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“Still fixed upon your carrot, Snorri ver Snagason? Look past it Look ahead When the Uuliskind sail, do they navigate by staring at the water beneath their prow? You should ask why itbeneath the ice just for more corpses? And if not, what else do they seek and to what purpose?”
Sorowl, but worse, rose in Snorri’s throat “The Broke-Oar—”
“Let’s go!” I yanked harder at Snorri’s belt before his temper buried both of us
Snorri hunched his massive shoulders and made a stiff bow “Gods keep you, Skilfar”
I let hi is one thing, but I always feel a scary hell-born witch deserves asmade into a toad “My thanks, madam I’ll take my leave and pray your arlance at a particularly well-foro
“Step carefully on the ice” Skilfar called after us as if she had an audience “Two heroes, one led willy-nilly by his cock, the other northward by his heart Neither bringing their brain into any decision of i is truly deep, nothing holds consequence It’s fro arise to steer us as they have always steered ods thes A peace” She couldn’t resist a couess it’s hard for even the wisest not to show off that they are wise
Her words followed us froht narok Is that all the North ever thinks about? Is that what you want, Snorri? Soreat battle and the world ruined and dead?” I couldn’t blame him if he did Not hat had befallen him this past year, but I would be disturbed to know he had always lusted after such an end, even on the night before the black ships caht Quays
The light kindling on“Do you want the paradise your priests paint for you on cathedral ceilings?”
“Good point”
We left without further theological discussion When utter and flare, I lit the last of our torches fro slapped in the face by sliAlso the possibility of ghosts disturbed ht of the tunnels had shattered uardians lookedshadows their liround their ranks remained unbroken
I’ve never been one for wandering in the dark It seeht couldn’t last the journey I held the torch high and prayed that before it failed we’d see a circle of daylight far ahead
“Come on Come on” Muttered in short breaths as alked The plasteek soldiers had been left far behind, but for all I knew they stalked us just beyond the range of the torch’s illumination “Come on”
So
“Thank God!” I pointed up ahead to the long-awaited spot of daytime “I didn’t think it would last”
“Jal” Snorri tappedhis to my hand, raised above er even s it were, however, another ht At least they were until Snorri drew the us into darkness, and I did what any sensible man would I ran hell for leather for the outside
A storm waited for us
TWENTY-THREE
The port of Den Hagen sits where the River Oout washes into the Karlswater, that stretch of brine the Norse call the Devouring Sea A collection of fine ho slopes to the east—well, fine for the North where every building crouches low, granite-built to withstand the weather that sweeps in fro cabins, round houses, inns, ale-halls, and fish e the docks like receiving mouths Greater ships sit at anchor in the quiet waters of the bay; other vessels crowd the quays, ulls circle overhead, ever mournful, and men fill the air with their own cries, voices raised to call out prices, sue, share jokes, curse or praise thethe followers of Christ to the se