page103 (1/2)

“What a hole” The stink of old fish reached me even on the cliff tops where the coast road snaked in from the west

Snorri, walking ahead ofI leaned forwards and patted Sleipnir’s neck “Time for us to part soon, old one-eye”

I wouldIf God had iven us horses Wonderful animals I think of the at each corner

We wound down into Den Hagen, the road lined with shacks that looked as though the first winds of winter would clear the the sea, seven troll-stones watched the waves They looked like stones to me, but Snorri claimed to see a troll in each of them He pulled open his weather jacket and jerked up the layers of his shirts to reveal a fearsome scar across the hard-packed er he implied a series of additional scars from hip to shoulder “I was lucky”

In a world where dead raves, and the people of the pines haunted forests, I could hardly dispute his claim

On the final stretch of the road we passed three or four haod Snorri checked for rune stones around each but found only a stray black pebble, river-sle rune Perhaps local children made off with the rest

“Thuriaz” He let it fall

“Hmmm?”

“Thorns” He shrugged “It ”

• • •

The town boasted no wall, and nobody save a handful of sorry-looking merchants watched the entrance—not that there was an entrance, just an increase in the crowding of houses After weeks of rough living and hard travelling, even a place such as Den Hagen has its appeal Every piece of clothing on me still held its measure of rain from the storm that had lashed us for two days across theSkilfar’s seat A man could have slaked his thirst on what he could squeeze froh