Swell's warriors flickered ahead among the trees, their endless lines spreading as far as the eye can see. Their leather vests, painted the color of forest vegetation, made them almost invisible, but on their alarmed faces there was a clear bewilderment. They did not expect to meet the Nadir army so far in the forest. Even if they eventually manage to break through to Hailey, they should expect more losses. And they will return to their land, dragging the corpses.

Tova squinted. The priest of the Swell clan did not take his eyes off her.

Jorrund's face twisted with rage, and his jaw clenched so hard that they seemed to be about to burst with tension. Vigdis, with broad shoulders, stood next to him, and Tova knew what he was thinking. That he should have burned her when Bekan died in a clearing. Every drop of blood that has been shed, from here to Liera, will turn into a sea in which she, damned by all, should have drowned. Vigdis felt this. He knew that Tova was bringing death with her from the very moment she opened her eyes.

And he was right.

The wind spread a signal through the forest, like a thread through the eye of a needle, as soon as Swell's army appeared in front.

The front ranks of their warriors stretched as wide as Halvard's hirdsmen, but there were countless straight lines behind them, preparing to rush forward, breaking his shield wall, and rushing down to the village. Vigdis walked in front of the others, his hair fluttering in the wind, and even from afar Halvard could see that he was clutching in his hand the very sword decorated with precious stones that Bekan brought to the clearing as a gift as a sign of reconciliation. It was this blade that claimed Espen's life. A large piece of amber shone frantically on his hilt

Halvard looked at Fiske, and he nodded briefly, and then drew his sword.

"I'm with you, brother," his deep voice sounded in silence, and these words were enough for me to feel his strength and confidence. Next to his family Halvard was not afraid of anything else.

Tova walked beside Halvard and kept her dark eyes on Swell's army. The priest stood next to Vigdis, looking at her with eyes full of horror. But she looked at him impassively, clutching her bow.

The enemy army stopped, and it's leader, Vigdis, looked around the trees, studying the surroundings. A direct encounter with them in the forest could be fatal for the Nadir army, but if fate were on the side of Nadir people, as Tova assured, this would be their only chance of victory. Judging by the look of Vigdis, he had no doubt that Halvard had made a mistake.

Halvard bent down and, gathering a full handful of cold and damp earth, crumbled it between his fingers, gathering his spirit. Taking a deep breath, he imagined Hailey in front of him in the light of the setting sun. The smell of the sea and dim golden glow. The sound of waves beating on the side of the boat, and the melodious sound of sea shells singing in the wind in front of the house entrance. He was born on a mountain, but the fjord became his family. Its waters flowed in Halvard's veins.

The wind swept past Halvard, and he rushed forward with a mighty battle cry, hearing around the warlike cries of his fellow tribesmen. He saw with inner eye as the Swell warriors rushed towards them. And for a moment everything around was quiet. But then there was a great crack like a thunder as many shields crashed into each other and steel twanged in a fierce battle.

Vigdis's huge figure was approaching Halvard, his grinning teeth sparkled, and a cry exploded from his chest. An ax whistled over Halvard's head, striking a woman Nadir on the spot. She fell heavily to the ground. Halvard straightened up just in time to drive his sword into the warrior who threw the ax, and, pulling his swords\ from a body, moved on into the fog of war. Peering into the misty haze, he searched for Vigdis in a mishmash of fighting warriors. But he disappeared, dissolving into a sea of battle, raging like a storm in the sea.

Halvard's brother, Fiske, rushed past, brandishing a sword, and brought him down on the back of the warrior Swell who had turned up to him. He collapsed at his feet, and his brother pulled out the blade and in the next instant he slew another enemy. Suddenly, a woman appeared behind him, raising her bow. Gritting her teeth, she aimed at Fiske, pulling the string tightly.

- Get down! - Halvard rushed to her when Fiske sharply crouched, and an arrow rushed over his head, striking another warrior Swell, who was behind him.

The woman reached for a new arrow, but Halvard was already close and with all his might hit her with an ax in the shoulder. She fell to her knees, holding out her hands to Fiske. He swung and unleashed his sword upon her, piercing through and through. And then, having pulled out a blade, stained with scarlet blood, from her body, he stood up, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay? - Fiske waited for Halvard to nod, and then turned to the three enemy warriors running toward them.

