Chapter 15. Another Kind of Explosion

Conversation was lively down at the Spotted Duck on the outskirts of Tuckborough, and the beer flowed freely. When Everard Took entered with a few others from the Smials, he was hailed as a hero and showered with mugs of beer, which he accepted with a tired grimace that might pass for a grin, before lapsing into morose silence at a table in a dark corner, to sip and watch and listen.

The fire had been stopped on the ridge short of the Smials, and in the bottomland by the miracle of the black powder. The firebreaks had held back the body of the fire, and the hobbits had been able to deal with what sparks blew over the breaks. Even though the cooler evening air and dying of the wind had eased the tension somewhat, the danger was not over, not by any means. They'd have to keep watching for flare-ups and hot spots, especially the next day, when the afternoon winds picked up again.

The fire had burned across nearly ten miles of Tookland, from just outside of Tookbank almost to Tuckborough, but it could have been worse, O so much worse, indeed. Everard thought of the thatched roofs on the buildings in Tuckborough, and the fierceness of the flames they had faced, and he shuddered. There had been no loss of life, though some of the fire-fighters had suffered burns, and quite a few were abed, smoke-filled lungs straining to take in air, while the healers tried to soothe them with herbs and vapors. Worst off, of course, was the Thain, propped up in his bed, fighting for every breath.

Everard sipped at his beer and listened to the talk around him.

'...and I thought my guts would freeze when he blew the horn and they sprang to set the backfire! 'Tis not wide enough, I said to myself, the backfire will jump the line for sure, and we'll be caught between two infernos, and we did have to step lively indeed, to beat out the sparks that blew acrost...'

'...like magic it were, a line of powder black as night, but flaring up in hot flame and white smoke...'

'Did ye hear if Sunnybank Farm survived? My cousin's wife's brother married one of the daughters there.'

'Aye, they ploughed around the buildings and the fire went round.'

'...and I hear he took a lungful.'

'Aye. They say he's dyin'.'

Everard turned his head sharply to catch more of the conversation to his right.

'Pity, seemed he was working out to be a good 'un,' an old gaffer said.

'Arrr, Regi's been Thain all along, y'know. Lad's dyin', 'tis a shame for sure, but Regi'll step up and things'll go on same as they always did. No great loss.'

'Loss to his wife, mebbe,' the gaffer rebuked.

'O aye, didn't mean no disrespect.' The speaker took a deep draught of ale and continued. 'But did he have to loose all the animals in the stables and barns? We'll be days finding them all again.'

Another chuckled. 'I heared there was a muckle of a mess in the Smials after they brought out the prize livestock again... a lot of scrubbing of floors and all...'

'The Missus said they was packed into the Smials like apples in a box,' another said. 'She would fain be on the firelines rather than jammed in that tight, she swan.'

'Ah, well. They didn't know if'n it could be stopped, now, did they?' the gaffer put in again. 'And it mightn't have been, if not for that young Thain, I heared.'

The one who'd said "no great loss" earlier snorted, saying, 'Who d'you say stopped it? That young upstart? Went off to foreign parts, I say he might as well've stayed there! If'n he weren't worthless, then why'd Thain Paladin disown him in the first place?'

There was a murmur of protest, but over it came the sound of a mug being slammed upon a table as Everard rose, his face thunderous, beer sloshing over the table from the mug he'd so precipitously put down. 'What did you say?' he asked into the silence.

The speaker stammered. 'I-- I didn't mean no disrespect, Everard, just tryin' to give credit where it's due. Everyone knows, 'twere your idea, and you and the other engineers put out the fire, and we're that grateful to you.'

'There would be no black powder in Tookland, but for the Thain,' Everard said softly. 'And I wouldn't know how to use it, but for the Thain,' he said, his voice growing louder. 'And Tuckborough would have burned down about your heads, but for the Thain!' he ended in a shout.

'I thought--' the loudmouth said into the silence, then quailed under the combined stares of Everard and his tablemates.

'What did you think?' Everard said slowly.

The other gulped. Everard's temper was legendary amongst the Tooks. Whilst a hobbit would never turn his anger against another hobbit, not unless he wished to face a sentence of exile, there was something about Everard's deadly calm that caused the loudmouth's knees to shake.

'I thought--' he said again. 'I thought you wanted Reginard to be Thain,' he said. 'You said he deserved it, and that no young upstart should come in from the outside and think he could take Tookland over when he's not even lived in the Tookland for years!' He spoke in a rush, gaining confidence as he threw Everard's own words back in his face.

Everard nodded. 'Aye,' he said heavily. 'I said all those things.' His shoulders slumped, and then he pulled them straight again. 'Aye, and d'you want to know what I say now?' He glared about the staring faces; he had the attention of all in the room. No one moved or spoke. He started quietly, but ended in a shout. 'I say, I was WRONG!' Someone gasped. A Took never admitted to a mistake, at least, not publicly.

Everard gave a jerk of his chin. 'That's right,' he said. 'You heard me right.' His gaze swept the room again. 'Thain Peregrin saved us all. There wouldn't be a Tuckborough tonight, were it not for him. That fire would probably still be raging acrost Tookland, through the Eastfarthing until it fetched up against the Brandywine River, 'til there weren't nothing left but smoking ruins of what was once farms, and forest, and hobbit holes... and hobbits.'

He tossed a coin on the table and stalked from the room, leaving silence behind him.