THE ONE LEFT OUT OF THE SONG

At his father's feast the jarl's sons were poured glory, and Steinar was handed an empty cup in front of the whole hall. The skald did not forget him: he left a pause precisely where the youngest son should have been, short enough to pass for a master's breath, and every man there understood. For the first time Steinar was killed with something other than a sword. Then he raised the cup and found the inside of the rim scored with notches, where only the man drinking can see them.