had evidently thought about Callyn and, being sober by the time he did his
thinking, he had decided that the king was too strong. 'We can easily beat him,' he said,
'but we'll lose men.'
A ship's crew can only endure so many losses. We had lost none in the fight against
Peredur, but Callyn was a stronger king and he was bound to be suspicious of Svein which
meant that he would have his household troops ready and armed. 'And he's got little enough to
take,' Svein said scornfully.
'He's paying you?'
‘He's paying me,' Svein said, 'just as Peredur paid you.'
'I split that with you,' I said.
'Not the money he paid you before the fight,' Svein said with a grin, 'you didn't split
that.'
'What money?' I asked.
'So we're even,' he said, and we had both done well enough out of Peredur's death, for Svein
had slaves and we each now possessed over nine hundred shillings' worth of silver and metal,
which was not a fortune, especially once it was divided among the men, but it was better
than I had done so far on the voyage.
I also had Iseult.
She was no longer leashed to me, but she stayed beside me and I sensed that she was happy
about that. She had taken a vicious pleasure in seeing her home destroyed and I decided
she must have hated
Peredur. He had feared her and she had hated him, and if it was true that she had been able
to see the future then she had seen me and given her husband bad advice to make that future
come true.
'So where do you go now?' Svein asked. We were walking along the beach, past the huddled
slaves who watched us with dark, resentful eyes.
'I have a mind,' I said, 'to go into the Saefern Sea.'
'There's nothing left there,' he said scornfully.
'Nothing?'
'It's been scoured,' he said, meaning that Danish and Norse ships had bled the coasts dry of
any treasure. 'All you'll find in the Saefern Sea,' he went on, 'are our ships bringing men
from Ireland.'
'To attack Wessex?'
'No!' He grinned at me. 'I've a mind to start trading with the Welsh kingdoms.'
'And I have a mind,' I said, 'to take my ship to the moon and build a feasting hall
there.'
He laughed. 'But speaking of Wessex,' he said, 'I hear they're building a church where you
killed Ubba?'
'I hear the same.'
'A church with an altar of gold?'
'I've heard that too,' I allowed. I hid my surprise that he knew of Odda the Younger's
plans, but I should not have been surprised. A rumour of gold would spread like couch grass.
'I've heard it,' I said again, 'but I don't believe it.'
'Churches have money,' he said thoughtfully, then frowned, 'but that's a strange place to
build a church.'
'Strange, why?'
'So close to the sea? An easy place to attack?'
'Or perhaps they want you to attack,' I said, 'and have men ready to defend it?'
'A lure, you mean?' He thought about that.
'And hasn't Guthrum given orders that the West Saxons aren't to be provoked,' I said.
'Guthrum can order what he wants,' Svein said harshly, 'but I am Svein of the White Horse
and I don't take orders from Guthrum.' He walked on, frowning as he threaded the fishing nets
that men now dead had hung to dry. Then say Alfred is not a fool.'
'Nor is he.'
'If he has put valuables beside the sea,' he said, 'he will not leave them unguarded.' He
was a warrior, but like the best warriors he was no madman. When folk speak of the Danes these
days they have an idea that they were all savage pagans, unthinking in their terrible
violence, but most were like Svein and feared losing men. That was always the great Danish
fear, and the Danish weakness. Svein's ship was called the White Horse and had a crew of
fifty-three men, and if a dozen of those men were to be killed or gravely wounded, then the
White Horse would be fatally weakened. Once in a fight, of course, he was like all Danes,
terrifying, but there was always a good deal of thinking before there was any
fighting.
He scratched at a louse, then gestured towards the slaves
thinking, he had decided that the king was too strong. 'We can easily beat him,' he said,
'but we'll lose men.'
A ship's crew can only endure so many losses. We had lost none in the fight against
Peredur, but Callyn was a stronger king and he was bound to be suspicious of Svein which
meant that he would have his household troops ready and armed. 'And he's got little enough to
take,' Svein said scornfully.
'He's paying you?'
‘He's paying me,' Svein said, 'just as Peredur paid you.'
'I split that with you,' I said.
'Not the money he paid you before the fight,' Svein said with a grin, 'you didn't split
that.'
'What money?' I asked.
'So we're even,' he said, and we had both done well enough out of Peredur's death, for Svein
had slaves and we each now possessed over nine hundred shillings' worth of silver and metal,
which was not a fortune, especially once it was divided among the men, but it was better
than I had done so far on the voyage.
I also had Iseult.
She was no longer leashed to me, but she stayed beside me and I sensed that she was happy
about that. She had taken a vicious pleasure in seeing her home destroyed and I decided
she must have hated
Peredur. He had feared her and she had hated him, and if it was true that she had been able
to see the future then she had seen me and given her husband bad advice to make that future
come true.
'So where do you go now?' Svein asked. We were walking along the beach, past the huddled
slaves who watched us with dark, resentful eyes.
'I have a mind,' I said, 'to go into the Saefern Sea.'
'There's nothing left there,' he said scornfully.
'Nothing?'
'It's been scoured,' he said, meaning that Danish and Norse ships had bled the coasts dry of
any treasure. 'All you'll find in the Saefern Sea,' he went on, 'are our ships bringing men
from Ireland.'
'To attack Wessex?'
'No!' He grinned at me. 'I've a mind to start trading with the Welsh kingdoms.'
'And I have a mind,' I said, 'to take my ship to the moon and build a feasting hall
there.'
He laughed. 'But speaking of Wessex,' he said, 'I hear they're building a church where you
killed Ubba?'
'I hear the same.'
'A church with an altar of gold?'
'I've heard that too,' I allowed. I hid my surprise that he knew of Odda the Younger's
plans, but I should not have been surprised. A rumour of gold would spread like couch grass.
'I've heard it,' I said again, 'but I don't believe it.'
'Churches have money,' he said thoughtfully, then frowned, 'but that's a strange place to
build a church.'
'Strange, why?'
'So close to the sea? An easy place to attack?'
'Or perhaps they want you to attack,' I said, 'and have men ready to defend it?'
'A lure, you mean?' He thought about that.
'And hasn't Guthrum given orders that the West Saxons aren't to be provoked,' I said.
'Guthrum can order what he wants,' Svein said harshly, 'but I am Svein of the White Horse
and I don't take orders from Guthrum.' He walked on, frowning as he threaded the fishing nets
that men now dead had hung to dry. Then say Alfred is not a fool.'
'Nor is he.'
'If he has put valuables beside the sea,' he said, 'he will not leave them unguarded.' He
was a warrior, but like the best warriors he was no madman. When folk speak of the Danes these
days they have an idea that they were all savage pagans, unthinking in their terrible
violence, but most were like Svein and feared losing men. That was always the great Danish
fear, and the Danish weakness. Svein's ship was called the White Horse and had a crew of
fifty-three men, and if a dozen of those men were to be killed or gravely wounded, then the
White Horse would be fatally weakened. Once in a fight, of course, he was like all Danes,
terrifying, but there was always a good deal of thinking before there was any
fighting.
He scratched at a louse, then gestured towards the slaves
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