How does the kite live? How does Odin fill Valhalla? By death, always by
death."

"I cannot answer you," I said; "yet I hold that somewhere there is an
answer which I do not know, since wrong can never be the right."

Then, as she did not seem to understand, I began to talk of other
things, but from that moment I felt as though a veil swung between me
and Iduna. Her beauty held my flesh, but some other part in me turned
away from her. We were different.

When we reached the hall we met Steinar, who was lingering near the
door. He ran forward and helped Iduna to dismount, then said:

"Olaf, I know that you must not overtire yourself as yet, but your lady
has told me that she desires to see the sunset from Odin's Mount. Have I
your leave to take her there?"

"I do not yet need Olaf's leave to walk abroad, though some few days
hence it may be different," broke in Iduna, with a merry laugh, before I
could answer. "Come, lord Steinar, let us go and see this sunset whereof
you talk so much."

"Yes, go," I said, "only do not stay too long, for I think a storm comes
up. But who is that has taught Steinar to love sunsets?"

So they went, and before they had been gone an hour the storm broke as I
had foreseen. First came wind, and with it hail, and after that thunder
and great darkness, lit up from time to time by pulsing lightning.