The Dragon Hammer (Wulf's Saga Book 1) (9 page)
Read The Dragon Hammer (Wulf's Saga Book 1) Online
Authors: Tony Daniel
Tags: #Fables, #Legends, #Action & Adventure, #Juvenile Fiction, #Norse, #Fantasy & Magic, #General, #Myths
“Your Excellency, if I had known you wanted to attend a match, I could have arranged a much more comfortable viewing spot for you,” Koterbaum stammered.
“This will be perfectly fine.”
“But generally here in Raukenrose, in the castle, I mean, the warriors, the adult warriors, do not participate. This is meant to be a training method for boys.” Koterbaum wrung his hands together and looked at Gunnar imploringly. “And you, m’lord, while welcome at any time, of course, you, I mean to say, are
already trained.
”
Gunnar laughed, and slapped Koterbaum on the shoulder. “I’m merely serving as von Blau’s second, Marshal,” he said. “I believe the rules allow for this.”
Koterbaum nodded. “They do, Your Excellency. But Prince Gunnar, this sort of thing seems, well to be, well—”
“Beneath me?” Gunnar said with a dry smile.
“Not precisely what I was trying to say,” Koterbaum answered. “But you understand what I mean, I think?” He pushed out his final words in a squeak.
“I do,” Gunnar replied. “Marshal…what is your name?”
“Koterbaum, Your Excellency.”
“I’ll remember that,” said Gunnar.
Koterbaum began to visibly shake. Wulf had never seen the arms master react like this before to…anything.
Koterbaum was afraid.
Not of Gunnar’s presence. Koterbaum wasn’t afraid of anyone in combat.
He’s afraid of what Gunnar might do to his
life
. What the prince could do to his family.
The man was going to be King of Sandhaven one day, which included the Chesapeake Bay. He would have spies at his disposal. Assassins. He would have trade connections that could ruin the entire Koterbaum clan.
You didn’t want to get on the wrong side of him.
“Proceed with your instructions, arms master.”
Gunnar put his helmet back on. Wulf did the same.
Shaking his head, Koterbaum quickly called for the match to start, and both seconds returned to their sides. Wulf stood next to Rainer and turned to look across the circle at Hlafnest and Gunnar, also standing abreast.
“What was that about?” Rainer asked him in a low voice.
“I have no idea,” Wulf replied. “I don’t like this, Rainer. Why don’t we concede the match and get the cold hell out of here?”
Rainer considered for a moment, then shook his head. “No, let’s see it through. I’m curious.”
“You know this fight is meaningless.”
Rainer smiled to the crowd and spoke through his teeth to Wulf. “Not exactly true. He challenged me—which was really a challenge to
you
, because he knows we’re friends. I can’t have that.”
“My honor will be fine. We’ll take the von Blaus on later like we always do.”
“No,” Rainer said. “After last night, I want to fight something that clangs when I hit it.”
Rainer set his chin, and Wulf saw any further argument was useless. “All right,” he said. “Keep your left side up and use that buckler as a weapon and not just a shield.”
“Yes sir, Marshal, sir,” muttered Rainer.
Koterbaum called the combatants to en garde, and Rainer entered the ring.
Wulf looked up at the castle’s main balcony. There were the girls of the castle cohort. Their colorful linens and silks set them apart from the gray walls. It didn’t take Wulf long to pick out Saeunn. Her blonde hair, always unbound, shone in the afternoon sun.
She looked concerned.
Does she think something is wrong? I’m sure not liking this at all. What is Gunnar doing here?
He glanced up at Saeunn again, then turned his attention back to the fight.
After a moment’s hesitation, Hlafnest let out a roar and charged Rainer. It was almost too easy. Rainer ducked his sword, then, his reflexes as fast as ever, spun around and caught Hlafnest between the legs with the two sides of his outstretched battle-ax. Hlafnest went down in a clatter of mail and plate armor. Rainer was on Hlafnest’s back instantly and drove the end of his ax handle between Hlafnest’s shoulder blades. The other let out a grunt.
If this had been actual combat, Rainer would have aimed for the unprotected back of the neck. All would have been over for Hlafnest von Blau forever.
Rainer took the point. He climbed off his opponent. Hlafnest waited a while to catch his breath, and stood up. He walked shakily back to his side of the ring.
Koterbaum glanced at Rainer with an imploring look, and Wulf had to smile.
“Marshal wants you to go easy on him, seems like,” Wulf said to Rainer. “Don’t you do it.”
“I won’t,” Rainer said. He turned back to face the ring. Koterbaum called en garde. Hlafnest took a step into the ring—and then something odd happened. He went down on a knee, and one of his greaves—the armor that covered his shins—fell off. He picked it up and looked at the hasp.
