The Battle for Skandia- Character Reaction

40

"I'm thinking we should continue before Halt and Crowley kill each other," Gilan said. The book was passed to Stig, who began reading.

WOLFWIND FOLLOWED THE RIVER SEMATH ALL THE WAY FROM the Narrow Sea to Castle Araluen itself. Halt made a face. It was an astounding sight for the locals, to see a wolfship gliding, unmolested and peaceful, past their fields and villages, so far inland. The many river forts and strongpoints, which would normally have denied such progress to a Skandian ship, now deferred to the fact that Princess Cassandra's personal standard, a stooping red hawk, flew from the masthead. A message had been sent ahead of the wolfship's progress to make sure that local commanders recognized the standard and the fact that the voyagers traveled upriver in peace.

Will chuckled. "That didn't stop some of them from running to prepare for a raid," he said.

It was also something of a novelty for Erak and his crew. Erak and Svengal grinned.

Finally, they rounded the last bend in the river and there before them were the soaring spires and turrets of Castle Araluen. Erak drew breath in wonder at the sight of it. Halt, watching him, was sure that, as well as the sheer admiration the castle inspired, Erak's old plundering instincts were at work, estimating just how much treasure the castle could contain. He stepped close to the Oberjarl and said softly:

"You'd never make it past the moat."

Erak started in surprise and looked at the Ranger.

"He knows everything," Will said. "You get used to it. Most of the time." Gilan laughed.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" he asked. Halt raised an
eyebrow.

"You're a Skandian," he said. Erak grinned.

There was a landing stage jutting out into the river, bedecked with flags
and bunting. And a large crowd was awaiting their arrival. At the sight of the wolfship, they began sounding horns and cheering.

"What a surprising sight," Crowley said mildly. "We should have put that in records and on a silver plaque."

"That's a first," Erak said mildly, bringing a grin to Halt's face.

"And there's another," he said, pointing discreetly to a tall, bearded figure standing a little way back from the landing stage, surrounded by an expensively dressed retinue of knights and ladies. "That's the King himself, come down to welcome you, Erak." Duncan smiled over at the Oberjarl.

"More likely he's here for his daughter," the Skandian replied. But Halt noticed that he did look a little pleased with himself. Erak sniffed, and Halt grinned.

Evanlyn had seen the tall man now and was standing in the prow of the wolfship, waving excitedly. The cheers from the shore redoubled at the sight of her and now Duncan was leading the way down the landing stage, lengthening his stride so that he was almost running, not content to stand back and preserve his royal dignity.

Duncan reached over, squeezing his daughter's hand. Cassandra smiled at him.

"Oars!" called Erak, and the rowers raised their oars, dripping, from the water as the wolfship glided smoothly alongside the landing stage.

"It would be a lot smoother if you switched," Hal pointed out. Erak shook his head.

The Skandian crew passed mooring lines to those on shore, the two parties regarding each other with deep interest. It was the first time in memory that Araluens and Skandians had been face-to-face without weapons in their hands.