“I would have,” Gunnar said. “But I do not trust that you will stay in it.”
“Please, Gunnar. The hour is late, and I will behave, I promise,” Einar said.
“Very well, you will sleep with Bjorn. He can watch you to be sure you stay put.”
Bjorn grunted but did not say anything. His loyalty even under such undesirable circumstances was solid.
“You expect me to sleep with a man after the insult your sister gave me?”
“I do not care about the insult she gave you. The way I see it, you are lucky I do not let Saga finish you off. Now tell me why you are here.”
“Very well, I will share my news.”
The earl shook his head and sat on a nearby bench, clearly having no choice but to concede defeat. Giric found it interesting that at any point, Gunnar could have used brute force, but he crushed this man with words instead. And the effect appeared much more fruitful.
“Snorri Short-Beard plans to claim your lands.”
“I know that, but how and when?” Gunnar asked. “He does not have the numbers to win a challenge against me in that way.”
“He does now,” Einar said with far too much satisfaction.
“How?”
“He says he has King Olaf’s support and with that, extra men.”
“That’s not possible,” Gunnar said. “King Harald granted these lands to me after my father passed. Short-Beard knows this and he has no valid reason to plot against me. And how could he possibly secure King Olaf’s support when the man is in talks with the Scot’s king to marry the man’s daughter? Olaf has no cause to work against me.”
Giric’s ears perked up. What Einar suggested made no sense.
“No reason except his own greed.”
“Olaf will not act against King Harald’s word. I do not believe you, Einar.”
“That is your problem. But he does have more men coming ashore all the time. He is amassing the numbers and told me they were from Olaf of Dublin.”
“But why involve him?”
“To make you feel outnumbered, I expect. That and surrounded with no allies,” Giric said. It now started to make some sense. “If you thought Olaf supported Short-Beard’s claim to these lands, where would you go for support?” Giric was not about to answer the question and give Einar more knowledge than Gunnar wanted. He hoped this would be the defining moment in their relationship. Short-Beard’s plot, whether true or not, helped to solidify Giric’s proposal.
Gunnar sat back and stroked his beard. “I miss the days when enemies came at me head on.”
“Those days are long gone, which is why you need me, Gunnar,” Einar said.
At that point, Gunnar stood and grasped the earl by the furs at his neck. “Our arrangement ends now. You may stay here tonight as stated before, but come sun up, I want you gone and I do not want to see you again.”
“But I have been loyal.”
“And you are spying on me as well as him. This ends now. You may leave of your own accord unscathed, or you will die by my blade.”
The shift in Gunnar was abrupt and lethal. What had been a light jesting tone, now turned to something deadly serious and Giric wondered if he was seeing the true Gunnar Haraldson for the first time.
The earl left the hall without further contest with Bjorn at his heels.
“Tell me you have an army, and we are in business.”
“Between the both of us,” Giric said pointing at Osgar, “we can amass about eight hundred men. That does not include any the king might offer if we have him on-side, which I think can happen. And if the king and Olaf have struck an understanding through a marriage, then you don’t need to worry about Dublin, but you will need to find out where Short-Beard’s extra men are coming from.”
Gunnar nodded then spread his arms toward the table that had been placed in front of his chair. Three additional chairs were placed on either side.
