Adalwulf: The Two Swords (Tales of Germania Book 1) Read online

  ADALWULF

  THE TWO SWORDS

  - GERMANI TALES -

  AUTHOR: ALARIC LONGWARD

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR

  OTHER BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR

  MAP OF NORTHERN EUROPE B.C. 12

  NAMES AND PLACES

  BOOK 1: THE HANGED MAN

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  BOOK 2: WOLF BAITING

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  BOOK 3: TORN FACE

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  BOOK 4: THE DEN

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  BOOK 5: THE THREE FATES

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  AFTERWORD

  Copyright (C) 2016 Alaric Longward

  ISBN 978-952-7101-98-8 (mobi) ISBN 978-952-7101-34-6 (paperback)

  Cover art by Markus Lovadina (http://artofmalo.carbonmade.com)

  Cover design by (http://www.thecovercollection.com/)

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

  - For the readers -

  A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR

  Greetings, and thank you for getting this book. I hope you enjoy it and also read the The Oath Breaker, Hraban’s story. Also, check out Maroboodus.

  Grab them from my AMAZON HOMEPAGE

  When you have completed the story, I would appreciate if you could take the time to rate and review the story on Amazon.com and/or on Goodreads. This will be incredibly valuable for me going forward and I want you to know how much I appreciate your opinion and time.

  Please visit

  www.alariclongward.com

  and sign up for my mailing list for a monthly dose of information on upcoming stories and information on our competitions and winners.

  OTHER BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR

  THE HRABAN CHRONICLES – NOVELS OF ROME AND GERMANIA

  THE OATH BREAKER – BOOK 1

  RAVEN’S WYRD – BOOK 2

  THE WINTER SWORD – BOOK 3

  BANE OF GODS – BOOK 4 (COMING 2016)

  GOTH CHRONICLES - NOVELS OF THE NORTH

  MAROBOODUS - BOOK 1

  THE CANTINIÉRE TALES – STORIES OF FRENCH REVOLUTION AND NAPOLEONIC WARS

  JEANETTE’S SWORD – BOOK 1

  JEANETTE’S LOVE – BOOK 2

  JEANETTE’S CHOICE – BOOK 3 (COMING LATE 2016)

  TEN TEARS CHRONICLES – STORIES OF THE NINE WORLDS

  THE DARK LEVY – BOOK 1

  EYE OF HEL – BOOK 2

  THRONE OF SCARS – BOOK 3 (COMING 2016)

  THIEF OF MIDGARD – STORIES OF THE NINE WORLDS

  THE BEAST OF THE NORTH – BOOK 1

  QUEEN OF THE DRAUGR – BOOK 2 (COMING 2016)

  MAP OF NORTHERN EUROPE B.C. 16

  NAMES AND PLACES

  Adalwulf – would-be champion of Hulderic.

  Aristovistus – in the past, a famed leader of a confederacy of Suebi. Tried to conquer Gaul 58 B.C. Defeated by Gaius Julius Caesar. Grandfather of Balderich, the old leader of Marcomanni.

  Bait – servant boy of Balderich

  Balderich – grandson of the famous Aristovistus, grandfather of Hraban, leader of the Marcomanni.

  Bark – brother of Wulf, priest of Freyr, foe of Maroboodus.

  Bero – brother of Hulderic. Followed Hulderic from Gothonia to regain his ring and to have his vengeance. Foe to Maroboodus.

  Burbetomagus – shared capital of the Mediomactri Celts and the Vangiones.

  Catualda – son of Bero, cousin to Maroboodus.

  Cerunnos – son of Teutorigos

  Chatti - a fearsome Germanic tribe living north of the Maine River, south of the Cherusci.

  Cherusci – a mighty Germanic tribe living at Weser and Elbe Rivers.

  Danubius River – Danube River.

  Draupnir – ring of Woden. Every ninth day, this wondrous, dwarven-crafted ring would spill eight others.

  Draupnir's Spawn – spawn of Draupnir, Woden's ring, and the influential ancient ring of Hraban's family.

