Read Online Viking Legend by Griff Hosker - Free Book Online

comfortable with my life. Although our raid had not gone the way I had anticipated I was content. I went to my hall where I could take off my armour. Uhtric, my thrall, took the armour.  He would clean and oil it. The sea was hard on mail.  I had the finest mail for Bjorn Bagsecgson had cunningly mixed charcoal with the iron so that the mail was darker and also stronger.  Even so it needed care after each journey.  I laid my sword to one side.  I would sharpen that myself. Along with my seax they were my two most important weapons. I looked up at the wall where the sword I had found in the cave hung.  Old and a little worse for wear it was my most tangible reminder of my ancestor who had wielded it in battle.
    I was about to order Uhtric to light the fire in my sweat hut when Brigid entered. “The sweat hut will be ready by the time we sail across, Jarl.”
    I looked at her with my mouth open, “You have second sight too?”
    Laughing she said, “No.  I had it lit for Kara and myself.  Your sister deferred to you.  I will join you there.” She cocked her head to one side.  “You do wish to cleanse yourself do you not?”
    I nodded, almost dumbly, “Aye the blood and the sweat cling to my body still and I have need to let my mind wander.”
    She was intrigued, I could see that but Brigid was unusual in that she could remain silent and not question too much.  Besides she knew I would tell her what was in my mind eventually. There had been a time when I would have sailed across the Water by myself but now I was ferried by Einar Long Thumb. He was the grandson of my blacksmith and worked in the forge.  However one of his tasks was to fetch some of the charcoal which the charcoal burners made close to our former home across the Water. He travelled back and forth when he was not toiling at the bellows.
    Brigid and I sat in the middle of the small boat. “We hear you found great treasure in the land of the Scots, Jarl Dragonheart.”
    “The Allfather was kind to us.  Who told you?”
    “Everyone said there was treasure, a fine golden torc and a book of spells.  Soon Aiden will be the greatest of wizards.”
    I smiled, “Aiden is a good enough galdramenn for me and I do not think it was spells that he found.”
    “I am sure I heard that he found a spell to help make him fly.”
    Both Brigid and I laughed. She was  a Christian and did not believe such things.  She believed that a man could be crucified, killed and then walk from a tomb three days later but a spell to make a man fly was impossible. I had spoken with Aiden and knew that the parchments contained magic but not the type which Einar thought.
    He held the boat as we clambered ashore.  Tying it to a tree he said, “I will fetch the charcoal and take it back to grandfather.  I will return here and wait.”
    “You need not.  I can signal you.”
    He smiled, “It will be easier waiting here than suffering the sharp edge of grandfather’s tongue.  He has high standards!”
    He was right.  Although he could afford to let his sons and grandsons work the smith Bjorn was there before the others and left when they had gone.  He was proud of his work and he was the reason our mail and our weapons were respected and feared.  I prayed that  his sons would be as diligent as he.
    We stripped off and entered the sweat hut. It was coming up to the right temperature. We sat opposite one another and Brigid waited for me to begin speaking.  She knew that I liked to sit there first with my eyes closed and let the spirit of my wife come to me.  Sometimes Erika did and sometimes not. Nonetheless it was pleasant to sit in the heat and enjoy the sweat cleansing the grime from my body. 
    I opened my eyes. “When will the child be born?”
    “After the harvest and before midwinter.” She smiled, “Perhaps around Christmas.  That would be good.”
    I shook my head, “We do not celebrate Christmas.”
    “The nuns, Macha and Deidra do. Kara allows