Christ’s Mass passed with most of the villagers uniting in festivities and since it had been a year of plenty, and the weather unseasonably mild, there was much merriment. The occasion enabled me to broach the journey into Pictland with Nerian. Miscalculating, I thought he’d be more persuadable with ale inside him. Understandably, he was hesitant, owing to Eawynn’s condition. When I told him I was prepared to put back departure until after the birth of his babe, I won him round but not without some difficulty.
I explained, thus, what the voyage would entail,
“We’ll take out a small boat from nearby with three crewmen and sail northwards to Pictland, constantly staying within sight of the coast, until we come to the estuary known as Ythan. My friend, the ivory carver, told me the best pea
