It was subdued as the women retraced their steps back through the hidden paths, each with their fearful thoughts. Lugh walked behind Máel leading his pony. The day was warm with a gentle breeze shivering the reeds. The ordered chaos at the fort was apparent for some time before they reached its slopes, men hurried in all directions at once. They could feel the tension in the air the nearer they got to the fort, not knowing what was going to confront them. Lugh led them to a large hut that usually housed the guests, at the door a smallish bald man wearing a leather apron stained dark red, greeted them. Máel felt sick as he realised it was blood that had dyed it that rich ruby shade.

"I'm Dian, the healer here, I will assist you in caring for your injured men” he spoke with a voice that told of his southern roots. "If you will tell the boy's here, who you are looking for then we will get down to work" he spread his arms and indicated the men that lay on stretchers.

Lugh led his mother to where Connal lay, a blood stained bandage swathed his head on one side, a bruise swollen an angry purple closed one eye, his breath was laboured and rasped the air. One arm lay bandaged in a splint on the coverlet.
Boan knelt beside him, touching him gently, "Connal can you hear me?" she bent over him straining to hear any response, Connal moaned but did not stir. Gently she turned back the linen sheets and searched his body for injuries, and was relieved to find only bruises and scratches, looking up at Lugh she said, "The head wound is the dangerous one, you never know the out come from it, we must hope for the best".

Mael looked around him and recognized many faces among the wounded, there were also some he had never seen before, their blond hair matted with dried blood. Dian the healer had come over and was taking to Boann.

"For a head wound such as Connal's, we need to keep him sleeping. The rest will give his body time to heal, we will keep cool poultices on his skull and hope that the brain does not swell, he had some poppy juice around dawn and when he begins to stir, call me and we will give him some more".

He turned to Lugh and Mael, "Might I make use of you boys, any extra hands are needed, there are many men here who have no family to tend them an there is much to done". He spread his arms around the hut indicating the prone forms. " We need more supply of moss as many of the men had lost great amounts of blood and this will help staunch the bleeding, there are bandages to prepare and just to help get the wounded men cleaned up and more comfortable". Máel looked around him at the men lying prone and helpless, nodded his head "Just tell me what I must do, what do you need first".

It seemed like days later that Mael finely sat down, he had boiled water, cleaned wounds, washed the bloodied bodies, had torn yards of bandages, dressed the injures, changed beds, brushed the gore from the floors. Fed men well enough for food, gently spooning broth down exhausted throats, he had done what ever the tireless Dian had asked. They had scoured the banks for moss to help staunch the flow of blood that still drained from some of the more badly injured men.

Now as the sunset, he and Lugh were sitting spent, their backs against the palisade, bathed pink, in the distance, violet mountains floated in the hazy glow of sunset.

"Your father is still sleeping, Dian gave him some more poppy juice a little while ago, Boan looked like she could sleep herself, thank you", Máel said as he took the flask of mead from Lugh, taking a long swig, he wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

"It was awful seeing all those men, with such dreadful wounds, you know that Conval's brother died, there was nothing that Dian could do, his mother was with him, Conval is hurt too, broken ribs, wrist and a broken nose but they both stayed with him till the end. Their Da is on the same ship as mine, wish they would return soon, I know my mother misses him badly". He took the barley bread and cheese that Lugh held out to him, and chewed; it was dry and caught his throat making him cough.
"It has been a bad night; Kian and Ferdi have been out gathering up the dead and digging graves since early. I just seen them, they said there were a lot dead from both sides, so far we have been lucky that we have lost no one close". He took a drink, "Let's hope that this is the end of it and there is not another fleet of Norse at the Isle of Mona waiting for their return". Máel shuddered at the thought of more raiders landing in the dark and catching them unaware.
The light had faded and a cool breeze stirred the trees around them, "Lets go and find some where to sleep I'm dead on my feet Lugh, lets see your Mother and see if she needs anything first," Máel wrapped his cloak around him and they made their way down the hill to the house were the wounded lay.

Máel lay very still in the darkness, for a moment he did not know where he was. He wanted to stay here forever, safe from the world, and the horrors that he witnessed the day before, which were still fresh in his mind. Over and over he could see the blood and gore, he could hear the moans and screams of the men and his feeling of helplessness.

He awoke many hour later, the sun soared high in the blue sky when Máel emerged from they hut. Kian and Ferdi sat nearby on some logs, they smiled at his rumpled state, "Good sleep, Eh Mael, you must have needed it, the day is nearly over, you have slept half of it away. Here have a drink", Kian passed the beaker to him as Ferdi cut some bread and cheese.
"Some scouts have come and reported that some ships have been sighted out in the Bay of Mourne, but they are too far out to say if they are more raiders or not, here have some bread. They are getting a party together, just in case Kian and me are for it, suppose with your Da hurt, you will want to stay here Lugh, EH what about you Máel or have you duties here" Ferdi stood and stretched, " I'm so stiff my shoulders have seized up all that digging yesterday."
Máel sat and looked about him as he chewed the hard barley bread; the fort was a hive of activity, as men went about errands of all sorts. He could see Dian out side the hut of the wounded, with a pile of plants that he was sorting into bunches. "I'm going to help Dian, there is so much needed to do for the wounded, are you going off with the horses or in the boats? Do ye know yet"
“ Iam am helping Dian with the wounded, he promised to show me some ways to splint broken bones, he asked me to gather some herbs that are good for healing so I am off to look for them as soon as have talked to him ad he tells me what to look for” said Máel “ .