Read Online The Nethergrim by Matthew Jobin - Free Book Online Page A

chair. Its occupant could be called boy as easily as man, sixteen and sandy fair, with what Edmund thought to be an ill-advised attempt at a beard.
    Edmund shook his head at Tom. “No, that’s his son, Harold. Aelfric must be training him at law by letting him sit as judge for the day, so he knows how it works when he inherits.”
    Katherine dropped her sack into Edmund’s arms without so much as a warning. “Oh, let’s go in for a while!”
    “What? What for?” Edmund staggered under the unexpected weight. “Why on earth would you want to stand around in a court? There’s a whole fair to see!”
    “Let’s go in—just for a bit! Let’s go in! How do I look? Do I look all right?”
    “I can’t see you right now, I’ve got a sack in front of my face.” Edmund managed to maneuver the sack to the ground without spilling it. “Why don’t we sell Tom’s things first so we don’t have to carry them around?”
    “Good idea. You do that—you’re good with money, no one better.” Katherine arranged her skirts and tossed her hair back over her shoulder. “I just want to know about the pigs. Could be important. See you soon!” She plunged into the tent.
    Edmund shrugged at Tom. “I don’t understand. Pigs? Who cares?”
    “I truly am sorry,” said Tom. “I know you wanted to come alone with her.”
    “There’s still the feast and the dance.” Edmund heaved up his load, and took his longbow back from Tom. “I thought I handled all that with the honey cakes rather well, don’t you?”
    “I wouldn’t know, but the cake was very good. Thank you, by the way.”
    It did not take long to sell the fleece, once Edmund had prevailed on Tom to let him pretend that they were his and go stand somewhere out of view. Tom had the disturbing tendency to agree with anything every haggling fat-face of a merchant said to him, nodding like a yielding little lamb and saying that yes, they did look a bit off, now you mention, and no, I suppose it’s not fair of me to foist such junk on a man of your elder years at such a price. Edmund gently shoved his friend aside and got to business, and by the time he heard the fanfare of trumpets from the field north of town, he had two marks, three pennies and a farthing to press in Tom’s hand, along with a pair of empty sacks.
    He saw Katherine coming, and made a point of letting the money clink into Tom’s open palm at just the right moment. “So, what of the missing pigs?”
    “More than just pigs. Cattle and cats, goats, favorite dogs.” Katherine walked with them out on the lane that led from the town up to the castle. “There’s even a man from Roughy saying he’s missing a daughter and both his sons.”
    “Well, that’s just a jumble.” Edmund shrugged. “Nothing to connect them.”
    “That’s not what Harry said.”
    Edmund shot her a look. “Harry?”
    Katherine fidgeted with the tassel of her belt. “I heard that his friends call him Harry.”
    “I can’t think of anything that would eat both cattle and dogs, let alone children,” said Tom. “What did folk say about it?”
    “Well, someone said the Nethergrim, but everybody laughed.” Katherine sounded odd—unlike herself, with a giddy, girly trill in her voice Edmund had never heard before. “Harry got angry about it—said it was wrong to speak of such a thing today of all days, when we have gathered to honor the men who slew the Nethergrim and made the north safe for us all. I think he even looked at me when he said it. You should have seen him—he handled it so well, put it all together as clever as you like. He’s going to tell his father all about it, told everyone he would make sure that the land was safe, and not to worry. You should have seen him!”
    Edmund had to look to make sure that clouds had not come in. The sun shone as bright as before, the sky the same full blue and the world around him dancing in high holiday, but he could no longer feel the joy of it.
    “Oh, look, there’s