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Chapters (76)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise forMATTHEW HARFFY
  3. BY MATTHEW HARFFY
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright
  6. Dedication
  7. Maps
  8. Epigraph
  9. Contents
  10. Place Names
  11. One
  12. Two
  13. Three
  14. Four
  15. Five
  16. Six
  17. Seven
  18. Eight
  19. Nine
  20. Ten
  21. Eleven
  22. Twelve
  23. Thirteen
  24. Fourteen
  25. Fifteen
  26. Sixteen
  27. Seventeen
  28. Eighteen
  29. Nineteen
  30. Twenty
  31. Twenty-One
  32. Twenty-Two
  33. Twenty-Three
  34. Twenty-Four
  35. Twenty-Five
  36. Twenty-Six
  37. Twenty-Seven
  38. Twenty-Eight
  39. Twenty-Nine
  40. Thirty
  41. Thirty-One
  42. Thirty-Two
  43. Thirty-Three
  44. Thirty-Four
  45. Thirty-Five
  46. Thirty-Six
  47. Thirty-Seven
  48. Thirty-Eight
  49. Thirty-Nine
  50. Forty
  51. Forty-One
  52. Forty-Two
  53. Forty-Three
  54. Forty-Four
  55. Forty-Five
  56. Forty-Six
  57. Forty-Seven
  58. Forty-Eight
  59. Forty-Nine
  60. Fifty
  61. Fifty-One
  62. Fifty-Two
  63. Fifty-Three
  64. Fifty-Four
  65. Fifty-Five
  66. Fifty-Six
  67. Fifty-Seven
  68. Fifty-Eight
  69. Fifty-Nine
  70. Sixty
  71. Sixty-One
  72. Sixty-Two
  73. Author’s Note
  74. Acknowledgements
  75. About the Author
  76. An Invitation from the Publisher

“The crew still have a lot to learn,” Runolf rumbled, “but it is as good as any ship ever to sail.” He made no mention of his clash with Eadmaer, but the men gave the Norseman a wide berth as they made their way ashore. Several of them, including Leofstan and Gwawrddur, were pale and weak from the terrible bout of sickness that had come over them, but it seemed that Runolf had been right, and they had not been poisoned by bad meat. They had not been long off the rocking deck of the ship before the colour returned to their cheeks and, where at midday they had imagined they would never eat again, or might even die, now, as the sun dipped over the land, they complained of their hunger after the long, tiring day.

Still, after the day of constant sickness for some, and the relentless nature of the work, hauling on ropes and heaving on the oars when the wind did not blow in the direction we needed, the prospect of setting out to sea the following day did not fill everyone with joy.

I had watched Runolf grinning and looking truly happy for the first time I could recall, and I knew he would gladly spend every moment of daylight out on Brymsteda. I too had felt the thrill of the speed and power of the ship. I had not suffered from the sickness that had so afflicted many, and even though my hands were blistered, and my back and shoulders ached from working the oars and pulling on the ropes, I started looking forward to the next morning as soon as I had finished eating the bowl of thick pottage and the fresh bread the womenfolk had made for our return.