Read Online Fire & Steel by C.R. May - Free Book Online

land, and although Cerdic had assured them that the walls were held by men loyal to the house of Uther, it paid to take precautions. Hundreds of war horses would be enough to tempt any man, but the sight of three score English spears formed up in battle array should be enough to dissuade all but the most determined attackers he had reasoned.
    The processional route ran from the place where the Afen took a great bow to the West, following the contours of the land as it arced uphill to the great monument. It was a plain which had clearly been one of the main centres of gods worship ever since men had walked the soil of Middle-earth. Scores of barrows littered the landscape, singly and in groups, testament to the age-old connection here between men and their gods.
    Hemming walked at his side as Spearhafoc led them on, the young girl clearly fighting against the urge to move ahead faster as they travelled between the standing stones which marked the path.
    Spearhafoc spoke, and the pride which she felt for the landscape shone through her words. “Have you anything to compare in your homeland, lord? My ancestors built everything that you see here with their bare hands.”
    Eofer glanced at her and shook his head. “You are mistaken. Woden placed these stones here. He used spells and the great strength of his son Thunor to shape and move them into place at the beginning of time.”
    The Briton looked doubtful but decided that her desire to remain within the group far outweighed any feelings of pride. There was a Jutish loom waiting for her in the South, and she decided to discover more about the beliefs of the big northerners and see how closely they tied in to those of her own people.
    “Did Woden create everything, lord?”
    “No, he was the son of a god and a giant.”
    “So what came before?”
    He looked down and, recognising that the Briton seemed to be genuinely interested in the ways of his people, decided to describe how the world had begun. The sun was hot now and a light breeze pushed downy clouds away to the North-East as he loosened his shirt and instinctively fingered his hammer pendant. A warrior life had led him to be as fatalistic as any man but it paid to ward off malevolent spirits, especially in such a place as this.
    “At the beginning there was a great void, a place of silence and darkness. To the South lay the realm of fire and to the North, a world of ice. Where the cold air met the warm, the icy mist was warmed and droplets of water appeared. From these the giant, Tuisto, was born. His son, Mannus coupled with a giantess who bore him Woden. Woden killed Tuisto and created the Earth from his body.”
    She pulled a wry smile. “You are not much of a story teller, lord, but I get the idea.”
    Eofer exchanged a look with Hemming and the men laughed.
    “No,” he admitted, “storytelling has never been one of my great strengths!” He enjoyed her company, and Eofer flashed her a smile as he finally resolved the question which he had turned over in his mind over the course of the last day. “As I have decided to admit you to my hearth troop, I will introduce you to a guda, one of our priests, when we reach Theodford. He can guide you in our ways.”
    Spearhafoc's face lit up at the revelation, and she uttered her thanks as a life spent teasing wool and stirring great cauldrons of pottage receded into the shadows. The sacred way turned sharply south and conversation trailed away as Eofer saw that the monolith was near. Seen up close the great stones glowered over the surrounding countryside, and Spearhafoc lowered her voice as she spoke again.
    “They are called the ringing stones, lord,” she explained. “I will show you why when we reach them.”
    A single stone stood upright in the centre of the way, and the warriors removed their weapons before passing through a bank and ditch into the interior which contained the structures themselves. The men gathered around and listened to the Briton as she