I Know What You Are

Writers: Estelle, Miriah
Date Posted: 29th October 2022

Characters: Jorghan, Lorican, Lusilk, Silgan
Description: Jorghan finds who he has been searching for
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 12, day 10 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Bryvin

Lusilk

Jorghan looked down to the harbour at Sunstone Seahold, his lip curling
at the sight and the sounds that drifted up from the docks and the
taverns, the lush scenery of orchards and azure sea. He'd heard stories
about this Hold, none of which were pleasing to his mind. He preferred
the arid landscape of Garnet Valley, the bare rock, the plain and honest
manner of the holders.

He didn't know if he'd ever go back there again. He'd abandoned his
post, a thing he'd never believed he would do, drawn by the only force
stronger than duty. It would be worth it, for justice.

He stabled his runner and asked the guard at the hold entrance for the
smith's quarters. It was a good guess that she hadn't told anyone where
she was really from, and the man easily accepted that he brought news
from her family, trusting his knots. Then he only had to follow the
directions to the crafter's quarters. He forced himself to breath
deeply, knowing that if he'd ever needed the iron of discipline, it was
now. She was ruthless and dangerous and he couldn't afford to forget
that, not for a moment.

Moving around was getting more difficult, Lusilk decided with a
grumble as she wiped off the counter yet again. "I feel like a bloated
herdbeast," she muttered to herself and walked...waddled, if she was
honest, towards the couch, eager to get off her feet. Silgan was
playing quietly on the floor, still working on figuring out the toy
that Lorican had got for him. Glancing over at it, she smiled
indulgently; he nearly had it solved. She sat on the couch with a soft
sigh and was surprised at the sight of her feet. They were a little
swollen, but perhaps, she thought, she could convince Lorican to give
them a good rub when he got home...

A knock sounded on the door and she groaned with frustration. Silgan
looked up and was about to rise, when she waved him back down. "It's
alright. It's probably a maid." Exhaling, she struggled to rise for a
moment and with a disgruntled growl of effort, she tried to ignore her
flailing arms before forcing herself up to stand. She felt a familiar
pressure and frowned. **Now I have to use the privy. Great.** With a
sigh, she waddled her way to the door and opened it, pulling her braid
over her shoulder. She didn't recognize the man in front of her but
habit made her gaze flick over his knots. She frowned, eyes narrowing
slightly, but she was tired enough that the colors didn't fully
register with her. "Can I help you?"

He had drawn breath to speak, but the discrepancy between what he'd
expected and the woman he saw, her belly rounded in a late stage of
pregnancy, took him aback. His gaze flicked from her to the room behind
her, and the small boy looking up curiously at him from the floor. "Oh -
excuse me, ma'am. I was looking for the rooms of the smith, Master Lorican."

Her eyes flicked back down to the colors and then back to his face,
studying it before answering. "These are his rooms." Her brow furrowed
with a hint of suspicion; hadn't she done away with everyone chasing
Lorican? She was certain that she had. "He's not here at the moment."
Feeling more alert now, she silently cursed herself for not having her
dagger close at hand. She'd been getting too comfortable, shaffit all!
She spoke slowly, her hand moving behind her back to make a subtle
gesture to her son. "I don't know if he has any business with Garnet
Valley. Silgan, go fetch ...Lorican and tell him he has a visitor,
will you?" She stepped back, her hip bumping into the small cabinet
that was near the door and silently opening the top drawer to reach to
find the small blade she kept there.

Silgan immediately reverted to his silence, recognizing the tension in
his mother's hand and the fact that she hadn't referred to Lorican as
his Da as she normally would. He nodded and quickly rose.

The guardsman's brow creased in confusion. She matched the description,
but he couldn't square the image of the woman he sought with the young
mother before him. Though if she and the crafter had been married... He
counted the months. It was possible.

This had to be done quietly, though, and he didn't want to accuse an
innocent servant. Either way, what he had to say wasn't for a child's
ears. He stood aside to let the boy pass and stepped into the room,
closing the door behind him. "Thank you. It's a family matter, actually.
Are you his...?"

