‘A horrible and excruciating death.’
‘Will it save her?’
The god leaned forward and whispered in Hugin’s ear, ‘I have shown you enough. Now what will you do for me?’
The Raven woke up. The night was overcast and almost lightless, though his sharp eyes could see shapes in the darkness. It was enough. Behind him, against the faint, faint light of the sky, he could see a man at the steering oar, there more out of habit than for any useful purpose. Hugin guessed that the cloud had blown in quickly and the longship had had no time to make for shore before being caught in the pitch dark. When that happened it was better to sit tight and bargain with your gods than make for the land unsighted.
Hugin did not move, he just said his charm under his breath.
‘I am a raven,
A rag upon the breeze.
I am a raven,
The hungry mouth of death.
I am a raven,
The cracked voice of the night.’
He said the charm over and over, opening that part of his mind that had opened in the mountain tunnel, that part that ritual and suffering had allowed him to touch. His knife had been driven into the ship’s rail. He pulled it from the wood, then he was just a shadow among shadows, a darkness with a blade.
The helmsman was taken below the ribcage with a stab to the heart and died before he had a chance to scream. Hugin lowered him to the deck. The next few died quickly and silently, throats cut in their sleep. He took five that way, and crawled forwards to reach the midship. There was the smell of the mule, the bulk of the creature just visible. Hugin put his hand out, felt a turbaned head and crawled forward with his knife. No, the god had spoken of wanting murderers. Not him. Nor the fat Viking. He crawled round the merchant and touched a fat belly.
‘What’s going on?’ Ofaeti’s voice.
Hugin had no time to lose. He sprang through the darkness, working his knife to deadly effect.
‘Hey!’
‘I’m cut!’
‘A troll witch!’
‘I’m cut. I’m cut!’
‘Aaaah!’
‘Stay calm!’ It was Ofaeti’s voice.
But the men went for their weapons and cut at the darkness, sightless and terrified.
Hugin ducked to the deck as axe and sword bit, as arms lashed out and panic swept the ship.
‘I cannot see! I cannot see!’
‘Then stop fighting!’
‘Is this your work, Horda man?’
There was a splash. Someone had fallen overboard. Then more screaming and the sound of axe, sword and spear striking home.
It was quiet for a while. The first rays of dawn came from behind the horizon. Hugin sat at the prow. He had recovered his curved sword. It was in his hand, naked and gleaming in the new day’s light. Only five other men still lived on the longship.
‘You!’ said a slaver.
The merchant was lying at the back of the boat with his hands over his head, while Ofaeti stood near him at the helm, a spear pointing forward to skewer anyone who came for him.
‘He has come back from the grave for us!’ The gap-toothed boy let his axe slip to the deck.
‘I’ll kill you again, ghost!’ Another slaver was not so easily scared and leaped towards Hugin with a spear. But the boat was full of dead and the dying, and he tripped as he advanced. Hugin grabbed the spear, stepped past its point and beheaded him. In a breath a second man had his leg cut off below the shield. He fell to the blood-wet deck and took a mortal blow from Hugin’s sword to the side of the head. Only the youth remained. He was crying and cowering from Hugin.
‘Why have you done this? Skakki’s dead. Honour is satisfied!’ Ofaeti threw up his hands in disbelief.
Hugin pointed at the youth. ‘He must die too.’
‘Your magic?’
‘The gods.’
Ofaeti turned to the youth. ‘Then there’s nothing for it, son. You have to fight him.’
‘He will kill me! He has killed us all!’
‘Believe me, the doors of Valhalla will open wide for the man who dies fighting him. It’s death one way or another, so stand up and face him. Don’t die snivelling and go to Hell.’ He pressed an axe into the youth’s hand.
‘Help me against him. He might kill you too.’
‘I have travelled with him for many days and he has had plenty of opportunity to do that if he wanted to. And even if that weren’t the case, he has offered me no harm, so why should I seek it from him? It’s a choice between you fighting him and me fighting him. You’ll excuse me if I choose you. Now go on, summon your courage.’
At first the youth was tentative, but then his courage bit and he swung an overhead blow at Hugin, who closed and blocked high with the curved sword, taking off both the youth’s hands at the wrist. Hugin caught the axe and turned to strike the youth from the back, hacking deep into his neck and dropping him to the deck.
Hugin looked down at the corpse he had just made.
‘Are you a ghost?’ said Ofaeti.
‘No. It was an enchantment.’
‘Nice trick. Good job we kept your body on the boat, though.’
‘Is it not bad weather luck to throw a witch into the sea, even a dead one?’
‘It is that. And thank your gods they were men of that opinion. I see one slave survived.’
The pale red-haired man was by the mule, still tied to the farm boy, who had been speared straight through, the weapon still stuck in him. The red-haired man said nothing. Hugin looked at him but did not associate him with the visitation of the god.
‘Well,’ said Ofaeti, ‘there can be no slaves now. Free him and let’s see if we can sail this ship.’
Leshii was convinced his leg had been broken by the mule. He swallowed down the pain and held out his knife. Ofaeti took it and went to free the slave. The man stood, seemingly no worse for his long ordeal.
‘Are you a sailor, friend?’ said Ofaeti.
‘I am a rare salt,’ said the pale man.
‘Then help me sort out the sail. Hugin, merchant, you help too. Then we can get the bodies overboard. That lot smelled enough when they were alive; death will not improve them.’
The pale man was no liar and seemed a skilled sailor. The sail was up quickly, though the merchant was no help. His leg was really broken and he could not stand.
‘My people have a wind charm,’ said the pale man. ‘Which way do you want to go?’
‘Aldeigjuborg!’
The man picked up a cord from the deck. There was a strange, complicated knot in it. He unpicked the knot and shook it at the sail. The wind filled its belly and the ship moved forward with a lurch.
‘We should have released you earlier,’ said Ofaeti, rushing to take the tiller. ‘I see you and I will be friends!’
The pale man smiled. ‘Any service I give,’ he said, ‘I am sure you will repay.’
71
