Letters on the Wall

Writers: Chelle, Paula
Date Posted: 18th May 2015

Characters: Sarban, Zandan
Description: The first painted tag is discovered in the hold.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 12, day 22 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: L'cor, Vestian

"It's whitewash," Zandan said, staring the block letters painted to a grey
stonewall. He had brushed his finger across one of the letters, smelled
and carefully tasted it. "Tainted by dragonblood" the letters said.
Although they were smeared and some of the whitewash had ran so it was
rather hard to read. It almost looked like the letters were bleeding. The
tag had appeared during the last night and when it was reported to Zandan,
he grabbed Sarban with him and came to investigate. "Took some effort to
make this. Although they used too much water when mixing the paint," Zandan
pondered, mostly to distract himself from the anger rising inside him. The
Gather was fastly approaching, they didn't need any extra incidents. The
guard-force was busy preparing for the Gather. They had to keep hundreds,
if not thousands of people gathered in one place, safe.

"The shells is the point of this? Are they talking about L'cor?" His mind
made a few leaps. Maybe they thought Corowal was letting the Weyr slide
because his own son was a rider there. That was exactly the opposite,
though. They were mad, but they didn't want the holders to know it because
if one guard could go after a rider like that, then what would the others
do? They might storm the Weyr. And then it would look like Corowal couldn't
control his own holders. Besides, usually having a rider in the family was
a good thing. Many people could trace back to having one or two at some
point. "Have someone scrub it off." Probably a bunch of lazy no-accounts
who obviously didn't have any real work to do.

"Maybe. Or Erassa and her son or any number of other people who live inside
the main building that have dragonriders in their family. I can name two
scores of people who has connections to Weyr without even pausing to
think," Zandan said. His voice was deceptively calm. Of course, most of
those names he could lived in cots around the main building, or in outlying
minor holds or in guard barracks.

"But what would that matter?" Sarban didn't like this-little rebellious
acts like this. That meant the holders didn't think they could handle it
and they didn't think that they could find out who did this and punish
them. They weren't afraid. "We need to put some fear down their throats I
think. Zandan-you should do a demonstration. They need to know how well
your men are with their sabers, bows, and knives. And I want them to look
like whers. Shells, even bring out the watchwher. Something."

"It shouldn't matter, but it does. Especially now when there's resentment
towards the Weyr in the air," Zandan replied. "Will do," he promised almost
cheerfully to Sarban's last comment.

As they walked back towards the Hold, he looked around at people as they
passed. "Right, but at what point did resentment towards the Weyr turn into
resentment towards holders? And why?" Therein was the problem. They had
been more lenient and had tried to have better Weyr relations than the
previous Lord Holder. And it had bit them. And mainly just because of one
very annoying bronzerider Sarban could live without. Perhaps after
weyrlinghood, the young man would just transfer north? **One can only
hope.**

"I don't know. If I knew, I could just go and arrest them, instead of
starting an investigation just when we are stretched thin too," Zandan
grumbled unhappily. That made him think that the timing was not
coincidence, so close to the Gather. Turnover usually meant lot of visitors
from Weyr. He sighed. "This has the potential to turn very ugly," he
growled.

"I agree which is why we need a new security plan. For turnover, we're
pulling in men from all the minor holds. Shifts will be doubled up. I'm
also going to tell the Weyr about it since if any of them come, as our
guests, they need to know." Scratching his neck, he thought of something
else. "Maybe you and I don't know, but isn't it the Hold's harper's job to
know things like that? They're supposed to know what people are doing and
saying... Go question the journeyman. And if he doesn't know, we're going
to fire him and ask Vestian for a new one because he isn't worth his salt."
Sarban was irritated and it showed. He had enough going on without people
pulling stupid stunts. "But yes, we need a scary demonstration-soon. Can
you pull it together in a sevenday? Maybe even have the guys start
practicing out in public..."

"I don't need you to teach me how to do my job." Sometimes Sarban just
irritated Zandan and he was already in a bad mood and it was just getting
fouler by the minutes.

The guard captain was well known for his change in moods and Sarban had
seen him get surly with Corowal himself so the steward didn't rise to the
bait. "And I don't have the time to do it with everything else to do, but
Turnover better go off without a hitch without any more mistakes." He
wasn't going to point the finger but it had been Zandan who had lost the
boy. It had been a guard who had caused trouble at the Weyr. Either way one
looked at it, the captain needed to get it together. "Corowal does not want
to look foolish after what just happened."

"Yeah, yeah," Zandan grunted. He seriously wanted, needed to hurt someone.

Last updated on the May 21st 2015

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Letters on the Wall