was sitting on the bed, leaning towards the other boy, Throst.
‘At least you’re up,’ Einar gasped. ‘And I won’t have to wake you up.’
‘Einar!’ Surt sprang to his feet. He’d probably meant to look menacing, but the blush on his face didn’t help his cause. ‘What are you doing here?!’ His brother was angry, but Einar merely shrugged and pulled a face which, he thought, expressed a lack of interest in the situation and the fact that, if he could, he wouldn’t have disturbed them. The message seemed to get through to Surt, for he raised an eyebrow with interest and folded his arms across his bare chest. ‘What’s happened?’
‘The druids have foretold that a ship from afar will arrive today and that it will be an important event.’ Einar scratched his chin. ‘They just don’t know whether it’s good or bad.’
‘And did Father tell you to find everyone and bring everyone home?’ Surt finished, glancing at Thorst. They exchanged smiles and the brothers left together. ‘Einar, you know…’
‘I know, I know. Dad and Thorst’s father aren’t exactly on the best of terms.’ The boy looked at his older brother and sighed. ‘You know me, I won’t blab.’
‘I know, I know.’ Surt ran his fingers through his fiery red hair and put on the shirt he’d taken from the bed before leaving. ‘But you know, it’s always better when you say it out loud.’ The blush on the older boy’s face deepened slightly.
‘Really…’ Einar shook his head. ‘Instead of being so pessimistic, you’d better tell me which girl was the number one topic of conversation for Kari and Leif.’
‘How am I supposed to know?’ Bragi snapped.
‘You can’t convince me they didn’t torment you with their stories for six months.’
‘What I meant was, I’ve no idea who they’ve charmed this time.’ He let his younger brother go first up the ladder and scrambled up right behind him. ‘They disappeared from the feast not long after you went to bed.’
‘Was there any one girl who cropped up particularly often in their
