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“Ooof” was the only reh him, and that utterance was chosen for his in a hurry I launched forwards off ood ankle and putbastard helps in these exchanges The

One good thing about falling over on a ood at least when it’s other people—is that you’re pretty an showed no signs of wanting to get up again The otherback up sharpish with a curse We both found ourselves looking at the gleath of my sword between us, held at one end by my hand on the hilt and at the other by the ribs he had wrapped around the blade I had noit at him

“Sorry” Don’t ask ized In the heat of the nored and I hurried on past thesound and the grate of cutting edge against bone I saw e ahead ofat speed back towards the ambush point where I’d last seen Snorri

Iin the opposite direction Or, round when he ca around a corner, drenched in blood, axe held blade to ear, haft to chest The silent purpose in hi—and then he roared his battle cry and all of a sudden the silence of his purpose would have been fine A , “Behind you!”

Four e of ard for everyone’s safety, including mine and his His axe head buried itself in onearc that split his sternu hiainst a sharp corner of rock A third iant conspired not to be in the way, thebetween the Norse turn trapped the blade and wrenched the weapon free frorasp The last of the four had Snorri cold Axe bedded in one foe, tangled with another, he stood open to the man’s spear thrust

“Snorri!” Why I shouted a useless warning, I don’t know Snorri could see the probleh The spearman hesitated for a split second I don’t think my cry distracted hiiant before hirin A split second should not have been enough, but with a roar Snorri ih his victi the varied insides of the man in the process, and cut away the spear’s head just before it reached his neck The backswing broke open the spearman’s face with the blunt reverse of the blade And I swear to you the iron trailed darkness as it cut the air Swirls of night left in its wake, fading like smoke The last man, noordless, spun away and ran for it Snorri turned to

I rolled tofrom my hand, and for a moment we faced each other Over Snorri’s left shoulder the last burning scrap of the sun fell behind the mountains

“You’ve got a bit of” Iin your beard Lung, I think”

He reached up, a slowas he did so “Could be” He flicked the gobbet of flesh away A grin Snorri again

“There are ?” I asked

“There areor not is yet to be decided I think there are eight re the crimson Where clean skin showed he looked far too pale—even for a Norseore beneath his ribs on the left suggested that not all the blood belonged to our enemy

“Edris?” I asked

Snorri shook his head “Hi up the rear, lers decide the ainst the rock, axe dangling from his hand, flesh white beneath the scarlet now, veins curiously dark

“We should give the to think about,” I said I knew the power of fear better than htful mess I took hold of the man Snorri had ripped his axe out of to save himself from the spear thrust His left boot proved the least slippery part of hie fell away to the next I’dthat while blind terror is a great anaesthetic in the er is passed the effect wears off rapidly I fell back clutching ht more effectively convey my distress “Bollockeration”