods. They carried a standard of crows and I nearly shat myself as I saw it was Hughnot. Hrolf was there, Ingulf, and Ingo as well and they looked splendid as two hundred men marched behind them. Two hundred, at least.

Hild was screaming, and rode her horse past us to meet them, gesturing at us wildly, but Hrolf pushed her aside with no remorse and she fell from her horse. He ignored the holy völva and that deed made everyone flinch and make signs to ward off evil luck. Hughnot’s army didn’t care. Maino climbed out of the ditch, so did his men and they turned to look at the newcomers. Now, Svearna were also running across the field, fearless in front of the vast army of Goths, and we retreated to them. I looked on and saw how Maino walked to Hughnot, showing his fist to the man. Danr was pulling at Maino, but the mad berserker didn’t care.

Hrolf dismounted.

He pointed a finger at Danr. Six archers rode out of the army and raised their bows. Danr lifted his shield, but it didn’t matter. Arrows ripped into his body and he fell to his knees. Hrolf swung a sword and Danr’s head twisted to the side and he fell, his chainmail blooded.

Butchery began. Eadwine slashed his spear in a grinning foe’s face, and then ran at another. He was caught by a rider, who slammed a studded club in the back of the champion’s head. Maino fought valiantly. I almost felt sorry for him, but he attacked a man, pulled him from the horse, broke his neck with his foot and vaulted on the horse. He slammed another man from a horse, but that man fell and hung on to Maino’s saddle and then my cousin was dragged down and beaten by six men. The others ran away, but were brutally hunted across the field.

I pulled at Ceadda. ‘Go, and run. You have done your bit.’

‘You are going to fall here!’ he said, too loudly and the Svearna, who formed a shieldwall near us, scowled at him. A man with nearly iridescent eyes, an older man with braids running on each side of his head nodded at me. Saxa had been speaking with him. It was Gislin. ‘They should go.’

Ceadda hesitated, and Njord pulled at him, and the six men still alive pulled away. They looked at me, long and hard, trying to see a way to save the day, but there was none. I waved at them, and they ran for the woods and I prayed they would see their home. I turned to look at the old man. He was looking at the Saxons run. ‘They fought well, and deserve to leave. But you are my daughter’s man?’ He looked at Hild, who was getting to her feet in the field. ‘She told me a most spectacular tale.’

‘What did she say?’ I asked.

‘She said you tried to join Agin, my son and hoped to kill me next year,’ he chuckled and looked down at me. ‘Hild failed me years past. This is her way to come back home. Saxa merits her that. But she said you are important. They are here for you, no?’

‘They are,’ I said hollowly. ‘What will you do?’ I asked and cursed because there was nothing to be done. There were only fifty Svearna, and there was an army of two hundred men approaching.

‘You love her?’ he asked with a thin smile.

‘Yes,’ I answered.

He smiled wistfully. ‘A pity. Young love. So rash. So quick. I was like you. My wife died of a cough six winters ago.’

‘I am sorry, but I do not wish to lose her,’ I told him warily, eyeing Hughnot’s army forming up and marching for us. We were in a sturdy line, but there was no hope. ‘Should we retreat up the hill?’

‘No,’ he said dryly. ‘We’ll stay here.’

He was a believer in the gods. Perhaps he thought the gods might spare him and us. I saw Hrolf’s eyes as he stared at me and wondered how much bad luck could one man have in a single day. There would be no gods sparing us then.

Aldbert appeared. He walked behind Gislin, and my eyes followed him. He had a guilty look on his face.

Gislin spoke to him. ‘This is Hulderic’s son?’

‘Yes, he is,’ Aldbert said huskily.

‘I sent you there as a child to keep an eye on their family. Now a member of that family is here. They will ask for him; I know,’ the Lord of Snowlake said. ‘Is there a reason he should be spared, son? Hild said he wanted me dead. Plotted to kill me, even.’

‘Yes,’ he answered with fear. ‘There is a reason.’

I stared at Aldbert in shock. ‘What?’ I asked softly. ‘What does he mean? And what reason?’

Aldbert looked sheepish. He fidgeted and flushed and walked to me. I resisted the impulse to kill him, as he pulled me to the side and spoke to me in hushed tones. ‘It’s a long story. And I am your friend. I always was. I betrayed you to Ludovicus, and I left them a sign they missed. I sneaked out to find your father from Wolf Hole. I’m sure he is out there as well. Hild had gone to fetch men, and hoped to take Saxa while you slept. I ran into Eadwine. He found me and I lied to them about the hall, didn’t I? Trust me, I didn’t want to hurt you.’

‘Why?’ I asked, wanting to understand. ‘Why all these lies?’

‘I didn’t want you to come here. Ever. The Bear? Remember? Your family? This is the other family. Our family. The family of those gods who cursed Woden’s first men. But while your family tries to bury the curse, my father wants to set the Bear free, and you have been doing well at it. They wish for you to rampage across Midgard, and he set me in your hall to see what I might find. To see if there was anyone in your family who might show signs of this madness.’ He was swallowing. ‘Then there was that night I tried to fool you. That was real. It was a warning. A goddess or a god warned you. Me. And you didn’t heed. The Bear wouldn’t.’

I stared at him and felt the need to push him away like an asp. ‘You have spied on us?’

‘He has not,’ Gislin said dryly, having listened. ‘He fell in love with your family. But he is here to save you. Are you saying Maroboodus is the Bear?’ His voice betrayed disbelief.

Aldbert shook with indecision but finally nodded. ‘He is,’ he answered. ‘The god spoke to me.’

The lord’s face twitched. He looked shocked, and then his brow filled with sweat. Finally, he turned to Aldbert who bowed before him. ‘You are not lying, are you? Signs and gods, eh? Finally? Finally, we might have one of the unlucky ones?’

‘Perhaps,’ Aldbert said sadly.