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along the southern horizon; and gliding down the long slope of air toward this mystery, they saw that the
sea was full of ships.
Harald Harfager, to please a girl who would not have him for a husband, had sworn that he would never
cut his hair until he had unified Norway and made himself King. Therefore, to his friends, he became
known as Harald Fairhair, but his enemies called him Harald, the Lousy.
After the sea battle of Hafrs Fjord, he became King and married his girl and had his long locks trimmed.
The defeated jarls took the remainder of their Viking dragon-ships and fled in many directions, for
Christianity soon became the law of the land.
Ingolfur Arnason and his foster brother Hjorleifur Hrod-marsson, both fierce and ruthless men, gathered
together their goods and gear, their followers, with their women and children, and sailed, in two hundred
ships, for Iceland, still holding for Odin and Thor.
It was this fleet upon which the swans looked down and through their eyes Gwalchmai and Corenice
examined the invaders.
As they circled above at a safe height, beyond arrow range, they saw it to be a well-planned venture.
The decks had goods stowed in every available nook, so it must be that the holds were full. There were
high-prowed warships, their sides lined with shields and men at the oars, with mail shirts and arms close
at hatid. These were proud ships, with gaudy sails that made a brave showing, but many of them still bore
the scars of war.
There were wallowing roundships, squat and low, deeply laden but steadily forging northward. Here
there rose to the spying birds the bellowing of cattle, yonder the bleating of sheep and goats, and now
and again the shrill whinny of a horse.
A cock crowed bravely, somewhere below decks. The keen ears of the swans detected an answering
chorus from his harem of hens.
Children called out to see the beautiful visitors above them. Babies cried, mothers scolded, men shouted
orders or talked from ship to ship with battle horns or six-foot lurs meant to carry sound across fjords or
far out to sea. All this blended together in one vast diapason of sound rolling on in the van of the fleet
Under it all, like a whisper, the rush of water against the sides and under the keels, the hum of wind in the
taut rigging, and the steady thump of the long oars in their holes.
Gwalchmai and Corenice looked at each other. This orderly gathering of ships had not been blown out of
its way by any storm, nor were they fishermen. They were manned by fighting men, retainers of great
lords, who stalked those stout decks wearing wadmal, heavy homespun tweed, meant for long use and
severe weather. They were gay in long cloaks of bright reds and blues and rich in ornaments of heavy
gold or cairngorms set in silver brooches.
This was a fleet that knew where it was going and these people were coming to stay.
Corenice communed with Gwalchmai. There was only one possible destination for these ships if they held
their course, and that was the Bay of Smokes and only one possible end for the Culdees, the Children
of God thralldom to the Vikings!
If the wind held, they were less than & day s run away. The Celts must be warned. "
The two swans beat the air with their broad wings, arching away from the fleet, seeking altitude; then,
leveling off, again at an impressive height, they headed north.
The Vikings, taking this as a good sign, followed the direction the birds had taken. With them as their
leaders, the dragon-ships plowed on.
Flann was unpleasantly surprised to see Thyra s expression change to the long familiar, but less
affectionate look. She left without looking back or giving any reason to him and went back along the path
into the hills.
It was not long before she returned and with her was Gwalchmai. They clung to each other fondly as they
walked and Flann grunted in disgust and turned to his neglected work. The couple went directly to the
stand where the long_ whale bone hung and Gwalchmai beat upon it heavily with the mallet, calling out
the people.
The Culdees came running to the sound. Men and women left their work and children forgot their play,
for they knew that from this ragged alarm beat no whale had been sighted or any ordinary council called.
This was an alarm and an urgent one.
Bishop Malachi came hurrying up, his robe hiked high, to learn what was toward and behind him his
chubby little wife, red-cheeked and panting, easing her tight kirtle. They paled at the dreadful tidings, but
soon recovered.
He cried, Be of good cheer, brothers and sisters! We have been in danger before and the pirates have
stayed only a little while and have gone away. We have time to gather our belongings, and seek our
hiding places in the West Islands, They will go again and we can wait them out.
Corenice did not dare tell them how she knew, but she said and they supposed her to be fey, for they
had heard she had the gift of seeing
I see this fleet like a great city moving upon us. It will settle upon these shores and never go away. If you
try to outwait it, you will all die in thralldom under the whips of cruel masters. Your daughters will- be
their playthings and if your sons resist, they will have the blood-eagle carved on their backs to the glory
of Odin!
At this they marveled, for all took her ,to be a girl of the Norse and were surprised that she spoke thus
against her own people. Only the Bishop sensed something unusual about her, for Tie knew her better
than most, so he spoke to her kindly.
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