He no longer felt frightened.
It gave him a sense of power to hold the head which, in life, was the repository of Balduur's soul and, in death, its prison. Balduur was his captive. He placed the head on the table and set about the second part of his task.
He felt more confident now.
Another head wasn't going to scare him, even if it was only recently detached from its body. He didn't like Red Hand. Little boys spoke about him. Fury picked up the bundle Adrina had given him and folded back the red cloth.
He knew what he would see and it didn't frighten him. The former Head Master of the Catti looked more surprised than scared. Fury guessed the red man was too arrogant to believe he was about to be killed. He took the head by the hair and transferred it to the black box with the golden disc. Then he wrapped Balduur's head in the red cloth and hurried from the room with it.
***
A fire blazed in the chariot enclosure, illuminating the north wall of the Great Hall. A chariot stood beside it. The sides were caved in and a body lay upon it. Tom recognised the corpse as the former Head Master of the Catti.
Red Hand lay upon a broken spar. His head and part of his cloak were missing. Tom took in the details then followed Thunder to where a huge fire was burning. What he saw filled him with horror.
Marvellous objects were being consigned to the flames. They were being taken from a cart. It bore a chariot and the chariot bore an immense golden disc. Museums in his former realm would pay a fortune for such an artefact. As Tom watched, a man with a blacksmith's hammer struck the head off a gilded horse and tossed it into the flames. The crowd surged forward and women grasped at his cloak.
'Knock off the Great Poof's head.'
Tom surveyed the sea of expectant faces and felt more than a bit confused. The beer at the pub and the mead at dinner had worked havoc with his mental faculties. He vaguely saw a golden disc with a smiling face and guessed that was what they were talking about. He clambered onto the cart, reached for the disc, and heard the roar of approval as he dragged it from its mounting and consigned it to the flames.
***
Alison awoke, heart beating wildly. A tremendous din was coming from the Great Hall. Wild shouts and the sound of laughter. Tom was there. She heard his raucous voice and guessed he was drunk. Then she heard another sound: a softer and more gentle sound. A harp was playing and a young man was singing. She climbed out of bed and put on the clothes that had been laid out for her.