  Ear – brother of Raganthar, cousin of Leuthard

  Ebbe – Chatti noble, father of Gunda and Adgandestrius, ever ready to oppose Rome.

  Elisedd – Celt woman in Sparrow’s Flight

  Ermendrud – daughter of Fulch the Red

  Fulch the Red – warlord of Bero, father of Ermendrud.

  Gaius – scribe of Tiberius

  Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus – the first man of Rome, seemingly keeping Rome a republic, but in reality, creating an empire where he would hold the power over the military and much of the legislative power. Strove to ensure the continuation of his line in charge of Rome.

  Galdr – magic, spells, rhythmic spell singing.

  Gau – a Germanic county, administrative area.

  Gernot – Hraban's weak-willed brother.

  Gothoni – old Germanic tribe from the Baltic Sea.

  Grinrock – capital of the southern Marcomanni, home of Isfried.

  Gunhild – sister to Sigilind, Hraban's aunt. Daughter of Balderich.

  Guthbert – Batavi rider of Maroboodus, brother of Leuthard.

  Hard Hill – capital of the Marcomanni, oppidum hill next to Rheine.

  Harmod the Old – champion of Hulderic.

  Helm – warrior of Leuthard

  Hermanduri – vast Suebi nation covering much of the Weser River. Roman allies.

  Hraban – the Raven, the Oath Breaker, son of Maroboodus.

  Hulderic – Hulderic the Gothoni, noble of ancient house, father of Maroboodus, grandfather to Hraban, brother of Bero.

  Hunfrid – a Vangione noble, son of Vago, brother of Shayla, Koun, and Vannius.

  Ingrid – slave of Balderich, serves Teutorigos

  Iodocus – Celt, servant of Hulderic

  Issa – Alpsman, servant of Tiberius

  Koun – a Vangione noble, foe to free Germani. Brother of Shayla, Vannius, and Hunfrid, son of Vago.

  Leuthard – a Batavi warrior who served Bero, then Maroboodus. Brother to Guthbert, former lord of the Brethren

  Luppia River – Lippe River in middle Germany. Where much of the Germanic wars took place.

  Marcomanni – the bordermen, Suebi Germanic tribe divided into two gaus, counties. Led by Balderich and Maroboodus.

  Marcus Lollius Paulinus – governor of Gaul, responsible for losing an eagle to the Sigambri

  Maroboodus – son of Hulderic, father to Hraban and Gernot, husband to Sigilind. A man returning home after a long period, bringing with him war and threat of destruction of the whole world.

  Mare Suebicum – the Baltic Sea.

  Mare Germanicum – the North Sea.

&nbs
p; Mattium – famed capital of the Chatti, home of Ebbe. Oppidum.

  Mediomactri – Gauls living west of Rheine River, opposite to the Marcomanni. Share their land with the Germanic Vangiones

  Melheim – brother of Isfried, brutal and treacherous. Noble of the southern Marcomanni.

  Moenus River – Maine River, where Hraban lives as a youth.

  Moganticum – a major Roman military base started by Agrippa, it kept growing into a naval base and a trade city. Mainz of today, located where Maine River combines with Rheine.

  Nero Claudius Drusus – Stepson of Augustus, son of Livia, brother of Tiberius. The leader of the early wars against the Germani east of Rheine, and the greatest, best liked leader of his time.

  Oldaric – the other Chatti lord, father of Albine. Stubborn and slow to oppose Rome.

  Quadi – a Suebi tribe, allies of the Marcomanni north of Maine River.

  Raganthar – leader of the Brethren, brother of Ear, cousin of Leuthard

  Ragnarök – the final battle of Germanic mythology, the end of most of the living things, the gods included.

  Seidr – magical power of Freya, the war goddess, mistress of seduction. Völvas use it.

  Seisyll – Mediomactri lord and relative of Teutorigos

  Shayla – a half Celt, half Germani druid, opponent of Tear, trying to steer away the prophecy of the end of the world. Sister to Vannius, Koun, and Hunfrid.

