Page 25

13

The beach was smooth and narrow, leading to an inlet. The ground sloped up, and as they approached, they found it steeper than they had originally expected. They both agreed to be cautious, as they were not entirely sure what they would find.

They crept through woodland and snacked on some berries they found, making their way toward the sounds of a village. Plumes of smoke rose in the air, which helped guide them, and before too long, they were faced with another industrious village. They seemed to be in the middle of a feast. The smell of roasted, succulent meat was carried on the air and made their stomachs rumble. Sigrid licked her lips and longed for a taste. There was a man standing in the middle of a gathered crowd. It looked as though he was in the middle of a story, for he gestured with his arms, and occasionally there was a rumble of laughter from the crowd as they tucked into their food.

“I suppose there’s nothing to do now but announce our presence and hope that he looks upon us with kindness,” Erik said. “Do you want to wait here? There’s no sense putting both of us in danger. If I get captured, at least you can make it back to the boat.”

“We’re in this together,” Sigrid said.

“You still don’t trust me, even after all this time?” he asked with arched eyebrows and a light tone to his voice, so she knew that he was teasing. Even so, she wondered if he truly thought that of her. She didn’t doubt him now. In fact, she trusted him more than she had ever trusted anyone, and if they were going to suffer, then she intended for them to suffer together.

They emerged from the woodland and walked into the village. Nobody paid attention to them at first, for they were all busy with other things, and it was never too strange to see a Viking wandering across the lands. As they approached, Gunnar’s voice became clearer. He was indeed telling the story of a great hunt, reenacting how he had managed to subdue a beast. Gunnar was a tall man with a lean build. His hair was long and golden, his beard a deep brown. In between his story, he took great bites of meat and then proceeded to shower the people in front of him with spittle and flecks of chewed meat, not that they seemed to mind. But as he looked up and brought his arm around in a sweeping gesture, his gaze fell upon Erik, and he stopped in the middle of his sentence. His jaw dropped, and he walked toward this stranger. The rest of the Vikings were surprised that he had been silenced, and their gaze turned to the person who had captured his attention.

“No…it can’t be, after all this time?” Gunnar asked. “Ragnar, is that you?”

Erik smiled, for back at home, it had always been his brother who had favored his father’s looks, but he was proud to resemble Ragnar enough that this man might confuse the two.

“I apologize; I am not the man you remember. Rather, I am his son, Erik.”

“Erik? Yes…yes, I remember hearing word of a son being born. Oh, this is wonderful!” A wide smile broke out upon Gunnar’s face as he walked up directly to Erik and gripped his shoulders, shaking him slightly. His eyes were filled with delight. Sigrid breathed a sigh of relief that Erik was being welcomed as a friend rather than an enemy, although she was still reluctant to let her guard down completely after what had happened with Elof.

“And who is this?” Gunnar asked, turning his attention toward Sigrid.

“This is my…companion, Sigrid,” Erik said. Sigrid offered a thin smile and wasn’t sure how she felt about being referred to as a companion. Was she a friend? Was she something more? She wasn’t sure herself what Erik was to her either. This is why she preferred the ways of war. Battle was far simpler than emotion.

“Well, it’s a glorious day when a Hoffstad is in Norway again! This is cause for celebration. Is your father here with you or your uncle?” Gunnar asked.

“I’m afraid not. Actually, I have come to you with a request for aid. I…think it’s best if we talk alone,” Erik said. Gunnar noticed his somber tone and nodded. He barked orders at a couple of men to gather some meat and drink and then led Erik and Sigrid to a table where they could sit down. Sigrid was glad to have some food in her belly. The meat was tender and delicious, and it slid down to her stomach without any trouble at all. She let Erik do the talking, this time out of choice. Unlike Elof, Gunnar didn’t seem to have any problem with the fact that she was a woman.

“Tell me what happened, Erik. Are Ragnar and your uncle in good health?” Gunnar asked.

“They are. At least, they were when I left.”

Gunnar laughed and slapped his thighs. “There were many of us who thought it was madness when they decided to stay in the Highlands. I always knew they could make it work, though. If anyone could, it was them.”

“I wasn’t aware you were still in contact with them,” Erik said.

“Not directly, but word travels between Vikings, you know. It would be good to see them again. This land does not feel right without having a Hoffstad upon its soil.”

“I am starting to believe that myself,” Erik muttered. “I feel as though things might have been in a better situation had my family remained here. There seems to be a serpent among your midst.” Gunnar looked at him with a confused look, so Erik elaborated with just two words. “Ivar Bjork.”

Sigrid looked up from her meal to see a look of understanding pass across Gunnar’s face. The smile faded, and there was a haunted look in his eyes.

“Ah, yes, Ivar.”

“So you know of him?”

“It’s impossible to live in these lands and not know of Ivar.”

“What happened? He said that he has a grudge against my father and uncle. Do you know any more of the story?”

Gunnar stroked his chin. “All I know is that back when Ragnar and Erik were here, Ivar was an upstart. He wanted more. He wanted it all, and he was annoyed that he could never defeat the Hoffstads in battle. So he went looking elsewhere. He found allies, other Vikings who had left Norway a long time ago to travel the world, and he built up his army. When he came back, and the Hoffstads were gone, he couldn’t believe his luck. He attacked smaller clans to seize their land and their ships.”

“Did you not think this was worrying? Didn’t you do anything to help?”

Gunnar shrugged. “Raiding is a way of life, even against Vikings. I can’t say that I agreed with it, but if they weren’t strong enough to defend themselves, then clearly the gods didn’t favor them.” Sigrid blanched at this, although she did not say anything. She was getting tired of debating the will of the gods with people. “I made a choice then to focus on the strength of my clan. I’ve been able to stay away from Ivar and even defeat his ships a few times, but I have heard rumors about the strength of his fleet. I’m not sure we could withstand an attack if he sent the full force of his army to us, but I try and stay out of his way as much as possible. Why does he concern you?”

“Because he captured me. There was a Viking in the Highlands causing trouble, Arne Hagen,” Erik said. Gunnar nodded at the name. “I believe he was working with Ivar. I came over here to talk with various clans about what was happening in the Highlands to hopefully try and stop it, but Ivar captured me before I even landed. He beat me and threatened to kill me. I’m trying to make it back home. All I need is a ship and a crew, then I can get help from home and put an end to Ivar once and for all.”