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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

Hereward had invited Fridwin, as the senior member of the brethren, to perform the rite, but the abbot sent Benesing instead. The toll on the minster at Gyruum had been terrible, and Benesing told us that Fridwin had not been himself since that day. I had not seen him since he had screamed at me, but he still allowed Benesing and some of the other monks to come to the settlement, where they tended to the wounds and ailments of the villagers. The monks were well-liked and I don’t think any of us missed Fridwin’s presence when we saw it was Benesing, accompanied by the younger Alfhun and Sibbi, that Heca ferried over the river for the blessing ceremony.

I liked Benesing, he was kind, and I would sometimes speak with him and the other monks when they visited, taking solace in being able to converse with men who had a shared background with me. On a couple of occasions I had followed them back over the Uuir when they had headed home to the monastery. At those times I persuaded them to pray with me in the church, and I was thankful to them for their communion.

“Harken, O Lord, to our supplications and bless,” Benesing intoned in Latin, making the sign of the cross in the air, “by Thy holy right hand this ship and all who travel in it, as Thou hast vouchsafed to bless Noah’s ark carried upon the waves of the flood.”

Benesing was pleasant enough, but he was no orator. I understood the words he recited in Latin, as we stood beside the ship. And yet I was the only one there who did, apart from his fellow monks, and his tone droned as he prayed over Brymsteda.

“… send Thy holy Angel from heaven,” he went on, “who may deliver and protect this boat from all dangers, with all who will be therein: and repelling all adversities, grant Thy servants a calm voyage and the always wished-for haven, let them carry out and rightly finish their business, and when the time comes again, call them back to their home with all joy. Amen.”

Thankfully, just as the children started to fidget, the blessing was over.

The people drifted away, and Hereward thanked Benesing for coming.

I looked at the ship and saw Runolf standing alone, still at the prow. As I watched, he pulled a leather flask from beneath his kirtle. Unstopping it, he poured some liquid on Brymsteda’s strakes, prow and deck. He had his back to me, and the brisk breeze from the sea shook the alders, so I could not be certain, but I thought over the rustling of the leaves and the distant sigh of the sea, I could make out Runolf’s rumbling tone.