Part 55 (1/2)

Now the night caest The air was quiet and heavy, yet no rain fell It was so silent, moreover, that, did a stone slip upon the h far off on the plains, the sound of it crept up the fell and was echoed froether on the open space of rock that is before the cave, and great heaviness and fear came into their hearts, so that they had no desire to sleep

”Methinks the night is ghost-ridden,” said Eric, ”and I arow cold, and it seehost-ridden, lord,” answered Skallagriather to see Eric die”

For a while they sat in silence, then suddenly the ently beneath them Thrice it seehtened

”Now the dwarf-folk coreat deeds may be looked for, since they are not drawn to the upper earth by a little thing”

Then once more they sat silent; and thick darkness ca the stars

”Look,” said Eric of a sudden, and he pointed to Hecla

Skallagriloith a rosy flahts,” said Lahts!” answered Eric ”Look again!”

They looked, and behold! in the rosy glow there sat three giant forms of fire, and their shapes were the shapes of women Before them was a loom of blackness that stretched from earth to sky, and they wove at it with threads of flame They were splendid and terrible to see Their hair streahtning, and their breasts gleamed like the polished bucklers of the Gods They wove fiercely at the loo The voice of the one was as the histling through the pines; the voice of the other was as the sound of rain hissing on deep waters; and the voice of the third was as theloudly, but what they sang rew, and a picture careat picture written in fire

Behold! it was the seiant shi+p fled before the gale--a dragon of war, and in the shi+p were piled the corses of men, and on these lay another corse, as one lies upon a bed

They looked, and the face of the corse grew bright It was the face of Eric, and his head rested upon the dead heart of Skallagririht of fear that ritten on the looh like the wail of wolves, the shapes of fire sprang up and rent the web asunder Then the first passed upward to the sky, the second southward towards Middalhof, but the third swept over Mosfell, so that the brightness of her fla forhtning of her eyes was olden hel doards as she went, and lo! she was gone, and once more darkness and silence lay upon the earth

Now this sight was seen of Jon the thrall also, and he told it in his story of the deeds of Eric For Jon lay hid in a secret place on Mosfell, waiting for tidings of what ca to each other Then Skallagrim spoke

”We have seen the Valkyries,” he said

”Nay,” answered Eric, ”we have seen the Norns--who are come to warn us of our doorioblin shi+p, and all of our own slaying methinks

It is not so ill to die thus, lord!”

”Not so ill!” said Eric; ”and yet I ath Now I desire rest alone Light fire--I can bear this darkness no longer; the marrow freezes in rim

”It matters little now,” said Eric, ”we are feyfolk”

So Skallagri much brushwood and dry turf over it, till presently it burnt up brightly, throwing light on all the space of rock, and heavy shadows against the cliff behind They sat thus a while in the light of the flaulf, till suddenly there caulf

”Who co where noto his feet Presently he sank down again hite face and staring eyes, and pointed at the edge of the cliff And as he pointed, the neck of a man rose in the shadow above the brink, and the hands of a rasped the rock But there was no head on the neck

The shape of the headless man drew itself slowly over the brink, it walked slowly into the light towards the fire, then sat itself down in the glare of the flaht of wind Pale with terror, Eric and Skallagri and knew it It was the wraith of the Baresark that Brighteyes had slain--the first of all the men he slew