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Eodwine saw the first bucket of water - half filled only, grabbed it and sloshed it at the father. The fire hissed, recoiled momentarily, and shot out a head of flame, like a serpent, toward the nearest rafter. Eodwine shook his head. He ran out of the stables, bucket still in hand, along a makeshift, straggling line of bucket passers, back to the well where he found Thornden.
"It's no good, Thornden! Not enough buckets and the stables cannot be doused! It's the guest rooms I'm worried about! There's nothing to stop the fire from spreading along the building. Better take axes to the stable's walk-through and then soak the area between. I'll find axes and hammers and able bodied men, and you command the water!"
With a brief nod from Thornden, Eodwine ran off to the armory, hoping to catch as many folk, men and women, as he could, to destroy the stable walk-through. He hoped he had enough time. He looked up at the sky, hoping against hope for a hint of cloud cover and possible rain. The sky was brazen, not a cloud in the sky. The sun watched from just above Edoras in the west: a couple hours remained before dark.
There was no one left in the Hall. Many plates of food had been left half eaten. Eodwine shifted to the courtyard where he found a few gawkers and other folk trying to make a pitiable difference. He collared one or two men and ordered them to the armory with him to grab anything that could be used to break down the beams of wood.
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