stories?’
‘I’ve no idea.’ Bragi shrugged, glancing around the settlement as if the answer might emerge from one of the huts. ‘I think they were talking about all the girls in the village.’ A tormented sigh suggested that the twins were unlikely to have left their red-haired brother’s side. ‘What’s more, when we called at Iverlis, Father tried to keep them on board, but the rascals managed to slip away somehow, and by the next day everyone already knew that Kari and Leif had led astray two of some merchant’s daughters, the captain of the guard’s daughter, a girl they’d bumped into at the inn, and at least three others. And all that in a single night.’ Another weary sigh. ‘And then I had to sit through Ulf’s sermons with them too. And they kept on talking about nothing but that. Even the blacksmith’s daughter…’
‘But she’s about ten years older than them.’ Einar nearly tripped over his own feet. ‘What’s more, if old Gest found out, he wouldn’t just wring the neck of anyone who tried to flirt with Gudrun.’
‘How am I supposed to know what’s going on in those empty heads of theirs?’ Surt shrugged.
‘Wait, wait…’ Einar had a slightly bad feeling. ‘Which one of them mentioned the blacksmith’s daughter?’
‘I think both of them.’
‘I hope not…’ They both stopped and looked over their shoulders as if on cue. Between the trees, not far from the settlement, a wisp of smoke was rising from the blacksmith’s cottage.
‘Well, it wouldn’t be the first time.’ Surt looked around to make sure no one could hear them. ‘Do you remember, two years ago, when they were boasting that the two of them…’ He paused, searching for the right word. ‘…kept a girl company all night long.’
‘Yes, they went on and on about it, until Mum overheard them.’ A shiver ran down Einar’s spine at the very memory of the storm that had swept through the Anson household back then. ‘Only they hadn’t learnt their lesson, and when the merchants sailed in the following year, they immediately
