CHAPTER 3
THE FEATHERED SERPENT
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FOUR YEARS HAD PASSED since the arrival of the Norsemen to the village. Their lives were fully integrated into the fabric of the community and to some extent they had already replaced the men killed in the brutal attack of the Xiu. Bjarni and Mactzil had had first a son whom they called Iktan and then a girl they named Xareni. The sailor had started replacing Quellochi in some of his activities, particularly those requiring long journeys, allowing him to know the region and its main leaders. Periodically he went out with his compatriots to navigate the drakkar that was kept in good shape and that was supplied with a new sail woven with local yarn; most of the ropes had to be gradually replaced by others made of native fiber.
Since he had no long