After a moment, he called out to Koterbaum. “Marshal!” Koterbaum approached. So did Prince Gunnar. Hlafnest showed Koterbaum the greave. Gunnar looked it over.
“What the cold hell are they up to?” asked Wulf.
Rainer chuckled. “He’s broken it,” he said in a low voice. “He’ll want a draw.”
“Well, give it to him,” Wulf said.
Rainer reluctantly nodded. “Yes, all right.”
Koterbaum and Prince Gunnar stood up and crossed the ring to Rainer and Wulf. The crowd around the ring had been getting noisy. Now it turned quiet.
“Most unfortunate,” Koterbaum said. “The greave cannot be mended in the time we have available, and no other will suit the purpose, his lordship claims.”
“I understand,” Rainer said. Wulf saw him suppressing a smile. “I am willing to offer Hlafnest a match draw if he wants.”
“Sir von Blau to you, commoner,” Gunnar said with a pointed glare at Rainer.
Rainer returned his gaze steadily for a moment. He nodded. “As you say, Your
Excellency
,” he replied. “
Sir
von Blau gets a draw.”
“Yes, well,” said Koterbaum. He was wringing his hands again. Not a good sign, thought Wulf. “You see, Prince Gunnar is the second, and he has requested…I should say, he
wishes
, to continue the match.”
“What?” Wulf said. “Hlafnest is supposed to fight without a shin cover?”
“Not at all,” said Koterbaum. “No, I should say that Prince Gunnar wishes to step in and finish
for
his lordship.”
“Finish?” said Wulf. “What does that mean?”
Gunnar reached over and gave Rainer a slap on the shoulder. “Come, boy. It will be fun. How often does a commoner like you get to take on a real prince?”
Rainer didn’t flinch. He met Gunnar’s gaze, and the two locked eyes. “I have a real duke’s son for a friend, and I serve a noble house,” he said. “I don’t need to beat up princes to prove myself.”
Gunnar frowned. “Impertinent,” he said as if to himself. “This will be fun.”
“I do not wish it,” Wulf found himself saying.
Gunnar turned toward him. “And
you
are…
which
von Dunstig?”
“I am Wulfgang,” he replied.
“The third son. Of course. Ulla’s little brother.”
“I have that honor.”
“And it is an honor to be the brother of Ulla,” Gunnar said. “I intend to see that it remains an honor.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I think you know,” Gunnar said.
“I have no idea what you mean.”
Gunnar considered Wulf a moment. “More’s the pity, then,” he finally said. “But we will finish this, the commoner and I. Here. Now.”
“No,” Wulf said.
But then Rainer stepped between him and Gunnar, facing Gunnar. “Yes,” he said. “Let’s do that, Prince.”
Chapter Twelve:
The Prince
Without giving a hint of his intention, Rainer suddenly charged Gunnar. With his battle-ax held crossways in two hands, he rammed into the prince’s chest and knocked the other backward. Gunnar, completely taken by surprise, stumbled back. Rainer pushed him again, and the prince tripped backward, falling onto his butt.
Rainer turned the battle-ax and pointed its tip at Gunnar’s face as the prince looked up, furious.
“Don’t you
ever
speak ill of Lady Ulla again,” Rainer said in a low, clear voice. “Do you hear me?”
“Think what you do, boy,” said Gunnar.
“Swear it,” Rainer shouted, poking the battleax closer.
Gunnar looked down at the point, as if this were a sight he had never expected to see for his entire life. After a moment, he laughed. He laughed loud enough for everyone to hear.
Wulf thought it the most faked sound he’d ever heard.
“I swear it because I have never done anything
but
uphold her good name,” he said. Then, speaking louder, he called out. “I wish only the best for Lady Ulla, as all know who know me.” After a moment, Rainer backed the ax head away. Gunnar took the chance to brush it aside. He quickly scuttled out from under it and regained his footing.
He cast a look of hate at Rainer and said in a low voice, “You are going to wish you hadn’t done that, boy.”
Rainer said nothing. Koterbaum, who seemed to have been frozen in place, suddenly moved. “Well, now that we’re friends, why don’t we—”
“Why don’t we get on with the match,” Gunnar said. “Why don’t you get out of the way and let us do so, Marshal.” Neither was a question.
“Yes, I suppose we could—”
Gunnar smiled at Rainer and raised his sword. “En garde,” he said.
Rainer raised his ax, and Koterbaum slowly backed away.
Rainer gave Wulf a quick glance. “Out of the ring, Wulfgang,” he growled. “Please.”
Wulf hesitantly stepped out.
