[Envinyatar]

Carl was at the fireplace when Bullroarer entered. He and Autumn had found the woodpile and brought in two armloads. They had sent Hal and Gaddy out for more, and Carl had asked Giles to split some of the wood into kindling with the rusted splitting maul they’d found out by the wood.

The Inn was a complete wreck. The Innkeeper a pale wraith of a fellow who kept mostly to his room, and when he did talk, his thoughts were jumbled and his eyes would grow round and frightened whenever there was a sound at the door.

The one clear thought they did get form him was that there were Wargs about and they had been here recently. When Carl had asked about the scratches on the door and the heavily boarded window, he began mumbling incoherently and retreated to his room, barring and locking the door.

Six of the Hobbits went upstairs and brought down mattresses to the Common Room. Daisy and Robin had swept the floor and moved the tables against the walls to make a space for them near the fire. Branda and Tomba went searching for food to cook.

Lotho poked around until he found the oil and candle supply for the lanterns, He filled them and lit them and set them about the room to cast back the gloom. Olo took one of the lanterns and gave another to Dinodas. ‘Let’s get the ponies from the stable and put them in here with us. I don’t want them out there alone.’ They brought them in and penned them in one corner of the Inn by stacking tables up for fencing.

Once the food supplies were found and a few dusty bottles of wine and two jugs of cider, Bullroarer took the cooking in hand and threw together a passable stew of dried meats and dried vegetables, with a few potatoes thrown in from the cellar. There was plenty to eat, and it warmed their bellies and took their minds from the sorry place they found themselves in.

Dafodyl had knocked on the Innkeepers door to offer him a bowl of stew, but he would not answer her.

When it began to get fully dark, Carl barred the door with a stout piece of oak that was leaned on the wall next to it . . .

[ January 17, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]