K’vin had supposed it did, and decided that he had to have a more positive attitude.
“It’s not as if we knew who will not be here this time next year,” she added. “But it’d be nice to know that they were here.”
“How much longer, Iantine?” Zulaya asked plaintively. The fingers of the hand she had resting on her thigh twitched. “I can’t feel my feet or my left hand any more.”
Iantine gave an exaggerated sigh and laid down the palette, scratching his head with the now free hand as he swished the fine brush in the jar on the table. “Soon, Zulaya. You should by rights have had a break some time ago. But the light’s perfect and I didn’t want to stop.”
“Oh, help me up, K’vin,” Zulaya said, holding out a hand.
“I don’t usually get a chance to sit still so long.”
K’vin was glad to assist her and she was stiff enough so that her first steps were awkward. Then she recovered her mobility and walked firmly to the easel.
“My word, you did do yards today, didn’t you? Filled in that whole panel of the dress and… have you got my eyes crossed?”
Iantine laughed. “No, step a little to this side. Now back again. Do the eyes seem to follow you?”
Zulaya gave a little shake, widening her eyes. “They do. How do you contrive that? I must say, I’m not so sure I like me watching everything I do.
K’vin chuckled. “You won’t, but your presence hanging in the Lower Cavern may spur the lazy to complete their tasks more quickly.”
“I’m not sure I like that idea any more than having me leering at me up here.” She turned to the table, mostly covered by Iantine’s paraphernalia. “I had klah sent up not too long ago,” and she cast an accusing eye on Iantine. “It should still be hot.”
She unscrewed the lid and steam obediently rose. “It is. Shall I pour for all of us?” Which she was doing even as she spoke.
“Maybe I should leave now?” Iantine suggested, looking from one to the other.
“No,” she said quickly.
“I wanted to be sure your sketches were safely in your possession,” said K’vin, taking a chair.
“And, did they solve the problem?” Zulaya asked, spooning sweetener in the cups and passing him his. “Come, sit, Iantine. You must be more tired than I am. I’ve been sitting the whole time.”
Iantine grinned as if, K’vin noted with a twinge of jealousy, totally at his ease with the Weyrwoman. Few were, except Tisha who treated everyone like an errant child or Leopol who was impudent with everyone.
“So? What’s the result?” She indicated with a wave of her hand that he should speak out in the portraitist’s presence.
“M’shall’s disgusted. They still don’t have a unanimous decision about impeachment. Jamson’s the hold-out.”
“He’s not always dealing with a full deck,” Zulaya said succinctly, “at least so Mari of High Reaches Weyr told me.”
“And he’s getting worse. Thea takes charge when she can, and that older lad of his.”
“Gallian’s my age,” K’vin exclaimed. “Can’t they get around that?”
“Short of making Jamson abdicate, no. At least according to my understanding of the Charter. And it just got refreshed.” She gave K’vin a droll smile. “As well I listened in to what T’lan was reading.”
“I’d forgotten the half of it myself. Have you reread it recently?”
The Trials at Telgar and Benden Weyrs
As it happened, a blizzard covered most of the eastern mountain ranges and all of Bitra when the trial was convened. The winds were too fierce over Bitra for even a dragon to penetrate. The storm had not yet reached Benden so they, and representatives from every Weyr and Hold, were present: with the exception of Lord Jamson of the High Reaches who was very ill of a respiratory fever.
The Lady Holder Thea came, annoyed that Jamson had a legitimate excuse for his absence and had sent Gallian in his place.
“It might have done that stubborn streak of his some good to hear just how that Chalkin conducts his Hold. Oh, he’d’ve spouted on about autonomy but he most certainly is against any harm coming to unborn children.” Thea gave Zulaya a significant nod, reminding those around her that she had borne fourteen children to Lord Jamson in the course of her fertile years: sufficient to substantially increase the borders of the Hold when the children were old enough to claim their land grants.
Held in the capacious Lower Cavern at Benden Weyr, the first of the two trials was a sobering, well-conducted affair. At one time there had been trained legists on Pern, but the need for such persons had waned. Most arguments were settled by negotiated compromise or, when all negotiation efforts failed, by hand-to-hand combat.
Consequently a spokesperson for the accused guards had to be found: one of the teachers from Fort Hold who specialized in legal contracts and land deeds reluctantly agreed to officiate.
Gardner had not been very enthusiastic about involving himself, however briefly, with rapists but he recognized the necessity for representation and did his best. He had perfunctorily questioned the victims as to the identity of their alleged assailants and tried to shake their testimony. The three women were no longer the frightened, half-starved wretches who had been so abused. Their time in the Weyr had done wonders for their courage, self-esteem and appearance.
Gardner even insisted that they had been rehearsed in their testimony, but that did not m gate the circumstances of the grievous bodily and mental harm inflicted on them.
“Sure I rehearsed,” the oldest of the women said loudly. “In me mind, night after night, how I was flung down and done by dirty men as wouldn’t have dared step inside a decent woman’s hold with such notions in their head. I ache still rehearsing…” and she spat the word at him, “what they again and again and again.” For emphasis she slammed one fist into the other hand. Gardner ceased that line of questioning.
In the end, he managed one small concession for the right to be returned to their Contract Hold, following the trial, rather than have to make their own way back to Bitra.
“Fat lot of good that’ll do them,” Zulaya muttered under breath when he won that point. “Chalkin hates losers and the guys have lost a lot more than their contract.”
“I wonder what sort of tone Chalkin’s next letter of protest will take,” Irene said with a malicious chuckle. Paulin had received a thick screed from the Bitran Holder when he discovered the unmitigated interference of assorted renegade dragon riders in his affairs and the abduction of ‘loyal holders’ from their premises. “If he dares make one.” She went on.
“Oh, why did it have to snow so hard? I’d love to have had him here when his guards said they ‘was only following orders to keep the holders from leaving’! M’shall would have gathered him up in a ball and rendered him spitless
M’shall had assumed the role of prosecutor, claiming that right since it had been his riders who were first on the scene. He had been exceedingly precise in manner and in his questioning.
“Poring over the Charter and what books Clisser could send him on legal procedures,” Irene told Zulaya with a broad grin. “It’s done him a world of good. Taken his mind off the spring, you know.”
Zulaya had nodded approvingly. “He’d have been a good legist or did they call them lawyers?”
“No, barristers.”
“Yes, barristers stood before the judge and handled the trial procedures,” Irene replied.
“Gardner wasn’t half bad, you know. He tried,” Zulaya remarked. “I’ll even forgive him asking for mercy for those miserable clods.