[Nogrod]

Even if lord Eodwine had particularly told Stigend to stay where he was he followed the eorl and Garstan to the Alder court. He saw two of the brutes captured but didn’t see Ghem anywhere.

"Bring Ginna back inside. Modtryth and the boys are upstairs, let her stay with them." Stigend heard lord Eodwine tell the smith. Upstairs… Modryth and the kids…

“Falco? Thornden? Has either of you any idea where that third one went?” he asked trying to hide the anxiety that had just taken over him.

“Well he ran for his life I can tell you… through the paddock. But where he got then I don’t know as I had this other one to fell.” the hobbit answered and smiled at Stigend while pointing at Ulric who laid on the ground stunned.

Stigend was just about to open his mouth and ask lord Eodwine whether they should check the stables and the hall itself just to be sure when he heard the eorl calling Ginna loudly. The girl had a knife on Withold’s throat. Modtryth and the kids… it’s now.

Stigend made the decision in an instant and ran straight through the Alder court and in to the hall from the door that was opposite the kitchen door. Lord Eodwine would have other things in his mind for a while and Stigend just had to find out that Modtryth and the kids were safe from Ghem.

The hall was quiet and Rilef’s mutilated body laid on the table in the flickering firelight. The only noises were the cricks and cracks from the great fireplace. It looked pretty macabre. Stigend crept silently to the residential wing and listened closely. To his great relief there were no sounds of a brutal outlaw who would wish to take hostages out from women and children. Coming near to the door that lead into the yard he stopped and took the last few steps even more carefully and peeked out. Everything around the stables seemed quiet as well.

He backed a step away from the door. But what next? Lord Eodwine would have enough men to handle the two brutes so he was not needed there… indeed Eodwine had kind of dismissed him from duty because of his shoulder. That made things easier. But if Ghem was still around would he just try to steal a horse or would he have some other plans? Stigend gave it a thought. It was more probable that Ghem would try to steal a horse than to creep into the hall itself. So he should go to the stables quietly and lay an ambush on him. But leaving this position where he literally stood between any intruders and Modtryth and the kids would leave them into a more vulnerable position… Of course it was also possible that Ghem was already a mile away taking his first breather somewhere far enough.

For a moment Stigend just stood there in the dimly lit corridor of the residential wing and peeked out occasionally to the stables. It was quiet everywhere. He could of course go back to the Alder court and ask lord Eodwine to order someone to help him and thence secure the residential wind and the stables both... but he would not leave his wife and the kids unprotected anymore now as he stood there in watch already... and he now knew how vile creatures these outlaws could be.