Free Storm at the Edge of Time by Pamela F. Service Page A

killed. In the end, Earl Sigurd lost three banner carriers but won the day.
    â€œFive years later, Sigurd’s allies in Ireland called on his help against King Brian. Sigurd came to Ireland with many long ships, but when the armies met, no one would carry the raven banner, so the Earl had to do it himself. And as his mother had foreseen, he was killed.
    â€œNow, after the death of Sigurd—”
    â€œEnough!” Tyaak said. “No more confusing namesand impossible coincidences. It is a stupid, unlikely story anyway.”
    Arni seemed to droop a little; then he stuck out his lip stubbornly. “It is a fine story. Maybe I didn’t tell it as well as my father does, but I’m still learning.”
    Jamie shot Tyaak a dirty look, then assured Arni, “No, you told it very well. It’s just that we’d heard all we needed to know. But I bet no one would cany the banner after that.”
    â€œThey certainly wouldn’t. It still hangs in Earl Thorfinn’s hall, and his armies cany a different banner into battle.” The boy shot a defiant glance at Tyaak. “I can take you to see it if you don’t believe me.”
    â€œI believe that the same banner hangs there. What I do not believe is that it is magic.”
    Jamie smiled wickedly. “Well, if you don’t believe in magic, how do you explain sitting here centuries before you were born?”
    Tyaak shrugged. “Urkar possesses very powerful technology, whatever he chooses to call it. But he sent us here to find a particular object. And if we do not find it and bring it to him, he has no reason to use that technology to send us back.”
    Before, Jamie had shunted that thought aside, but now it wrapped her with the coldness of Orkney’s wind. Clutching her cape more tightly, she whispered, “So we might have to stay on this bleak eleventh-century island forever?”
    Tyaak nodded, and Jamie thought he didn’t look as arrogant as before. He looked scared—about as scared as she felt.

Chapter Eight
    This is a fine place!” Arni had begun to protest, when a dark figure stepped through the door. “Arni! You’ve been gone a whole day longer than your message said. Where have you been?”
    â€œMother!” Arni jumped up. “I, uh … I went to gather roots for Isgard the Healer on the mainland and got cut off by the tide. I stayed with these good people, and they came over here to return the visit. But we’ve got to go now and deliver the roots. Ill be back.”
    Quickly he hustled the others to their feet and out the door, past his exasperated-looking mother. “Follow me,” he whispered. “Isgard’s house is on the upper edge of town. Might as well start checking roof beams there.”
    Jamie felt like an idiot, walking from house to house looking under each roof like some eleventh-century housing inspector. She’d have thought more people would object, but all the concern and conversation shepicked up were about the news the riders had brought earlier.
    Finally her fingers were so cold, she asked for a break from beam inspection, and for some information. “Look, Arni, have I got this anywhere near right? King Harald of somewhere …”
    â€œNorway.”
    â€œRight. King Harald of Norway is paying a bunch of people to attack your Earl Thorfinn because Thorfinn killed another earl named Rogenvald. Right?”
    The boy nodded. “Right, except that the paid fighters are joining former followers of Rogenvald who want to avenge his death. Last year Thorfinn surrounded a house where Rogenvald was staying and burned it down. Then he disguised his own ship with Rogenvald’s shields so he could sail into the enemy’s harbor and jump out and kill more of his people.”
    â€œSounds pretty sneaky to me. Maybe your Thorfinn deserves to have people after his head.”
    Arni looked shocked. “But Thorfinn only attacked