Neil peered out over the rock, trying to see the face of the Maya. The man had his back to Neil, and it was already growing dark in the forest so he could not tell who it was.
“I know he would forbid it. He prefers to squander your food after the harvest. That is why I come to you.”
“I do not understand.”
“You are a powerful warrior. We would like to enter your storehouse, take the food we need, and sail. We would like your help.”
“How can I help?”
“By overpowering your own men. You are a captain. You can explain later that this was for the best. The people respect you.”
“But Talu is a priest.”
“He is a man, not unlike you. Except that you are stronger. And better liked.”
Neil’s eyes opened wide. This was incredible. Olaf was hatching a plot that could destroy the entire amiable balance they had achieved with the Mayas. He strained his ears as he waited for the Maya’s reply.
“I am not that powerful,” the captain said.
“You are,” Olaf insisted. “The people love you. You have saved their homes many times. If you now save them from the starvation Talu would bring, you may be made a general.”
“A general,” the captain repeated.
“We only need your help. Will we have it?”
The captain hesitated, and Neil waited.
Then, at last, he said, “I will think it over. I will let you know.”
“Soon,” Olaf said. “We are anxious to sail.”
“I will let you know,” the Maya repeated.
He turned to leave then, and the last rays of the sun lighted his face in a subdued orange tone.
Neil gasped.
The Maya had a long scar down the length of his face; it crossed the ends of his lips and twisted his mouth sideways, in what appeared to be a comical grin.
Baz! Baz, the ferocious, murderous warrior who had led the rallying attack against the barbarians!
Baz! And Olaf.
Neil waited until Baz and his soldiers had passed the boulder and vanished into the forest. He waited while Olaf talked quietly to the Norse sailors. After a while they dispersed noiselessly, in small groups of two and three.
Then Neil leaped to his feet and ran through the forest as swiftly as he could. His boots sounded against the stone blocks of the court before his house as he ran to tell his news to Erik. He bounded up the steps leading to the building and into the room he shared with Erik and Dave.
Erik was sitting in the center of the room, a large torch burning over his head. He was stroking his beard thoughtfully as he studied a crude map.
“Erik!” Neil shouted as he burst into the room.
Instinctively, Erik reached for his ax. “What is it? Who…”
“Olaf,” Neil stammered. “Olaf and Baz. I just heard them plotting, Erik. They plan to raid the storehouse and sail off with the food.”
Erik’s eyes widened. “Olaf?”
“Yes, yes, Olaf. And the captain with the scar.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure, yes. I just heard them. Erik, we’ve got to do something.”
Erik considered this. “Was Olaf alone?” he asked.
“No. There were several of your crew with him.”
“Hm-m-m,” Erik murmured.
Neil couldn’t contain himself. “What are you going to do? You’re not just going to sit there and say ‘hm-m-m,’ are you?”
“There’s nothing I can do,” Erik replied. “Olaf will deny it, and the crew he had with him will back him up.”
“But you’re the captain!” Neil protested.
“A captain must have a crew,” Erik explained. “If Olaf convinces the rest of the men that I have unjustly accused him, the trouble will really begin.”
“But you can’t just sit back.”
“Nor can I accuse Olaf until I have definite proof of what he is planning.”
“But I heard them…”
“That’s not enough. If I had heard them, Olaf would now be dead.”
“You mean you don’t believe me?”
“Neil, Neil, of course I believe you. But can I confront Olaf with your evidence and have him deny it before the rest of the crew? Whom will they believe: you or Olaf?”
Neil grimaced disgustedly. “Olaf, I guess.”
“There’s nothing we can do but wait. We’ll watch Olaf carefully, and as soon as he slips…”
Erik drew a finger across his throat and made a noise that sounded like “Kitssssk.”
“We just wait?” Neil asked.
“We just wait,” Erik answered.
They waited.
The week ended and another week went by, and still Olaf made no move, nor did Neil ever run across him in the forest again.
A third week, and a fourth, and still there was no evidence that anything was out of the ordinary.
Neil began to wonder if he’d actually seen the men that night in the forest. He also wondered if Erik still believed him.
And then Talu came to them with good news.
“We are ready to plant,” he said. “Would you like to come to the fields?”
Erik readily agreed, and Neil went along with them, out past the city to the fields lying in wait for the seed.
“Today we shall plant in the fields that are ready,” Talu said.
“How do you know when a field is ready?” Neil asked, unacquainted with agriculture.
Talu grinned. “I have given you the wrong impression. Much work has gone into the preparation, and now the work is finished. When the work is finished, the fields are ready for planting.”
“What kind of work?” Neil asked.