Chap. 367 The Denouement

He saw several people hurrying towards the Council chambers.

He went to Jansen’s desk. “What’s going on?”

She grinned. “They’re bringing Fleming here. He should be here any second.”

“Oh, I HAVE to see this,” K’ndar said. “How’d he get here, horseback?”

“Oh, no, K’ndar. Dragonback. Coastal’s Weyrleader was more than happy to, um, ‘detain’ him. Remember that datalink message he sent to Lord Toric? Well, there was indeed an armed escort waiting for him, but it wasn’t quite what Fleming had expected.” She laughed.

“So he didn’t get to Southern Hold? I was so afraid once he crossed the boundary we’d NEVER get him.”

“No. To add to that, the Council contacted Lord Toric. They allowed Fleming’s message to him to go through, but the Council also um, advised, Lord Toric what Fleming and his mother had been up to.”

“In person?”

“Oh, stars no. By datalink, even though he resists admitting he has one. He’s an Abominator when it’s convenient. The Council told him, if he wants his stamps, he has to come here to get them. No more risking the lives of runners.”

“Bet he was pissed at that.”

“Oh, aye, that’s for certain. He’s had a swift kick in the arse coming for a long time and the Council gave him one. He got here this morning, swaggering as if he were a conqueror, and was astonished, I think, when he realized no one here at Landing is afraid of him. I guess it’s been years, maybe twenty? since he last set foot here and things have changed. A LOT. His meeting before the Council wasn’t an open meeting but, well, you know how it is here at Landing, K’ndar. There are no secrets, not when the database keeps recordings of everything. Even with the doors to the chamber shut, you could hear him bellowing, but after a while, he quieted down, maybe he finally understood that as long as he shouted at the Council, he wouldn’t be getting his stamps. He finally had to swallow his guff and ask, politely, for them. He couldn’t bring himself to say ‘thank you”, but thanks from him are false anyway. Sort of like “I’m sorry you feel that way” sort of thing.”

“How’d he get here? I can’t believe any dragonrider would transport him. They’d be too tempted to dump him off between.”

“Horseback from Cove Hold. He took a fast little ship from one of his wharves on the coast.”

“Is he still here?”

“Yes. I wasn’t in on the whole thing, but you know what my job is. They told him Fleming would be brought in today for a hearing and a sentence, they requested he stay for it, just to be fair to Fleming, although he certainly doesn’t deserve it. Still, we go…”‘

“…by the Charter now,” K’ndar repeated. “Does he know Toric is here?”

“I doubt it. He’ll figure it out, soon. Toric’s in amidst the crowd in the chamber, surrounded by what has to be all of Landing’s staff. Come on, we’ll go to the chamber now, we might find some room.”

It took just a cursory glance to realize that there was no room for them.

“We’ll go to the conference room,” Jansen said, turning K’ndar by the arm, “Data has set up cameras and screens. I think it’ll be easier. I don’t like being in crowds.”

“Me neither. That one last week, the Landing wide headcount and briefing, that was too crowded for my tastes,” K’ndar said. “Where’s Raylan?”

Jansen shrugged. “He and Francie took some time off to, um, work on their marriage, I guess. He didn’t really explain. Risal can probably tell you better than I, now that she’s in charge of Flight Ops.”

“I didn’t know that!” he exclaimed, “Good for her! Howel’s gone, then?”

“Like smoke in the wind. Raylan sacked him the day after the headcount. Y­es.”

Motanith left two days ago. They went north Raventh said.

“I feel pretty stupid, I’ve been neck deep in catching up on my work, I didn’t even miss him,” K’ndar said.

“Don’t be silly, K’ndar, we all knew how busy you were, with your friend being attacked and your finding the stamps. That all came unscheduled. Besides, you’ve proven to all of Landing that you don’t need micromanaging. If it hadn’t been for you, really, this all would never have been revealed.”

“Francie deserves some of that credit if, um, if only to keep Raylan off my back for a while. PLEASE don’t tell him I said that.”

“Not to worry, K’ndar. I know how he can be. He does that with me, sometimes, I have to say, sir, let me do my job. He means well, he’s just, angst ridden, for some reason. We all know you work best on a dropped rein.”

“You learned a horseman’s term!”

She smiled. “I know you how you think, K’ndar. If it’s not biology, it’s dragons. If it’s not dragons, it’s horses. You and Francie are the same. Horse crazy.”

