The wagon creaked on its springs, and the horses snorted loudly as Liam pulled on the reins and brought the wagon to a stop. The young lord hopped down from the driver's seat and moved immediately to the side of the wagon where several picks and shovels waited, only for Thane to stop him with a firm hand on his shoulder.
"You've done enough, Lord Liam," Thane said with a look of genuine gratitude on his face. "Now, take the horses back; we'll handle the rest."
"I can still help," Liam protested, glancing at Virve, who had lost much of her characteristic strength and was leaning into Lennart's strength. "I may not know what to do with the tree, but I can at least dig a hole."
"Not tonight, you can't," Thane said, tapping the ground lightly with the toes of his boot, producing a hollow-sounding 'thump.' "Your heart is in the right place, but this needs more strength than you possess, at least for now."
