I was certain old Pega would never kill the child. Not in front of the entire village. Even when she took the sword from me, I was certain her resolve would crumble at the last minute. To take the life of a child, even a bastard child, is an act of unconscionable evil. And yet, the look in her eye suggested that she would have done so willingly had the Thane approved. In any event, my gamble did not pay off. I had hoped that presenting the baby before the village would polarise opinions. If people could see the child, I was certain they would not approve of him being put to death. Sadly, none had the courage to speak out… except of course Aelwyn.

I suppose, in retrospect the fate of the child was sealed the day he was conceived and no arguments would change this.

I'm not even sure why I made the journey to the Ogre's Bones. Though, there were plenty of others that joined the Reeve so I was not alone in my morbid curiosity. Perhaps I expected the Gods themselves to appear on the hill and grant the child a reprieve from his ghastly fate. But while the heavens did, indeed open, it was not the Gods that made an appearance – just a dark and heavy rain.

Despite the rain, I noticed movement in bushes nearby where the child had been lain by the Reeve. It seemed as though someone had been following us, secretly. Perhaps the Thane was moved by the events that had unfolded at the moot? His face remained largely passive throughout the meeting – even when I showed my defiance by presenting the baby. But then, he is not usually given to bold displays of emotion. For a moment, though, I wondered if the Thane had made provisions for the child to be collected by someone, and that the rustling in the bushes was a servant or nursemaid waiting for the opportunity to whisk the child away to a better life.

It was a foolish hope. From the shadows emerged a strange hunchback and shortly after, two armoured warriors. It was obvious that their intentions were not noble. Despite the best efforts of myself, Godmund and Gwynaeth we were not able to overcome them.