Chap.366 Double Cross

By the egg, Merrick, you can’t be serious, he thought. I’ve never beheaded anyone in my life. Nor do you deserve it.

After these shocked, emotional thoughts, Lord T’balt found his voice.

The audience was just beginning to murmur when he said, “Rise, Merrick, if you can. Yvanna lives.”

The elderly man couldn’t believe his ears.

“I didn’t kill her?”

“Honestly, I wish you had, we wouldn’t have half the troubles she’s caused. Do you need help, sir?”

Before he could say yes or no, several people came from the crowd and literally lifted Merrick to his feet. He shakily reached for his cane. He was trembling from emotion…and adrenaline.

“Beautiful work, sir,” one man said of the broken wooden dragon head, “I know people who would pay for this sort of carving.”

Several people hugged him, then moved back.

“She’s alive?” he said, still unbelieving.

“Yes, I’m sorry to say.”

“My lords, how do you know this?”

“Merrick, to make a long story short, we have been able to intercept Yvanna’s datalink transmissions to her son, Fleming. Even before you came in, we knew she was alive and functional.”

“And, sir, ” Lord Cecilia said, “I speak for myself, but there is no way on the planet that I would call your reaction to her attack as anything more than self defense. She boasted of being responsible for your wife’s death, then attempted to murder you.”

“I’d call it justifiable, whatever word you apply to it,” a voice called from the crowd. The crowd rumbled in agreement.

Data called out, “Sir, what is your wife’s name?”

Merrick, his mind still whirling, gasped, “Verone. Verone.”

Data was silent for several moments.

“My lords, Merrick, I am in contact with Lemos Hold at this moment. It’s dawn there, but they do have people who are always alert for our transmissions. I have been sending them live transmission of Merrick’s ‘testimony’. Sir, Verone lives, too.”

“Oh my stars!” Merrick cried out and fell again, to his knees. Laughing, twice as many people came to help him back up.

“How…who is telling you..”

“Our datalinks can listen and talk to anyone the world over, can read anything someone might type into their datalink. Sir, Lemos Hold tells me that your wife, Verone, was, indeed, found chained in a cavern not on the Hold itself but just outside the borders. A band of Wanderers set up camp in the vicinity two weeks ago. Their children were playing in the area of the cave and heard her calling for help. They summoned their parents and within a few moments, had released your wife and took her into their camp. She was in very bad shape, in a delirium, they reported, but still alive. It took her several days to come to her senses, but when she did, she told them everything she knew, that she was being held captive by Yvanna.”

Data looked at the council and Merrick. “I’ve had dealings with Wanderers in the past, my lords. They keep to themselves, but I’ve never heard of them refusing to help someone in need. Sir, they kept your wife safe in their campground while she recovered.”

He paused for a moment. “Yesterday, a woman on a horse approached the camp. She berated them wanting to know where her ‘friend in the cave’ was. One of the Wanderers, apparently their leader, said, “You call yourself her friend? She almost died. She told us what you did and we took her to Lemos Hold. A Healer has her in their care now.”

The woman cursed them and said she’d have them all beheaded, even their children. They responded by attacking her, and she fled.”

Data shook his head and looked up at the Council.

“Sir, it’s a bad idea to threaten Wanderers. They’re not violent, but they don’t hesitate to defend themselves, and second, despite not having datalinks, they manage to pass on information like this to every Wanderer on Pern at light speed. We don’t have just one or two sets of eyes looking for Yvanna, now we have hundreds, in every part of the planet. I’m betting that every Wanderer on Pern, north or south, will be on the lookout for her. “

“Sure as sunrise, you’re right. They might not like each other when it’s just them, but when they need to, all Wanderers support each other.”

“This says that, after Yvanna left, only then did they take Verone to the Hold. She’s safe, She’s safe, Merrick. She told Lemos’s Lord Holder everything that she knew, which, apparently, wasn’t much other than you were also being held prisoner. Your fellow crafters had been told you had been fired and had left Lemos Hold. When they learned what she’d done to you and your wife, they went enmasse to seize Yvanna and throw her into a cell. But by that time she’d stolen a horse and fled. Her quarters were searched and there was plenty of evidence to show she’d been up to no good for quite a while. Yvanna hasn’t been seen since.

