Book 3: 'Arrow Odd'

25.0 THE BARKMAN

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

THE BARKMAN (Circa 880 AD)

"Venom-filled snake shall sting you

From below the skull of Faxi.

The adder will bite from below your foot,

When you are terribly old, my lord."

From The Saga of Arrow Odd

(880 AD) Oddi and Sirnir were again overwintering in Rouen, but as winter dragged on, Oddi became very depressed. He kept revisiting the tragedies that he had suffered at the hands of Ogmund Tussock. He no longer wanted to risk his blood brother's life in his fight with Ogmund, because, as Raudgrani had said, all those close to him wound up dead. He thought his friends had suffered losses enough already. He formed a plan to steal away one night in Fair Faxi and to explore the Nor'Way once again. He had his quiver on his back and his sword at his side and a few trusted crewmen. But before leaving Rouen he visited Duke Rollo to tell him where he was headed.

"Have you told Prince Erik that I now know for certain that you are his son?" Duke Rollo asked.

"No, I haven't," Oddi replied. And when the duke began shaking his head, he added, "How can I tell the richest man in the world that I am for certain his son based on the conversations you have had with the spirit of his dead wife, Gunwar, after the two of you have made out? He'll think that I'm after his estate and worse, that you're focking his wife."

"It's not as bad as that," Roller answered, looking down at his boots, "after all, she is a ghost. And she only visits me when she's saving your ass, so it's not my fault."

"I know," Oddi admitted. "I'll tell The Prince when I'm in the east. I also want to look up Gudrun and Sigrid while I'm there. Are they still in the east with their father?"

"I found out that your girlfriend, Gudrun, and her sister, Sigrid, were really into the Freedom Movement and I told their father about it when he came back from trading that fall and he got all pissed off at them and moved them all to his Hraes' trading station in Polotsk the next spring."

"What was he pissed off about?"

"I think they admitted that they were in the Freedom Movement and Polotsk was right on King Frodi's slave route, so he was making a lot of gold off the trade they were trying to stop. I also heard a rumour that both girls were in the way, knocked up, but it was just a rumour."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Like I said, it was just a rumour...a rumour their father was busy quashing. I just assumed you knew about it. Besides, you were off in Ireland getting married to Princess Olvor. I visited Dub-Lin last year and little Hraegunhild is going to be a beauty," Roller said, trying to change the subject.

"I can't go to Polotsk," Oddi complained. "Frodi'll have my head."

"Well, if you're looking up illegitimate children," the duke began, "you could visit Princess Blaeja in York. Hraegunhild is growing up and I'm told she is quite the little cutie. York is much closer than Polotsk and you're not as likely to lose your head. You might even get some."

"I was going to visit Princess Blaeja on my way east anyway. I promised her I would ask Kraka about Ragnar's curse."

"And what did your grandmother tell you?"

"Not good news, I'm afraid," Oddi answered. "The curse was a challenge for his sons to avenge him, but it applies to grandsons as well, and great grandsons. And Kraka called me Bjorn when I said goodbye...Bjorn Ironshirt."