“Halt!” he yelled. “All of you. Feed, water, loosen girths.” In a much lower voice he muttered to the two councillors, “Bad trouble. Meeting up ahead. Don’t let it show on your face.”

Shef and Thorvin looked at each other. Silently they followed him.

A dozen men, the Viking leaders, stood to one side of the track, boots already sinking in the mire. Unspeaking in the midst of them, left hand always on sword-pommel, was Sigvarth Jarl.

“It’s Ivar,” said Brand without preamble. “He hit the main camp at Crowland last night. Killed some, scattered the rest. Certainly caught some of our people. They must have talked by now. He’ll know where we’re supposed to meet. He’ll know about the gold.

“We have to figure that he’s already marching to intercept us. So we’ve got him to the north and the English a couple of miles to the south.”

“How many men?” asked Guthmund.

“They thought—the ones who escaped and rode to meet us—about two thousand. Not the whole York army. None of the other Ragnarssons there. Only Ivar and his lot.”

“We could take them if we were at full strength,” said Guthmund. “Bunch of criminals. Gaddgedlar. Broken men.” He spat.

“We aren’t at full strength.”

“But we will be soon,” went on Guthmund. “If Ivar knows about the gold, I bet everyone in that camp knew about it first. They were probably all pissed drunk celebrating when he turned up. As soon as their heads clear, the ones who got away will head straight for the meeting ground at March. We meet them there, we’re at full strength, or damn near. Then we’ll settle Ivar’s lot. You can have Ivar yourself, Brand. You have a score to pay.”

Brand grinned. It was hard, Shef reflected, to scare these people. They had to be killed, one at a time, till they were all dead, to defeat them. Unfortunately that was what was likely to happen.

“What about the English behind us?” he asked.

Brand sobered again, drawn from his dream of single combat.

“They should be a lot less of a problem. We’ve always beaten them. But if they come up on us from behind while we’re engaged with Ivar … We need time. Time to pick up the rest of the army at March. Time to settle Ivar’s hash.”

Shef thought of his vision. We have to throw them something they want, he reflected. Not treasure. Brand would never let go of it.