Read Sword Brothers for Free Online

the edge of the man's nose guard, then sprang through the opening he had created.
    He did not turn to see if he was pursued. He plunged back into the milling confusion and men made room for him to pass. In the predawn darkness they did not recognize him as the enemy. Running in a wide loop through the campfires and confused enemy, he came to the edge of the camp then slipped into the woods. He sought the biggest tree he could find in the slate colored murk, then collapsed against it. His breath was ragged, his heart thumped so hard his eyes pulsed, and his legs burned with the effort. Sweat rolled into his mouth off his nose and he laughed. Behind him he heard crashes and clangs, Frankish curses, and the cries of horses.
    The plan had worked. He did not need to see Hrolf escape to know that in such turmoil he would have had no trouble. Now all that remained was for him to round up Hakon, Finn, and the others. That might prove a great deal harder to do, and it was the least considered part of his plans. For the moment, he recovered from the strain. His left leg began to stiffen and he rubbed it furiously.
    As the night wore on, the Franks settled down. He did not know exactly what they were up to, but doubtlessly by now they had discovered Hrolf's abandoned camp and would be preparing for pursuit. Dawn was a few hours away yet, but scouts would be sent ahead to start tracking by torchlight. If Hrolf built the barrier, then the Franks would never catch up. Ulfrik finally decided he had to seek out the others. He had hoped they would find him, but he had possibly drifted off to sleep at one point. He did not know. Neither friend nor enemy had spotted him against the wide tree.
    Standing again pained his back and legs, and his knees cracked like breaking sticks. His first steps were like those of an ancient man, reminding him of how his old friend Snorri hobbled from one bench to the next. He groaned but forced his legs to move, carelessly kicking through the underbrush. He circled left, which he guessed was toward the riverbank, but in the starless night he had no sense of direction. His only plan had been to meet up with the others behind the Frankish lines and seek the riverbank at dawn. He had hoped Finn would have had more to offer the plan, being the truest woodsman of all his hirdmen. Yet he had been too excited at the prospect of creating the diversion, or else he had no idea how to rejoin the group.
    Yet the gods truly loved him this day, and as he staggered past a clump of bushes amid the trees, Finn's familiar voice whispered to him, "You move like a blind bear. We're over here."
    He stopped and stared at the dark shapes, needing a moment for Finn's head to come into focus over the tops of the bushes. "Are there others?"
    "Hakon, Ragnar, Bruni, and Olen are with me. Alvis and Ketil are watching the Franks for us. Only Gils is missing."
    "All those good men," Ulfrik said as he pushed through the bushes to join Finn, "but you couldn't find me. I'm better at hiding than I thought."
    "No, you just didn't listen when I told you we'd assemble south of the camp. This is north of the camp, exactly the wrong way."
    Finn's smile flashed in the low light, and Ulfrik felt his face grow warm.
    "This is north? How do you even know? Never mind. We have to find Gils, then we make our escape."
    Finn was already shaking his head. "We'll never find Gils, not now. The Franks are all awake and they've got their wits about them. If we don't go now, we'll be caught for sure."
    Ulfrik pushed past Finn toward the dark shapes huddled in a circle and seated on the ground. He stood above them, unwilling to crouch and let them hear his joints snap and pop. Hakon stood and embraced him. "We were beginning to wonder if you'd join us."
    "As soon as we locate Gils, we're leaving." Ulfrik could not see anyone's face in the blue darkness, but he read their reluctance in their bowed heads. His voice hissed with irritation. "Don't stain your bravery with