Well before mid-afternoon, Julis and Irenya produced the journey biscuits, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit provided by Hedda. They stopped long enough to eat. Holt carried the barrel and what was left of the contents and placed it in the centre of the clearing. Leaves, blackened and shredded, hung from the nearby trees and the ground was littered with scorched shards of pottery and glass, bits of metal and splintered wood. After hours of blasting followed by discussions, and adjustments made, the stink had permeated everything; even the rocks seemed to give off the smell. The pig, now tied to a tree further removed from the clearing, squealed like a terrified child at each explosion.
Despite Irenya’s efforts to keep clear of glass slivers, she nursed several cuts to her hands. Gedric dismiss
