The King of Vinland's Saga by Stuart W. Mirsky

Author:Stuart W. Mirsky [Mirsky, Stuart W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781664154445
Publisher: Xlibris US
Published: 2021-01-31T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XXIV

The Choosing

WHEN THEY GOT THE SKRAELING CHIEFTAIN inside and laid him down, Vragi told them to make a fire outside and heat some water over it. This was quickly accomplished and then Vragi sat down beside the injured man and cut away the garments near the wound so they could see how things stood. And now it was plain to all that the wound was every bit as grave as Vragi had suspected, since the spear had gone in very deep and done a great deal of damage. Vragi said he would remain with the Skraeling chieftain for as long as he was needed but that Sigtrygg had other matters to attend to. Accordingly, Sigtrygg now went out and W’tnalko followed after him and now those two went about the town, seeing to the people who had fallen there.

Arnliot and Olvir and some of the other Greenlanders now came up with them and they could see that Sigtrygg had a stricken look on his face so these forbore to speak for some while, until, at last, Sigtrygg himself spoke up. “In my opinion,” he said, “things have ended much worse than we had hoped, since that man these Skraelings call king has not been found among the dead, while my own foster father, who is the chief here, lies near to death in his own house.”

“That was not to be helped,” said Arnliot, “for you were warned that this Nahinanto would be no easy foe to overcome, though you have certainly done better than most people would have expected.”

“Still, his flight will be a matter of concern to us if he is now able to return to his own country, for one thing is certain above all else: that where enemies have arisen before, more will be found.”

“Then this, surely, is the beginning of wisdom,” Arnliot replied, “or did you fail to consider such a turn of events when you undertook to fight for these people?”

“There’s no use worrying about it now,” said Olvir, “for Sigtrygg has already set the course for us. It won’t do us much good to run for shore when we are already so far at sea. My own advice is that we now look to the seaworthiness of our craft, so we can ride out this storm.”

“What do you suggest?” Sigtrygg asked him.

“I’m not too sure about that,” replied the man from Brattahlid, “but I have the feeling this king of theirs will certainly find his way home again, since he has been clever enough to elude us in battle; and then we are not likely to find the sailing as smooth as we have so far had it.”

Sigtrygg asked W’tnalko if he thought the same and the Skraeling replied that there would be very little to hinder Nahinanto on his journey home, though it would be somewhat longer by foot than by the river, “since the king has his stronghold up country, in the land where this river arises in a place where there are many other lakes and waterways besides.

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