Aeleva; The Viking Saxon

Chapter 30

I rose and dressed. I wore leathers and no chain-mail. The metal rings did not move silently, and I may need to run at such speed the mail is too heavy for. I sheathed my sword and dagger and placed my axe in it holding on my back.

"Are you ready?" Ealdorman Edward said, hushed, when I joined him. I nodded in reply. It was still dark. Some men had arisen, most were still sleeping in the camps. The Ealdorman wore a short tunic and trousers with a sword by his side. He had left the gold chains and finely embroidered shirts at Reculver.

We moved soundlessly through the camp. Over the ropes holding up the tents and avoiding the large campfires. We couldn't let anyone know we were going. We had spies in their camp, it was assumed they had spies in ours. When we reached the edge, the Ealdorman brought a cart out of the tree line.

"What is it?" I asked.

"What we will use to light the jetties." The cart was full of buckets of stinking pig's fat and large sticks with bundles of ragged clothes wrapped around the end.

He motioned to move. He headed in the direction of the Danes, keeping to the treelines. I followed behind the cart. The wheels creaked over the uneven ground. The fat sloshed and spilled over the side of the bucket. Each wave making a newly ripe smell of rancid fat waft to my nose.

We didn't walk for long. The Danish camp came in sight quickly. The Ealdorman stopped just before the break of the trees.

"Grab as many as you can, drown them in fat." He instructed, keeping his voice as low as possible. He proceeded to grab a stick and drench the bundles with the fat. I did the same. Between us, we had 12 sticks.

"Follow me, don't stop moving. Do not look at anyone. Go unnoticed." I nodded. The Ealdorman swiftly turned. He watched the camp for a moment.

There were hundreds of tents. They had camped all alone the shoreline. Some just before the Marsh. You could not see the jetties through them. Even from the trees I could see swords, axes and spears on the ground. If we were discovered, there would be no chance. The sun had only begun rising. The sky was brushed with faint oranges and blues. We had moments left of the darkness.

The Ealdorman signalled to move. He walked straight into the camp. I followed.

He kept to the edge of the tents. He weaved in and out of them. Ducking under washing lines and around campfire.

"Head down." He whispered to me as I walked behind him. He saw him before I did. The Dane man ahead. He had not seen us but there was no way to avoid him. We were walking down a tight lane, tents on both sides. And a Dane in the path. I sunk my head, controlling my breathing as we neared him. The Ealdorman had not stopped when he saw him. Dread pitted in my stomach when I realised. The madman was going to walk right passed him.

I was holding 6 planks with bundles of clothes sodden with fat. If this Dane took a second glance, we would be dead.

The Ealdorman walked closer to the man. The Dane turned when he heard us approaching. He glanced at us.

"Ver Heil og sᴂll." The Dane said. The Ealdorman froze. I could see him staring back at the man. His mouth opened to speak.

"Heil sᴂll." I said before the Ealdorman could say anything. The Dane stared back for a moment. Then nodded and went about his business.

Edward looked back at me. He sighed and chuckled. I signalled to move him forward.

We continued through the maze of tents. The darkness still hiding us in the shadows.

The camp thinned as we arrived at the shore line. The Marsh was vast. It reached out, the muggy waters stretching for miles. The jetty stood against it. Its wooden rigidity looking awkward against the grassy plains.