[Child of the 7th Age]

Andreth, Lilac, and the Women and Children from the Encampment:

Within a few moments, a crowd of women had gathered outside Lotar's tent, each holding a small child who was shielded in the crook of an arm or carefully nestled inside a shoulder sling. A cluster of older youths had also come along on foot. Some walked beside a mother or aunt; others stood alone without any family because their kin had been slaughtered in the earlier attacks.

The children looked weary with many of the group sick or injured. One lad, unable to stand on his own, slumped heavily against an older brother. Others bore grievous wounds festering with infection, or seemed flushed and pale from the fevers that afflicted them. The last to arrive was an older girl limping forward with a makeshift crutch who had somehow managed to drag a sledge behind her on which her little sister lay. The child on the sledge could not have been more than seven years old. She lay on her side with her legs drawn up, showing no outward indication of injury or illness. Yet the child stared out blankly at everything around her, giving no hint of recognition, and didn't answer when her sister tried to speak with her.

Lilac gazed over at Minastan and spoke fiercely, "This is no good. We'll never make it back before the gates close. And if we do not get these children to shelter, some of them will surely die. If I had only known before .... I fear we have come too late." Lilac averted her eyes and thought back to Bree where her kit of healing herbs and potions waited on a table in the parlor, as well as good blankets, splints and bandages, and cauldrons of nourishing broth.

Minastan promised to help, going over to Lotar and speaking with him. The older man nodded in agreement and, very quickly, four small carts appeared plus two extra horses to pull them. The sickest patients were loaded up; their mothers and kin who followed on foot took turns nursing the children and riding in the cart.

Lilac drove the lead wagon. Minastan and Kirima guided the two carts in the middle with Andreth last in line. She made sure to keep her bow and arrow close and watched the women closely in case any trouble broke out.

But there was no trouble and little discussion for the remainder of the journey. It was late afternoon just verging onto the supper hour when the party emerged from the forest and saw the north gate of Bree suddenly looming in front of them. Andreth breathed a sigh of relief to spy the the Inn's familiar thatched roof showing in the distance just over the top of the hedge and dyke. They had made it on time!

Andreth and Lilac jointly approached the sentry house intending to explain to the guards what was happening. They were startled to notice that the gate itself was closed and the crossbar latched tight as if the hour of curfew had already passed.

"What is this?" puzzled Andreth.

Lilac shook her head, "I've no idea, but we'd best pound on the door and pull the bell to get someone to come out and open it for us."

Lilac glanced warily back at the carts. She could hear frightened conversation coming from the women. They were speaking in hushed voices with a few suggesting that they might be better off to flee. For a long time no one in the guardhouse answered, despite the womens' best efforts to make as much noise as possible. Just when Lilac was about to give up, she heard a stern voice echoing through the small grate that stood to the side of the door.....

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 10:19 PM February 01, 2004: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]