They rowed south and east, but it was slow travel with only three men to row. Dana took the fourth oar, being a slave accustomed to manual work. She rowed surprisingly well, but did not last. Reluctantly, Toki raised the mast and fought with his steering board to guide them to where he guessed to find land.
But by the end of the day, the expected coastline did not emerge on the horizon. No one spoke more than necessary. Only Gunnar's voice broke the monotony of rowing oars or billowing sail, and he only spoke to his mother. The men rowed and Gerdie tended them like a nursemaid, bringing mead or wiping their brows. When the sail went up, she had nothing more to do and paced the deck in silence.
Halla sat deep in the forecastle, disappearing into the shadows as if she wanted to leave the world. Toki's head ached when he thought of her. He tried to be understanding, but had no patience for it. Ulfrik, for all his fierceness in battle, could effortlessly summon patience and understanding for others. How I wish I could be like you, old friend, Toki thought. You would know how to speak to her. Look at how you tamed my sister!
By the onset of twilight, land still eluded them and the sky still withheld its secrets. Exhausted, he gave the steering board to Einar, who had already rested, and stretched out to sleep. "The wind wants us to go east, and we must head south."
"Odin's Wagon hides from us. Without the north star, I cannot know where I steer."
Toki patted Einar on the shoulder and left him. "Wake me if the skies clear."
He checked on Halla, now curled asleep with Dana in the prow. He considered resting with her, but thought better of it. Instead he tightened his cloak and lay under the mast pole.
Toki awakened in what seemed no time at all. He rolled over, facing a light blue expanse with a faint speckling of stars. The sails bulged with strong wind, but the clouds were gone. The thought jolted him. He shot to his feet in excitement. Thin morning light painted everyone as lumps of rosy gray. Toki turned to Einar and his stomach dropped.
He was asleep at the steering board, slumped over the tiller as if he were dead. Toki rushed to him, shook him violently. "Wake up, you fool! How long have you been asleep?"
Einar snapped awake, batting at Toki as he came to his senses. Toki snarled in his face as realization bloomed in Einar's expression. "I don't know. I was exhausted."
"I see that. The clouds cleared and the sun is up. We can get a heading now. But who knows how long you've steered us in these winds. You should've taken in the sails!" Toki silently cursed himself, knowing responsibility for the sail laid with him. He let go of Einar. "Forget that. There's still no land in sight, and we're lost. From here we need to take a new heading, for Norway."
Einar straightened out his shirt and rubbed his face. "Norway? Are you sure we're that far off?"
Toki shook his head. "But we sail straight east and we will find land. Any other direction and we could be at sea longer than we can survive. Landfall in Norway will let us resupply at least. The wind has been blowing in that direction anyway. We can't be south or we would have found the islands we sought. So we are probably halfway to Norway now. We'll just finish the journey."
"And what about Ulfrik?" Toki jumped at the sudden question from behind. He turned and found Runa seated with Gunnar in her lap. The child still fought with sleep, but Runa's eyes were awake and sparkling.
"He will survive while we find help in Norway. What do you want me to say? We can't help him if we're dead. I don't like this any more than you, but there's no choice."
To his relief, Runa nodded and stroked Gunnar's hair. "Ulfrik is strong. He might even escape without our help. Don't think he needs us to succeed."
Toki smiled. "Half of me believes we're on this journey to get out of his way. I bet he will be waiting for us in the hall back at Nye Grenner, a stupid smile on his face."
Runa laughed faintly, though Toki could see the glimmer of tears running over her cheeks. A teardrop landed on Gunnar, and he fussed with an annoyed cry.
He left his sister to her thoughts, then roused Thrand and Njall to share the plan. He let the others remain asleep, hoping they would awaken with shores in sight.
Landfall occurred later than Toki had expected, but in time to avert disaster. They had lost precious rations during the storm, and casks that held mead were now ruined with seawater. First birds had appeared, lifting spirits, then a purple stripe showed on the horizon which they greeted with cheers and shouts.
But a successful landing proved more challenging. Other sea traffic increased with their proximity to land, and Toki feared square sailed ships plying the distant waters. If any turned toward him, he headed the opposite direction. Once he had arrived at the craggy islands splattering the coastline, Toki found it easier to hide. He managed to catch two fishing ships unaware, and while the crews brandished spears, they were not warriors.
Toki hailed them in peace, though the fishermen were wary of such ploys. He maintained distance as he called from the prow. "We were blown off course in a storm. We only want to find a town to resupply. Where are we?"
The men conferred with each other, until a white-haired man shouted back to him. "You've found More; Jarl Rognvald the Wise rules here. Follow the coast, you will see where the trading ships go."
Toki thanked them and then banked his ship north. The names told him everything he needed. After a short time, he pulled into an inlet where the waters were calm and the shore flanked by high cliffs topped with dark evergreens. He and the men dragged the ship onto the fine sand beach, so unlike the rocky shores of the Faereyjar, then assisted the women down the gangplank.
Halla accepted his hand but did not look at him as she trotted down the plank. Toki gritted his teeth and forced a smile, reminding himself he had others who needed him to focus.
Everyone delighted in setting foot on land. Gunnar spent his youthful energy running along the shore under Runa's watchful eye. Toki gathered everyone together with a whistle. Only Gunnar refused to heed him, continuing to run and scream with joy.
"I know exactly where we are now, and this place is not friendly to us. Not if they knew we fought Harald Finehair at Hafrsfjord."
"We didn't fight him," Njall said. "Only you, and your sister if the stories are true."
"The stories are true," Toki said. Runa's lips twisted in a wry smile. "But fortunately, we're not the famous ones. I think it's best if we don't tell anyone we are from the Faereyjar Islands. Many of the high king's enemies fled west, and we would be suspect. Let's use my accent to advantage and be Danes. Let me and Runa talk and no one would know better."
"What if someone talks to us?" Thrand asked.
"Then answer; don't act strange. We're not going to be here long. The rest of the plan is to get supplies and get back to sea."
"What about help to rescue Ulfrik?" Runa folded her arms. Toki noticed that behind her, Halla looked away and rolled her eyes at Dana. The gesture irritated him, but Runa misread it. "Sorry if you don't like my question, but that's the whole point of being at sea. We can't delay any longer."
"Agreed. But as I said, the men here will likely side with Harald. I do not trust them. We will go to the Shetlands as originally planned. Men there will be more reliable, and more willing to travel the shorter distance."
"And as I said, we need to get help for Ulfrik. Gods, Toki! You have us sailing everywhere and getting nothing done. First we will find men here, then we won't. Then we go home, but then we sail to the Shetlands. We need to do something!"
Runa's voice echoed off the cliff faces. A flock of birds shot into the air out of the trees as if irritated. Gunnar finally stopped laughing and stared silently at his mother.