Chapter 25
Three days later, I finally got my first look at the inside of the council hall.
It was impressive. In size it rivaled my grandmother's mead hall, the bottom of the thatched roof above lost in the shadows beyond the carved rafters. Although the thatching was newish, the woodwork was old. The techniques used to work the twisting serpents and sleek wolves and ever-present knot-work were far simpler than what Solvi had used. Cruder, formed with less delicate tools. I could see a few faint hints of pigment in some of the carvings, as if they had once been painted but centuries ago.
I had a lot of time to admire the building while the council kept me waiting. I knelt on the floor and tried not to fidget. I was dressed in Villmarker clothes, and although Nilda and Kara nearly alway
