Tharval paused again. His listeners saw how the corners of his mouth tugged down and how his expression resembled something like grief. Still staring forward, he made little beckoning motions with his hands.
“Come in a bit,” he said with a child’s voice. “Come in a bit closer.”
They all drew closer still, till Tharval was held by a press of bodies.
Yenl stretched across and took his hands. “Go on, love,” she said.
Tharval met her eyes briefly, then looked away and continued. “We did the rounds, checked the guard posts, watched the road, then went into shifts for sleeping. They closed the gates, and the Arta settled down. A Nerthen band had joined the Arta by then, so there must have been three or four hundred round the walls plus the sheep and cattle and all. Bit unusual, so near Archr