  Sigambri – old Germanic tribe living around Lippe River. Always at war with Rome along with the Bructeri, Usipetes, Marsi and Tencteri.

  Sigilind – daughter of Balderich, wife of Maroboodus, mother of Hraban and Gernot.

  Suebi – a vast confederacy of Germanic tribes stretching from Sweden to Danube River.

  Tallo – Quadi noble, brother of Tudrus the Older and Sibratus.

  Tencteri – Germanic tribe from the Lippe River.

  The Three Spinners – norns, the Germanic deities, or spirits, sitting at the foot of the world tree, by the Well of Fate, weaving the past, the present, and the future of each living creature. Also called Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld.

  Tiberius Claudius Nero – brother of Drusus, stepson of Augustus, and a fine general who recovered the Aquila lost by Lollius

  Vaettir – Germanic nature spirits.

  Vago - king of the Vangiones, foe to Marcomanni and the Quadi. Leader of I Vangiorum, a Roman Auxilia unit. Father of Shayla, Koun, Vannius, and Hunfrid.

  Vangiones – a Germani tribe serving Rome.

  Vannius – a Vangione noble, son of Vago, brother to Shayla, Koun, and Hunfrid.

  Visurgis River – Weser River.

  Woden – also known as Odin, the leader of the Aesir gods, one of the creators of men and the world.

  Woden's Gift – spawn of Draupnir, Woden's ring, the influential ancient ring of Hraban's family.

  Wyrd – fate in Germanic mythology.

  Yggdrasill – the world tree, where the nine worlds hang from. Source of all life.

  “One sword from a Goth lord,

  To kill a Roman bore.

  Another from a beast,

  To enslave the god of feast.

  Three fates shall entwine,

  Tears will fall on a grave of pine.”

  BOOK 1: THE HANGED MAN

  “Yes, we’ll come and fetch the sword. We’ll not burn you out, but eat you raw.”

  Raganthar to Adalwulf

  CHAPTER 1

  NEAR HARD HILL (CAPITAL OF THE MARCOMANNI, B.C. 16)

  Thief.

  The stabbing shame was back.

  It’s impossible to escape it, I thought. I chased it away, but it returned like dog to its vomit. I tried to drown it with a smile, but it turned the smile sour. I pressed the sides of my head with both hands, and rapped my skull, trying to squeeze and beat the bothersome, stabbing knowledge of my crime out, but the brief pain didn’t help at all. I reasoned with the shame, hoping it might dissipate like a cloud on a hot day, but the irksome thought remained there, shaming and mocking my efforts.

  And so, I let it win.

  A thief. A damned, thieving bastard. That’s what you are, I thought, and let go of my skull before anyone saw and thought me mad, and I sulked instead.

  Not even the distance helped. While I rode far from my home that bright summer day, long miles and miles from the hills of my homeland, I would not escape the humbling thought of my crime. Awake or dreaming, the thieving crime was there, always there. I had escaped my homelands, hoping for new winds. While I loved the new sights, the odd lands I passed, embraced the possibility of a fresh start so far from the lands of the Chatti and Mattium, I felt the same. Occasionally, the shame grasped my heart, squeezed it brutally. I had never imagined shame might be so strong it could physically hurt one.

  “Gods, let the distance heal me,” I whispered, but only the insufferably happy birds answered, their high, excited calls glorifying the summer as they flew low across a barley field. The crime took place in the lands of the Chatti. That oppidum, a mighty hill fort was far, it was true.

  But not so the object of the crime.

  The reason for my hardship was between my legs. Nay, there was no woman involved.

  The horse.

  I had stolen a horse, and rode it. I had my thighs wrapped around my shame, I thought. I chuckled at the irony, felt my belly rumble from hunger, and contemplated on eating Snake-Bite, the horse, not for the first time since I entered the lands of the Marcomanni. Would that erase the crime?

  No.

