Blood Eagle by Tim Hodkinson

Author:Tim Hodkinson [Hodkinson, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781801105408
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

27

Unlike the night before, as it was daylight they were able to appreciate the countryside they passed through. It was winter but the fields were green and the riverbanks covered by trees and bushes. The weather was pleasant and far from cold. In the summer it would be lush and rich, the fields fertile and the sun warm. Einar could understand the attraction in this countryside for folk like him from the northern realms, where the winters were bitter and clawing a crop from the iron-hard earth was nothing but hard work. Life here must be good.

As Lord Alan had told them, after a while the river merged with a much larger one. Roan steered the longship out into the new confluence, trying to keep them as far away from either shore as he could manage. The wind caught the sail and it snapped taut. Combined with the downstream flow of the river, it meant the crew could pull the oars in and take it easy.

Most lounged around the deck, glad of the chance to catch up on some more sleep. Einar still sensed an uncomfortable air of disapproval from the others over the words he had spoken earlier, and he decided to find somewhere away from the others. Seeing the prow unoccupied, he got up and started walking towards it.

‘Einar, start watching those riverbanks while you’re up there doing nothing,’ Ulrich said from behind him.

Einar turned, frowning, as he looked at the pleasant countryside they were sliding past.

‘What for?’ Einar said, making a face.

‘Anything threatening,’ Ulrich said. ‘This is a hostile land and the last thing we need is some locals, emboldened by the news of Lord Alan’s return, deciding to take a few arrow shots when they see a longship sailing past. You may be Aethelstan’s little pet now, Einar, but you’re still one of my crew. And while you are, you’ll work like everyone else.’

Einar sighed again and wandered to the dragon-carved prow.

So there it was. He had suspected Ulrich was not happy with his personal talk with Aethelstan but as the Wolf Coat leader had not yet mentioned it, he could not be sure. Ulrich had been very standoffish with everyone since leaving Wessex, so it was hard to tell if he was annoyed with Einar in particular, Aethelstan’s claims about Odin or if he was just pissed off with everyone and the situation they had found themselves in, mere lordless sellswords sailing the whale road for gold. Now Ulrich’s words made at least one of those options clear.

It seemed everyone was angry with Einar right now and with them all being on the one ship this situation could become intolerable.

Perhaps it would not be such a bad thing to leave this life, Einar mused. To find himself a nice piece of land around here like those dying vikings the night before had hoped for. Marry a local girl and live the rest of his life enjoying the sunshine and the sweet red wine.

Looking at the countryside he noticed that here and there columns of smoke drifted up from the trees.

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