Only then did he return to the Temple, where he found the Abbot sitting beside his bed.
‘How are you feeling, my boy?’ he asked.
‘Better than I have in years, Father. The girl is safe now. And I have enhanced two lives.’
‘Three,’ said the Abbot. ‘You have enhanced your own.’
‘That is true,’ admitted Vintar, ‘and it is good to be home.’
*
Druss could hardly believe the chaos at the clearing site. Hundreds of men scurried here and there without apparent direction, felling trees, digging out roots, hacking at the dense, overgrown vegetation. There was no order to the destruction. Trees were hacked down, falling across paths used by men with wheelbarrows who were trying to clear the debris. Even while he waited to see the Overseer he watched a tall pine topple on to a group of men digging out tree roots. No one was killed, but one worker suffered a broken arm and several others showed bloody gashes to face or arm.
The Overseer, a slender yet pot-bellied man, called him over. ‘Well, what are your skills?’ he asked.
‘Woodsman,’ answered Druss.
‘Everyone here claims to be a woodsman,’ said the man wearily. ‘I’m looking for men with skill.’
‘You certainly need them,’ observed Druss.
‘I have twenty days to clear this area, then another twenty to prepare footings for the new buildings. The pay is two silver pennies a day.’ The man pointed to a burly, bearded man sitting on a tree-stump. ‘That’s Togrin, the charge-hand. He organises the work-force and hires the men.’
‘He’s a fool,’ said Druss, ‘and he’ll get someone killed.’
‘Fool he may be,’ admitted the Overseer, ‘but he’s also a very tough man. No one shirks when he’s around.’
Druss gazed at the site. ‘That may be true; but you’ll never finish on time. And I’ll not work for any man who doesn’t know what he’s doing.’
‘You’re a little young to making such sweeping comments,’ observed the Overseer. ‘So tell me, how would you re-organise the work?’
Td move the axemen further west and allow the rest of the men to clear behind them. If it carries on like this, all movement will cease. Look there,’ said Druss, pointing to the right. Trees had been felled in a rough circle, at the centre of which were men digging out huge roots. ‘Where will they take the roots?’ asked the axeman. ‘There is no longer a path. They will have to wait while the trees are hauled away. Yet how will you move horses and trace chains through to them?’
The Overseer smiled. ‘You have a point, young man. Very well. The charge-hand earns four pennies a day. Take his place and show me what you can do.’
Druss took a deep breath. His muscles were already tired from the long walk to the site, and the wounds in his back were aching. He was in no condition to fight, and had been hoping to ease himself in to the work. ‘How do you signal a break in the work?’ he asked.
‘We ring the bell for the noon break. But that’s three hours away.’
‘Have it rung now,’ said Druss.
The Overseer chuckled. “This should break the monotony,’ he said. ‘Do you want me to tell Togrin he has lost his job?’
Druss looked into the man’s brown eyes. ‘No. I’ll tell him myself,’ he said.
‘Good. Then I’ll see to the bell.’
The Overseer strolled away and Druss picked his way through the chaos until he was standing close to the seated Togrin. The man glanced up. He was large and round-shouldered, heavy of arm and sturdy of chin. His eyes were dark, almost black under heavy brows. ‘Looking for work?’ he asked.
‘No.’
‘Then get off my site. I don’t like idlers.’
The clanging of a bell sounded through the wood. Togrin swore and rose as everywhere men stopped working. ‘What the. . . ?’ He swung around. ‘Who rang that bell?’ he bellowed.
Men began to gather around the charge-hand and Druss approached the man. ‘I ordered the bell rung,’ he said.
Togrin’s eyes narrowed. ‘And who might you be?’ he asked.
‘The new charge-hand,’ replied Druss.