They don’t, and I don’t know where she is, she undoubtedly took her datalink but shut it off, so the Yokohama can’t follow her. In the meantime, Lemos put out a message, that Yvanna and Fleming both are wanted for attempted murder, robbery, counterfeiting, conspiracy, aiding and abetting raiders, and horse theft. They’re offering a significant reward.”

Everyone clapped and cheered.

“I owe them. I owe them,” Merrick said of the Wanderers.

“I agree, Merrick, but Lord Toric and Pern owes YOU. Had you not secreted the stamps, had you not escaped, we would not now be in the position to keep Lord Toric from going under.”

“Nor would we have had any idea what Fleming was doing to my database,” snarled Data Chief.

“Well,” D’nis said, “For that you can thank K’ndar, and Francie, among others. There’s also a trader out there who almost lost his life to the raiders with a barrel of blank marks.”

How ironic, he thought. Here I’m defending the biggest jerk on Pern, one who’s not above black marketing if he can do it without being busted. The lesser of two evils, I suppose. Perhaps, now, we have the leverage to bring that arse to heel.

“My lords, if I may interupt?” Data said.

He was reading his datalink and talking at the same time. “I pinged the database for any datalink communications between Yvanna and Fleming. Fleming sent his mother, starting the morning he flew to Lemos Hold. She didn’t respond until yesterday. Fleming’s last message to his mother was brief. “You have destroyed me and my future. After our little discussion, understand this. You are no longer my mother.” Must have had a falling out? His next oh, I’ve not even started reading it, but I’m sure it’s going to be a real treat. Fleming just sent Lord Toric a very, um, interesting message. Oh, whoa, oh, hee hehe, who would have guessed? Fleming. Now isn’t THIS typical behaviour.” He began to laugh.

“What man? WHAT?”

“Oh, hehehehehehe,” Data laughed, “The worm turns, what?”

“Will you PLEASE STOP THE TEASE,” someone shouted.

“Here, I’ll read it, but I’m also sending the transcription to the screen behind the podium. It was just sent by Fleming from Lemos Hold, so that’s six hours behind us.”

He began to read it so that everyone could hear. “He says “My lord, my most respected Lord Holder and esteemed uncle Toric. My mother, and your sister, Yvanna, seeks revenge against you after you disinherited her. She convinced me that she needed my help in her plans. My lord, she plans to overthrow you. She did not tell me this at first. She led me to believe that all she needed was information on what ships would be carrying cargo to you. Then she needed money, so I gave her some with the understanding that she would pay me back. When I asked for it, she said she’d told you I was planning on overthrowing you.

My lord, this is not true, not a word of it. Not once did that ever cross my mind.

She said that now that I was a part of the conspiracy, if I did not obey her in her plan to overthrow you, she would kill my son, Paul, who is currently living in a cothold on your southern borders as a shepherd. She promised that were I to help her, she would make me Southern Hold’s Lord, despite the fact that I am merely your nephew, with no claim to the Hold whatsoever. I did not want to go along, but she threatened me with the life of my son, and I will freely admit I am afraid of her.

The money I lent your sister went to pay raiders to steal cargo bound for you and your Hold. Her raiders have been raiding and harassing your cotholders on your western borders. Your coast line is complex, my lord, I know this from my job as shipping chief. She used my information to contact sea raiders, most notably the Imp, and told them of an unmapped river on your hold that flows into the sea. It is deep enough to allow a fair sized ship to penetrate your Hold within striking distance of a party of raiders.

Your sister stole the steel minting stamps you were supposed to get at Turnover and has been minting Southern Hold marks. She is using them to create marks to hire armed men with plans to invade your Hold and attack you. She had stamps made that would have made your currency counterfeit with instructions to her raiders to begin creating counterfeit Southern Hold marks.

I humbly plead for an audience at your Hold. I am the victim of your sister’s lies, an unwitting pawn in her plans to unseat you. I am an innocent victim of a dreadful misunderstanding between me and you, my liege lord.

