Troll Blood

Troll Blood
Katherine Langrish

The dramatic and gripping conclusion to Katherine Langrish’s highly-acclaimed TROLL trilogy.When seafaring traders, Gunnar, and his sword-wielding son, Harald Silkenhair, land in Trollsvik, looking for crew to join their journey to Vinland (North America), Hilde is desperate to join the ship. She begs her parents to let her go as Gunnar’s wife Astrid’s companion, and when Peer agrees to go and look after her, her parents reluctantly agree.But Gunnar and Harald are dangerous men. Harald has killed a man, and Gunnar has been cursed and is losing his wits in fear that the dead man’s ghost is following him. Harald has an uncontrollable, raging temper, and a perilous rivalry develops between he and Peer.By the time they finally reach the shores of Vinland, the settlement is looking less of an attractive proposition. And that's before they meet the "Skraelings" (the Native American people) and the terrifying Jenu – the cannibal giant with a heart of ice…Action-packed, suspense-fuelled and with a wonderful cast of characters, Troll Blood is a truly rip-roaring read.

Troll Blood

Katherine Langrish

For all my family

Many thanks to:Phil Scott for telling me about the Viking Ship Museum,

the staff of the Viking Ship Museum, Roskilde, Denmark,who showed me how to sail a reconstructed Viking-age ship,

Diane Chisholm of the Mi’kmaq Resource Centre,University of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia,who patiently answered my many enquiries,

Dr Ruth Holmes Whitehead, who kindly read the manuscriptand made many invaluable suggestions concerning Mi’kmaq lore.

As always, any remaining mistakes are my own responsibility.

Table of Contents

Cover Page (#uce6adefb-8d6c-515f-86a9-238d11d2e11a)

Title Page (#u8b83c8a7-b076-5d53-8b5a-acc031b00754)

Dedication (#u079a5d6d-2041-51c9-bd99-9b91c13e5d33)

Map (#ue396a361-2b48-58c7-85f2-52f1a4d234d8)

CHAPTER 1 Murder in Vinland (#u07e8ae00-6bcd-50db-a6a6-24caf2249337)

CHAPTER 2 Water Snake (#u4c5b5360-622a-5b89-8967-384a172389f9)

CHAPTER 3 “Be careful what you wish for” (#u36c4c6bf-634e-5e95-9ea3-67b6a7e651cd)

CHAPTER 4 The Nis Amuses Itself (#udfe7c7e5-991d-55dd-9a5e-a5647403b336)

CHAPTER 5 The Journey Begins (#u8fc8d627-902d-5baa-af4f-dc5f113372ce)

CHAPTER 6 The Winter Visitor (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 7 Ghost Stories (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 8 The Nis at Sea (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 9 Lost at Sea (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 10 Landfall (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 11 Spring Stories (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 12 Serpent’s Bay (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 13 Seidr (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 14 Disturbances and Tall Tales (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 15 A Walk on the Beach (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 16 Single Combat (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 17 Losing Peer (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 18 “A Son like Harald.” (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 19 Down the Dark River (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 20 Thorolf the Seafarer (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 21 War Dance (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 22 The Fight in the House (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 23 Death in the Snow (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 24 Peace Pipe (#litres_trial_promo)

The Background to Troll Blood (#litres_trial_promo)

Glossary (#litres_trial_promo)

BEYOND THE BOOK (#litres_trial_promo)

Also by Katherine Langrish: (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 1 Murder in Vinland (#ulink_00bda0f6-bc37-51f0-a916-6f4acf9f2544)

The Mist Persons are busy, crouching on wave-splashed rocks out in the gulf, blowing chilly whiteness over the sea. Their breath rolls like a tide over the beach and the boggy meadowlands near the river mouth, and flows far up the valley, spreading into the dark woods on either side.

A birch-bark canoe comes whirling down river through the wet fog. Kneeling in the prow, Kwimu braces himself against the cross-piece. He lifts a long pole like a lance, ready to fend off rocks. Each bend, each stretch of rapids comes as a surprise. Even the banks are hard to see.

The canoe bucks. Kwimu feels the river hump its back like an animal. The canoe shoots over the hump and goes arrowing into a narrow gorge, where tall cliffs squeeze the water into a mad downhill dash. Spray splashes in, and Fox, curled against his knees, shakes an irritated head. Fox hates getting wet.

A rock! Kwimu jabs the pole, swaying to keep his balance as the canoe swerves lightly away. It hurtles down a sleek slope and goes shivering and bouncing into roaring white water at the bottom. Again and again Kwimu flicks out the pole, striking here and there, turning the canoe between the rocks. Sometimes a whirlpool catches them, trying to hold them back and pull them down, but Kwimu’s father Sinumkw, kneeling behind him, gives a mighty thrust with his paddle and sends them shooting on.