Meeting her was the worst kind of luck. You might almost suspect that the Old Man, seeing Thor and Yours Truly sneaking out of Asgard, had sent her to keep an eye on his son and make sure he didn’t run into trouble. Could Odin have suspected me? The thought didn’t exactly fill me with reassurance. Still, it was too late to change the plan. And so we accepted her offer of a night’s hospitality and followed her back to her cabin at the edge of the pine woods.

There, she fed us on fresh-caught fish and made us two beds by the fireside. She offered us beer and honey-wine, but I wasn’t in the mood for drinking. Something really didn’t feel right. My nerves were ringing alarm bells, and when I finally fell asleep, it was thin, unsatisfying sleep, from which I was roused some time later by the sound of whispering.

I kept my eyes closed and listened. Grid and Thor were still awake. I was already feeling uneasy; then I caught Geirrod’s name in the conversation, and sensed I might be in trouble. I continued to feign sleep; after a minute or two, Thor came over to where I lay, and stood there for a long time. Still I kept my eyes closed; then after a while he went to bed, and soon I heard him snoring.

In the morning, we set off again, and I watched Thor attentively, trying to work out how much he knew. I saw with growing discomfort that Grid had lent him her belt of strength and her iron gauntlets. I wanted to ask him why, but couldn’t find a way to do it without arousing suspicion. There were two ravens flying above the canyon through which we were travelling; I suspected Hugin and Munin, and wondered – not for the first time – whether Odin was spying on us.

Why would Odin do that?

Well – Odin hadn’t got where he was through honesty and openness. He’d chosen to recruit me knowing my volatile nature, and though he’d kept his promises of friendship and protection, he’d never really trusted me. Fact is, I don’t think he trusted anyone – not even Thor, his own son – which, looking back, explains a lot about what happened later.

But those birds unsettled me. Besides, I knew that by this time Geirrod and his daughters would be watching my approach from afar, and if they saw the ravens, or suspected a double-cross, then I’d be in a world of hurt.