Just then, at the end of the lengthy hallway, the main reception doors opened. A group of four men-K’ndar recognized one of them as being one of Orlon’s mechanics-came in through the main entrance to Reception. In the middle was Fleming. A fifth man was behind the group, carrying a large bundle.

I know what’s in that bundle, he thought.

Fleming looked distraught. His eyes darted back and forth, searching for a way out. The wall of men around him prevented that. He caught K’ndar’s eye-and passed by without a bit of recognition. Good, K’ndar thought. I don’t want him remembering who I am.

Behind them was a dragonrider, wearing a weyr brassard he’d never seen before. Ah. He must be from Coastal Weyr. He caught the man’s eye and nodded.

The man, immediately realizing K’ndar was a dragonrider, turned to approach them. “B’artoth, Wingleader, rider of brown Joruth, Coastal Weyr,” the man said.

K’ndar bumped his fist. “K’ndar, rider of brown Raventh, Landing. Thanks for bringing that lout here. I think.”

The man laughed. “You’re welcome. He was very happy to get out of his cell. I don’t know why, it was warm, he was well fed and watered there. He even had entertainment, the manylegs and nightbiters kept him company.” He laughed again. “My weyrleader told me the whole story of this yob AND his mum. And his connection to Lord Toric.”

“Are you expecting to take him back to Lemos Hold?”

B’artoth looked at him, his expression sardonic. “K’ndar. Surely you must know what they have in store for him. I’ve already been tasked to, um..”

“I know. Take him far out, please. There’s a thousand fly specks out there in that ocean. Need help? If so, just ask. I’ve been out to the islands once or twice, they all look alike from the air. No cairns, either.”

“Thank you, the island will be easy. Yokohama and our Flight Ops have us plotted. It’s here that I need help navigating. I had no idea Landing was so big. Only because there was a group of men waiting to take custody of Fleming did I know where to land. It’s all so, um, geometric? all these buildings? they look the same. If it hadn’t been for the dragonstone, I’d probably have been forced to drop him off at the dragon meadow. THAT I could recognize. How do you find your way?”

K’ndar laughed. “Trust me, when I first got here, only my fire lizard was able to lead me to my quarters! Usually there’ll be someone at the main reception desk to serve as escort, but I guess they’re all tied up. Anyway, stick with me, I’ll keep you from getting lost.”

The doors into Reception Main swooped open and Fafhrd, the bronze fire lizard, flew in. Grafton was right behind him.

Without thinking, K’ndar and Jansen both gave him a polite bow. B’artoth grimaced at the headman’s ruined face. That’s Thread score or I’m not a dragonrider, he thought. He shivered, remembering Thread fall before he Impressed. I remember Mum catching an armful of it, running as she covered my baby brother. She still has the scars. How does this little man see? He walks as confidently as anyone although it’s obvious he’s blind. Huh. Must be the fire lizard’s seeing for him. Stars, but they’re handy creatures.

Yes, said his dragon, the little bronze serves as his eyes.

“Good morning, sir. Fafhrd, you look handsome this morning,” K’ndar said, missing Siskin’s presence on his shoulder. Save for Fafhrd, fire lizards were no longer allowed inside Landing Main.

Fafhrd chipped, his eyes rolling a pleasant blue. “And a good morning to you, K’ndar, Jansen, my lady, good morning,” Grafton said. “Have I missed the festivities?”

“No, sir, we were just about to head to the Council’s chambers, but I don’t think there will be room. For us, at least, I’m certain room will be made for you.”

“No matter, in fact, I think I’d prefer not to join the crowd. Is there a spot we can watch without having someone breathing down our necks?”

“Yes, sir,” Jansen said, “Follow me.”

She led them to a conference room. Data’s techs had set up several cameras, showing several aspects of the chamber. The room was already half full of people. Several people greeted Grafton.

They took the few remaining seats at the back. Fafhrd flew up to a ledge high up, sending images to his master.

“This is better, lass. They’re undoubtedly cheek by jowl in the chamber, too close for me,” Grafton said. He took the seat next to K’ndar’s. K’ndar felt honored and humbled at the same time. I’m certain he can read my mind, he thought.

And was relieved when he didn’t get a thought in his mind affirming it.

The cameras showed the crowd, the Council and as they watched, Fleming being brought to a point just in front of the Council’s podium. The men stayed close to Fleming, prepared to grab him if he ran.

The Council members looked stern and forbidding. Even Lord D’nis looks like he is about to deal a death sentence, K’ndar thought. There was a man he’d never seen before sitting with them.