The moment the door closed, Lusilk was on guard, despite her heavy
bulk. Her eyes studied him quickly, taking in his shape, his reach. He
was already too close. Faranth, she had gotten lazy! "His wife. He's
never mentioned any family in Garnet Valley." She was quite certain he
had no family there. Her fingers clutched at the small blade's hilt,
keeping it hidden.

"Not his family." His gaze met hers, suddenly bleak and stony, as
pitiless as a hunter's. "Mine."

He was sure, now. The pregnancy and the child had thrown him off, but
instincts honed by so many Turns of service could not fail him for long.
He was face to face with her, at last. "I seek the killer of the Lord of
Beryl Peak Hold, and of - of a young girl in his service." There was a
catch in his voice, a tension stretched to breaking point. "I know what
you are."

Lusilk met his gaze, schooling her face carefully despite a sudden
rush of fear that made her heart pound in immediate response. **Keep
calm. You're not quick right now. Your balance is off. Keep him
talking until you can distract him.** Her fingers gripped the knife
hilt tighter as she slipped back around the cabinet, taking another
step away to get into a more open space without her back to a wall. "I
don't know what you're talking about. You need to leave." **Silgan,
hurry, child. I can't fight like this.**

Jorghan followed her movements, his eyes narrowing in concentration.
Slowed by the pregnancy, but underneath that, he recognized the tactics
of a fighter in the way she moved and used the space around her. Heat
burned in him. He'd been right.

"The Lord Holder of Beryl Peak," he repeated. "The Holder of Shadow
Peak, in Garnet Valley, and his steward, and a guard, a boy, really. And
according to Lord Rorrigraf's records, he wasn't the first guardsman to
fall to your knife. It's quite a tally. But it's over now." He kept his
position, just out of her reach, between her and the door. "The girl at
Beryl Peak. Her name was Lisna. Do you remember her? She was eighteen."

She saw the heat in his eyes and knew in that instant that this was
personal for the man. Then he spoke a name she didn't recognize, the
name of a girl. She tried to keep her expression blank, but there was
a momentary flicker or recognition in them. The girl that had been in
bed with Rorrigraf, The one who'd she'd made sure couldn't call an
alarm. She searched the face of this strange man, who was obviously
here for the girl. And he had come with a purpose; if this had been
official, he would have gone to Bryvin. And he had seen her son.

Slowly, her face shifted from false confusion to a cold, deadly stare.
Despite being bulky, there was no doubt from the stare that she was
indeed a killer, had killed before and would not hesitate to do so
again, if needed. This man had seen her son! Her hand tightened
momentarily on the hilt of the hidden dagger. "Girl? I only remember a
whore."

The man's jaw tightened in fury, his whole body tensing with the effort
of restraint. His hands clenched into fists, and only her condition and
his own iron will kept him from striking her. "Thread take you, you
foul, murderous snake," he said in a low voice. "She didn't deserve to
die. But you..." He bit back his words. "That will be for the new Lord
of Beryl Peak to decide. I expect they'll let you birth your brat first,
but then you'll face justice for the lives you've taken."

Lusilk blinked at him, then her lips curled up and spread in a
teeth-baring grin. "I don't think that'll be a problem. Perhaps that
girl shouldn't have been spreading her thighs for the Lord Holder.
From what I heard, she offered herself to him the first night she was
at the Hold." She taunted the man, aiming to make him lose his temper,
make a mistake that would give her the advantage.

"That's a lie!" Jorghan's voice rose, and he almost took a step forward,
but caught himself before he could move into her reach, taking a deep
breath as he forced himself to calm. "You think I haven't dealt with
your kind before? This isn't the first time some worthless thief's tried
to distract me with a vile tongue." He stared down at her, his gaze grim
and impassive. "It won't work. But perhaps a few months in the cells at
Beryl Peak will teach you some respect."

