Today Grim Hagen had invited them to another conference. Gunnar and Odin dressed carefully. But Gunnar took a last look at harness and sword as he complained: “He wants something. And Grim Hagen can be mean when he doesn’t get what he wants. We should have started wrecking this world before we landed. The people would be no worse off. And maybe we could have rid ourselves of a snake. Ato needs a big drink of tiger milk—”
“Oh, quit complaining, little giant. We still have some bargaining power.”
“Yes, our swords. This meeting reminds me of the conference that a king once held to decide upon another conference which would decide what the next conference would be about. Bah!”
“Quit worrying. One of us will kill Grim Hagen, sooner or later.”
But Gunnar went on with his complaining. “You had better stay close to me, you understand, or you will be hanging from one of Grim Hagen’s meat-hooks.”
So they went to the conference. All of Ato’s men and at least fifty of Grim Hagen’s were there. Contrary to Gunnar’s prediction, Grim Hagen got to the point at once.
“Kinsmen,” he began mockingly. “You may have wondered why I called a truce when I could just as well have destroyed you—”
“That I doubt,” Ato answered him. “We have defensive weapons. Even now the guns from our ship are trained upon the city.”
Grim Hagen shrugged. “Let us not quibble, Ato. Your father was a quibbler before you.”
Ato flushed in anger.