With the afternoon of that day, they both reached the gates of Norburg. The city had grown a lot and stretched for almost five miles from end to end. In the center, the fortress stood imposing, suspiciously guarding the lands of the North, vassals of the Reunited Kingdom. Fornost was home to many thousands of people, who had congregated there in recent years, as life in the countryside was very hard. Likewise, Fornost was famous throughout the Kingdom for being very unhealthy, rough, and unpleasant to live with. The city did not have good drainage, and humidity was eating away at the walls of the buildings.
The city guard, ramshackle and unpresentable, greeted travelers with the coldness of the rough people of the North. They carried no firearms, no musket, no rifle, and their dresses were of the most barbarous cut. This echoed within Atanamir, who remember the troop that had encountered on the road to Annúminas. Thus he deduced that the men he had seen the day before did not come from the armies of the North, but were royal soldiers from the far South. However, these thoughts left him when Núrin screamed, calling for his father.
"Father, the Company's office is closed," he said, looking down the street. "I will go to the market to ask for the company delegate" and left the entrance streets behind, losing himself among the people.
Atanamir, accepting the impossibility of reaching his son, resolved to take the cart to some inn on the outskirts of the city, since the guards had warned him that all those behind the walls of Fornost were full. Atanamir, accepting the impossibility of reaching his son, resolved to take the cart to some inn on the outskirts of the city, since the guards had warned him that all those behind the walls of Fornost were full. Furthermore, as has already been noted, the city exuded an unpleasant atmosphere, and Atanamir had decided to spend there as little time as possible.
But, as the carriage turned, heading for the southern suburbs, a shadow covered the sky as if the sun had suddenly gone out. A rumbling sound broke the taciturn silence, and a grayish cloud appeared from the horizon. It was smoke from a detonation, coming from the eastern part of the city. A few moments later, tongues of fire were visible on the roofs of some buildings, and after a quarter of an hour, there was already a wild and uncontrollable fire over the entire eastern district of Fornost.
Atanamir released the reins and ran to the entrance of the city. The fire was spreading fast and ungovernable, and the efforts of the inhabitants to appease the flames were useless, unable to stop this growing monster. He knew that the market was north of the city, near the fortress, and that Núrin was a vigorous and fearless young man. Atanamir walked through the gates, and a sea of people rushed at him. Everyone was trying to escape from that hell, and there were already few who continued to persist in stopping the fire. Many stopped at the entrance, under the dilemma of escaping or helping their family and friends who were still within the city. Atanamir crossed the central avenue and ran through the crowded streets to the market, where he hoped to find his son.
He searched, increasingly dazed by the suffocating smoke, for Núrin through all the shreds and alleys, but the fire raged and Atanamir was forced to return. Among the people who fled, he clearly distinguished two subjects who were walking slowly, and who were looking back. They both wore a dark hood and a dagger at their belts. Royal designs were visible on their clothing, and they were soon lost in the street leading to the fortress. Atanamir, amidst the confusion, followed his hunch and ran towards the west gate of the city, when suddenly a wooden beam fell on him, knocking him over and losing consciousness. The fire continued to rage, and each time smoke and soot consumed the air in the room. Atanamir did not recover, and coughed, still unable to get up again.
He searched, increasingly dazed by the suffocating smoke, for Núrin through all the shreds and alleys, but the fire raged and Atanamir was forced to return. Among the people who fled, he clearly distinguished two subjects who were walking slowly, and who were looking back. They both wore a dark hood and a dagger at their belts. Royal designs were visible on their clothing, and they were soon lost in the street leading to the fortress. Atanamir, amidst the confusion, followed his hunch and ran towards the west gate of the city, when suddenly a wooden beam fell on him, knocking him over and losing consciousness. The fire continued to rage, and each time smoke and soot consumed the air in the room. Atanamir did not recover, and coughed, still unable to get up again. He was fainting, and could not manage to lift the beam that weighed on his neck.
Until Núrin appeared, along with a woman, and together they helped Atanamir.