The coming of the dragon by Rebecca Barnhouse

Author:Rebecca Barnhouse [Rebecca Barnhouse]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Jeunesse
ISBN: 9780375861932
Published: 2010-10-26T07:52:33+00:00

FOURTEEN

BY THE TIME RUNE MADE IT TO THOR’S OAK, IT WAS almost fully dark, but lanterns swayed in the tree branches and dozens of torches burned across the field. On the far side, a bonfire illuminated the stone altar with its image of Thor, his beard painted bloody red, his eyes flashing with lightning. In his gloved hand, the god held Mjollnir, his hammer, high in the air. Shadowy silhouettes passed in front of the stone as people scurried by, making preparations, some of them stopping to confer with the group of men huddled near the goat that had been baking in a pit in the ground all afternoon.

Somewhere nearby, fish was frying. The aroma made Rune mad with hunger. He pushed into a group of women, hoping for a handout, but one of them, Elli, recognized him and shooed him away, laughing. “You’ll have to wait, just like the rest of us,” she said. She looked over his head, her eyes widening, just as Rune heard the clopping of hooves. He turned to see the king riding past on Silvertop, his white stallion, draped in his rich green cloak, a golden torque around his neck and a gleaming circlet on his white head. Rune dropped to his knees, while Elli and the other women knelt alongside him, pulling their children down with them.

They rose as the king passed, and a new smell—chickens roasting on a spit—filled Rune’s nostrils, tormenting him further. He wove his way toward the fire, where he could see the sizzling meat. But it was too late. The ceremony had begun. He’d have to wait for the feast before he could quell the grumbling of his belly.

In front of the bonfire, King Beowulf sat high on Silver top’s back, his golden torque catching the firelight as the bard chanted words Rune couldn’t hear. The bard held a spear stretched out like an offering in both hands. The king took it from him.

Rune heard the intake of the crowd’s breath as the old king pulled his arm back. Then, as he let the spear fly, a strong, sure shot over the wind-whipped flames and into the black night beyond, people cheered.

Dayraven yelled, “For Odin!” and several voices answered, “Odin!”

“Well, I suppose they have to appease him,” an old woman near Rune said.

“Hush! We may be Thor’s people, but you don’t want to anger the raven god,” a man replied.

Rune edged closer to the bonfire, stepping past couples, dodging children who scampered between grown-up legs, excited to be out in the night. Now he could see the goat’s head, skewered on its long pole, dancing a ring around the bonfire. Too many bodies pressed in front of him for Rune to see who carried it.

A sound like thunder started low from near the oak tree. As it built, growing louder and louder, rolling and booming like a storm, the crowd hushed.

Suddenly, it stopped. In the silence, the king called out, “Thor, our beloved friend, hear us! May the Hammer-Wielder receive our sacrifice.

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.