A Shiver of Snow and Sky by Lisa Lueddecke

Author:Lisa Lueddecke
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic
Published: 2017-12-27T05:00:00+00:00

It was difficult to make good time in the trees, both from the varying depth of snow to the tall trunks constantly having to be avoided. Whenever there was a clearing, they urged the horses forward as fast as they could go, then reined them in again to circle the trees. The further they travelled, the more intense the smell of the smoke became. It began to sicken Ivar’s stomach, hanging thicker and thicker in the air. Even the horse’s pace began to slow, his ears darting around as he sniffed nervously.

Sigvard moved to ride beside them. “Whatever we find up here, it won’t be good,” he said.

Minutes later, the ruins of Is̊avik lay before them. The houses had been burned from the inside out, the snow still hissing and melting away. Anything that would burn lay charred and blackened, smoking and crumbling to ash. Blood sat red against the snow, bodies fallen haphazardly around the village. No one moved. No one breathed.

“Devils,” Sigvard breathed. Eldór remained silent, staring.

“How did they get here?” Móri asked.

Ivar jumped from the horse and walked slowly to the nearest body, which was not yet cold. Motionless. Eyes glazed over with death. Teeth missing. “They might have come in the boat with the others,” he said quietly. “Or on one we haven’t found.” Then, after examining the body more closely, he said, “This is new. Look for tracks.”

“You think four of us can hunt down an unknown number of Ør?” Eldór asked.

“If they don’t know we’re coming we’ll have an advantage,” Ivar said, remounting the horse. “We have to stop them before they reach another village. This must be their plan. They’re going to try to eradicate our people village by village, before we can all stand together, working their way down from the north. Take us out without needing a fight.” He didn’t wait for a reply, only steered the horse away and began searching the snow for tracks.

He swiftly found some, leading out of the village and into the forest headed south, on a different route than Ivar and the others had taken to reach Is̊avik. They must have passed each other with too much distance to notice. The tracks were large and messy, difficult to read, but after a few moments, they all seemed to agree on five. Five Ør. That’s all it had taken to destroy an entire village.

“All right,” said Eldór, finally finding his voice and speaking with his usual air of authority. “We track them down, but when we’re close, we abandon the horses and go on foot. Sigvard and Móri carry bows. That will give us two surprise shots to take two of them down before they realize we’re following them. Do not miss.” He stared into their faces in turn, intimidation causing Móri to nod, but Sigvard only to stare back. “Once they know we’re there, we’ll rush them as fast as we can. Ivar, how many knives do you have?”

He felt at his waist, and answered, “Two.

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