Part 36 (1/2)
”And here is so of which thou shalt know,” answered Atli, and he shook his sword before Eric's eyes ”Guard thyself!”
”Nay, Earl; thou art old, and I have done the wrong--I ht with thee”
”Art thou a coward also?” said the Earl
”Some have deemed otherwise,” said Eric, ”but it is true that heavy heart makes weak hand Nevertheless this is my rede With thee are ten men Stand thou aside and let them fall on me till I am slain”
”The odds are too heavy even for thee,” said Skallagrim ”Back to back, lord, as we have stood aforetiether”
”Not so,” cried Atli, ”this shame is mine, and I have sworn to Swanhild that I ipe it out in Eric's blood Stand thou before me and draw!”
Then Eric drew Whitefire and raised his shi+eld Atli the Earl rushed at hiht it on his shi+eld and suffered no harm; but he would not s art thou, and coward to the last!” he cried ”See, ht I am not come to this that I will cut down a ive blow for blow This is my word: take ye your spear-shafts and push this coward to the shore Then put hirew red as the red light of sunset, for his ht not bear this
”Take shi+eld,” he said, ”and, Earl, on thine own head be thy blood, for none shall live to call Eric niddering and coward”
Atli laughed in his folly and his rage He took a shi+eld, and, once reat blow
Eric parried, then whirled Whitefire on high and sht blade like a star through the night Sword and shi+eld did Atli lift to catch the blow Through shi+eld it sheared, and arh byrnie mail and deep into Earl Atli's side He fell prone to earth, while reatness of that stroke
But Eric leaned on Whitefire and looked at the old Earl upon the rock
”Now, Atli, thou hast had thy way,” he said, ”and s are worse than they were before But I will say this: would that I lay there and thou stoodest to watch me die, for as lief would I have slain my father as thee, Earl Atli There lies Swanhild's work!”
Atli gazed upwards into Eric's sad eyes and, while he gazed so, his rage left hiht brake upon his h the driving mist
”Eric,” he said, ”draw near and speak with uiled and that thou didst not do this thing that Swanhild said and Koll bore witness to”
”What did Swanhild say, then, Earl Atli?”
The Earl told hih I never thought of it Now hearken!” and he told hiroaned aloud ”I know this now, Eric,” he said: ”that thou speakest truth, and once ive thee all, for no ainst woman's witchcraft, and witch's wine
Swanhild is evil to the heart Yet, Eric, I lay this doom upon thee--I do not lay it of my oill, for I would not harm thee, whom I love, but because of the words that the Norns put in my mouth, for now I am fey in this the hour of ainst thy will shall avail thee nothing, for of thy sin fate shall fashi+on a handle to the spear which pierces thee Henceforth thou art accursed For I tell thee that this wicked wo thee down to death, and worse than death, and with thee those thou lovest By witchcraft she brought thee to Strauht and cruel deeds shall she bring thee to lie more low than I do For, Eric, thou art bound to her, and thou shalt never loose the bond!”
Atli ceased a while, then spoke again th is well-nigh spent Ye shall swear four things to rie from Strauhter and Atli's wife, that, at last, I know her for what she is--a ive Eric whom she tricked, but that her I hate and spit upon That ye will slay Koll the Half-witted, Groa's thrall, who caone, since by his lies he hath set an edge upon this sword of falsehood That ye will raise no blood-feud against Eric for this oaded him to the deed Do ye swear?”
”We swear,” said the men
”Then farewell! And to thee farewell, also, Eric Brighteyes! Now take ive thee a new name, and by that name thou shalt be called in story I name thee _Eric the Unlucky_