That was when Gunnar charged. Rainer raised his buckler just in time to take the blow, and wood splinters shot in all directions. Gunnar yanked the sword free, pulling Rainer part of the way toward him in the process. Rainer stumbled to the side and scuttled away from another blow aimed at his head.
That shouldn’t happen, Wulf thought. How does a buckler splinter like that?
There was only one way it
could
happen.
Gunnar was using a sharpened sword.
Rainer quickly regained his footing and stood facing Gunnar. He was breathing hard. The prince moved in. Rainer drew him back, retreating slowly around the circle, while Gunnar probed with his sword tip, attempting to find a way through Rainer’s defense.
He’s good, Wulf thought. As good as Rainer. And bigger.
Fast as a cat, Rainer attempted another charge with his ax, but this time Gunnar was waiting. He turned it aside deftly, then brought his sword around to take a slice at the back of Rainer’s legs. A red line opened up across the back of Rainer’s thighs where the cuisse didn’t meet. Rainer spun about, blood dripping from his legs. Now Gunnar charged. Since he was without shield, he led with the point of his sword.
Rainer didn’t even try to get out of the way, and Wulf gasped. Gunnar was going to run him through.
But at the last moment, Rainer crouched under the path of the sword. Gunnar tried to correct, but too late. He missed, and his momentum brought his legs into the crouching Rainer full tilt. The prince went into a roll, his sword flying away as he fell. He recovered his feet quickly, but now Rainer was standing as well.
And Rainer had his battle-ax.
Hack him to pieces, Rainer! Wulf thought wildly. Off with his crap-filled head!
But Rainer didn’t do that. Instead he lifted his ax in two hands and—threw it to the side. He stood facing Gunnar weaponless.
“No, Rainer!” Wulf shouted. “He’s trying to kill you!”
The prince smiled, though he was breathing too hard to let out a laugh.
The two charged. They met in a clash and clang of armor near the center of the match ring.
Rainer, despite his great ability, was only seventeen years old. Gunnar was twenty-seven and experienced at Viking raids. He also had at least a stone in weight on Rainer.
Rainer tumbled over backward with Gunnar on top of him. In the jumble that followed, Gunnar managed to get his legs around Rainer. He sat up, straddling Rainer’s chest.
Gunnar put two gauntleted hands together and pounded down on Rainer’s face. His blow caught the facemask, the grima of the helmet, and broke it away. The next blow broke Rainer’s nose. Rainer let out a shout of agony and twisted his head away. He tried to raise his hands to defend himself, but Gunnar batted them away. He brought an elbow against Rainer’s temple.
This knocked Rainer unconscious. His head rolled to the side. Gunnar raised his hands to deliver another blow—
And Wulf was on him, hitting, biting, screaming at the top of his lungs, not caring how he stopped the prince. He caught a finger in his mouth and bit down. Gunnar jerked his hand out of Wulf’s mouth with a cry of pain, and Wulf felt skin strip away.
Good.
He spat it out in a bloody wad.
Then Wulf felt as if he’d run into a stone wall full tilt. His body shook. Gunnar had struck him, hard. Another blow to the head.
Wulf fell to the ground. He slowly rose to his knees. There was something dark in the sand. A form shaped like a person, almost like the dark thing from the night before. Could it be?
“Thou know’st,” came the nasty whisper again.
Wulf shook his head to clear it.
He reached out for the dark thing. His hand passed through it. His fingers touched only flint flagstones.
Gunnar’s shadow, he thought. I’m looking at Gunnar’s shadow on the ground.
“That will be enough,” someone said. The voice was commanding. He recognized it. Yes. He knew that voice. “Back off, sir, or I will make you back away.”
Wulf turned his head in the direction of the sound. There, standing a few paces away, stood Master Tolas. He had his walking stick.
“Beg pardon,” said another voice. “Are you speaking to
me
?” Accented. Not from these parts. Chesapeake accent. Oh. Gunnar. That was the name.
And then it all came flooding back to Wulf, along with a pounding ache in his head. He blinked, rose to one knee.
“I am speaking,” said Tolas. “The question is: Are
you
listening?”
Gunnar shook his head in disbelief. “Who are you?
What
are you?”
“I am a gnome,” Tolas said. “More importantly to you, I am Master Albrec Tolas, librarian and tutor to House von Dunstig. And these boys are my
students
.”
Tolas took a step toward Gunnar and pointed his staff at the man. “If you will not back away, I am afraid you leave me no choice.”
“No choice to do
what
?” asked Gunnar in amazement.
Albrec raised his stick. He scowled at the gathered boys who were clumped around the circle.
“Listen to me, you men of Shenandoah,” he said in a loud voice. “Do you think that line on the ground is something you cannot cross? Do you have any idea what ‘duty’ means?”
