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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

“I would say your prayers have been answered. The Lord has other plans for Gwawrddur, I think.”

The effect of the tribulations of the day washed over me then like the storm waves that had threatened to swamp Brymsteda. I emptied the cup of ale I had brought for Gwawrddur, and lay down beside him.

In moments, I was asleep. I dreamt I was lord of a great hall. Upon my knee sat a flaxen-haired beauty. She fed me choice cuts of succulent meat and poured me great horns of ale and mead.

Twenty-Five

I awoke to smells of cooking and the sounds of bustling womenfolk. Opening my eyes, I stretched. My shoulders and back ached from the long afternoon of rowing, but I felt more refreshed than I had in days. The dream of the beautiful girl still lingered in my mind, the way the taste of honey sits in your mouth long after you have finished a sweet oatcake.

The doors to the hall had been opened to the day and I was surprised to see bright sunshine streaming in, the shaft of light hazing the smoke-laden air of Tannskári’s hall. With a start I realised that Leofstan and Gwawrddur had already risen. Their blankets were neatly folded where they had slept. Looking around, I saw that most of the hall was empty of the men who had crowded the floor during the night. The only one of the crew who had yet to awaken was Gersine, who still snored softly near me. I rose, folding my blanket as the others had done, and made my way towards the door.

The round-faced woman from the night before stepped away from the cauldron she was tending and moved to intercept me. In the stark light of the morning sun I saw her face was lined and weary, her mouth pinched in a serious scowl.

“I saved you some porridge,” she said in Norse. “You looked like you needed the sleep.” Her lips did not smile, but her eyes glimmered with a warmth I had not noticed before.

She held a bowl and a wooden spoon in her hands, which I accepted.

“My thanks,” I said, using the language of her people.

She nodded approvingly.

“There is ale and water over there.”

She turned back to the pot. At a table nearby, women were busy cutting dried fish, onions and wild leek, while others kneaded bread dough.

I made my way outside, pausing to pour myself a cup of water from a clay jug near the door. I blinked in the bright sunshine, again shocked at how late I had slept. Down at the beach several figures were working on and around Brymsteda. Runolf’s height, and his blaze of red hair and beard marked him even from this distance. I thought I recognised Mancas and Hereward too.