  The horse had little real worth, I kept telling myself. It was old, though a great beast of ancient bloodline, but I loved it because of what it was. It was an anchor, like the heavy stones men throw to the river, tied to the boat to keep it still in the currents. I would not part with it.

  It had belonged to my father.

  Yet, fathers die, no matter the age of their sons and daughters. He was gone one morning of winter, dead of snot and cough, and then everything he had owned belonged to my uncle, Germain.

  No, do not think I hated Germain. I did not. Nor did I hate his wife, or my cousin, with whom I grew up. He was Ansgar, near my age. How could I hate a man who found me hugging my dead father, assured me I would be fine, that life would go on, and I’d meet father in the halls of the gods, one day? How could I hate the man for showing me how to be a man, how to hunt, how to fight? Wasn’t he the lord who gave me a shield and a spear before all his warriors?

  And yet, I’m a thief.

  Like any orphan living under someone else’s rich roof, there were moments I hated Ansgar. He always had that special position, the attention, and the smile from a proud father. I knew Ansgar would have more opportunities, and successes I would not be able to mimic, because he would be rich, and Germain was a famous warlord. And while Father had been rich enough, I knew it would not be easy to regain his former lands from Germain. Uncle had grown richer and mightier with the fields, woods, and halls of Father. With those riches, he had gained fame, and such fame was not easily halved, if one meant to pay his men in cows and recognition. Life was not fair, and that was all there was to it. I knew it, somewhere in the back of my mind.

  I stroked the horse, and it whinnied, as if in agreement.

  Death robs us of happiness. Woden kick Father in the balls for dying.

  I frowned, and swatted at some stubborn flies, as if to chase away the guilt. Germain had treated me well, while not as a son, but well enough. Perhaps I was a selfish, stupid bastard, as well as a thief. If my extended family now had a feud against me, which they surely did, then I had deserved it.

  “Thief,” the voice whispered to me, and I noticed I had uttered it aloud as Snake-Bite’s ears shot up.

  Feuds would come back to haunt me. Men would hunt me. That was the other nagging thought which had bothered me down the lengths of the wooded hills of the Chatti lands, even after I left Mattium’s fortified top, the great oppidum’s gates. A thief, and a failure, I added in my head, should be hunted down. Uncle wo
uld hate me for my ill deed, for my disobedience, for shaming him. Why shouldn’t he, despite the low worth of the horse?

  Pride would force him to find me.

  He would send men, and forget the blood, because he would not let men see him as a weakling. That would mean some of those men would challenge him, steal from him, and threaten him and Ansgar.

  I stroked the beast again, and it shuddered appreciatively under the touch, and seemed to nod its head as it navigated some large ferns. I stopped it to look around. I gazed at the sky, where perfectly white clouds travelled like peaceful thoughts, and I wished I were a hawk, so I could find the great river I was seeking. I was committed, I decided. It was too late to undo the deed, even if I had nearly turned back so many times, especially when I was still riding across our own land, the land of the Chatti.

  I had still occasionally considered returning after I had left the lands of the last lord, exited the furthest of the border gaus, and arrived at the banks of the River we called Silver Scales, and the Romans called River Moenus. I had travelled the north bank of the river, headed west for the great River Rhenus as the Romans named it, hailing the Quadi Suebi tribes living on the northern shore, brave men who squatted in the middle of our hostile Chatti tribes, the savage horse-warriors of the Matticati of the northern hills, and the eastern menace of the mighty, merciless Hermanduri, and I visited their halls as a guest.

  They asked few question, cared little for the reasons of a lonely Chatti riding their lands, shared food and shelter willingly, and stoically planned their raids, cattle rustling expeditions—some against my people—and dispensed justice while I looked on. A Quadi, a lord of a gau called Tallo, had spoken with me, and boasted how many horses he had stolen from my people. We had toasted each other, and he had made me feel better about my thievery. It was a matter of livelihood in Germania, to steal. He had seen my turmoil, smiling wistfully, and gave me useless advice.