Chapter 10: Secret Passage (2)

"So where is this secret treasure?" Thorfast finally broke his silence. "Where does King Hakon keep his riches?"

Egil shook his head, then stood abruptly. "It doesn't matter," he said. "We shouldn't discuss anything until we escape. When that time comes, I'll share my knowledge with the right ears."

"And who decides which ear those are?" Yngvar asked.

"Hakon's son Erik rules Norway now. Perhaps once we reach him, we may learn what matters most."

Thorfast sighed. "You sound like a fool, old goat. What makes you think anyone cares what you care about anymore?"

Yngvar held up both hands. "Enough!" he shouted, standing between the two. "Let's move on to happier times. Tell us about yourself, Gyna."

***

"Are you sure you wish to go?" Ewald asked. They had made camp outside the walls of Rouen. The city had grown around the old Roman forum, but only half the buildings appeared occupied. Most of the structures had collapsed into rubble piles, leaving a wide expanse of open space surrounding the ruins.

"Yes, lord," Brandr said, sitting beside Yngvar under the wan glow of a dying fire. Their three companions lay curled together in sleep. The day had brought rain, and even after sunset the air had not cooled enough for comfort.

Brandr looked back toward the sea. Dark clouds hid the horizon behind a veil of gray mist. Raindrops pattered off the canvas cover atop a small pile of supplies. In the distance, the lights of ships glowed along the shoreline. All of them were lost beneath the gloom.

"I have never seen a Norseman make peace with himself over killing another human being," Brandr said. "Even when your enemy has done wrong, it can feel like a sin to slay one. That must weigh heavily upon you."

Yngvar shrugged. "I don't see it that way. To live by our laws is honorable. We follow God through Odin, the god of war. If I break the law, if I fail to protect myself and others, then I am not following God. So it seems to me that I would rather die than let harm come to me because I failed to act."

He paused, watching Brandr search for words. At length, the big warrior nodded.

"The gods love courage above all things. Especially warriors. Many believe that bravery is its own reward. Some men seek power, wealth, fame, glory, all of which require great sacrifice and fortitude. Others simply crave adventure. For me, the greatest gift of battle is knowing that death holds nothing fearful for me. Death itself feels like home."

Yngvar laughed. "Then why are you worried about going to meet King Hakon?"

Brandr smiled. "Not worry. Just curious. You're young yet. You might change your mind someday. Besides, I want to get revenge against Rognvald. My father died trying to kill him. Now he lives in exile while I serve in Frankia. That's just bitter. One day soon, I will repay his treachery."

They fell silent again. The warmth from the fire faded away, replaced with cold night breeze blowing across the marshland. Clouds seemed to gather overhead, though they offered no promise of more rain.

"Lord, do you truly mean to take ship out there tonight?" Ewald pointed to the dark line of ocean rolling beyond the marshes. "Can we not sail tomorrow morning instead?"

Yngvar glanced at the sky. Though the sun had set hours ago, stars began to appear. Night birds called in chorus, and insects whined past their heads. He could smell damp earth and dead grass. His eyes watered as the wind shifted.

"No," Yngvar answered. "Tonight we need to be far from here before dawn. Tomorrow, we will travel by land to find King Hakon."

"But you cannot cross the Seine without guards or boats. How will you manage that?"

"Trust me, boy," Bjorn rumbled. "If we wait till daylight, we'd better leave now. Or else someone will see us sneaking down to the river."

"That's true," Yngvar agreed. "Gods willing, we won't need to sneak anywhere. But we should still prepare ourselves. Take everything you can carry. No doubt we'll run into trouble during the crossing, so we might as well load up for it. Even if we aren't attacked, every man needs water, food, and weapons. And good luck charms, too."

Bjorn grinned wickedly. "Good idea. Who knows? Maybe I'll encounter some rich princesses needing rescue."

Ewald shook his head. "There are no women in this company, except my sister. She's married to Thorfast."

"We've got plenty of gold to bribe any number of beautiful ladies," Alasdair added. "And besides, I'm afraid neither of them are very experienced in such matters. It would probably end poorly. I fear these two have been raised on stories of brave heroes rescuing damsels in distress."

Everyone chuckled. Yngvar felt an odd sense of relief. Despite facing danger in unknown lands where people spoke strange languages and worshiped different deities, everyone remained cheerful. Perhaps they did know how to deal with adversity. They had survived worse odds than finding themselves stranded in foreign territory with only a single sword between them.

"You may laugh," Yngvar said, "but I think we're all nervous. None of us ever sailed this far north. There was always a chance that the coast wouldn't continue all the way to the open sea."

Thorolf frowned. "Your grandfather knew what he was doing when he chose to settle here. This place is perfect. A hard-working farmer can feed his family well enough off the bounty of the soil. When winter comes, we can return south. Then next spring, we go back to farming. Life is simple here."

"Simple does not equate to easy," Yngvar said. "Just look at what happened to Gorm the Old. Simple life and prosperity turned sour for him. Fate brought enemies to bear, and he lost his kingdom.