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

his
friend had left behind. He scuffed it with his feet, working to hide the most obvious
tracks, stirring flattened ferns and kicking fallen leaves over the path.
Ulfarr then stepped into the shrubs, easing himself between two trees and the
thick ferns that covered their roots. When he arrived next to Brandr, he looked
at his friend and whispered, “We shall be alright.” Blood, however, still ran
from the furrow the arrow had gouged across his cheek.
    A
curse sounded from the crest of the ridge nearby.
    The
boys turned and looked back, just in time to spot Thoromr as he reached the
top. They ducked down into the depths of the gully.
    Ulfarr
was confident they would remain hidden if Thoromr stayed at a distance. But if
the Lakelander crossed the crest and followed the path to the trees, coming
close enough to search the foliage, they would most certainly be discovered.
    Nearby,
from further along the ridge and past Thoromr, a bird sang out loudly to
distract the giant Lakelander.
    Ulfarr
couldn’t believe their luck!
    He
used One-Eye’s distraction as an opportunity to get a better look at the gully
that hid them. The ditch ran down the slope, offering only patchy cover along
most of its length. Upslope, the gully began at the base of a small rock face,
including a half-hidden overhang created by the fractured bones of the ridge.
    Studying
it, Ulfarr saw shadows that suggested part of the overhang had some depth. A
thick scrub of trees, shrubs and ferns also stood in front of it, blocking
access from where Thoromr would approach. The space did not look big, but
appeared deep enough to provide sanctuary for the two boys.
    It
would do, hopefully, until Thoromr grew tired of his pursuit and moved on.
    The
bird called out again, an insistent sound that drew Thoromr across the ridge
top and made him turn his back on the boys as he searched the other part of the
slope.
    Ulfarr
grabbed the opportunity to move.
    He
got up, quietly stepped over Brandr, and then grabbed him under the shoulders
and pulled him up the gully bottom into the thick ferns in front of the
overhang.
    Brandr
tilted his head back to look at where they were going. Once he saw the dark
space, he did what he could to ease the journey as Ulfarr dragged him up the
gully.
    When
they reached the overhang, they crept further in.
    The
ferns crowded on one side, backed up by the thick greenery of shrubs and trees.
    Brandr
bit his lip, trying his best to ignore the pain coming from his swelling ankle
with each movement and knock. He did not have far to look for courage though,
as Ulfarr kept working to get them to safety, even though his cheek still bled.
    Finally,
they were inside and taken by shadows.
    Together,
they sat listening as One-Eye’s first few steps through the summer shrubs took
him away, until they slowed and finally stopped. The Lakelander hissed a curse
and then turned about. One-Eye no longer muttered, but they heard his heavy
footfalls as he began to come back towards the start of the trail and the woods
that hid the boys.
    Ulfarr
and Brandr held their breath as they peered beyond the rock and between the
crowding wall of branches and leaves. For now, they felt safe, but it all
depended on how determined One-Eye’s search would be.
    As
they waited, Thoromr’s footsteps not only neared as he took the path, they also
slowed.
    Ulfarr
began to examine the overhang more closely to see if they could get any deeper
inside or if there was another way out. The rock ran along the hill like a huge
uncovered bone, standing deepest where they were. He saw that escape was
possible from either way, although one of the routes would lead them above the
beginning of the trail, too close to Thoromr. The other way might be an option
for escape, but Brandr’s ankle would slow them down. Right now they needed to
remain undiscovered and for Thoromr to abandon the hunt.
    A
hissed intake of breath from Brandr drew Ulfarr’s attention.
    His
friend was looking directly