On one side of the council’s podium, Merrick sat in a comfortable chair, his cane-the head still broken-in his lap. Just behind him, a small, thin woman sat, trying hard to not draw attention to herself. K’ndar didn’t need to ask who she was. Welcome to Landing, Verone. You’ll be safe here, he thought.

“Who’s that behind Lord Matthias?” he asked Jansen, unconsciously keeping his voice low.

“That’s Lord Holder Asgoth of Lemos Hold,” she whispered back, “He insisted on coming. He was furious at what Yvanna did to Merrick and Verone. He’s champing at the bit to flay Fleming, but I don’t think he’ll get much chance. We all know most of the story, and I’m betting Fleming will deny everything. They’ve not seen Yvanna since she stole a horse and threatened the Wanderers. We think she’s still got her datalink, but it’s not been awakened. Lord Asgoth said he’s dispatched a party of what he called ‘bounty hunters’, searching for her.”

“Bounty hunters?”

“A bounty is a reward. He’s put up a hundred marks, K’ndar, a hundred! for Yvanna to be captured and brought before him, alive.”

He whistled tonelessly. A hundred marks was an enormous amount of money.

“We know more about her than the average hunter,” he said, idly wondering if he should join the hunt.

“Yes, but I don’t think we’ll be in on it,” she said, “more’s the pity. She’ll be caught, no doubt. The Wanderers, amazingly, have thrown in. Usually they keep to themselves, but Yvanna sure riled them up. There’s not a caravan on Pern that doesn’t have her face on a wanted poster or at least someone with a good description of her. They’re pissed. And vengeful. It’s one thing to threaten them. It’s another thing completely when you threaten their kids.”

“Who’s that with the bitter beer face, at the back of the crowd?” he said, pointing.

“That’s Lord Toric,” B’artoth interrupted, trying hard to not show his amazement at the projected images on the walls. How do they DO this? “He looks absolutely elated in comparison to what he usually looks like.”

They snickered.

“Really. From his reputation, I expected him to be two meters tall. He’s shorter than I thought.”

“And older,” Jansen chipped in.

The dragonrider laughed. “I’m sure he’d not want to hear that,” he said. “He’s a pompous arse, sure as sunrise.”

A dreadful thought hit him. “You don’t think Fleming’ll throw himself onto Toric’s mercy, do you? Will Toric take him to Southern? Will he release Fleming?”

“He’d better not,” a man in front of them hissed.

“I doubt it, K’ndar,” Grafton said. “You don’t release people who came razor close to overthrowing you. A man like Toric stays atop the heap with fear and intimidation, and to have someone like his sister sidestep all the bluster without a qualm, that’s scary. He can’t admit to being afraid, he can’t bring himself to compromise.

It took him three days to get here, and during that journey, I’m sure he spent thinking about just how close they came to actually toppling him.”

He chuckled, softly.

“Yvanna made Lord Toric feel foolish, and more importantly, weak. He now understands that they had his bollocks in their hands, and had begun tightening their grip. They could have ruined him without him having any idea HOW it happened, until far too late. Their plan was brilliantly conceived, I’ll give them that. It almost worked, too.”

He ‘looked’ at K’ndar, not needing to say why. I do like teaching, about history and society, and mostly human behaviour, he thought. Maybe I can start a class, what do I call it?

“Fleming has a better chance of keeping his head if he begs for mercy from the Council, although I doubt he has the brains to realize it.”

“How do you see all this, sir?” K’ndar asked, suddenly realizing he’d said ‘see’ to a blind man. “Oh, sir, I’m sorry…”

Grafton, chuckled, waving his hand to dismiss K’ndar’s dismay.

“Please, K’ndar. You know me. As for how I know all this?” He sighed.

“Human history is replete with the lesson that those in power tend to retaliate without mercy when challenged. There’s an old saying, “When you go for the king, you had better kill him.”

“What’s a king?”

“A noble, from the old days on Earth. They usually gained their hold by killing lots of lots of people. Like a Lord Holder but with an entire continent as their hold.”

The concept was too big for him to grasp. “An entire continent? Whew,” he said.

“I think that’s what ‘country’ means,” Grafton said. “I’d do more research, but studying Terran history is so depressing. Still, those that fail to learn from history are destined to repeat it.”

“Toric would be a ‘king’ if he could pull it off. He still believes all of Southern IS his Hold,” B’artoth said. “He keeps expanding his Hold, moving his borders, meter by meter.”