He pointed the stick at the chalk. Then he found a face in the group, Wulf’s cousin who was sixteen. “You, Atli von Dunstig,” he said. He turned to another of the boys, the son of his father’s thane Rokvi, who headed the tax collection service. “You, Vinnil Rokvison.” Tolas’s gazed passed around all the boys. “Kilmund, Beimi, Endil Haraldson.” His gazed lighted on Hlafnest. “And especially you, Hlafnest von Blau. The rest of you, all of you—Wulfgang von Dunstig is the son of your
lord,
your
duke.
”
Tolas pointed his walking stick at Gunnar. “Who is
this
person to you? What do you owe him?” Tolas brought his stick down hard against the flagstones of the courtyard. “Nothing! He is nothing. You owe him nothing.”
Gunnar straightened. “Now, just a minute, gnome—”
Tolas cut him off, continued addressing the crowd. “Are you going to call yourself maggots for the rest of your lives? Are you? Do your duty! Defend Lord Wulf!”
For a moment, there was stillness. Then the assembled boys moved as if mesmerized.
They moved toward Gunnar.
Gunnar looked at them a moment, then began frantically searching for his dropped sword. One of the younger boys, Harek, had already picked it up. He showed it to Gunnar with a sly smile. The prince tried for it, but Harek threw it away, behind the advancing boys.
“Stand back!” Gunnar said. He was holding the finger Wulf had stripped. Blood was dripping from his hands. “I command you to stand back!”
The boys did not obey. They moved forward, slowly closing in.
“Shenandoah scum!” Gunnar picked out a part of the encirclement and stalked toward it. The boys did not move.
“If you hurt those boys, you will pay a very high price,” Tolas called out after him. “Consider, Prince.”
Gunnar pulled up short just before he would’ve bowled over Audmund Ingvisson.
Audmund was only eleven. He was normally a timid little guy, but now he stood his ground bravely. Wulf was proud of him.
“Let me through,” Gunnar shouted into the boy’s face. Audmund didn’t move. Several of the larger boys came up behind the prince. Before he could do anything about it, arms were on him. These were the seventeen and eighteen-year-olds. Two of Wulf’s cousins Thrym and Skalli von Dunstig, who were even bigger than the prince. Plus, they were muscled from ten years in Koterbaum’s practice yard. Gunnar tried to shake them off. They held him firm, and others joined them.
“Let me go!” the prince shouted. He tried to twist away, but couldn’t break their grip. Then, as a group, they frog-marched Gunnar toward the courtyard exit that led to the castle gate. When they got to the stone columns of the exit, they pushed him forward. Gunnar stumbled into the path beyond. Wulf could not see what happened next, but heard shouting that had to be Gunnar. Wulf couldn’t make out the words from this distance, but it sounded like the prince was cursing them all. After that, Gunnar must’ve either gone to the guards for protection or left the castle completely. The group of boys, so unified moments ago, turned around and milled back into the bailey courtyard in groups of three or four. Gunnar did not follow them.
Tolas meanwhile hurried over and knelt beside Rainer. Wulf pulled himself to his feet and went to join him. “That one will be back, and with reinforcements. We have to get Mr. Stope to help quickly.”
“Should we send for the doctor?” Wulf mumbled. “I can—”
“The doctors be cursed,” Tolas answered with a dark laugh. He thought for a moment. “Our young elf,” he said. “She has training from her folk over the sea. They are known to be effective healers.”
“Saeunn?”
“Yes. Let us take him to quarters.” Tolas stood up, looked around, and called out. “Koterbaum, you fool! Get over here!”
The arms marshal stumbled toward them as if commanded by a lord.
“Get help to carry the boy inside,” Tolas said. “Two or three of the older lads should do it. Make that useless Hlafnest von Blau one of them, too.”
Koterbaum stood there, doing nothing. Tolas took the staff and whacked the marshal across the shins.
“Blood and bones!” yelled Koterbaum. “Curse it all!” But suddenly complete awareness seemed to flood back into him. “Yes, of course, Albrec. You’re right. I’ll do it now.”
Koterbaum called out a couple of names to bring help. He turned back to Tolas and shook his head. “They wouldn’t have done that for me, Albrec, ganged up on him like that.”
Tolas considered his staff. “Possibly not,” he said. “But there are always other options. You of all people should know that.”
Wulf didn’t listen to them anymore. He turned to his friend, cupped Rainer’s head in his arms. “Wake up, Rainer,” he said. “You can wake up now.”
But Rainer did not wake up. His head dropped to the side as three of the older boys, including Hlafnest von Blau, raised his friend and carried him into the castle. Wulf stumbled behind in a fog of worry and regret.