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Tuttugu hastened to bind Snorri’s side with strips fro Snorri back as the warrior made to advance Snorri relented and let theth from him soon if not staunched

“There’s more to it than that,” Snorri repeated

“It’s true, Snorri” A touch of sadness in the Broke-Oar’s voice Despite his reputation thefroe, and he wound it around us like a spell “I’ve fallen You know it I know it I bent in the wind But Snorri? Snorri ver Snagason still stands tall, pure as autuas to save us all And whatever else I as ainst the long winter Vikings we—born to hold against trolls, frost giants, even the sea Even the gods themselves

“Come, Snorri Let’s make an end of this Just you and me Let your friends bear witness I stand ready”

Snorri started forwards

“No!” I grabbed hold of his arth I had left The curse flared between us, the resulting blast shredding his sleeve and throwing ht overwriting my vision The scent of burned air filled ency that tookas if all Satan’s devils were atopen behind me

“What in Hel?” Snorri spun in my direction

“I know—” Only a whisper caain “I know bastards”

Ein bent and picked up the discarded shield Tuttugu took another two from a display on the wall

“These are your lastthe shields high and low, Tuttugu and Ein stepped towards the doorway

Crossbow bolts hauardians crossed the archers’ line of sight Snorri unleashed a wordless roar and, pushing between his companions, launched himself into the next room

I followed, still a touch dazed If I’d had my wits about me I would have sat doith Arne and played dead

Sven Broke-Oar stood at the far side of a cha the three crossbow-men beside him I won’t say he made Snorri look sest The man’s h With his great red-gold beard plaited across his chest and his hair flowing free, the Broke-Oar looked every inch a Viking king, down to the gold chasing at the edges of the scarred iron breastplate he had on He held a fine axe in one hand, the iron buckler on his other about the size of a dinner plate, smooth and thick

Ein veered towards the two ht Sven Broke-Oar advanced to meet Snorri

There’s notyour ith athe axe’s owner before he completes his blow is your best option With a sword you can impale your foe But if like your foe you’re ar faster and hope” see at your man you need to be a certain distance off—exactly the sa at you

Snorri had a different solution He reached out before hi faster than is possible for anyThe turn of speed spoiled the Broke-Oar’s ti a split second too late, the haft of his axe just below the blade hammered into Snorri’s raised shoulder, while Snorri’s axe se but bracketing the man’s throat with the horns of the blade

That should have been an end to it A narrow piece of ainst a throat by a powerful h, the Broke-Oar slammed his buckler into the side of Snorri’s head and fell back, clasping his neck Both men should have been down, but instead they reeled, unsteady on their feet, then ca

Ein had killed one of his two opponents and norestled the second, bothto drive the the sa had loosed his dagger before Tuttugu split his head I couldn’t see how bad the wound was, but the speed hich the blood spilled over the fat ood