edge of the clearing, maintaining a respectful distance, and only Vathr’s priest approached the druids. Apart from him, the others watched in silence and concentration. It was hard to tell how long the prayers had lasted, but it ended with a sudden silence. Einar felt as though he’d been roused from a trance and looked around. It seemed he wasn’t the only one to experience this sensation, as most of those gathered behaved in exactly the same way.
‘Come closer.’ Heres’s calm voice somehow didn’t fit the scene unfolding before them, and Toinen had to pinch himself to make sure it was real. ‘Don’t be afraid, please come.’
Father was the first to move, putting on a confident expression, though his eyes betrayed that he was, in fact, a little afraid. Mother followed immediately in his footsteps, catching up with him and taking him by the arm. Right behind them came the legate, muttering something under his breath, and the suspicious Livitus. Next came Captain Svenson and the guards, pushing the two prisoners right up to the altar, where an elderly druid was waiting. Bringing up the rear, all the brothers set off from their place alongside Tahon. Einar felt uneasy, but the presence of his siblings and his friend was a source of comfort.
‘We have gathered to ask the gods for judgement and punishment,’ began Heres, once everyone was just a few paces from the altar and the other druids had withdrawn to the edge of the clearing. Theis of Tyl stood right beside Heres, gazing at the offerings and the Gate. ‘Who wants to bring charges against these two before the gods?’ The druid pointed at the bound men.
‘I, Olaf Anson, Jarl of Stairon, accuse them,’ said Father, stepping forward and fixing his gaze on the horizon visible through the Gate.
‘What do you wish to accuse them of?’
‘At the feast where they were my guests, they insulted my friends,’ Father began in a somewhat muffled tone. It seemed he had to list all the accused men’s offences. ‘They attacked a member of my clan,