I am about to board a dragon to Coastal Weyr at this very moment. If you would be so kind, my lord, I would very much appreciate an armed escort to your Hold from Coastal Weyr. Her raiders roam the Stony Wastes with impunity. I am not ashamed to say I am afraid of your sister, as she threatened me with death if I contacted you.

I am bringing gifts, my lord, ones I believe will be of interest to you. I beg your audience, my lord, on my knees I will re-affirm and swear my fealty to you, with no wish for anything more than your finding it in your heart to forgive me and accept me back into your Hold.

Your most loyal and humble nephew, Fleming.”

The crowd roared in laughter.

“Whoa, listen to him grovel.”

“Ah, they must have had a falling out, what?”

“How much you want to bet she’s going into hiding?”

“Or trying to beat Fleming to Southern Hold.”

“Not bloody likely, if she’s horseback, she’s planning on heading out somewhere remote. If it were me, I’d be heading due east, maybe to Bitra, where she can find plenty of men who might be interested in raiding a rich lord like Lord Toric. Or, if she can, even go to the islands, the ones criminals are banished to, to recruit raiders. “

“I’m not surprised, ” Grafton said, “Not at all, and I am willing to bet my boots his mother will be sending a message to Lord Toric, if she’s not done so already.”

Data was still laughing. “His mother? I doubt she’ll be contacting Lord Toric. Fleming struck first, and she’d have a hard time discounting what, in many cases, is absolutely true. Especially if we manage to get the brass stamps to him along with the steel ones. Once he sees them with his own eyes, he’ll believe us.”

“That, I will handle,” Lord T’balt said. “I’m already crafting a brief message to him. I plan to be blunt. “Lord Toric, you have your blank marks. I have your steel stamps.Come get them at Landing.” I’m not going to play his game anymore. If he’s smart, he’ll be very polite. How long that will last, well, that’s impossible to predict.” It would be nice, he thought, if I can get him to grovel a bit, too. A little humility from him would be refreshing.

“I bet Fleming’s at Coastal Weyr right now.”

“That’s easily checked,” said Data.

“Can an armed escort from Southern Hold make it to the Weyr in one day?”

“It’d be pushing it, I think,” said the man who earlier had said he was raised at Southern Hold. “Southern Hold is enormous. But Lord Toric isn’t a fool. He might just leave Fleming dangling in the wind until he gathers more information. Like from Yvanna.”

“Oh, I have a better idea,” Lord T’balt said, “We have ways of communicating that are as fast as any dragon, my Mondevuth would argue, but it’s true. Electronic communication is even faster than going between.” He turned to Data’s Chief.

“Sir, would you be so kind as to send a picture of Fleming to Weyrleader A’garn. Tell him the Council of Six would like for Fleming to be, uh, ‘detained’ until we get a chance to interview him. He is, after all, a former employee who’s stolen artifacts and money, consorted with raiders and pirates, and has violated all our standards here at Landing. We just don’t have a cell for him.”

“Betcha Orlon can make one!”

“No doubt, mate,” called one of Orlon’s staff, “We can have that up and ready for him in a day.”

The crowd laughed again.

“My lord, shall I send a message to Lord Toric as well?”

Hmmm. The council looked at each other.

“No,” Lord Lytol said, “Not yet. We have things we need to discuss with him, as well. Not today. Let’s allow Weyrleader A’garn to put Fleming in a nice, small cell for a few weeks. It will take that long for Lord Toric to get here if he takes a fast ship. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if that thing about Fleming informing the Imp of a secret river into the heart of Southern Hold is absolutely true, and I doubt he’d want to actually go face to face against them. Ah, in fact, I hope they do take Fleming’s information as truth. This will allow A’garn-and any other dragonrider who’d like to be in at the kill, to catch the Imps with their guard down. We’ve all been on edge for four, five days, lost four nights of sleep. We’re, all of us here at Landing, tired, we need a break, a good meal and a good night’s sleep.”

_______________________________________________________________

The auditorium had emptied, but not after most people came to Merrick and thanked him as they left. The man was still bewildered, but his happiness shone in his eyes.

Raylan had dismissed Science division, keeping only K’ndar and Jansen.

