“Stop the fight!” Thorgunna cried aloud and ran forth. Helgi caught her arms and forced her back, where she struggled and kicked till Grim must help. I saw grief on my son’s face but a malicious grin on the carle’s.

Gerald turned to look. Ketill’s blade came down and slashed his left hand. He dropped the ax. Ketill snarled and readied to finish him. Gerald drew his gun. It made a flash and a barking noise. Ketill fell, twitched for a moment, and was quiet. His lower jaw was blown off and the back of his head gone.

There came a long stillness, where only the wind and the sea had voice.

Then Hjalmar trod forth, his face working but a cold steadiness over him. He knelt and closed his son’s eyes, as token that the right of vengeance was his. Rising, he said. “That was an evil deed. For that you shall be outlawed.”

“It wasn’t magic,” said Gerald in a numb tone. “It was like a…a bow. I had no choice. I didn’t want to fight with more than my fists.”

I trod between them and said the Thing must decide this matter, but that I hoped Hjalmar would take weregild for Ketill.

“But I killed him to save my own life!” protested Gerald.

“Nevertheless, weregild must be paid, if Ketill’s kin will take it,” I explained. “Because of the weapon, I think it will be doubled, but that is for the Thing to judge.”

Hjalmar had many other sons, and it was not as if Gerald belonged to a family at odds with his own, so I felt he would agree. However, he laughed coldly and asked where a man lacking wealth would find the silver.

Thorgunna stepped up with a wintry calm and said we would pay it. I opened my mouth, but when I saw her eyes I nodded. “Yes, we will,” I said, “in order to keep the peace.”

“Then you make this quarrel your own?” asked Hjalmar.

“No,” I answered. “This man is no blood of my own. But if I choose to make him a gift of money to use as he wishes, what of it?”

Hjalmar smiled. There was sorrow crinkled around his eyes, but he looked on me with old comradeship.

“Erelong this man may be your son-in-law,” he said. “I know the signs, Ospak. Then indeed he will be of your folk. Even helping him now in his need will range you on his side.”

“And so?” asked Helgi, most softly.

“And so, while I value your friendship, I have sons who will take the death of their brother ill. They’ll want revenge on Gerald Samsson, if only for the sake of their good names, and thus our two houses will be sundered and one manslaying will lead to another. It has happened often enough erenow.” Hjalmar sighed. “I myself wish peace with you, Ospak, but if you take this killer’s side it must be otherwise.”

I thought for a moment, thought of Helgi lying with his skull cloven, of my other sons on their garths drawn to battle because of a man they had never seen, I thought of having to wear byrnies every time we went down for driftwood and never knowing when we went to bed whether we would wake to find the house ringed in by spearmen.