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“Why should—” I remembered that Snorri was very far frolion “No,” I said

He grunted and set an oar to angle us into deeper water where the current ran fastest Perhaps in the fjords of the frozen North any passing stranger was gaer ten yards from your doorstep Red March enjoyed ways a touch rander laws nailed to a tree

We carried on past various nameless hamlets and small towns that probably had names but held too few distractions ever to make me care what those naers on hoe, chin on knuckles, and watch us pass with the same vacancy that the cows used Urchins chased us fro the banks for a hundred yards, sori husbands’ second sainst flat stones would raise their heads and hoot appreciatively at the Norseainst the oars And finally on a lonely stretch of river where the Seleen explored her floodplain, with the sun hot and high, Snorri deflected us beneath the broad fringe of a greatThe tree leaned out across lazy waters at the extre meander and encompassed us beneath its canopy

“So,” he said, and the prow buainst thetrunk The hilt of his sword slipped from the bench and clunked on the planks, blade dark with dried blood

“Lookabout the fight pitsI—” Much of thethe sue In between the vo aze of a hter his way through any situation, I ran out of the spit required for falsehoods For aup at Maeres froer bear?” I rehter broke out of ?”

Snorri grinned “The first one was too small”

“And the last one was just right?” I shook ain “You beat Goldilocks to the punch line by one bear”

He frowned at that “Goldilocks?”

“Never e breath and surrendered to the joy of the le-eyed demon and his knives Thewith hysterical laughter, beating the side of the boat to stop myself “Ah, Jesu! You took the bastard’s arm off”

Snorri shrugged, holding back another grin “Must have gotten ino, she put her city at ith me”

“The Red Qu—” I caught myself I’d said it was the queen’s order that he be sent to the pits He had no reason not to believethe anchor points of any web of lies is part of the basics when practising to deceive Normally I’ circu pan into the fire of the opera only to plunge fro even worse “Yes That washarsh of her But randmother is known as somewhat of a tyrant”

“Your grandmother?” Snorri raised his eyebrows

“Um” Shit He hadn’t even noticed me in the throne rooe “I’randson Hardly related at all, really” I raised a hand towith hurt

“Take a breath” Snorri leaned forwards

“What?”

He snaked out an arers like iron rods For a second I thought he was just going to crush my skull, but then his other hand blockedthe bridge of er and thurated and if I’d had anything left to vomit I’d have filled the boat with it

“There” He released me “Fixed”

I hollered out the pain and surprise in one burst, trailing into coherence at the end of it, “Jesu fuck one I couldn’t bring h, so I said, “Ouch”

Snorri leaned back, ar on the sides of the boat “You were in the throne rooht in to tell”