Grafton sighed, aggravated at the how Toric refused to be civil. “Toric would be foolish to let Fleming loose in his Hold. And while he’s a jerk and a dishonest one, still, he hasn’t ruled his Hold this long, with a dozen avaricious and opportunistic sons and twice that many grandsons all vying for his Hold, by being stupid. No, I think he’ll use Fleming as an example. Letting Landing do the dirty work merely plays into his hands. It’s like a chess game, but without the gentleness,” he said.

“And Fleming is merely a pawn,” Jansen said.

“One about to be removed from the board, if I’m any judge,” B’artoth said, sounding immensely pleased.

“Ssssh,” said someone at the front, not realizing he was shushing Grafton, amongst others, “they’re about to start. I do NOT want to miss a word. That yob cost me a lot, both in time and anxiety.”

“So he’s got his steel stamps?” K’ndar said, in a hushed voice.

“And the brass ones,” Jansen said. “He went crimson when he saw the brass ones. I’ve heard of people being hopping mad, I actually saw Toric do it,” she laughed. “He wanted them delivered, by runner, can you imagine the gall? But the Council wouldn’t budge. You want them, come and get them, Lord T’balt sent on datalink, I’m tired of dancing to your tune.” I was so proud of the Council I almost split in two.”

“Sssh, someone said,”They’re starting.”

The screens showed the escort place Fleming directly in front of the Council’s raised dais. Behind them, a large screen showed Fleming from their position.

The four men serving as escort all bowed their heads in respect to the Council.

Fleming did not. For a very long moment, there was utter silence. Then, Orlon’s man elbowed Fleming and hissed something. Fleming flinched, then bowed his head to the Council.

“That was just a second or two too long a pause,” Grafton said, softly. “He’s going to play hard arse with the Council. Idiot.”

Lord T’balt let Fleming stand for an equal amount of time, then in a deep bass, said, “You, sir, your name and Hold?”

“You know who I am, my lord. I’m Fleming, Landing’s Finance and Shipping Chief.” His tone was just this side of contempt.

T’balt stifled the urge to respond to Fleming’s subtle condescension. Ah, so this is how you want to play? Let’s have at it, lout.

Lord Cecilia beat him.

“No longer, Fleming,” Lord Cecilia, already fuming at Fleming’s insolence. “You were dismissed the same day you fled Landing after disabling the database for the fourth time.”

“That was unfair. I had nothing to do with the database. I, uh, I had family business to attend to, wo…ma’am.”

Low blow, she thought, you’re only cutting your own throat.

“I am Lord Cecilia as well as a Master Harper, Fleming, and it shall go hard on you should you fail to show me the respect I, and anyone else here, are due,” she snapped.

Fleming paused, then said, “I beg your pardon, my lord. Please forgive me, I’ve spent the last week in a filthy cell, and before then, I was very upset, very worried about my mother. She’d been brutally assaulted, by a man with a cane. That man over there!” He pointed at Merrick, who yelped at the lie and struggled to get up.

Lord Lytol held up his hand to prevent Merrick from rising. Before he could speak, Lord Asgoth spoke. He directed his comment to Merrick, but kept his eyes firmly on Fleming’s face.

“Be at ease, Merrick, I know everything Yvanna did in MY Hold, to you and your wife, Verone. I am fully aware, NOW, of what you went through. I’m sorry to say that my knowledge is belated, but I know everything.”

Only then did he turn to meet her eyes. “Verone, I do hope you have recovered from being starved to the point of death.”

The woman nodded. “Please, my lord, I am much better, thank you. You and Landing have been more than generous to me. And Merrick. But I have to thank the Wanderers who rescued me, and I don’t know how.”

“Merrick, Verone, please. I ask, nay, I encourage you to return to my Hold. I understand your reluctance, but Yvanna will be captured, soon, and you won’t have to worry anymore. She and her son, Fleming, will never be able to hurt you ever again.”

Both Merrick and his wife nodded. “Thank you, my lord.”

“My lords, I had nothing to do with her. Or him,” Fleming said. His eyes narrowed. Where DID mother vanish to? Until that bastard at the weyr took my datalink, she’d not answered any of my messages. Did she contact the captain of the Imp? Did they invade Toric’s Hold? They should have had the time, by now. Did they manage to kill Toric? Maybe not, these people are awfully calm. Did I pay them enough money to find her and make her disappear?

The Council absorbed his response without remark. One of them pointed to the man carrying the bundle. The data tech carried it to a spot just to one side of the defendant.

