He took a step forward. His blade whirred. Uffi caught it in his shield. He cut at a leg while he tried to twist the sword from Hadding’s hand. Hadding had already slacked the thews in his other leg. He swung aside and the blow missed. Nor had he driven his own edge too deeply into the wood. He had hewn slantwise, to strike across the grain, and merely nicked it. With nothing to drag at, Uffi’s twist swept his shield aside, baring the arm behind it. Before he could bring it back, Hadding had slashed from elbow to wrist.

Uffi lowered his head and bored in. Iron banged and rang. Hadding’s sword found only helmet or byrnie. Uffi struck Hadding on the left thigh. There likewise ringmail turned the edge, but it was a mighty blow. With no padding beneath, that low down, it bruised like a slingstone on bare flesh. Hadding faltered. Barely did he get his shield between Uffi’s blade and his own neck. Uffi chopped at his calf. Hadding sidestepped, but his lame foot betrayed him. He slipped on the mud and went over.

Uffi yelped and moved in to hack him from above. Hadding rolled onto his back. His two-legged kick got Uffi in the belly. The Yngling fell too. He was up on his knees as fast as the other man. For a while, kneeling, the two flailed.

Hadding worked his way backward. When he knocked Uffi’s swordpoint to the ground, he could leap up. The Swede swung at his shin. Awaiting that, he blocked with his blade. His right boot dug into the mire. It flung a spattering gob into his foeman’s eyes.

Uffi screamed. Before he could see again, Hadding caught him once more on the left forearm. This time the sword hit better. Blood spurted. The shield fell free.

Rain flooded Uffi’s face clean. His blade winged to and fro. Hadding could not come near. Uffi rose.

Dauntlessly he lumbered to attack. Swords met. Hadding’s was well-nigh torn loose. He sprang back. Blow after blow gnawed his shield. Never could he trap the edge. Suddenly, though, he rammed it ahead to meet the next cut. The iron glanced off. He had an opening. His blade struck like an adder. Into Uffi’s left leg it went, above the knee that thrust out from the byrnie, to the bone and onward.

Uffi sank to earth. On his right knee, the left leg useless and blood rivering from it, he snarled up at Hadding through the rain. “Come and get me,” he grated, “if you dare.” Thunder rolled around his words.

“I could stand here and watch you die,” said Hadding, “but you are worthy of better. Yet I wonder if you would have given me this much.”