For three winters

the berserker's tale - part I

The water cascaded noisily over the stones in the riverbed and though the spring floods came early it was still not deep enough to keep men and horses from fording. On any other morning the sound of it rushing would have carried over the lowing of the cattle in the surrounding meadows. But the waters ran red with blood, the groans and cries of the wounded drowning out both the gurgling river and the neighboring livestock.