Chapter 36

Agmar stood quietly to one side as Lynna seemed to say goodbye to nearly half the town. He felt impatient, urged on by every step closer the evil came to reaching the next populated area. He could get them within a few hour's walk of the temple, at a crossroads he knew of where one of the roads led up the hill to it. They had already stayed a day more than he would have liked, but he hadn't been willing to deny Lynna and Stott the chance to enjoy the festivities the town had enjoyed once everyone had had nearly a full day's sleep.

He could tell these people had been through some hard times before, based on some of the preparations they had done before sleep had been possible. Bodies of animals that had decent enough meat had been taken to cool cellars for butchering. The houses that stood had been accounted for and those that no longer had owners became temporary homes for those who's houses had burned. Friends asked others to move in with them, and the inns were open to all who needed them.

After sleeping, some woke before others. They began the process of salting and smoking the meat, as well as cooking a huge breakfast mainly consistant of warm spiced bread, bacon, and sausages. As promised, a couple of pigs were spitted and began slowly turning over a low fire in the marketplace, cooking for hours. By the time it was ready to eat, the smell of it had reached every last person in town. The day had been a lot more work, as people sorted through the rubble of burned homes and other buildings, and bodies were somberly buried in the local cemetery. Before the feast was served, Avern had read the long list of those that had been lost, and a moment of silence was observed. Avern had followed it with a short speech of thanks that had included Agmar, and had managed to raise the spirits of the crowd again by the end of it.

I can only hope that others will be so hardy, he thought to himself. They had eaten heartily, and shared stories of the heroic moments of the ordeal. Music had started up after the meal and kegs of ale and wine were opened. They danced the night away, happy for what they did have, instead of mourning what they had lost. He had watched as people wandered home at varying levels of intoxication, smiling and laughing. Lynna's house still stood, and she returned home for one last night of sleep in her room.

This morning, they had risen early to get a head start on the day. At breakfast, they had been interrupted as a couple of sailors and one of the dockboys had brought over a locker of items for Stott to sort through from his father's boat. Stott had added a few items, mostly a heavy rain jacket and a few books, to his own duffel of belongings before telling them they could do what they needed with the rest. Stott now stood a few feet back from Lynna, talking and shaking hands with townsfolk that approached him to say goodbye. His duffel of belongings lay at his feet. Agmar had noticed that the boy was tidy when it came to packing, and it was obvious his books were his prized possesions. Each leatherbound volume had been carefully wrapped in a piece of clothing to protect it from being damaged. Everything else had been packed crisp and compact. He suspected that the boy's father had had a military background, possibly navy, for Stott to have picked up such a habit. He wondered idly what had happened to his mother.

Agmar was startled from his thoughts as Margaret approached him, looking somewhat awkward.

"Agmar," she began. She paused for a moment, as if composing what she wanted to say before continuing. He waited politely.

"I'm sorry I was so... difficult in the beginning," she said. "Thank you, Agmar. For everything. Thank you."

He went to reply, but found himself unexpectedly being kissed. When she pulled away, he noticed a few people staring at them. Her face was flushed, and she somewhat hastily backed off. He found himself unable to say anything more to her as Avern and Lynna were coming up to him with a crowd of people in tow. Margaret quicly moved back somewhere into the crowd of townsfolk.