Jarl Eirik Raven-Banner summoned six warriors to his hall and laid a rough map upon the table. Across the North Sea, a wealthy Christian monastery stood close to the coast. Its bells were bronze, its vessels silver, and its guards were said to be few.
Six Beneath the Raven
Arnor Stormwake, Bjorn Ironhide, Hakon Sea-Wolf, Leif Shadowcloak, Torsten Hammer-Blessed, and Ulf Wolfborn were given the Sea Raven. Einar Old Rope, Kjell, and Orm would help sail her, but the raid belonged to the six.
Eirik's measure of success was plain: profit in the hold and every man returning alive. Men laughed at the second part. None laughed when the shore of England rose from the morning fog.
The Bell
The sail came down well offshore. Oars carried the ship toward a narrow beach below the monastery cliff. Fog hid the hull, and the watchman in the bell tower studied the inland road. He never looked toward the sea.
The raiders crossed the beach and reached the gate unseen. For a few heartbeats Saint Bega remained silent. Then a monk named Aidan saw them and ran.
The bell rang once.
Bjorn's javelin struck Aidan before it could ring again. The monk fell beside the rope, but one bronze note had already rolled over the fields. Every person within hearing knew that something had come to Saint Bega.
Silver for Lives
The raiders divided inside the walls. Arnor, Bjorn, and Torsten found Abbot Aldwin. Torsten understood enough Old English to hear his offer: treasure in exchange for the lives of his brothers.
Aldwin surrendered sacred vessels, three silver crucifixes, and a jeweled golden rose. His desk also held sealed letters and a map. Bjorn took them because men do not hide worthless things beneath locks and wax.
Elsewhere, Hakon, Leif, and Ulf found the kitchen monks and bound them. Then armored men entered the northern passage.
The Royal Guards
The English advanced behind locked shields with their spears level. They prayed as they came, not loudly, but with the steady rhythm of men who had practiced both prayer and killing.
Hakon met them first. A spear smashed through his shield. He stayed on his feet and struck back. Another spear found him before Leif or Ulf could drag him clear.
Ulf drank the bitter herbs he carried and forced himself back into the fight. Leif searched for a gap between shields. Neither found a road out. When Arnor, Bjorn, and Torsten reached the northern hall, Hakon, Leif, and Ulf lay among the English spears.
Bjorn hit the shield wall like a thrown stone. Arnor refused to yield a step. Torsten's hammer crushed through a helmet. The last surviving guard finally dropped his weapon and called upon his god for mercy.
The Road Home
The monastery bell was ringing without pause now. Villagers were climbing toward the walls. Somewhere beyond them, mounted men would already be gathering.
The survivors could have carried more silver. Instead, they lifted their dead.
Hakon, Leif, and Ulf went back across the beach on the shoulders of their companions. The golden rose, the crucifixes, a mail byrnie, and Aldwin's papers followed them into the hold. The oars bit water while armed villagers crowded the cliff above.
As the Sea Raven pulled into the fog, Arnor looked back. Abbot Aldwin stood among his surviving brothers. The raid had made both shores richer in grief and poorer in certainty.
Six sailed from Ravenfjord. Three returned standing.