Helgha sat on a bench in front of the priest. They were in his home where she had slept the previous night. The priest had taken blankets and a straw mattress and slept on the floor of the vestry in the church to allow Helgha and Biorn some privacy.
Helgha looked around the one-roomed house.
The windows were little more than slits in the fabric of the thatched building, and they faced south to get as much light and warmth as possible, but the interior still tended to be gloomy. A fire burned in the firepit in the centre of the room, making shadows jump and flicker. It was much like the homes of her people, but it was much smaller than Erik’s longhouse. Or her father’s.
She transferred her gaze to the priest.
He took a breath and smiled at her. “My name is Father Ædgar. You said yesterd
