Read Islands in the Fog for Free Online

bleary and face haggard. Stray revelers snored in drunken slumber in the shadowy hall. The place smelled of smoke, stale mead, and sweat. Gunnar crawled on the floor, exploring beneath the tables. Runa rolled her eyes at Toki. "The boy is into everything this morning, and I'm exhausted. Can you take him for me?"
    "Let him run with the other kids. Or Gerdie will watch him. I've got a lot to prepare for this morning, too."
    "Can't you let him follow you for a while? I've got cleanup to do." Runa yawned and rubbed her eyes. Gunnar crawled out from beneath a table triumphantly holding a knife he found. Runa removed it without a word, though Gunnar whined in protest. "Ulfrik's led the rams to the sacred stone. Snorri's giving a hand, but he'll want you there too. And where did you go this morning?"
    "Checking on the ships. Come on, Gunnar. I'll take you to see your father."
    Runa bent to give Gunnar a kiss on his head. The she paused and regarded Toki, breaking into a coy smile. "Checking the ships? Really? Your smile hasn't been this stupid since we were children."
    "You're still drunk, Sister. Good luck with this mess. Looks like the place was ransacked."
    He led Gunnar by the hand, his nephew obediently running beside him. Gunnar rambled about how he hoped to see the gods fetch their sacrifices. Toki normally would've corrected Gunnar, but he kept thinking of Halla. She had been receptive to his clumsy advances. The whole encounter was amazing to him. He had feared he would spend his life alone, or with a hag given to him in his old age. Now, he hoped for more.
    People were indistinct blurs as he hustled past them. In the same field where Ulfrik and Hardar had wrestled, a large pit had been dug. Dried branches had been piled in to make a fire. Two men finished erecting a spit for roasting the sacrificed rams. He spotted Ulfrik, standing awkwardly in the shadow of the sacred stone that passed for their temple in these treeless lands. He wore white woolen robes and the thick silver arm ring. Sprawling out behind him, sweeping into the fog-shrouded foothills, ran an emerald plain of grass.
    "Is that where Odin will eat?" Gunnar asked, pointing at the fire pit. "He can't be burned, can he?"
    "I don't know about that, boy. Now be good and stay with me."
    "So you didn't walk off a cliff. Where have you been this morning?" Ulfrik stood with hands on his hips. The mention of cliffs surprised Toki, making him fear he had been discovered. Ulfrik waved his hand and shook his head. "Well, you're here now. Do I look foolish in this robe?"
    Snorri stood beside him, and clapped his back. "Truthfully, you look foolish out of the robe. I just never told you." They laughed and Toki let Gunnar go to his father, who greeted his son with a brief hug.
    Having arrived late, not much remained to do other than assemble the jarls for the sacrifice. As the men began to converge on the pit, Ulfrik turned Gunnar back to Toki's care. Gunnar protested and dropped himself to the grass, as it made him too heavy to lift. Toki swept the boy over his head and then planted him gently at his side. Gunnar laughed and forgot his argument. Toki glanced up to see Hardar had arrived, and Halla stood behind him. She had been observing Toki, and gave the faintest smile when their eyes met.
    His return smile fled when Hardar caught Toki's eye. Hardar's flat expression shifted to disgust and he looked away. His eye was still swollen and red from Ulfrik's gouging. Toki knelt to Gunnar, straightening the boy's tunic, and ignored Hardar and his small group. He didn't want to signal too much interest in either him or his daughter.
    "So Hardar shows his face this morning without an apology," Ulfrik said, keeping his voice low.
    "I heard he insulted you. I'm sorry I wasn't there to stand up for you." Toki stood again, releasing Gunnar to inspect the rams.
    "It's better you weren't there. Your hot head would've made things worse."
    "Are you saying I would've acted on impulse?" Toki