11
The scaffolding that led to the roof of the blockhouse quivered under the weight of so many bodies as the remaining members of Theodora’s retinue and the Haltwic militia climbed back down to ground level. As Torben entered the space and began to make his way down, he could see that the soldiers around the barricaded front doors were still looking tense and on edge and that Antauros was still bracing himself and the large table against the hole in the wall. Swivelling his body round to get a clearer view of his next foothold, he saw Egberht was moving slowly through the soldiers and militia who had descended from the ramparts, pulling aside those that needed medical attention. Muttering filled the room as the assembled refugees and villagers speculated on what was happening beyond the f