Data’s Chief came out from the crowd. He bowed his head, then said, “My lords, I have evidence to support that this bundle contains artifacts stolen by Fleming from Landing.”

“Open it, please?”

He opened it with a flourish. “Well, well, well,” he said, carefully pulling out datalinks, still wrapped in the odd filmy covering the Ancients had used to protect everything. Most of it came off in little pieces. This stuff is a nuisance, he thought, it breaks down to ever smaller pieces but doesn’t ever go away.

He waved one of the datalinks. “My lords, this, as you undoubtedly know, is a datalink. Brand new, unregistered. And another, and another, and, well, no surprise, they’re the very same ones that Fleming stole from Crate 513.”

“I did no such thing,” Fleming started. Lord T’balt motioned him to be silent.

Data looked at him, then turned to the Council.

“My lords, we all know of the sequence of events that Fleming used to steal them. If you wish, I can check the serial numbers against the matrix, but I bet my boots they’re the same ones.”

“That is unnecessary, sir, there is no doubt in our minds you are correct.”

Fleming shook his head. His mouth was firm. But his eyes were scared. How did they do that? They had to have broken the code. So they know everything I’ve done. Everything! How did they break it? Only mother knew it. Did she tell them?

Lord T’balt saw Fleming beginning to weaken. I’m sick of dealing with all the problems you’ve caused, you schmuck. All damned week we’ve been working to restore what you destroyed, in the meantime, legitimate petitioners have had to wait.

I can hurry it up, and I will. There’s no chance of anyone here wanting to drag it out any longer.

“Fleming, ordinarily, I’d give you a chance to explain how you happened to come into possession of these artifacts,” he began. “And I’m convinced Data would love to discuss how you managed to break into the database. But,”

“I’d be glad to, my lord,” Fleming shouted, “It’s not what it looks like. Lord Toric knew,”

“Don’t interupt me, lout. Keep silent. All of Landing knows what you’ve done. You went absent without leave. You abandoned your wife. You attempted to overthrow your uncle, Southern Holder Lord Toric, by counterfeiting marks. Through your actions two runners have been murdered.

You’ve been sending shipping information to the sea raider ship Imp. You’ve embezzled money from Landing while acting as Finance Chief. You attempted to ingratiate yourself with Southern Lord Holder Toric by offering artifacts despite knowing that was illegal. We know all this, Fleming, by your datalink transmissions with your mother, by your hacking into the database in the middle of the night, by your accessing information as to where crates were being stored and stealing the electronic code to do so. We also have testimony as to what part you played in the abduction of Verone, a woman married to Lord Asgoth’s stamp engraver, Merrick. “

Fleming gawped.

“I’m not going to ask for an explanation, although I fully expect were I to ask for one, I’d get lies. We go by the charter but neither I nor anyone on this council is constrained by it.”

Fleming coughed, and said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I had to leave without notice as my mother had been rendered uncommunicative. By that man with the cane!”

“You’ve already tried to shift blame on that man. It didn’t and won’t work. It merely proves to me that you are irredeemable. Therefore: by the charter, punishment is administered by a trio of one Weyrleader, one Crafter of any hall, and one Lord Holder. We have those persons here in this chamber,” Lord T’balt said. He looked for Evvelin, Admin Chief.

“Admin, would you please, ma’am, create a pack that will sustain Fleming for the amount of time he will need to adjust to his new home?”

Evvelin smiled. “My lords, I thought you’d never ask. It’s already waiting at the feet of the dragon that brought him here.”

I’m going to enjoy this, T’balt said. He stared straight into Fleming’s eyes.

“Fleming, with the agreement of Weyrleader D’nis of Kahrain, of Lord Asgoth of Lemos Hold, of Lord Matthias, Crafter of Printer’s Hall, I pronounce judgment. You are banished. You will be transported to an unnamed and uncharted island in the Eastern Sea to live out however many days are left to you.”

“Wait, wait!” Fleming shouted, “What is this? My hold is Southern Hold, my lord is Lord Toric. Only he is allowed to pass any sort of judgement on me.”

“Fleming, not five minutes ago, by your own admission you claimed allegiance to Landing.”

“My lords, he KNEW what his sister was doing, he and she were working together, I was just her drudge,” he shouted, panicked. “She knew what I do here at Landing. She threatened me if I didn’t help her with what I know. I only told her what ships leave what seaholds or ports, sir, nothing else. My lord, I am afraid of her. She told me to give the artifacts to Lord Toric, and I would get a cothold in return. If he were here, he’d tell you it was all my mother’s planning, he knew,” Fleming shouted.

