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'Balduur besieged our fortress of Dunavon He ca he was safe from attack But he was not mindful of the Holy Mother She sent a cold wind It blew all night and the marshes froze Land that had been impassable could now be crossed In the morrow, Balduur's drunal to attack'

She pointed to another boy

'What happened then?'

'The chariots drove over the marshes and killed all the Gorms'

'Not all of them,' the old woman said 'Some ran away'

'But you killed Balduur and cut off his head'

'That's right,' another boy said 'You keep it in a box'

'Why do you do that?' a tiny voice asked

'Tell him' She pointed to an older boy

The lad stepped forward 'The heads of our principal ene and the application of special oils They are taken to a place of safety and closely guarded This is done to ensure that the soul lights do not escape and enter the body of the unborn'

'How ht they escape?' the old woht re as the head does not decay or be consuan,' she sht remains trapped and will not escape to cause further pain so long as the head does not decay or be consumed by fire '

For a moment it seemed she would continue Then she turned abruptly and strode towards the Great Hall with her guard, as if seized by a sudden thought

A covered flight of stairs led up the outside of the huge wooden building The old wouard who kept close, ready to catch her if she fell, but not daring to offer assistance After many stops for breath, she halted before a massive door and took a key from a chain about her waist After several attee the mechanism The bolt slid back and the door opened

Inside, the air was thick with the rancid s froht illu chamber Grotesque faces peered down Carved into the wall panels and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, they shimmered in the darkness as if suspended in space

A table stretched the length of the chamber The surface was polished with fresh beeswax and covered in wooden boxes Some were of plain wood Others were carved She sank down on a bench and cast her eyes aaze flitted back and forth and settled on one that stood out from the rest