1066, Early September…aftermath
The bodies lay in great heaps upon the sodden ground, distorted clumps of mangled flesh and bone, the stench of death everywhere. Over on the far side rooks had already settled upon the carcasses, beaks pulling at open wounds, gorging themselves on this unexpected bounty.
From his position at the top of the rise, hidden behind an outcrop of gorse and rock, Hereward was able to see across the entire area, a flat plain which stretched out in all directions. It was a large, uninspiring field, hyphenated by the silver streak of a river that wound its way along, untroubled by the catastrophe that had befallen the men of England that day. As if to emphasize the fact, Hereward saw grinning Vikings wandering about, the occasional flash of a blade cutting through the air as the wounded were dispatched. The cries of those others nearby who awaited the same fate filled his ears and he turned away, dragging his hand over his face.
“Dear Christ,” said Hereward.
Morcar, some distance away, growled. He lay propped up against another boulder, breath rasping in his chest. A long, vicious looking cut ran across his chest. In his hand, itself streaked with blood, he still held onto his battle-axe and Hereward eyed it, impressed. He had stood beside the Earl, in the boggy ground next to river, seen him cleave the skulls of many of the Norse. The outcome may well have been different if there had been more like him that day. Hereward closed his eyes, the sight too much. If only there had been more …
“I think perhaps we should go,” said one of the others, a gigantic housecarle, blood spattered, wounded, but still, by the look of him, fully prepared to fight if need be.
“I cannot,” said Morcar in a tired voice. “Here is where I stand, here is where I die.”
Varangian (Byzantine Histories) onAmazon US
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