Lord T’balt was about to say that Fleming had contradicted himself when a man pushed his way through the crowd. He placed himself directly in front of Fleming, one hand on his dagger, the other on his hip.

“I AM here,” he roared. “And you are as full of shit as a Turnover wherry.”

Fleming sagged in shock. The men on each side of him, grabbed his arms, fully expecting Lord Toric to attack.

But Toric restrained himself. Now is not the time to kill him, he thought. His mind raced at warp speed as he watched the man in front of him melt in terror.

Damn your eyes, he thought. Because of you I had to apologize to those dolts up on that podium, almost kneel before them to get my stamps. You dumb arse. You’re the fourth spy I’ve managed to insert into Landing’s works, and each one of you has gotten themselves either killed or deactivated. What’s worse is you’ve exposed my trafficking in artifacts. My clients are not going to be happy when I tell them they have probably been exposed. Even if I shimmy out of this trial here, they’ll be coming for me. And it’s all due to you.

“You lying little shit. Only because I can’t stand screaming do I not gut you from neck to navel, right here and now.”

The crowd gasped…and some snickered.

K’ndar couldn’t help but grin. Oh, my, the worms are crawling out from under their rocks, what? Oh, no doubt there’s going to be a lot of covering up. Everyone knows who to go to for black market toys from Landing.

Fleming whimpered. “My lord, I can explain.”

“Explain WHAT? That you tried to overthrow me? Blaming my sister? Do you think for a moment she wasn’t keeping me informed? She told me your plans. I disowned you, not her. I merely set this snare you’re in. You put your head into it all on your own,” he scoffed.

Fleming’s jaw dropped. She double crossed me? She beat me to the punch?

“Yes, my sister kept me apprised of your plans. Oh, she’s not innocent, boyo. Trust me, when she’s caught, she will answer to me.”

“Only after I get through with her, Lord Toric,” Lord Asgoth said from his point above and behind Toric, “It was my holders, my crafterhall, my reputation she and this excretion have abused.”

Toric bit back a retort. Damn it, I’ll have to be civil. I have my back to him. All it would take is a dagger thrown just right.

He turned half way and nodded. “Lord Asgoth, you are right,” he said, the remark bitter in his mouth. “Once you have settled with her, I would be most appreciative if you were to send her on to me. She and Fleming DID try to break me through counterfeiting marks.”

And when she’s on her knees before me, begging for her life, I will show her just how angry I can be. Revenge is a dish best served cold, I’ve heard it said. And I will be as ice.

“That can be arranged, Lord Toric,” Asgoth said.

Toric returned his glare to Fleming. You put a snare around my neck, too, he thought. The Council knows, now. They’re not stupid, not like you. You’ve exposed me. Only because we’re at Landing do you still breathe. For that matter, only because I am a Lord Holder am I not about to be banished.

He realized he’d been squeezing his hands so tightly his nails drew blood. it would be so easy to kill you, he thought, but I can’t. Not here. No, I’ll find a way to have you exterminated. Maybe tell the Imps…ah. Yes. The Imps. You have no idea that I’ve been contracting with them for turns and turns. They have the ships and the knowledge of the islands. They’ll track you down, you worm, and it won’t be pretty when they do.

He stepped back and turned to face the Council. “Let all here witness: This man, here, this one named Fleming. He is not of my line or Hold. Despite his defaming me, I will let him live.”

He turned to Fleming. “Here me, lout. Should you EVER cross my boundaries, know this: the person who brings me your head will be rewarded with its weight in marks.”

“Real or counterfeit?” some shouted. There was a sudden intake of breaths. On it’s heels, someone shouted, “That’s not much, my lord.” Both evoked laughter.

For several moments, Toric was torn with fury at the comment. How dare these Landers…but I have this one here to vent on.

Fleming was almost in tears.

“My lord, it wasn’t my fault. Mother…”

“I am not your lord. You belong to the Council of Six.”

He turned and forced himself to bow to the Lords on the podium. I will NEVER allow this to ever happen again, he thought. I despise each and every one of you, but at this moment, I need you.

“My lords, I relinquish my right to punish this man.”

He turned back to Fleming. Pulling a steel cylinder from his waist pouch, he wagged it under the man’s nose.

“Nice try, whelp. But no bone for you.”