"Hold on, Thorvald." Ulfrik stepped into the forge area and the crowd silenced. "We're not going to get anything out of them with broken jaws and no teeth."
Thorvald straightened up and his face turned red. He seemed on the verge of exploding but then softened. "They're not talking, anyway. I just hit them a few times."
Ulfrik smiled and looked down on the two captives. "Well, I bet you two hadn't expected capture. I hope Hardar is paying you well, because I'm going to make whatever he gave you feel worthless. I need answers and I'm getting them."
Ulfrik's eyes throbbed and his body quivered with anger. Part of him understood these two were simple men who took orders from whoever paid highest, and that he should not blame them for their actions. But that part of him was not in control. The part that raged against his losses dominated.
"Thorvald, get this one's hand on your anvil. Someone give me a hammer." Thorvald's smile grew wicked as he seized the crippled man and hauled him up. His swollen eyes pried open in terror.
A hammer fell into Ulfrik's waiting palm, and he weighed the head in his other hand. "You can start talking now or I can mash your hand. You ought to know I'm serious."
The man started sputtering his words and the other prisoner started to shout. "Don't tell him nothing!"
Ulfrik kicked the other man in his face. He snapped back and bounced his head on the anvil, then slouched to the side with bloody drool oozing from his mouth. "I only need one man to talk. One more word from you and it'll be your last."
The other prisoner moaned in answer while the one with his hand on the anvil started to talk. "Don't break my hand, please. I'll tell you what you want. Anything!"
"Who is your leader, and what is your deal with Hardar?"
"I'm sworn to Jarl Kjotve the Rich, and he has a deal with Hardar. I don't know what it is. We get a take of the spoils from sacking this place."
Ulfrik's vision flashed white. "Now that was the wrong answer. Jarl Kjotve the Rich died at Hafrsfjord. I was there."
The hammer slammed down and the man screamed. His bones crushed and his fingers splayed out. Ulfrik hammered again, until the meat of the prisoner's hand was flattened and the skin torn. The prisoner slumped and fainted from the pain. The crowd cheered at the violence. But as the white haze cleared from Ulfrik's mind, he felt revolted at his action. It was one thing to maim a man in battle, and another to maim the helpless.
His disgust only worsened his mood. He dropped the hammer with a dull thud and picked up the other prisoner. He sat him upright and grabbed his hair, pulling him so that his throat lay exposed. He crouched beside him.
"Your friend lied and you saw what it earned him. Now are you ready to speak honestly? Who do you serve?"
"I serve Kort the Gray. We are mercenaries or raiders, whatever you like to call us. Hardar promised shares in your treasure. It's all I know."
"I've never heard of Kort the Gray. Anyone else know of such a man?"
Ulfrik didn't look around but heard the confused grunts behind him. "Are you lying again?"
"We come from all lands, but founded our band after leaving Northumbria. We were last in the Orkneyjar, raiding a rich jarl there. It's the truth."
Ulfrik searched the man's desperate face. Whether it was the truth, he would never know. "Very well. How many crew your ships?"
"One hundred men. I don't know how many we lost. But we'll make them up. Maybe you should think about joining us, eh?"
Ulfrik slammed the man's head against the anvil. "How did Hardar find you?"
The man's eyes rolled as he recovered from the blow. Ulfrik shook him again, getting an answer. "We found him. We came to raid, but he offered payment and promised you were easier prey. Not so easy, we found out."
"Will Kort the Gray switch sides? Can he be paid to join with me?"
The man laughed, a noise like rocks grinding together. "Kort has honor, and has given his word. Besides Hardar has many friends here and we don't want to fight all of them. We're after the easy prey, you."
Ulfrik shoved the prisoner to the ground and stood. He looked up at Thorvald, his face a tapestry of shock, despair, and fear. He twisted to survey the equally horrified faces of the crowd. Even Toki and Snorri could not keep defeat from their faces.
"One hundred men plus more allies." Someone intoned the words at the back of the group.
"Six ships," another voice answered. "We had to expect at least that many crew."
"But more allies," a new voice added.
"Enough," Ulfrik spoke as evenly as he could. "Keep this information quiet. No need to spread panic yet. I will have council and decide what we do next."
"We have to surrender." A desperate, small voice floated up from the group. Ulfrik cringed at the suggestion. Faces turned to him, notably Snorri and Toki. Ulfrik stared back at them for long moments.
"I will have council and decide. Lock up these prisoners. Thorvald, you will come?"
Thorvald nodded slowly. Ulfrik blinked and looked at the desperate faces. There was nothing more to say. He left for the hall.
Ulfrik leaned beside the door to the hall as the last of his men filed inside. Now that so many had died, the main room felt expansive, large spaces separated the cliques seating themselves. No one spoke beyond simple greetings. The threat Hardar and his allies represented had become too desperate for anything more. Men wanted to know what would come next. Ulfrik wanted to know the same thing, and dreaded the answer.
Runa stood beside him at the door, holding Gunnar in her arms. Halla waited with Gerdie at a respectable distance, their feet hidden in the long grass turning blue in the twilight. Gunnar buried his face in his mother's shoulder, responding to the black mood that had overtaken everyone. Ulfrik looked into Runa's dark eyes. They had argued all afternoon, but achieved nothing more than angering each other. Now as she left the hall for the night, he forgot the reasons for fighting. It only remained to make a final decision, a single choice to fight or surrender.
"Sleep well tonight. Try not to think too much." Ulfrik touched Runa's arm as he spoke. She rolled her eyes.
"No one will sleep tonight, and least of all me. We must flee, Ulfrik. Make the right choice for your family."
Ulfrik rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. Then he gave her a kiss and tousled Gunnar's hair. "The men are waiting for me. Go on."
He watched her depart. Gunnar peeked over her shoulder as they left, and snapped his head away when Ulfrik caught his eye.
Inside the hall, men parted as he strode to the front where Snorri, Toki, Thorvald, and Einar sat at the high table. Each man nodded solemnly as Ulfrik took his place on the bench. He returned their greetings, then searched the assembly. The hearth burned brightly, obscuring men in the rear behind a yellow haze and crisply defining the rest. Every face, young and old, watched him. Ulfrik swallowed, then spoke.
"You've heard the news, and what the prisoners have said. We have decisions to make."
Ulfrik began with an outline of how they had come to make war with Hardar and how he had hired Kort the Gray and enlisted other jarls. He recounted the dead, gave them honor, and named them. It was a long list of thirty-four warriors. The surviving warriors bowed their head at the names, shouted oaths of revenge, and some even wept.
"The burning of our ships destroyed our ability to strike Hardar at will. The terrain prevents overland attacks, and one ship cannot carry enough warriors to attack by sea. But that doesn't mean we have no use for a single ship. I will send men to seek allies. We will need help in this fight. I know that Ragnvald will stand with me. Others might be willing to do the same for a price. It will place us in their debt, but this is the best way."