From Chapter 11

Bjarni is desperate to join a pirate ship - but the pirate captain, Kvig, won’t even consider him unless Bjarni can beat him in a sword fight…

...Bjarni said loudly, ‘I’ve got myself a sword now. I’ve come to fight you, like you said. I’ve come to prove I’m good enough to join your crew.’
     He drew the sword from its scabbard. His fingers tightened on the lambskin grip. It fitted perfectly into his hand. The new blade gleamed through the rain like a silvery fish flashing in water.
     Kvig’s expression changed. 
     ‘Odin’s eye socket!’ he swore. ‘Where did you steal that from, urchin?’
     Bjarni didn’t answer. He was breathing heavily. He held the sword ready. 
     Kvig drew out his own sword. He lunged at Bjarni with a vicious roar.
      Bjarni dodged him and swept the sword through the air. It arced down and smashed against the captain’s blade in a resounding clash of metal. Kvig staggered  back.
     Bjarni was drenched in sweat. The spiky runes seemed alive under his fingers. The blade shimmered in the storm-light. The sword was perfect to hold, like an extension of his own hand. It seemed to weigh nothing, but his arm throbbed with its mysterious power…

From Chapter 16

Bjarni and Astrid have both fallen into Grim Gruesome’s trap!  Astrid asks a fortune teller to see if she can help them escape…

...The only light came from a small table where a single lamp was burning. The silver god-charms were laid out beside it.
     The fortune teller was sitting on a stool between the table and the milk churns. Her scarlet apron was spread neatly across her knees and her pale hands were resting on her lap. 
     ‘Sit down, sit down,’ she said. ‘You’re Astrid Thorgillsdaughter, aren’t you?’
     ‘Ya.’ Astrid perched awkwardly on another stool and stared at the floor.
     ‘So,’ said the fortune teller, ‘your father told me you’re driving him to despair, Astrid. What’s the matter?’ 
     The lamp smoked in the draught.
     As Astrid watched it, the horror of Grim Gruesome and the curse came flooding back into her mind. Her stomach clenched. She bit her lip and shrugged.
     The fortune teller looked at her sharply for a moment. She leaned across to the table and stroked the charms. Then she closed her eyes, chanted softly, cocked her head and put her hand behind her ear.
     At last she said: ‘I hear the spirits’ whispers. They see the evil that is troubling you. They say it is possible to overcome it.  But you must fight it yourself, Astrid.’
     ‘Fight it?’ cried Astrid. ‘I can’t do that! I’m not a boy! I wouldn’t even know what to do.’
     ‘Not all fighting is done with weapons,’ said the fortune teller. She lowered her voice.
     ‘There’s something - some kind of evil object? - that you’re really afraid of, is that right?’
     ‘The cursed sword!’ cried Astrid - and at once clapped her hand over her mouth and bit her tongue.
     I shouldn’t have said it, she thought. Supposing Grim Gruesome finds out I’ve been giving away his secrets?

From Chapter 31

Bjarni has been forced to meet Grim Gruesome in his secret mountain-top lair, and Astrid has daringly followed him there.  Will this be the end of them?

Astrid’s climb through the rain and the lonely forest had left her shattered. She was flushed and sweating.  Her hair had come loose from its braids and ribbons.  It hung over her shoulders in a wet, dishevelled mess, gleaming like white-gold in the firelight. Her delicate shoes were in shreds, and her feet were bare and bleeding.
     Grim Gruesome held her in his faceless, penetrating gaze. The blood drained from her face. Then she jerked her eyes away from him.  
     ‘Bjarni!’ she gasped, ‘I - I found something. You must have dropped it on your way up here.’
     She reached under her sopping cloak and pulled out the broken gold arm-ring that Bjarni had given to the blind beggar.
     Bjarni stared at her in bewilderment.
     ‘You’re too late, Astrid,’ rasped Grim Gruesome.  ‘Bjarni’s already broken our bargain by stealing some of my treasure.’
     ‘He didn’t steal it!’ cried Astrid. ‘He just lost it...  Look, I’ve brought it straight to you sir, here!’
     She thrust the arm-ring at Grim. He hurled it to the floor.
     ‘And another thing,’ said Astrid breathlessly, ‘in case you’re angry that he had to pay for a boat to get here...’ She began to unclip her gold neck-band and pull off her bracelets and rings, one by one. ‘These are really valuable, sir, they were my mother’s, they’re worth a huge weight of silver. You can have them, sir, to make up for...’
     She held them out, looking at Grim Gruesome hopefully.
     He snatched them from her, spat on them and dropped them.
     ‘What a cowardly maggot you are, Bjarni!’ he hissed. ‘Letting a girl - a girl of all creatures - try and cover up your mistakes! Oh Astrid, to think that you once tried to convince me that he was a hero. Can’t you see?   He’s really just a piece of  rubbish,  like  your father said. He can’t be bothered to protect you any more. In fact, he’s going to help me torture you.’
     ‘Bjarni?’ cried Astrid. ‘I don’t believe this!’