The council members approached Merrick. T’balt and D’nis peeled off to meet with K’ndar and Jansen.

“I don’t know how you feel about the enormous part you played in the revelation of this thing of Yvanna’s and Fleming’s, K’ndar, but Pern owes you a lot, too,” T’balt said.

Both of them bowed their heads slightly. “Francie, too, sir, as well as my trader friend. If it hadn’t been for him getting stabbed, I would never have found the stamps,” K’ndar said.

“I can find a way to compensate him for his pain,” Evvelin, Admin’s chief, who’d heard the last few lines as she approached them.

Raylan laughed. Francie came up to him and put her arm around his waist.

“I’ll find a way to reward you, K’ndar, and Jansen, of course. As for Francie?” Lord T’balt said.

“Well?” she said, looking at her weyrmate. Raylan grinned. “You’ve been hired, love. Where they’ll put you, I don’t know, due to a conflict of interest, you can’t work for Science,” Raylan said, “But primarily, you’ll be…”

“A transport service,” T’balt said, “If that’s acceptable to you. You’ll work in Admin, for the time being.”

Francie glanced at Evvelin. The woman put on a phony glare. “My people will tell you I rule with an iron fist.”

Francie snickered. “My arse, ma’am. As for being Transport, as long as I have the last word on the weight you want Motanith to carry, we’ll do it.”

Her eyes glazed as she touched Motanith, who was about to protest that she could carry anything even the biggest gold on the planet could.

Don’t start sassing me, she snapped at Motanith, I won’t ever let you be over burdened.

But…

No. I know how big your heart is. You are the best dragon of all, but you are still mine.

Motanith snorted, but didn’t argue.

Merrick suddenly felt small. What do I do with myself, now? I don’t know a soul here, he thought, everyone has been so kind, but I’m just an engraver and this place is so strange, so bewildering. This building, it’s got flat walls, it’s not a cavern. What is it?

I want to see Verone. I want to put my arms around her and tell her I love her and will never ever let anyone harm her again.

“Thank you, Merrick, for risking your life..and that of your wife..to alert us to this scheme,” Lord Lytol said.

Merrick seemed to shrink into his new boots. “My lords, thank you, thank you. I..I don’t know what to say.”

Lord Cecilia touched his shoulder, gently.

“Sir, now that we know your wife is alive, what do you want to do?”

“Um, uh, I…I don’t know. I didn’t expect to have to make a decision. I fully expected to be either banished to some fly speck island or be beheaded.”

D’nis shook his head. “Sir, I truly believe we, the Council, would have had a revolt on our hands had we decided on punishing you. Mind you, we have a full understanding of the things that went on that led to all this, and you did not. You would never have been convicted of killing Yvanna.”

“Not a chance,” said T’balt.

Lord Lytol shook his head. “Even had the council considered it, I would have vetoed it. I lived through the nightmare days of Fax. I know what murder and warfare is.”

“I, too, my lord, thank you. I was a teen during Fax’s days.” Merrick said. He shook his head. “He killed a relative of mine. No, I shan’t forget Fax, not ever.”

Evvelin came to him introducing herself.

“Merrick, I am Admin Chief. At this moment, I’m certain, you are probably confused as to what to do now.

Why don’t you spend a few days here, recovering from your ordeal. I’m sure one of us can get you into datalink contact with your wife.”

“Um, thank you. That would be nice, thank you.”

Engineering’s Chief came up to him. “Sir, I’m not pressuring you, but you are what the ancients called a ‘machinist’,” she said. “I need one, badly, because we recently discovered machinery in this very building that none of us know what it is..until now. We have a ‘lathe’, we have tiny little eyepieces that can see, I think, to the atomic level. There’s little gauges that read to the millionths of a centimeter. None of us know what to do with them, all the database tells us it’s a machinist’s tool or machine. I would LOVE to have you teach my people how to do what you do.”

“Now wait just a minute, Ma’am. I’m Ar and Dee, and I want someone like Merrick to teach MY folks just what we can do with his expertise and knowledge.”

“I, for one, would like to know how you made that nifty hollow cane to fit the stamps precisely.”

