The United States of Vinland: The Landing (The Markland Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page A

here, on the land Odin chose for us.”
    Steinarr
sat beside his younger brother, Samr, both men nodding as they ate. The older
man swallowed some mutton before saying, “We will need to build a boat in any
case – and eventually a ship.”
    Gudrid
answered him, “Yes, we have the skills, but the tools are gone, stolen away by
the sea. We could still build a ship, but such a thing would take more time
than we can give it before winter settles in.”
    Many
of them considered her words before turning to Eskil, who gave a nod. “While we
lack the tools to easily make a ship capable of crossing to Greenland or back
to Iceland, we will be able to create them in time. We first need a boat for
the local waterways. And we need to consider the winter, for it will be long
and harsh.”
    Steinarr
shrugged. “Winter will be hard, but it is almost two full seasons away.”
    Gudrid
grimaced. “If we had Manni or Leif here with their tools and skills, we might
finish a ship over summer, but not by ourselves. It will take longer. At the
same time, we will need to be hunting and gathering food, as there is no farm
yard here to harvest.”
    Eskil
nodded, pleased with how sound a thought it was. “Yes, we must consider our
other needs as well.”
    “We
need iron,” Steinarr grumbled. “A few knives and a poor wood axe will win us no
skraeling war.”
    Erik
the Dane agreed. “We will not find iron on this island. In order to make the
tools and weapons needed to defend ourselves, we will need to go to the
mainland and find a bog that will provide the necessary metal for smelting.”
Murmurs of agreement rose from the group.
    Eskil
announced, “So, Godsland is our home for now.”
    Many
about the fire nodded.
    Gudrid
said, “You men have spoken of our need for weapons, and for that I should not
be surprised. But we also need to build up a store of foods and better shelter.
We arrived here in early summer, so none of us know what the winter will be
like; it would be wise to plan for it to be long and hard, perhaps worse than
in Iceland. It will be a hungry and barren time. If we do not work on gathering
stores now, we will starve before we face any skraelings, despite how many
weapons we have.”
    Halla
called out her agreement around a mouthful of mutton.
    Eskil
nodded at his wife, for she raised a good point; it would only be prudent to
assume winter would come on strong. “We will winter on the island, in the most
sheltered site we can find. We will also have to hunt down the wolf if it stays
near, lest it come upon us when we are at our weakest, in the depths of the
snow and ice.”
    He
received a chorus of agreement.
    “While
we prepare for winter, we will also work to build a hall able to handle the
worst the gods can throw at us, and one defendable against a great wolf or
skraeling attack. At the same time, we will begin looking for food to preserve,
whether it be fish for drying or nuts, roots and grains.”
    Steinarr
asked, “That might do for winter, but what of the iron we will need if we live
to see spring?”
    Eskil
smiled, beginning to warm to the plans brewing in his mind. “We will have to go
to the mainland and discover what it can offer. For that, we need to build a
small boat, and once completed, no one crossing the water will go
unaccompanied. We also need to locate a bog for the smelting of iron for the making
of blades and tools.”
    They
all agreed, and then their gathering fell silent.
    After
a pause, Torrador asked, “And what of those still missing? Are they all dead?”
    Eskil
dipped his head a little before answering, “The sea has taken them. For
whatever reason, the gods have seen fit to give only those gathered here this
second chance. While we should mourn their loss and honour them for having the
courage to make the crossing, we must also respect the opportunity given to us.
We will labour to make ourselves safe and to survive the coming winter, but
during the depths of that long season, we must