[Nogrod]

Bregoware

They followed Osmod to the top of the small hill. They were quiet. Osmod’s feeling catched on them all. Sythric thought, he knew, what it was: there was the town of Scyffold to be seen from the hill. He glanced at Raedwald, and saw the same sorrow in his eyes.

When they got up to the hill, the sun was already setting. The charred remains of Scyffold were silhouetting the night sky. They just looked and looked on it, silently, no-one saying a word. That was even more than Aernanaes. To the right, they could see fires lit towards the oncoming darkness. They must be the people from Aernanaes, maybe a day’s ride away from us, Sythric thought, but kept his thoughts to himself – as all the others did.

At last Osmod spoke: “"I think we should camp here. We will not be able to get much further before nightfall anyway and this hill should protect us from the wind as well as the sight of the town. Forgive me but I dare not sleep where the town can be seen.”

They all agreed to Osmod’s proposition and started to unpack their horses. Sythric got a leave from nightwatching, due to his lack of sleep. As most of the others gathered around a small fire to talk away the tension, Sythric just dropped off and slept away from this world.