Magnus shot me a look as if to suggest that was unlikely, and in truth I didn’t really believe it either. For what could I possibly offer that he would accept in return for Oswynn?
‘Haakon doesn’t give up anything willingly,’ Magnus said. ‘I’ve met him, so believe me when I say this. Whatever he has of yours, you won’t get it back without a fight.’
‘Then join me,’ I said, more confidently than I had any right to, given that I knew little of this fortress Magnus had spoken of, in particular the condition of its defences, or the number of spears that guarded its gates and walls. But I was desperately in need of allies, and it seemed to me that fate had led me to this man. ‘You mentioned you still have followers who remain loyal to you. I could use their swords.’
‘You’re asking me to risk my neck on such an expedition?’
‘Why not?’
‘Many reasons,’ he muttered. ‘Not least of which is that I don’t know you, Fleming.’
‘I’ll admit to having little knowledge of war, but even I know that this is not the season to go campaigning,’ Snorri put in. ‘Assuming that you could gather the men and the ships for such a voyage, all Haakon has to do is withdraw inside this fastness of his, where, if he’s sensible, he’ll have provisions to last until spring. Do you really plan on besieging him for the next half a year, battered by the winter winds, bedding down night after night on frozen ground?’
I glared at him. The old Dane wasn’t helping. ‘Think instead what you stand to gain,’ I told Magnus.
‘And what might that be?’
‘Vengeance,’ I said, hoping to appeal to his baser instincts. ‘Honour. Make him pay the blood-price for your brothers’ deaths. If he’s as powerful as you say he is, he must have wealth stored away in a hoard somewhere, too. All that can be yours.’
‘Don’t you think that if I considered this possible, and had the means for it, I would have tried already – without your help?’
‘Perhaps. But there are ways of achieving victory without resorting to siege or a direct assault.’
Not many came to mind, admittedly. I was thinking, I supposed, of how we had slipped inside Eoferwic to open the gates to King Guillaume’s army two years ago, of how we had distracted the enemy by burning the ships at Beferlic last autumn, of how we had negotiated with Morcar to bring about the downfall of the rebels at Elyg. On each of those occasions it was not sheer weight of numbers that had won us the battle, but cunning and not a little daring. I had done it before. I could do it again.
Magnus sat, chewing upon his lip, slightly and almost imperceptibly shaking his head.
‘Assuming that you were to join me,’ I said, ‘how many men could you marshal, do you think?’
‘Twenty, perhaps thirty, given time and depending on who is willing. I have my own ship, too, although she leaks and is in need of some repair.’
That was a not inconsiderable host for one man to command. I had been expecting him to say five, or a dozen, perhaps, not more than that. Excitement stirred within me, as I had a sense suddenly of what was possible.
‘How many is Haakon likely to have?’
Magnus shrugged. ‘Assuming that he’s expecting a quiet winter warming himself by his hearth-fire, not many. A full ship’s complement of fighting men, at least.’
Around fifty, then, at a guess. They would be his household retainers, his hearth-troops, his best and strongest warriors: his huskarlar, to use the Danish word, which I only knew because it was essentially the same as the English huscarlas. Perhaps twice the number that Magnus and I could muster between us, then, although of course as the defenders they would hold a distinct advantage over us. Still, those were far from insurmountable odds.
‘There’s one thing of which you haven’t yet spoken,’ Magnus said. ‘You’ve told me what I might gain from this, but what about yourself?’
‘As I’ve told you, all I want is to take back what was stolen from me,’ I said. ‘I’m not interested in Haakon’s hoard, his horses or his ships.’
Magnus sat for a few moments in silence, staring into the hearth while he fingered the pitcher of ale. On his hand, I noticed, lit by the fire-glow, was a gilded signet ring engraved with the emblem of a dragon or some other winged beast, which for some reason seemed strangely familiar. The roof-beams creaked as the wind gusted. Outside in the street, geese were honking, perhaps being driven to the city in time for a market tomorrow.
I turned to Snorri. ‘What about you? Would you join us?’
‘Me?’ he asked. ‘I’m no warrior, nor have I ever been. I’ve no interest in pursuing feuds that aren’t my own, and I’m too old for such adventures in any case. I’d only slow you down. All I want is to get back home and spend Yule in my own house.’
‘I understand,’ I said, disappointed though not surprised. He had already done me a great favour by bringing me here. Another ship would no doubt have proven useful, but then again I supposed that to do this we only really needed one. ‘What do you say, Magnus?’