Free Odin’s Child by Bruce MacBain Page B

across his lips. “Mead? I don’t believe I’ve ever had the pleasure, being that no one gives such stuff to a poor hireling in our hall. Very nice it is, too.”
    â€œWell?” said Gunnar, laying a heavy hand on the man’s neck and squeezing till he winced.
    â€œOn the beach, masters,” cried Sigmund wriggling free. “By the whale—don’t yer remember? When one of you killed my mate, Bork, and took off after Master Mord Hrutsson, and the other one killed Brand, though I didn’t stay to watch it, but run away as fast as I could.”
    Gunnar’s hand went to his sword.
    â€œOh no, sir, no, it’s nothing like that. I haven’t come to finish that fight.”
    â€œThen what?”
    He narrowed his eyes and looked at us slyly. “When I tell you that, I expect yer
will
want to take sword to me. You must swear to me first that yer won’t.”
    â€œWe don’t swear oaths to thralls’ sons like you.”
    â€œBe still, Gunnar.” It was our mother, her voice icy calm. “Say your piece, man, no one will harm you.”
    He doffed his cap to her again. “Thank ‘ee, Housewife.”
    He told his story, halting at every few words to fidget or shrug or glance up hopefully. And Jorunn, listening, never took her eyes from his face. Her stare must have felt like two points of fire on his flesh.
    When he had done, we looked at each other in silence.
    â€œWake the lawyer,” said Thorvald.
    Hoskuld was fetched, and it all had to be gone through again. Only this time my mother turned aside and covered her eyes with her hand when Sigmund came to the part where two of the men held Gudrun down on the floor of the shieling while she screamed, and Hrut, Brand, and Mord and the others took turns getting on her until she didn’t makea sound any more, and then someone stuck a knife in her chest.
    No, he didn’t see who because, Christ and Thor be his witness, he wouldn’t take part in such low stuff, but just went outside and killed sheep like he was told. But all the way home master Hrut and his sons laughed and joked about it with the boys and said how everyone knew that Black Thorvald and his sons were such cowards as wouldn’t stir a finger over it. Afterwards Master Hrut had flogged him half to death for leaving Brand to die alone and had treated him like a dog ever since, making him sleep out in the barn in all weathers. And so that was why he was here now to tell his story and would tell it in open court, too. By Christ and Thor he would, if only we would protect him from Hrut’s vengeance and afterwards send him out of the country with enough silver to live comfortable until things cooled down.
    To this I added my information about Hrut visiting Snorri’s booth just now. And as I spoke, I realized that we had the answer to my uncle’s objection to our case. Hrut, left to himself, was a braggart—no crime so cowardly that he wouldn’t make a boast of it. But if Snorri, for his own good reasons, had gotten hold of him right afterwards and ordered him to keep his mouth shut…?
    Hoskuld stroked his long jaws with the tips of his fingers and frowned.
    â€œWell?” Jorunn burst out when she could stand it no longer. “Bless you, brother, you were wrong! Admit it. God has heard us!” She stood between me and Gunnar and hugged us both to her. “No outlawry for these sons of mine!”
    But Hoskuld shook his head. “The word of a landless man like him won’t carry much weight. Not unless we find someone of standing to take an oath on his truthfulness.” He was silent for a bit and then straightened his shoulders. “Kinsmen, I change my mind. I am cheered by this, indeed I am. And as for having been wrong, why I make nothing of that at all, not being a proud sort of man. Now then, my task lies clear before me, to enlist a powerful ally or two. We must seek