Page 51 of Astrid at Sea

“I’m Brank,” the man introduced himself.

“I’m Latham.” He turned to Viktor. “And this is Viktor. Our Captain.”

“Nice to meet you, Captain Viktor,” Brank smiled brightly at Viktor before moving over to stand before us, Latham now long forgotten. I would have laughed at the bewildered expression on Latham’s face if Brank hadn’t been staring at me with a peculiar expression on his face.

“Nice to meet you, Brank,” Viktor replied in a gruff voice, his gaze hard and threatening as he glared at the man, but Brank’s eyes were still set on me. I shifted closer to Viktor, seeking comfort in his touch.

“And who are you?” Brank asked, his eyes set intently on me.

“Astrid,” I told him. “I’m Viktor’s wife.”

“The Captain’s wife!” Brank beamed brighter. “This is lovely. It’s nice to meet you all!” He turned to address the rest of the crew. “Follow me. I’ll take you to meet the Chief.”

The walk from Brank’s hut to the Chief’s only took a few minutes. He knocked on the door and glanced over his shoulder at us. “I’ll wait with you while you talk with the Chief.”

“Thank you, Brank. That’s very kind of you,” Viktor smiled politely, but I knew him well enough to know it was forced. I could tell he felt uneasy about meeting the Chief of this mysterious island, and I didn’t blame him.

If we hadn’t been on the verge of going crazy with hunger or, worse, starving to death, we would have never needed to stop here. Hopefully, the Chief would be forthcoming enough to feed us and allow us to purchase some vegetation to keep us going until Greenland.

Brank dropped his voice when the door opened and exchanged low murmurs with a man we could only assume was the Chief.

“Which of you is the Captain?” The Chief asked, brushing past Brank to address us.

Viktor squeezed my hand and dropped it before stepping forward. Once again, I didn’t miss the subtle way he stepped in front of me, shielding me from prying, curious eyes. It would bother me if it were someone else, but I knew Viktor was only protecting me and had my best interests at heart.

“I am,” he said, loud and clear, his voice dripping with authority. “My name is Viktor. Viktor Thostenson.”

“Viktor Thostenson. That name sounds familiar,” the Chief murmured and accepted Viktor’s outstretched hand in greeting. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Viktor Thostenson. I am Bjorn Nybo, the Chief of Canne. Brank tells me you’re here for food?”

Viktor confirmed with a nod. “I must admit, we ate some of your berries and fruit along the shore. I apologise for not asking permission beforehand and am more than happy to compensate you. We’re also looking to purchase some dried foods and whatever else you can spare us.”

“Nonsense.” Bjorn waved a dismissive hand in the air. “You are travellers of the sea. We would be more than happy to help you. No money needed.”

“Are you sure?” Viktor asked, an unsure expression on his face. “We wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Oh, you’re not intruding at all,” Bjorn smiled widely and shook his head. “We’ll be able to spare some of our dried fruits, though it won’t be much. However, feel free to help yourselves to some more of the produce from the trees lining the shore. Frankly, we have far more than we’re able to eat. Once plucked, they should be good to last you several days.”

“Thank you, Bjorn. We appreciate that so much.”

“And to celebrate your visit, we will organise a feast!” Bjorn announced, catching us all off guard. While we were all hopeful for some hot food, perhaps a filling meal or two, a feast sounded far too much—especially for people they didn’t know.

Viktor quickly denied with a firm shake of his head. “That’s very kind of you, but you do not need to go to so much trouble.”

“I don’t know how you do things back in Mann, but here in Canne, we do not let our guests leave without filling their stomachs with lots of food and drink. I must insist, Captain Viktor.”

Viktor pursed his lips and glanced over his shoulder. He glanced at the crew, who looked very excited at the prospect of the abundance of food that a feast promised, and then his eyes landed on me.

Even though I was nervous about being here, mainly because we were in a foreign land and these people were almost suspiciously friendly, I smiled and nodded encouragingly.

Viktor grinned and turned back to the Chief. “Thank you, Bjorn. We will be in debt to you.”

“Nonsense,” Bjorn dismissed with a nonchalant snort. “Let me give you a tour of Canne while the women get started on the feast.”

I plastered a smile on my face and moved to fall into place beside Viktor. We followed behind Bjorn and Brank as they began the island tour. I was very excited about all the help the Chief had offered us and the feast they were kind enough to throw so impromptu, but something didn’t feel quite right to me.

I couldn’t help but feel like these people were far too friendly to a bunch of strangers, but perhaps that’s just how they were in Canne.

Maybe I was being overly cautious and sceptical for no reason.

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