Raven's Feast by Eric Schumacher

Author:Eric Schumacher
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Creativia
Published: 2017-04-23T04:00:00+00:00

Later that day, Hakon collected his men and rode to Halldor's home, for he had a score to settle with the trader. The home lay near the mouth of the bay that led to Kaupang, shadowed by the surrounding coastal pines and shielded from the sea winds by a rocky headland to the south. A wattle fence surrounded the small hall and its various sheds and pens. The morning's rain had ceased and a few sheep grazed on the wet grass that grew in the shade of the trees. Smoke snaked from the chimney hole in the hatched roof of his modest dwelling, carrying with it the aroma of leeks and mushrooms.

Off to their left, near the water, lay the cargo ship that had transported the priests from Athelstan's realm. It was there that the ship captain worked, caulking the knarr's strakes alongside a handful of his shipmates. Halldor saw the warriors approaching and wiped his pitch-soaked hands on a woolen towel. He did not try to run. Behind him, his crew looked on sternly.

Hakon stopped his horse and looked down at the weathered sea captain. Red-rimmed eyes stared back at Hakon. He looked as if he had not slept in weeks. “You are headed back to sea so late in the year?”

“Aye. We have a few more runs to make. The seas won't grow too rough for another moon.”

“You like to take risks then. I've heard that only Danes are plying these waters now.”

“Risk is not the friend of traders. But a man must eat.”

“You head to Hedeby?”

“Are you here to talk about my business, or do you want to know why I abandoned your monks?”

Beside Hakon, Egil chuckled. “He's got balls, this one does.”

Before Hakon could speak, Halldor said, “I will tell you, lord, but you alone.”

Hakon glanced at Halldor's crew, many of whom had sharp tools in their hands. “Egil.” Hakon motioned with his chin toward the boat. “Take the men and watch them.”

Egil shrugged. “It's your neck, lord.”

When the men had gone, Hakon considered Halldor quietly, then slowly withdrew his sword Quern-biter from her sheath and leveled its point at Halldor's chest. “Well?”

Halldor glanced about him, as if to see if anyone was listening. Satisfied, he turned back to Hakon. “I see things, lord.”

“You see things,” Hakon repeated slowly, not quite believing his ears. “What things?”

“Strange things,” Halldor continued. “I see battles. Storms of blood. Christian crosses and bodies lying in piles upon the ground. A feast for ravens, lord.” The words came quickly, as if he had been holding them inside and could do so no longer. They re-conjured Hakon's own visions, those that had plagued him after the battle with Erik. A shiver inched down Hakon's spine. “The visions first came to me when I sailed with your monks. Even now the visions haunt my thoughts. They will not leave me.” He grabbed all of the pendants that hung from his neck and squeezed them in his fist. There was a sudden, desperate look in his eyes that stood up the hairs on Hakon's skin.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.