The Last Viking (New World Book 7) by Griff Hosker

Author:Griff Hosker [Hosker, Griff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sword Books Ltd
Published: 2023-08-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

The waters became choppier within a mile or two of leaving the willows that shaded our anchorage. I had Water Bird use the full sail and we flew. It was as though the snekke was eager to see the sea. Being longer and wider than my other snekke she was more powerful. Even so, some of the waves broke over the prow and Lost Wolf was soaked. He laughed like a child when that happened. He turned and said, “In a birch bark boat we would have been swamped but this fantastic beast just shrugs off the water.”

When dawn broke it was a grey and murky morning but, even so, the three of them saw the vastness of the estuary. Lost Wolf put his hand to his mouth and said, “The water, it is salty. Is this the Great Sea?”

I pointed to the smudge ahead of us, “There is Salt Island and the sea begins just a mile or so from there. It is protected a little from the Great Sea by a neck of land but the water is salty enough for us to gather salt.”

It did not take long to make the island which grew from a grey smudge to an island, quite quickly. I was pleased with the murk which was not quite a sea fret but murky enough to hide us. I had Water Bird lower the sail when we were just shy of the shore and I let the tide take us to grind up onto the beach. Lost Wolf and Silent Stone leapt ashore with the ropes and the stake. Lost Wolf hammered the stake into the sand and Water Bird and Silent Stone tied us securely to it. I clambered over the gunwale and looked at the camp. The tribes that had chased us away had been to the island. I saw evidence of their mischief. They had tried to destroy the three salt pans.

“Lost Wolf, rearrange those stones so that they are solid. We need three salt pans. Water Bird and Silent Stone, pile the kindling close by it. We will begin the work immediately.”

I took the pot that we used to make metal and went to the other side of the island. There were no footprints. The warriors had not investigated this side. I could barely see the land ahead of us and I was confident that we would not be seen, not immediately anyway. I took off my boots and breeks and waded into the water. I sank the pot beneath it and filled it. It was heavy and I laboured back to the salt pans.

“We light a fire. Tonight we eat hot food and we will need to take turns watching until dawn. The fire must be fed. Water Bird, take Silent Stone and see if there is any driftwood on the island. Explore it for this is our home for a few days.”

Lost Wolf and I lit the fire and hung the pot from the tripod we had brought.

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