Instead he observed Ramedios. There was a restlessness about the captain that drew his eye. He would pace the decks, barking out orders, as if the force that carried the ship southward found its origin in him. More surprising was that he took an interest in Erlan. At first only a few moments at a time. He’d catch Erlan’s attention, point at something, then say the word in his language. At night, when the crew were bedded down and Leikr curled up beside Aska in the bows, Ramedios sat up with Erlan and they wrestled their way through words and gestures towards some sort of understanding, until even Erlan felt he had given a reasonable account of where they were from. And as the Dnipar grew wider, Erlan decided that he liked the man and was grateful to learn from him the tongue of the Hellenes, as Ramedios called his own people. ‘But most know us by another name. Graikoi.’

The Greeks.

It was a sweet day when Erlan smelled salt on the air. He dragged himself forward to where Leikr was gripping the bow-post, gazing out to the horizon.

‘You can taste it, can’t you?’ said Leikr.

‘Aye.’

‘The Black Sea. . . My father always said whoever reached here entered the gateway to another world.’

‘I guess we’ll find out. You and me, huh?’

‘I guess.’ Leikr’s eyes were shadow-ringed and dull compared to how they used to look. ‘I never imagined a life without my brother. Even though he’d drive me half-mad, I. . . I always thought he’d be there.’

‘He was a good lad. A good man.’ He put his hand on Leikr’s shoulder. ‘You’ve got a lot of life left to live, my friend. Remember that. And who knows what lies out there?’ Ahead, the sun was breaking through scudding clouds and glittering off the waves. ‘Fame and fortune, maybe. That’d be something to return to your father with, hey?’

‘I suppose,’ Leikr said dully. ‘But it would have been better to share it with Adalrik.’

‘A man’s fate finds him out. The Norns weave the thread of his life and –’ he shrugged – ‘so it goes.’ That was what folk told each other in the north anyway – to mellow the bitterness of life’s cup. It had always seemed cold comfort to him. But he had nothing better to offer.

Once at sea, their course swung west, then south, following the coastline. The ship, though sturdy enough, was no sea-wolf bounding over the wave-tops. Heavy with its precious cargo, she wallowed through the swell like a pregnant sow, and Ramedios dared not stray too far from shore.