“That’s as may be, but having a Hold that is totally unprepared for the onslaught of Thread - one that’s adjacent to me,” and Bridgely jabbed a thumb in his chest, “is far more nervous-making.”
“You’ve a point there,” Azury admitted. He looked over his shoulder and beckoned one of the attendants, asking him to bring his riding gear. “You said that Jamson’s reluctant? Doesn’t impeachment require a unanimous verdict?”
“It does,” Bridgely agreed, and set his lips in an implacable line.
Azury grinned, thanking the attendant who had quickly returned with his gear. “Then you also need me to add weight to a second delegation to High Reaches?”
“If you feel you can turn Jamson’s opinion?” Azury stamped into his boots. “That one’s just perverse enough to hold out, but we’ll see. Tashvi, Bastom and Franco are involved, and I know Paulin is agitated… Who does that leave?
“Richud of Ista? Well, he will go along with a majority.” He rose.
“Now, let’s leave before I swim in my own sweat.”
Azury interviewed each of the fourteen refugees still housed in Benden Weyr as unfit to be transferred elsewhere. He then had a chat with three of the guards.
Not that they were in a chatting mood, he said, his light blue eyes vivid with anger in his tanned face, but they may soon have second thoughts on how much their loyalty is worth to Lord Chalkin.
“They do claim,” and, as he grinned, his teeth were very white against his skin, “that they were outnumbered by the influx of so many ranting, raving maniacs and had to use force to restrain them until they could receive orders from the Hold.”
“That conflicts with what the ranting, raving maniacs say, doesn’t it?” M’shall replied.
“Oh, indeed,” Azury agreed, grinning without humor. “And I do wonder that the guards came out of the ranting and raving mass unscathed while all of the maniacs seem to have a variety of injuries. Clearly the truth is being pulled in many directions.”
“But it lies there, limpid as usual, to the eye that sees and the ear that hears.”
“Well said,” Bridgely nodded.
“So let’s speak with Richud.”
It was harder to find the Lord Holder of Ista because he had taken the afternoon off to fish - his favorite occupation.
The harbor master was unable to give any specific direction for a search.
The dolphins went with him. Circle your dragon, and see can he spot them? Small sloop with a red sail but a lot of dolphins. Richud claims they understand him. He may be right,” and the elderly man scratched his head, grinning with amusement at the notion.
“They do - according to the records,” Azury said. “My fishers always watch out for them in the Currents.”
“Well, as you wish,” the Harbormaster said and went back to his tedious accounting of creel weights lifted ashore the previous seven days.
Craigath flew his passengers in a high-altitude circle, spiraling outwards from Ista Harbor. It was he who spotted the craft and, with mighty use of his pinions, dived for it.
Despite the broad safety band securing him to his position, Azury grabbed frantically at Bridgely who was sitting in front of him and Bridgely worried lest his own grip bruise the dragon rider
M’shall merely turned his head to grin back at them. The words he spoke - for his mouth moved - were lost in the speed of their descent.
Bridgely watched the sea coming nearer and nearer and arched himself slightly backwards.
He’d ridden often enough not to be alarmed by dragon antics, but never at such an angle or speed. He tightened his hold on his safety straps and argued himself out of closing his cowardly eyes. Just as it seemed as if Craigath would impale himself on the mast of the sloop which wasn’t all that small to Bridgely’s mind - the bronze went into hover, startling the two crew who were watching Richud struggle with a pole bent almost double by his efforts to land the fish he’d hooked.
“Any time you’re free, Lord Richud,” shouted M’shall between his cupped hands.
Richud glanced once over his shoulder, then again, and lost control of pole and fish - the reel spinning wildly as pressure ended.
“Don’t creep up on me like that! Lookit what you made me do! Fraggit! Can’t I ever get an afternoon off? Oh well, what catastrophe’s hit us now? Must be something bad to bring the three of you this far south.”
He handed his pole to a crewman and came to the starboard side.
There was still some distance between him and his visitors.
“I’d ask you aboard, but the bronze would sink us,” he said.
“No problem,” M’shall said and his eyes unfocused as he spoke to his dragon. Can you get us a little closer, Craigath?
Craigath, eyes gleaming bluely and whirling with some speed, set himself down in the water, wings neatly furled to his backbone while with his left forearm he took hold of the safety rail, pulling himself and his passengers closer to the hull of the ship. The sloop began to heel over at the strength of the dragon’s hold.
The wind left the sail and the boom started to whip round when, just as abruptly, the sail caught wind again and the ship resumed her forward motion and speed.
M’shall laughed, thumping Craigath on the neck in appreciation of the completed maneuver.
“What’d he do? How’d he do that? What under the sun?” Richud was looking at the dragon, back at the ship, and then at M’shall in confusion.
“He’s paddling to keep up so you won’t lose headway,” the Benden Weyrleader explained.
This is fun. I like it, Craigath informed his rider.
“He’s enjoying himself,” said M’shall.
“He won’t snap the rail, will he?” Richud asked, staring with some apprehension at the huge forepaw clutching the metal upright.
The dragon shook his head. It is fragile so I don’t hold it hard.
M’shall paused a moment. Good lad. “He says he’s well aware of its fragility.”
“He didn’t say that,” Richud replied, shaking his head in denial.
“Fragility? His very word. Craigath’s got quite a vocabulary. You know how Irene speaks… Well, he has to keep up with Maruth, doesn’t he?” The dragon nodded.
“Well, I never, Never seen Ronelth or Jemath swim like this either,” Richud murmured. “So, what urgent matter brings you here?”
“Chalkin must be impeached as soon as possible. A Hold is autonomous until it exceeds its rights,” Bridgely said, and went on to give the Istan Lord Holder details of Chalkin’s heinous behavior.
“I’d no idea he’d evict so many. Surely it’s winter up there and they’d be in danger of freezing?”
“They would be and have been,” M’shall said.
“Their condition was appalling, Richud,” Azury told him. “I went to Benden myself to see. And the guards…” He dismissed them with a wide gesture. “You know the sort Chalkin hires.”
“Yes, tough necks layabouts, ruffians and scoundrels like those Gather artists of his.” Richud paused in thought. “Has that impeachment clause ever been used?”
“No, but it was put there as a safeguard. And there are a lot of people in Bitra who need their safety guarded especially this close to Fall.”
“Agreed. I’ll go along with you. Only,” and his tone turned entreating, “not when I have an afternoon off to fish?” Craigath let go of the rail and the two groups drifted apart.
Suddenly the bronze shuddered from pate to tail.
I like that. Do it again.
Who are you talking to, Craigath? M’shall demanded, having had to clutch the neck ridge and lift his legs high above sudden waves sloshing Craigath’s sides. His passengers had reacted as well to keep from a wetting.
Doll fins rubbed me.
Playful, are they? Well, another time, my friend. We still have work to do. “Sorry about that. The dolphins were tickling Craigath.”