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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."
    "Vermund is fond of you; that's obvious. But so am I."
    "Which is also obvious," Halla finished for him. She flashed a