"Are you saying I would've acted on impulse?" Toki feigned shock.
"You hardly act any other way." Ulfrik and Snorri both chuckled. "He'll have to apologize sooner or later, or he'll look like a fool. I'll show him who the more gracious lord is. Now let's get this done."
Toki guided Gunnar away from the animals, as Snorri led the first one to Ulfrik. Gunnar patted one on the head before he left. "Will it hurt him?"
"Don't worry what an animal feels," Toki advised. But he saw the concern in Gunnar's young face. "Well, they're going to the gods. They'll be happy. Don't say things like that in front of your father."
"Yes, Uncle Toki. Father doesn't care about animals, does he?"
"He cares about his people. That's a jarl's first responsibility. Now be a good son and watch. And be silent. This will be your duty one day."
As Ulfrik assumed his position before the bowls, the people gathered closer. Toki strained to focus on the sacrifice, but his eyes wandered to Halla. An ember fell into his gut. Another jarl, the bony faced Vermund, hovered next to her. He was whispering to her while she stifled her giggles. He stood close. Very close. He could read Vermund's desire as easily as the stars in the night sky.
Ulfrik had started his invocations to Odin, Freyer, and Thor. Everyone turned their attention to him. But Toki lingered on Halla and Vermund. If she noticed him, she gave no hint. Finally Toki faced Ulfrik, hearing but not listening to what he said. His mind buzzed with his own thoughts. Vermund had traveled with Hardar, and was unwed. Pieces snapped together for Toki. He had competition.
The first ram screamed when Ulfrik sawed open its throat, snatching Toki's attention. Snorri and another man held the other two rams at bay. The ram's blood poured bright and steaming into a wooden bowl. It slumped as its lifeblood pumped away. Two other men hauled it aside as Ulfrik took the bowl in his hands and held it to the sky.
"May this sacrifice please the gods. May it show our gratitude for surviving another winter."
He placed the bowl aside, and repeated the sacrifices two more times, filling two more bowls. When finished, he implored the gods again to favor everyone for another year. Then he unclasped his silver arm band and dipped it into each bowl for each god. He gently shook off the excess blood, then showed it to the crowd.
"The oath ring is reddened again. Swear your oaths upon it, now while the blood is hot, and the gods will know your resolve." Ulfrik held out the oath ring, he would wear it year-round. Many believed the most powerful oaths were made on fresh blood, though any oath given on the ring any time was equally sacred.
"I give my oath," Ulfrik intoned to the crowd, "to protect and provide to those sworn to me, to bring glory and honor to all the people of Nye Grenner."
Toki felt Gunnar's hand squeeze his own. He glanced down and the boy dutifully observed his father, giving no sign to the agitation Toki guessed he felt. Toki again glanced at Halla. I should learn something from Gunnar. The boy is better than me at hiding his thoughts.
Toki realized he was tapping his foot, waiting for the rams to be bled and the offerings completed. A few men came forward to swear on the ring. At the finish, gore had spattered Ulfrik's white robes. The gathered visitors nodded in satisfaction, a happy murmur spreading through the crowd. Then the clouds parted for the sun and Ulfrik momentarily blazed like a white flame. It drew expressions of awe from the crowd.
"There's a good sign," said one of the jarls; Ragnvald was the name Toki remembered. Many agreed. But Toki noted two who did not. Hardar and Vermund left without a word, dragging Halla in tow. She did not look back as her father led his small group across the waving grass to a line of bobbing tents. Toki worried she would not keep their date.
"So the gods are happy now?" Gunnar asked, looking at Toki with his lip trembling.
"That they are. You're father pleased them greatly, it seems."
Gunnar nodded and was silent a moment. Then he tugged Toki's arm. "Do the gods always need blood to be happy?"
"I suppose they always do, boy." Toki was not looking at Gunnar, but watching Hardar and Vermund stalk down the grassy slope.
Toki and Halla stood at the edge of the northern cliffs. The green sward ran down to the ocher rocks of cliff faces. The cliffs layered back in serried ridges, shading into the blue haze. The purr of the ocean traveled up the walls, filling the silence between them. In the middle distance, birds darted in and out of the cliffs' shadows.
"When I was a girl, I played beside cliffs like these," Halla said. Loose clouds had broken up and the sun hit her eyes, making her squint. "I used to see faces and shapes in the shadows of the rocks."
"Do you see anything now?" Toki peered at the cliffs, imagining the face of a wolf in one. People born here have never seen a wolf, he mused. Halla shook her head in answer to his question.
"The puffins live further on. Do you mind the walk?" They had already come far, unobserved. Despite Toki's fears, Halla had slipped her father's attention while he brooded in his tent. Nye Grenner had disappeared behind the folds of the island, vague streamers of hearth smoke placing the village.
Toki did not wait for Halla's answer but resumed walking. She followed in silence.
"I saw you with your nephew today," she said. "He seems well behaved."
"True, though he didn't get that from my family. Must be his father's blood."
"Lord Ulfrik seems a fair and generous man. His people love him."
Toki stopped and faced her. He nodded in answer. Halla clutched her hands over her stomach. The sunlight turned her hair to white fire. She searched his face for something, and Toki found himself suddenly holding his breath.
"When I was younger, I thought everyone loved my father. That everyone respected him." She dropped her hands and faced the sun again. "But as I got older I realized people feared him more than loved him. I remember once, a man had broken an oath to my father. I don't know what for, but he had the man thrown from a cliff while his family watched. Just like this one."
"Sometimes a broken oath deserves death." Toki grimaced at his words. "But I don't have the details of the story. Sorry, I didn't mean to stir bad memories."
Halla raised a hand and smiled. "No. Please, forget what I've said. I shouldn't speak of sadness. I hardly know you."
Toki checked his urge to make a trite reply. "If you prefer to go back, I'll take you."
"No, I have to see these puffins you are so fond of."
"They are a unique bird, if you've never seen them. We're almost there." Smiles again returned and Toki led the way.
He walked a few paces ahead. Wanting to appear confident, he clasped his hands behind his back and casually scanned the blue cliffs across the fjord. In fact, his hand was clammy in his palm. Polite conversation was not his strength. He could stand at the front of a battle line and scream into the face of death. But a willow of a girl one head shorter than him set him trembling.
Not expecting to get this far with Halla, he lacked a plan to advance his desires. Aside from her beauty, her rugged independence intrigued him. He experienced a twinge of shame, realizing that his sister had a similar character and it might be part of Halla's charm. But Runa's confidence could overwhelm a man, whereas Halla's masked vulnerability.
They continued in silence, Toki desperate to ask his questions but unsure of the best way. Halla solved the problem for him.
"What do you think of Jarl Vermund?"
"I think he stands too close to you and you don't like his sense of humor."
Halla burst out in laughter, revealing her strong teeth. "How true! He's an evil old man, one of my father's dear friends. He's used to men laughing when he laughs, and it shows in what he thinks is funny."