"I heard the girl was found in the Lord Holder's bed." She pointed
out, careful not to admit that she had personally seen the girl. "She
was his mistress. An old man's plaything." Lusilk's eyes never left
him, noting the sudden rise in temper even as she took another slow
step back, adjusting her position. "And he would have disposed of her
once he was bored with her. Then what would she be? Probably passed
around to his underlings, begging for each of them to be in her bed
for protection. The Lord Holder ruined her and thought nothing of it."
Her lips quirked in a humorless smile. "And yet you defend him and are
outraged on his behalf." She tsked her tongue. "Unless...she was
ruined before she got there." Her eyes narrowed. "Maybe she was sent
for a reason, hmm? To hide something already done?"

***

Silgan burst into the smithy, for the first time not taking care to
avoid the dangers of the area. His eyes were frantic as he barreled
towards Lorican. "DA! DA! IMAMA! Bad man! Bad man!"

Lorican immediately plunged the glowing metal bar he'd been working on
into a barrel of water and hurried to crouch down beside Silgan. The boy
knew not to run in the forge, so it must be urgent, and his first
thought was that the baby was coming, until he heard the words that
chilled his heart. Bad man...

"It's all right, Silgan. Tell me what happened." He wanted to race to
her side, but somehow he managed to speak calmly. "Where is Mama?"

Silgan was trembling, his eyes widened with real fear as he reached to
clutch at Lorican's sleeve and began to tug urgently. "Mama gave me a
hand sign. It means trouble and hide, but then she said to come get
you. And she didn't call you Da, but she called you Lorican. The man
said he was looking for your rooms and Ma said he was from Garnet
Valley and she was really stiff. He had guard knots. Mama was opening
that drawer that she keeps her dagger in. She said I had to come and
get you. Come on!"

A journeyman came into the forge, carrying a sack of charcoal, and
frowned as he saw Lorican's face, drained of color. "Is everything all
right, Master?"

"Ah - yes, I - my wife needs me. I'm going to check on her." Lorican
thought fast. The first priority was to keep Silgan out of harm's way.
Besides, if he knew Lusilk, there was a chance the 'bad man' was now a
dead man, and the boy shouldn't see that. "Could you keep an eye on my
son, until I return?"

As the younger man nodded, wide-eyed, he lowered his voice. "Stay here,
Silgan. If I'm not back by the end of the shift, I need you to go to the
Headwoman. Ask to see the Lord Holder, and tell him what you told me.
Only him. Can you do that?"

Silgan's lower lip began to tremble, but he nodded solemnly. The young
boy knew the importance of following his Mama's and his new Da's
instructions. He wanted to go with him, to be safe with his Da and
make sure his mama was alright, but the look in his Da's eyes told him
enough. He didn't answer, his instincts and the order making him fall
back into his previous silence. He looked at the journeyman and then
slowly walked over to the bench that had been provided for his use and
sat, staring down at his toes.

"Good lad." Lorican nodded his thanks to the journeyman. As he left the
smithy, while the younger man had turned his back to set down his coals,
he quietly lifted a hammer from the rack of tools by the door.

Heart pounding, he broke into a run back towards the main Hold, trying
to make sense of Silgan's words as he did. A guard, from Garnet Valley?
Had something happened to his uncle, or his brother? Shells, he hoped
his wife wouldn't harm an innocent messenger. Or had his secret been
discovered?

He sprinted up the stairs, but as he approached their quarters he
remembered the caution he'd learned from Lusilk and slowed, listening.
Hearing a raised voice, he felt a sudden rush of relief. If the man was
talking, then they both still lived.

"...not fit to speak her name." The speaker was struggling to contain
the rage beneath his words. "Enough talk. You're coming with me to Beryl
Peak. But first, you can hand over whatever blade it is you're carrying."

Without waiting to hear any more, Lorican wrenched open the door and
burst into the room. "Lusilk?" He glanced briefly at the visitor, a
tall, stony-faced man in plain garb with a guard's knots. "What in the
name of the First Egg is going on here?"

