Valhalla Rising
Chapter One
INTO OBLIVION
JUNE 1035
SOMEWHERE IN NORTH AMERICA
They moved through the morning mist like ghosts, silent and eerie in phantom ships. Tall, serpentine prows arched
gracefully on bow and stern, crowned with intricately carved dragons, teeth bared menacingly in a growl as if their
eyes were piercing the vapor in search of victims. Meant to incite fear into the crew's enemies, the dragons were also
believed to be protection against the evil spirits that lived in the sea.
The little band of immigrants had come across a hostile sea in long, elegantly shaped black hulls that skimmed the
waves with the ease and stability of trout in a peaceful brook. Long oars reached from holes in the hulls and dipped
into the dark water, pulling the ships through the waves. Their square red-and-white striped sails hung limp in the
listless air. Small lapstrake boats twenty feet long and carrying extra cargo were tied to the sterns and towed behind.
These people were the precursors of those who would come much later: men, women and children, along with their meager
possessions, ... read full excerpt from: Valhalla Rising ebook