He took a step forward and, turning abruptly, immediately threw an ax. Fiske did not look where he was aiming, but out of the corner of my eye watching the Swell woman approaching him. The ax blade cut through the leg of the Swell warrior, but there was no time to pull it out when another Svell woman jumped. Having fallen on one knee, Fiske squeezed the hilt of the sword with both hands and sharply stabbed to the front. A blade pierced the enemy's chest but at that moment Halvard pulled Fiske to his feet and they rushed madly forward into the thick of the battle.

As the ferocious battle raged, Halvard saw Tova, clutching a bow in her hands and again pulling the bowstring. She grabbed a dagger from the belt of the Swell warrior, prostrated at her feet, and threw a blade that pierced the ground next to Halvard. Rolling to the side, He grabbed it and stabbed the warrior Swell, who had swung his sword at Fiske. With a loud cry, he collapsed face down. But when I turned around, Tova disappeared.

Halvard saw another shadow, pulled the dagger out of the dead body and fell sharply on his back, pushing the dagger in front of him, and the enemy warrior collapsed onto the blade that stuck under his ribs. Halvard threw off the corpse and jumped up. The forest was dotted with fighting tribesmen, their warlike cries were drowned out by the roar of the storm, raging above in the heavens

With an ax that somehow found its way in Halvard's hands, he slew another Svell who brought the sword over him.

The enemy fell, and Myra appeared next to her. Her face, like a war paint, was covered in bloody stripes. She nodded to Halvard's right, and, He turned and, swinging, thrust the ax into the chest of another attacking warrior Swell. At that moment Halvard noticed Vigdis pulling his sword out of the body of the Nadir warrior.

Halvard rushed to fight the enemy chief, pulling from the scabbard the picked sword of the warrior Swell. But the blow fell to the side, barely touching the hilt of his sword. And Halvard swung again and brushed his neck with the edge of the blade. A trickle of blood flowed down his skin, soaking into the fabric of his shirt. He pressed his hand to the wound to stop the bleeding, and, drawing his sword, rushed to attack Halvard. As they crashed into each, both fell, crashing into a huge tree trunk.

The sword fell out of Halvard's hand, but he quickly jumped to his feet, reaching for it before the enemy could get up. When Halvard was ready, he noticed that the enemy was still on the ground and rolled with a groan onto his back, breathing heavily.

He looked at me, still holding his palm to a bleeding wound.

Halvard grabbed the ax and looked deeply into the enemy's eyes. He wanted him to take this defeat, this shame with him to the afterlife. Halvard raised the ax, preparing to bring it down, but, gaining a full chest of air, he suddenly froze.

Through the chaos reigning around, a piercing scream came to me. And Halvard knew this voice well.

Elin.

Turning around, Halvard began to look for her among the many bodies around. She was lying on the ground, and the Swell woman had already raised her sword over her.

- No!" - he rushed toward her, not seeing anything else around and only hearing her piercing screams.

A woman from the Swell clan sharply lowered her sword, but Elin managed to pull back to the side, and a blade pierced her shoulder, nailing her to the ground. She howled, grabbing the woman by the hair and wrapping a strand of hair around her fist when she threw back the blade. Halvard threw his ax at the enemy with all his might.

.

The sword fell from the hands of the Swell woman, and she sank back, staring with wide eyes at the ax stuck in her chest.

Elin straightened up and grabbed a dagger lying next to her, thrust it into her side.

The woman collapsed into the mud, and Halvard was overjoyed, hugging Elin.

"I'm fine," she muttered, but there was pain in her hoarse voice. A huge wound gaped in her shoulder, blood flowed down a stream onto her vest. Her face was whitened like snow.

She threw her arms around Halvard's neck. He lifted her from the ground and set her on her feet, and then pushed her forward, away from the fighting warriors. Behind them, Fiske and Iri laid another Swell warrior, and Myra rushed to meet the new enemy.

Halvard turned around in search of the Nadir warriors. The bodies had already completely covered the earth around, and the Swell warriors scattered in different directions. But Vigdis disappeared