Viking: A historical fiction adventure (Two kings Book 1) by Ole Åsli & Tony Bakkejord

Author:Ole Åsli & Tony Bakkejord [Åsli, Ole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult, viking, viking fiction, historic fiction
Publisher: Envig AS
Published: 2020-12-19T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19: Magnus Maximus

‘This is our target!’ Magnus Trygg said, pointing with his knife at a red line on the tanned goat hide fastened to the mast. Most of the crew sat close together on the ship’s chests or watched from the stern. The leather had a rough outline of the Green Isle drawn on it, with some red rings and lines.

‘Sigurd Jarl’s three ships will row up the river Boyne, and further up the Blackwater, to Kells. The monks of Kvitekrist have a monastery there. Our job is to plunder this monastery and bring supplies back to the coast.’

‘Supplies?’ asked Arngrim, one of the few crewmembers Marcus knew by name. He uttered the word with an expression as if he had eaten something foul.

‘Yes, supplies,’ Trygg replied. ‘If you find gold or gemstones, all the better. But Torgils has pillaged the area many times, and we must expect the Irish to have moved or hidden their remaining valuables. There might not be much left for us, and we have neither the time nor space for thralls. Our task is to obtain supplies for the raiding fleet. The monasteries collect and store food from the surrounding area. That is what we need to get.’

A dozen very dissatisfied Vikings shouted as one:

‘Why?’

A couple of the crew spat and turned their backs to their chieftain. Marcus noticed that Trygg remained remarkably calm. He was a wise leader of men, who did not undermine his authority fighting petty squabbles.

‘Because we are going to spend the winter on the Green Isle, and we need the food to survive,’ Trygg replied, pronouncing each word a little slower and clearer than usual.

Again, he had everyone’s attention. The Vikings always arrived early in the summer, sometimes also towards the end of the summer. But come winter they were gone. Marcus had no idea what the heathens were doing in the winter. He assumed they were fighting someone – quite possibly each other.

‘We are sailing with a great fleet. Some ships will sail up the rivers, like us, attacking farms or monasteries. Øystein Glumra, the Jarl of Møre, will establish a winter camp here.’

With the knife, Trygg pointed at a red dot on the map, just above the red line representing the river Boyne.

‘The Irish call the place Linn Duachaill. The small village will not offer resistance to Glumra. But soon, the Irish will unite against us. We are facing a long and hard winter.’

The crew fell silent, but their faces revealed that they were none too pleased with the plans. Magnus Trygg seized the opportunity to provide more details about the campaign.

‘To the south’ – he moved the knife to a ring at the end of a red line a hand’s breadth further down the skin – ‘Torgils and the Danes will attack Dyflin. The fighting will be hard. Torgils has been there several times before, and has even improved the fortifications himself. But he has never spent the winter there, thus allowing the Irish to return in his absence.

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