Yoren and company1 reach the Blackwater, but cannot find a crossing, so Yoren decides to go around the north and hire a boat at a nearby town to cross to Harrentown. When they arrive at the town, they find it deserted. Yoren splits everyone into groups to search the town. Arya is placed with Woth, Gendry, Hot Pie, and Lommy. There are no boats to be found. Gendry suggests building rafts, and Yoren decides to sleep on it. They make camp in the holdfast and bar the gates. Yoren sends Tarber, Kurz, and Cutjack to the top of the towerhouse to stand watch while the others settle down.
After dinner, Arya goes to sleep. She is awakened by a wolf's howl and then hears Kurz's hunting horn signaling people coming. Everyone goes to the walls and sees a column of riders setting fire to the town. Ser Amory Lorch rides up and demands that Yoren open the gates. Reysen gives a sarcastic response, and Yoren states he is of the Night's Watch and has no part in the war, but Ser Amory is not satisfied. When Yoren continues to refuse, Ser Amory declares him a rebel. A spear is hurled at Yoren, but it hits Woth instead, killing him. Ser Amory orders his men to storm the walls and kill everybody.
Yoren sends Koss and Urreg to defend the postern gate and orders the rest to draw swords. Arya engages several men and forces them off the wall. She sees Dobber and Qyle go down. Gendry makes his way over to where she and Hot Pie are. Gendry and Arya leave the wall to engage men that have broken through elsewhere, and Yoren tells her to round up all the people she can and get out through the trapdoor under the barn that leads to another part of the lake. They call Hot Pie down and find Lommy, who is wounded in the calf. They also find Gerren, who is near death and cannot be moved, and the little girl they rescued from the last town.2 When they get to the barn, it is on fire. Biter is desperately heaving himself against his chains. Jaqen sees her and asks for help. Arya goes back outside to get an axe. She sees Koss yield and get killed anyway. Back inside she crawls to the wagon and throws the axe inside. Rorge picks it up and starts hacking through the chains. Arya makes it into the tunnel, but it collapses behind her.