Lusilk had heard the familiar footsteps approaching the door and
wanted to cry out in a sudden surge of relief. Ignoring the sudden
heavy twinge in her belly and lower back, pushing it aside to focus
elsewhere, she used Lorican's sudden entrance and the man's resulting
surprise to her advantage. Her hand whipped out from behind her back
to level the small blade at the guard's neck, the tip pressing against
the pulsing vessel in the man's neck. "You wanted my blade? Breathe
just a little deeper and you'll have it closer than you like." Her
eyes, now icy with determination, glittered as they narrowed.

The intruder froze, his dark eyes flicking back to Lusilk, but not
fast enough that Lorican missed the fury that burned in them. His
breath caught in his throat. This man was a threat to Lusilk, and to
their child. She would kill him without a moment's regret. Unless...

"Well?" He did his best to imitate one of the most imperious Masters
from the Smith Hall, a man who never let anyone forget his rank or
high birth. As he spoke, he felt his shoulders straighten, his chin
lift. "What are you doing in my quarters, Guardsman?"

"I'm here to arrest this woman." Jorghan's voice sounded constricted,
as he tried to speak while moving his throat as little as he could.
"She's accused of murder."

"Murder? Is this some kind of joke?" Lorican demanded, though those
words turned his insides to ice. "My wife has never even been to
Garnet Valley. Accused by who? You?" He caught a moment's uncertainty
in the guard's face and pressed his advantage. He was alone, without
any Sunstone guards... "Does your captain know you're here?"

"Look at her, man!" Unable to answer that question, or to move,
Jorghan glared at him. "She's dangerous!"

"She's defending herself from a strange man in her rooms, as is her
right." Lorican cast a quick, meaningful glance at Lusilk. "She won't
hurt you if you don't threaten her."

**Won't I?** Lusilk's eyes flickered and only slightly narrowed more,
a silent message of reproach towards her husband. She felt a sudden
spasm on her back and her eyes widened just a fraction as she felt a
painful tightness; it was mild, but she recognized it. Though she kept
her blade on the man in front of her, her other hand pressed against
her side as her lips tightened. "He believes he's working for the Lord
of Beryl Peak for justice, Lorican. Isn't Lord Bryvin there now? At a
Conclave? Perhaps that's why this man came now." She wanted nothing
more than to press the dagger closer. "When our Lord Holder is
away...taking advantage of his absence with these...outlandish
accusations."

"My accusations won't seem so outlandish when the guards at Beryl Peak
get a look at her." Jorghan spoke through gritted teeth. "They'll
remember the face of the woman who killed their Lord Holder."

"You mean Lord Rorigraff?" Lorican gave the man an incredulous look,
though he couldn't help the sudden rush of relief that the victim was
one he knew of and frankly couldn't regret. "Have you lost your wits?
Everyone knows that woman is dead!" He lifted the hammer, let the metal
head slap into his palm. "Here's what's going to happen. Lusilk will
lower her knife, and then you are going to leave. Go back to Garnet
Valley, or wherever you came from. I'll be reporting this incident to
Lord Bryvin, but I'll mention you went away quietly when you realized
your mistake."

"There's no mistake. You are married to a ruthless killer." Jorghan
narrowed his eyes at the smith, his suspicions growing. "Whether you
know it or not." Still, he felt the knife pricking at his throat, and
was forced to admit there was nothing more he could do for now. Slowly,
he raised his hands, palms open in a gesture of acceptance.

There was a sharp glance at Lorican at his words; she didn't want to
let this one go. All it would take is just a quick thrust. "I will?"
She was going to continue further when a sharp pain made her gasp and
clutch her belly. She stepped back, the knife falling from her fingers
as she grabbed at the wall for support. "Lorican..." A small little
puddle splashed between her feet and she hissed in response.

"Lusilk!" Lorican's eyes went wide and he hurried to her side, dropping
the hammer as he put an arm around her to hold her up. He glanced wildly
back at the guard, who looked even more stunned than he was. "Fetch a
healer!" Then, when the man didn't move, he raised his voice. "NOW!
Shards, if any harm comes to her or the child because of this, I'll kill
you myself!"

Jorghan had opened his mouth as if about to speak, but instead turned on
his heel and strode out of the room without a word.

Last updated on the October 30th 2022

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I Know What You Are