*Eleanor*
“Where is he going?” I ask Hvitserk, who shrugs at me.
We pull the fish out. They are frozen, so we will have to keep them inside before we know if my idea to salt them worked. I’m startled as I see my husband dragging two large fir trees inside the longhouse as if we have any space for whole trees.
I cross my arms, ready to tell him to take them out when he looks at me with a worried face. We stare at each other, neither of us willing to be the first to talk.
I sigh. “Why are there entire trees inside? We do not have the space.”
“It is about to get bad. We will be stuck, and I want to be sure we do not run out of wood.”
“But entire trees?!”
He smiles sheepishly. “They will burn slowly.”
“How are you going to explain this? The people will worry if you bring in this
