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Back A Night of Flames
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

“Aye,” replied Ingvar. Something had changed since we had passed the burnt body, and our guide seemed more ready to speak to us. Perhaps he understood fully now that this journey had only two possible outcomes, and his luck was entwined with ours. Or perhaps he just wanted to speak so that his mind did not dwell on the death of his friends. “Ljósberari was bold by the time he reached Sand,” he said. “His band of thralls and children had been steering clear of larger settlements before that. Olvir may be a fool, but he is no craven, and he takes his oath to his people seriously. When he led his warriors to meet Ljósberari the night they did for Vigfus and his folk, I think it was the first serious fight the light bringer had faced.”

“Hjalti, the king’s brother, led a force against him,” I said.

Ingvar raised an eyebrow.

“I know nothing of that,” replied Ingvar, “but if true, the king’s brother did not best him. Whatever the reason, at Sand, they turned tail quick enough.” He frowned, remembering the days and nights that followed. “But after that defeat, no small farm was passed without being put to the flame.”

We rowed on in silence through clouds of midges and flies that swarmed above the water. The land to both sides of the river was steeper now, rising up to craggy peaks. With the sun low in the sky Gullbringa entered deep shadow when we rounded a northerly bend. It was colder here and I shivered. We passed the remains of another burnt building, this time a smaller hut, with no wharf. I offered up a silent prayer of thanks to the Lord that there was no visible reminder of the atrocities that had been committed there.

Nobody spoke, but Runolf pulled on his oar so hard that the boat began to veer to one side. Given his comments aboard Grágás and his disparaging remarks about Gullbringa, I had been surprised when Runolf had offered to row, but when it had been Sygbald’s turn to row again, Runolf had taken his place without comment or complaint.

Sygbald remained pale, and by common consent it had been agreed that he would row no more that day.

“We will reach Suldalsvatnet in the morning,” Ingvar said. “We will camp here tonight.” He steered us towards a small island. The Lågen was wide here, and the island lay a spear’s throw off the southern bank. “Tomorrow we will cross the great lake and with luck, we will reach the mouth of the northern river that will lead us to Ljósberari by the end of the day.”