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“Here’s the thing, Snorri ver Snagason The wind has changed It blows fro the weather Not a good god, not a clean one, but that’s not ours to change We’re at sea andour heads to our tasks and hope to stay afloat

“The Dead King holds the Isles now He broke Jarl Torsteff’s strength there, and that of the Iron Jarl, of the Red Jarls of Hardanger All driven back to their ports

“Now he cost them, and monsters from beyond death”

“You should fight theainst the ropes’ strength

“How is that working out for you, Snorri?” A hardness around his eyes, soht the sea and you drown” He hefted the axe on his lap, finding coht this wife and son of yours here, to this rooht find me persuasive, no?”

“Vikings don’t make war on children” Snorri knew defeat Better to have let the ice claim him than come here to fail his family

“The Undoreth leave orphans and s untouched when they raid?” A snort of derision at that from the men around the hearth “Snorri Red-Axe has adopted the sons and daughters of the e?”

Snorri had no answers “Why are they here? Why take captives? Why here?”

The Broke-Oar only shook his head, looking older now, closer to fifty than to forty “You’ll sleep better not knowing”

• • •

“The dreams I’ve had” Snorri raised his head at the end of the tavern table Aslaug looked out at us fro and bloody with the last light of the setting sun You could i frood of lies, cleaving to a jötnar beauty with nothing but a spider’s shadow to betray her true nature “Such dreaine them darker still”

I felt Baraqel low to start, ready for light to fracture through the scars I still bore froh, for radiance to bleed froth of the table, that crackling force we knew froy between Aslaug and Baraqel, between avatars of darkness and light, ready for war