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Tora had felt her blood become cold in her veins when she saw Ulfast entering Dag's forge. Not only that the man was feared in the settlement, but there was also the fact that he-the chieftain's son-had caught Dag disobeying his orders. And all of this, reflected Tora, all of this was her fault. If Dag was to get in trouble-and that was more than likely to happen, by the look of things,-it would be only because of her. If something was to happen to Dag, Tora would never be able to forget that it had been her father's knife that had brought this situation upon him.
Yet could she stay and watch without interfering? Should she not try and do something? Indeed she felt that her obligation was to say something, anything that would help Dag. So, mustering her courage and rejecting the thought of getting away from there while she was still unobserved, she started speaking:
"My lord," she began, trying to keep her voice steady and confident, "I...I should tell you that it is all my fault. It was I who came here and...and distracted Master Dag with my foolish talking. I know I should not have, and, indeed, I would not have done it had I known that I was hindering him from such a grand task. My lord, once more I assure you, the blame is entirely mine."
She stopped, unable to go any further. She could feel the tension in the room growing stronger, and she wondered uneasily whether she had not made matters worse with her foolish meddling.
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