Page 111 of Shared By the Vikings

“I want to know,” Erik shouted, his chest puffing up, “whodaredto take what wasn’t theirs. And I will find out. And Iwillfind out, mark me, there is no hiding.”

Tali stepped toward the crowd, sword aloft. Raud followed suit, fury etched into his features.

People shrank backward, clearly as unsure as Ingrid as to what would happen next.

“You!” Gunnvar stepped up to a man on his left. “What do you know about it?”

“Naught.” The man held up his hands. “I swear naught.”

“And you?” Gunnvar jabbed his finger into the chest of the next man. “What do you know?”

“Not a thing.”

Gunnvar scowled. “What about you... woman?”

“No.” She pressed her hands to her chest. “Naught.”

“In the name of the gods.” Gunnvar stamped his foot and wrapped his hand around a bone-handled dagger poked into his belt.

“I will find who took it,” Erik bellowed, jumping down from the podium, “and I will spill their guts, take out their heart, and feed their eyes to the ravens.” He slashed his sword through the air.

The crowd shrank away. His anger was palpable.

“And I will start,” Erik went on, “with the first person my gaze falls upon and kill and kill and kill until the culprit is brought before me. And I will know it is the culprit because his eyes will be different from every other innocent villager I have slaughtered.”

Ingrid swallowed; terror was rising and flooding her mouth with a sour apple flavor. She had no wish to see death and blood and gore this morn.

He won’t spill blood. Not really. He’s just threatening it.

“No, no. Stop.” A child’s voice rang over the crowd. “I can tell you. I can tell you who took it.”

Erik stilled.

A boy of about ten summers pushed through the throng of people. He had a small white dog at his ankles, yapping, and he carried a small crossbow. “I can tell you, Jarl Erik, who took the treasure.”

Ingrid rested her hand on Erik’s arm. “Hear what he says.”

“I intend to.”

A woman followed the boy, her hair as white as the glow of the full moon and her lips painted red. “Dan, what are you doing? You know naught.”

“I do, Mother.” The boy pointed at the pier. “I saw who took it.”

“Tell us,” Raud demanded. “And make it quick.”

“He doesn’t know,” the woman said. “He was in his bed.”

The boy looked at the ground. “I sneaked out.”

“What?” She placed her hands on her hips. “Why?”

“I was looking for an owl.” He twitched his crossbow. “I heard it, I wanted it.”

“You little...” She clipped him around the ear.

He jerked and staggered forward a step, bumping into Gunnvar.

Gunnvar gripped his shoulders.

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