you call a wyf , sitting at a loom and sweeping out the hut every day. My own mother is a healer, respected for her craft. I learned hunting from my father and the secrets of healing men and animals from my mother. They are rare gifts for a girl born in the backwoods and I wanted to be able to use them, so when I saw the chance I ran away with you, lord.”
He nodded, thoughtfully. Woden, the Allfather, was the god of healing and he roared through the sky at the head of the wild hunt every Jule eve. If the Allfather had sent this girl to aid him it could prove to be a powerful gift.
“I have seen your skill at leechcræft,” he said, nodding towards the bow which bounced at the horse's flank, “but I have yet to see you loose an arrow.”
She shot him a look and unhooked the stave from the saddle horn without a word. Bracing it against her hip she forced the bow into shape and hooked the bowstring to the nocks. Scanning the grassland to the East she nocked an arrow and sighted high. A soft grunt escaped her lips as the arrow was released and Eofer watched in bemusement as the shaft sailed into the empty sky.
“You can hit the sky!” he exclaimed sarcastically, “very impressive.”
Spearhafoc was already fitting another shaft to the string as Eofer glanced across his shoulder at the men following on. To a man they were raising their heads to follow the flight of the missile and the thegn hoped that the girl was not about to make a fool of herself. Looking back he saw that the shaft had reached the top of its arc as the head tipped down towards the earth. The arrow plummeted vertically into a thicker growth of sedge and immediately the air was filled with movement as a covey of quail exploded from cover. A shaft sped from Spearhafoc's bow and then another as the birds wheeled and climbed in all directions and Eofer watched as the first took a hen bird, its brown and tan plumage perfectly matched to its surroundings, full in the chest. As the body of the bird was punched back by the force of the blow, the second arrow plucked another from the air and sent it spinning away into the undergrowth. The quail had scattered now and Eofer watched as Spearhafoc nocked a final arrow, quartering the sky for what must be her final victim. One terror-stricken bird, its plumage a burnt orange as it caught the rays of the sun, had flown directly towards the men and Eofer watched in admiration as the girl hooked her foot into the bridle and leaned back until she was almost horizontal to the saddle. A sighting glance along her chest confirmed her aim and the arrow was away. The men of the column held their breath as the shaft and its target converged until, with a dip of its wing, the quail flashed past the arrow and made its escape.
At his side the girl spat a curse as the bird lost height and sheared off into a gully, and Eofer for the first time realised that the column had come to a halt as they watched her bowmanship. The spell broken, the men whooped and bawled their delight and Eofer turned to the girl and added his own praise at her efforts.
“That was fine shooting,” he laughed. “Was that the thing of wonder which you promised to show me this day?”
Spearhafoc was the centre of attention for perhaps the first time in her life, and she flushed with pride as she pointed to the road ahead.
“No lord,” she giggled self-consciously. “That awaits you just beyond that rise.”
FIVE
Crossing the stone bridge, Eofer had split the party into two and hobbled the horses. He would lead the first of the men forward along what was clearly a sacred way which curved towards the great megalith, dominating the skyline to the West. Despite the sanctity of the site and the eagerness of the men to visit its heart, he had been forced to post guards on their mounts. Ahead, in the near distance, the road ran below another of the hill forts which the old people had spread liberally across their
He nodded, thoughtfully. Woden, the Allfather, was the god of healing and he roared through the sky at the head of the wild hunt every Jule eve. If the Allfather had sent this girl to aid him it could prove to be a powerful gift.
“I have seen your skill at leechcræft,” he said, nodding towards the bow which bounced at the horse's flank, “but I have yet to see you loose an arrow.”
She shot him a look and unhooked the stave from the saddle horn without a word. Bracing it against her hip she forced the bow into shape and hooked the bowstring to the nocks. Scanning the grassland to the East she nocked an arrow and sighted high. A soft grunt escaped her lips as the arrow was released and Eofer watched in bemusement as the shaft sailed into the empty sky.
“You can hit the sky!” he exclaimed sarcastically, “very impressive.”
Spearhafoc was already fitting another shaft to the string as Eofer glanced across his shoulder at the men following on. To a man they were raising their heads to follow the flight of the missile and the thegn hoped that the girl was not about to make a fool of herself. Looking back he saw that the shaft had reached the top of its arc as the head tipped down towards the earth. The arrow plummeted vertically into a thicker growth of sedge and immediately the air was filled with movement as a covey of quail exploded from cover. A shaft sped from Spearhafoc's bow and then another as the birds wheeled and climbed in all directions and Eofer watched as the first took a hen bird, its brown and tan plumage perfectly matched to its surroundings, full in the chest. As the body of the bird was punched back by the force of the blow, the second arrow plucked another from the air and sent it spinning away into the undergrowth. The quail had scattered now and Eofer watched as Spearhafoc nocked a final arrow, quartering the sky for what must be her final victim. One terror-stricken bird, its plumage a burnt orange as it caught the rays of the sun, had flown directly towards the men and Eofer watched in admiration as the girl hooked her foot into the bridle and leaned back until she was almost horizontal to the saddle. A sighting glance along her chest confirmed her aim and the arrow was away. The men of the column held their breath as the shaft and its target converged until, with a dip of its wing, the quail flashed past the arrow and made its escape.
At his side the girl spat a curse as the bird lost height and sheared off into a gully, and Eofer for the first time realised that the column had come to a halt as they watched her bowmanship. The spell broken, the men whooped and bawled their delight and Eofer turned to the girl and added his own praise at her efforts.
“That was fine shooting,” he laughed. “Was that the thing of wonder which you promised to show me this day?”
Spearhafoc was the centre of attention for perhaps the first time in her life, and she flushed with pride as she pointed to the road ahead.
“No lord,” she giggled self-consciously. “That awaits you just beyond that rise.”
FIVE
Crossing the stone bridge, Eofer had split the party into two and hobbled the horses. He would lead the first of the men forward along what was clearly a sacred way which curved towards the great megalith, dominating the skyline to the West. Despite the sanctity of the site and the eagerness of the men to visit its heart, he had been forced to post guards on their mounts. Ahead, in the near distance, the road ran below another of the hill forts which the old people had spread liberally across their
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