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Léof hobbled after Gárwine as quickly as he could, trying unsuccessfully to hide his limp. Now that disaster with the horses had been averted, his aching foot seemed to be the only thing that could occupy his mind. And, oh, it hurt! He feared to take off his boot and find out what damage had been done.
But now their help was needed elsewhere. It was all Léof could do not to gape as he emerged from the stable and found the hall and its temporary roof fallen in on itself – so this was what had caused the horses to spook.
“Don't just stand there, lads, help us dig!” For this Léof was grateful: the men all seemed busy enough digging out the kitchen that they would not notice his limp. An ostler couldn’t go around with a bum foot, and he felt rather ashamed that he had let the situation get so out of control in the first place. Leaving Gárwine with both lead ropes in his hand, not being cautious enough to watch his own feet, even having both horses out like that in the first place. He could have done something differently.
As he approached to help dig, Gárwine’s questions were already being answered rather briefly, and Léof only caught snippets as he began to help pulling away boards of wood and bits of plaster. Wall just happened to fall over… Frodides inside, apparently not hurt… But Léof could only bring himself to pay perfunctory attention to this news and the task at hand.
Suddenly it seemed that he could hear voices inside the kitchen. The other men heard it, too, apparently, for one of them – Léof didn’t pay any attention as to who – shouted, “Frodides? Are you all right in there?” But there was no answer, and any voices that may have been there had fallen silent or disappeared.
“Were we all just hearing things?” Léof wondered, only half aware that he was speaking aloud. “Or is something else going on here…?”
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