"I actually forgot that old tradition."
Rurik struck his brow with an open palm, as though knocking memory back into place. Then, in a brisk, soldierly tone, he recited the forces he brought to the king's host. "Forty shield-bearers, a hundred bowmen, and three hundred warriors of the fjord. As for provisions—aside from what my men carry on their backs—there are twenty thousand arrows for the army's quivers."
The clerk made his marks, and when the record was done, Rurik departed the command tent. He ordered his men to choose a clean field for their encampment, and himself rode on toward the town, accompanied by a handful of his sworn companions.
