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Aronvald twisted "Hanna!"

An arrow thudded into the ground a body’s length froeant, who grabbed his sword and rose

"Ai, God!" said a caleant, I’eant in a voice just as calm Deadtheir fate Thiadbold stared heavenward, his left hand lying at an iot a foot to move at last, followed by the other As in a drea out of the darkness from over the wall, lit by the hellish yellow of the flaet: it scraped hard across Thiadbold’s re arm just above the elbow

Aronvald, mute, raised his sword a second time

"I would rather die than lose the other one, too," said the captain, his voice as even as if he were discussing the weather "Get to cover, I pray you Hanna, if you’ll helpher this whole tiht it had been i shed roared as the flames rushed skyward The harsh ss and dashed forward Her eyes stung fro the bearabbed Thiadbold under her arot there in ti down a ladder in convulsions

That eerie cry wailed out of the forest as Hanna lugged Thiadbold along His re hand clutched her shoulder He could move his feet; he was still in shock Blood puot him up onto the porch There was a pallet inside, one of several She laid hirunted--with pain, perhaps, or with fear, or simply with relief She didn’t know and couldn’t tell

Sister Acella knelt beside hith of stout cord, quickly! This belt hasn’t stemmed the flow of blood Get the coals hotter I want a lotion of betony--"

"We’ve none left, Sister"

"Then dead nettle Bay, if we have it Best yet, feverwort I know there is a s" She did not look up as she spoke The younger nun hurried to do her bidding

Shed She eeping fro up beside her "If there’s aught else you can do"

Out into the terrible rain of arrows

Hanna shuddered, and yet hoas she safer here ifarrows lit the thatch of this hall? She hadn’t delivered herarrows and Thiadbold’s plan Fro, echoed by a second drawn-out wail, that hideous cry e from the forest Under the eaves, clerics huddled in silence, their faces pale as they stared at her She hated the they could do They didn’t wield weapons; they wielded pens and prayers, and, by theas fiercely as they could

Thiadbold had his eyes closed Perhaps he had passed out Convulsions would begin in moments, and in truth she just could not bear to see hih she hated herself for her cowardice

"Let me watch hiot the cord she wanted and set to tying a better tourniquet

Hanna retreated like the coward she was She went onto the porch to see fire consu one corner of a hut, not quite catching, not quite dying A ladder had been thrown up against the eaves at the far end of the hall and there stood Ruoda handing a bucket of water to Fortunatus, to throw atop the s roof They were just as exposed as she was, except they had nothing hich to defend theate No arrows struck around her She came to the shelter of the wall, those stones shaped and settled one atop the other higher than a tallbroader at the base than at its top

"Hanna!" Ingo gestured to three bodies lying on the ground "As you said Only a scratch and they died"

His whisper sounded to her like a shout It had gone so silent around the in the branches, only the hiss and crackle of the fire The heat of the blazing weaving shed pressed against them Suddenly, thunder cracked the silence Rain pattered, turning between one breath and the next into a downpour that took theot drenched until the deluge ceased as abruptly as it had started