A Short Tale From Norse America: Young Ravens & Hidden Blades (The United States of Vinland) Read Online Free

him!” he said, as he grabbed at another with his other hand.
    Brandr
did the same.
    They
stood up together, stones in hands, and began throwing while yelling curses at
One-Eye.
    The
first rock to fly through the air fell well short but rolled down the hillside
towards the woodland to scatter others and raise a clattering din. The second
got closer by ten paces, but still flew only two-thirds of the distance between
Thoromr and the boys.
    One-Eye
turned and lowered his bow a fraction to see from where the stones were coming,
and he was soon yelling his own abuses and curses back at the boys.
    The
boys both threw another rock each.
    Thoromr
raised his bow, fitted an arrow and then let it fly.
    Ulfarr’s
rock flew through the air and landed amongst some gravel down slope, setting
off a small fall of stones that tumbled towards Thoromr. But the boys weren’t
watching. They had seen him fit the arrow and were already dropping behind the ridge,
seeking cover.
    They
hit the ground, and Ulfarr let out a surprised gasp as the arrow flashed by the
side of his head, just over his shoulder.
    Brandr
cursed at the whoosh of wood and feathers. He turned, his eyes following the
arrow as it cut past, landing well down the ridge. Startled, he turned back to
Ulfarr, only to realise his friend had a hand up, held tight to his cheek.
    Bright
red blood began to run from between his fingers.
    One-Eye
cried out triumphantly in the distance.
    Brandr
gasped. “You’ve been hit!”
    Ulfarr,
his face pale, did not turn, but his eyes were intense and locked on something
over the ridge.
    Brandr
turned and looked.
    One-Eye
was striding up the slope. He clutched a fresh arrow in one hand and held his
bow in the other.
    Ulfarr
and Brandr lay unarmed, with One-Eye coming for them.
    Without
discussion, they turned and fled.
    The
boys leapt over rocks and charged through the scrub, as they made for the path
that would lead them back to the safety of the nearest trees.
    With
their minds full of bloody tales of the murderous doings of One-Eye and his
father, Thrainn, it took only a dozen heartbeats for them to find shelter in
the first pines near the top of the ridge. There, the earth, fractured in the
distant past, left a rough upslope of boulders and small, terraced rock faces,
with trees and ferns sprouting from any shadowed pocket of soil beneath it.
    Reaching
the cover of the trees gave little comfort though, so they did not stop. The
boys ran as fast as they dared, taking the first switchback bend in the trail,
desperate to get back to their raft.
    When
the two boys took the first turn, Brandr let out a yelp and fell. His foot had
caught on a twisted root that had angled up and buckled as it grew into the
thin soil, seeking gaps in the rock beneath.
    Ulfarr
went to him, trying to help.
    They
could hear One-Eye’s approach, his loud mutterings rumbling from the far side
of the crest.
    Ulfarr,
with blood still running from the deep graze to his cheek, hissed, “He’s
coming!”
    Brandr
tried to rise, using his friend for support. He cried out as he put weight on
his swelling ankle.
    “We
need to go!”
    “I
can’t.”
    Ulfarr
turned and looked back across the slope. They were not far enough into the tree
line to be well hidden. He was unable to see One-Eye yet, but he could hear the
Lakelander’s stream of anger. The giant was only moments away from reaching the
ridge top.
    The
young Raven hissed, “We must hide.”
    Brandr
nodded and began to crawl to where the shrubs grew thickest. “Over here.”
    The
cover would do from a distance, but not up close. “Let’s hope it is good
enough.”
    Brandr
left the trail behind, crawling into the shrubbery. He went deeper, seeking the
best space he could find. The ground fell into a shallow gully, a channel that
carried water down the slope during the rains and thaw, but for now spread damp
and well hidden by summer foliage.
    Once
Brandr was in the heart of its depths, Ulfarr looked back to the trail