and the others behind. He died cutting a path clear for me to escape. I will never forget his words that night. ‘Someone must survive to avenge us,' he told me. ‘If you reach the forest, they will never take you. None can match you there. You must do this thing for me. For all of us. Survive and avenge us.' I did survive, and I will avenge Harald."
I said no more. Floki was quiet for a long time, pondering my words. Finally, begrudgingly, he nodded his head. "I can see this," he said. "It is what Harald would have done." He took a deep breath, and blew it out slowly. "But you should know this," he added. "Baug, me, Gudfred, and the others, we go on this voyage for one reason: to kill Toke. We will join with Jarl Hastein, and we will follow him on this voyage, because we must, to avenge Harald and the others. You should understand that we follow the jarl, not you. You may be Harald's half-brother, and Hrorik's son. You may be a warrior to the jarl and his men. But we know who you are. We know what you are. You are not a chieftain—especially not our chieftain, and you never will be. We are not your men."
5
The Omen
We—the men-folk of the estate, and those few of us, like Einar and me, who'd traveled here with Hastein and deigned to help—finished cutting the hay that same day. Two days later, we brought it into the byre. Gudfred and Floki and some of the other carls protested that it was too soon, that the hay was still too green. Hastein countered that if they thought so, those who remained behind could continue turning it in the byre, to ensure it did not grow mold and spoil.
Hastein and Torvald began the training during the days while the hay lay drying out in the fields. It did not go well. The disagreement that had begun over the hay continued during the training, and grew into discord. Hastein and Torvald insisted that the men of the estate and village adopt their ways, their commands, their style of working together in a shield-wall. In truth, the differences between what Hastein demanded and what Hrorik's men were used to were minor. But some of Hastein's crew rolled their eyes and sniggered into their sleeves at the newcomers' initial awkwardness with moves and commands they did not know, and the men-folk of the estate and village seethed at the disrespect they felt was being shown them. In the few practice skirmishes that were fought, blows that should have been pulled were at times struck, and more than once tempers flared.
After three days of training—the last occurring after the practice was interrupted for a full day while the hay in the fields was gathered and hauled to the byre—Hastein declared that he was satisfied. Clearly he was not, but he must have felt that sailing with a crew not yet melded was the better alternative to sailing with one whose members were in a state of open hostility. He told Torvald to supervise the loading of provisions and fresh water aboard the ships, and have them ready to sail in the morn.
I had my own preparations to make. I had won considerable wealth during the campaign in Frankia. I felt it unwise to continue carrying it with me in my sea chest everywhere I traveled. Ships—even those commanded by the best of captains—sometimes sink.
During the days we'd been at the estate, I had continued to use the small enclosed sleeping chamber that formerly had been Hrorik's and Gunhild's as my own. It pleased me that by doing so, Gunhild was forced to continue sleeping in the bed-closet that had once belonged to my mother. I wished for her rest every night to be disturbed by the memory of how Hrorik had given it to my mother. It had infuriated Gunhild at the time. I hoped it angered her still.
After the first night, I had moved my sea chest from the Gull to the sleeping chamber. I opened it now and surveyed its contents. Some of them—my arms and armor, for certain, the blacksmith's tools I'd purchased in Hedeby, my spare clothing, the simple but sturdy pottery
I said no more. Floki was quiet for a long time, pondering my words. Finally, begrudgingly, he nodded his head. "I can see this," he said. "It is what Harald would have done." He took a deep breath, and blew it out slowly. "But you should know this," he added. "Baug, me, Gudfred, and the others, we go on this voyage for one reason: to kill Toke. We will join with Jarl Hastein, and we will follow him on this voyage, because we must, to avenge Harald and the others. You should understand that we follow the jarl, not you. You may be Harald's half-brother, and Hrorik's son. You may be a warrior to the jarl and his men. But we know who you are. We know what you are. You are not a chieftain—especially not our chieftain, and you never will be. We are not your men."
5
The Omen
We—the men-folk of the estate, and those few of us, like Einar and me, who'd traveled here with Hastein and deigned to help—finished cutting the hay that same day. Two days later, we brought it into the byre. Gudfred and Floki and some of the other carls protested that it was too soon, that the hay was still too green. Hastein countered that if they thought so, those who remained behind could continue turning it in the byre, to ensure it did not grow mold and spoil.
Hastein and Torvald began the training during the days while the hay lay drying out in the fields. It did not go well. The disagreement that had begun over the hay continued during the training, and grew into discord. Hastein and Torvald insisted that the men of the estate and village adopt their ways, their commands, their style of working together in a shield-wall. In truth, the differences between what Hastein demanded and what Hrorik's men were used to were minor. But some of Hastein's crew rolled their eyes and sniggered into their sleeves at the newcomers' initial awkwardness with moves and commands they did not know, and the men-folk of the estate and village seethed at the disrespect they felt was being shown them. In the few practice skirmishes that were fought, blows that should have been pulled were at times struck, and more than once tempers flared.
After three days of training—the last occurring after the practice was interrupted for a full day while the hay in the fields was gathered and hauled to the byre—Hastein declared that he was satisfied. Clearly he was not, but he must have felt that sailing with a crew not yet melded was the better alternative to sailing with one whose members were in a state of open hostility. He told Torvald to supervise the loading of provisions and fresh water aboard the ships, and have them ready to sail in the morn.
I had my own preparations to make. I had won considerable wealth during the campaign in Frankia. I felt it unwise to continue carrying it with me in my sea chest everywhere I traveled. Ships—even those commanded by the best of captains—sometimes sink.
During the days we'd been at the estate, I had continued to use the small enclosed sleeping chamber that formerly had been Hrorik's and Gunhild's as my own. It pleased me that by doing so, Gunhild was forced to continue sleeping in the bed-closet that had once belonged to my mother. I wished for her rest every night to be disturbed by the memory of how Hrorik had given it to my mother. It had infuriated Gunhild at the time. I hoped it angered her still.
After the first night, I had moved my sea chest from the Gull to the sleeping chamber. I opened it now and surveyed its contents. Some of them—my arms and armor, for certain, the blacksmith's tools I'd purchased in Hedeby, my spare clothing, the simple but sturdy pottery
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