“And the carved dragon head. Even broken, it is superb work, sir. It practically breathes. I would love to learn from you.”

Cecilia held up her hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Maybe he wants to go back to Lemos Hold, to be with his wife?”

Merrick looked back and forth, feeling as if he were being tossed from one to another.

Everyone shut up.

“Uh,…I want to see my wife. I want to hear her voice, put my arms around her just to feel her heart beat. I am so happy we’re both alive.”

He suddenly realized the problem.

“But, as long as Yvanna is free, I don’t trust that she won’t send someone to finish us off. I don’t think I want to go back to Lemos, right now, even though I was born there. The last four months have been a lesson in what kind of person Yvanna is, and I can tell you, there isn’t a gram of kindness or compassion in her, not a bit. I know she’ll be on the hunt for me. She even said so, I know too much. If nothing else, now a great many people do, too. But she’ll be looking for my head, for revenge, if nothing else.”

Data walked towards him, datalink in hand. “I’ll put you in voice contact right now, Lemos Hold has your wife ready to talk.”

Merrick shrunk back. “I have no idea what to do with that.”

Data smiled. “I imagine. I will show you.”

“Uh, is there a possibility Verone can be brought here? I think she’d like to see that pipe that admits hot water. I would like to have someone tell me how to make the lights go away in the room? The square cavern? I’d like to know how a door opens itself. And the toilet? Oh she would definitely like to see that. It took me a few minutes to learn how to use it,” Merrick admitted.

K’ndar laughed. “Oh, sir. You can’t imagine the trouble I had with it, my first night here. My fire lizard figured it out before me! I had to have Orlon come and change the mechanism so that my fire lizard couldn’t operate it. IF it’d not been changed, Siskin would have drained the ocean by now, just flushing it.”

Everyone roared.

” As for bringing Verone here? Not to worry, sir. I’m Telgar Weyr born and bred,” Francie said, “I still have family and friends there, my wingmates and weyrleader are still there. I’ll ask them to transport Verone here. It’s early morning there. I’ll even pay the transport fees.”

“No, you won’t, I will.”

“Corvuth says…” D’nis started.

“Please, I’ll need to tell Verone of all this. She’s never been dragonback before, for that matter, I hadn’t either until four days ago. I’d like Verone here, safe, with me.”

“Right then,” Francie said, “I’ll get with Telgar’s Weyrwoman, she’s a dear, she’ll arrange for one their dragonriders to pick Verone up at Lemos Hold and bring her here. It shouldn’t take but a few minutes, honestly. I’d say in an hour, your wife will be here.”

She looked expectantly at Raylan. He looked perplexed, then handed his datalink to her.

“I’ll get one for you soon,” he said, “Now that you’re staff.”

Francie grinned.

“Thank you all.” Merrick said.

Grafton, led by Fafhrd, approached. Clearing his throat, he said, “Excuse me, my lords, chiefs, dragonriders and everyone else here. I AM Headman of Landing. Part of my job is to accommodate people who come here with a problem that cannot be solved in a few moments of talking. Merrick, you may have as many moments as you please to decide. I suggest we escort you to the dining hall, because it’s noon time and we’re all hungry. I’m sure Reception will have someone on hand to escort your wife to the hall and then to your quarters. My lords, you have a drill planned for thirteen hundred, I suggest you all go drill, as your fire lizards have been hammering my Fafhrd, insisting your dragons want to fly and you are dillydallying.”

The dragonriders laughed. Every one of them got a ringing YES, LISTEN TO THE HUMAN WITH NO EYES from their dragons.

“Grafton, only you can get away with telling Pern’s Council of Six what to do.”

——————————————————————————————————-

I was worried that we wouldn’t get to drill Raventh said, as K’ndar came out of his quarters, his harness draped over his shoulders. Siskin wheeled over his head, chittering in anticipation.

If you’d asked me as a weyrling, I wouldn’t have believed that I’d want to fly drill, but I do need it, just as much as Raventh does, he thought. It’s the one time when we dragonriders can just be dragonriders. Even though T’balt works us hard.

I like it. Afterwards I feel so good even though I’m tired. But I am thinking Motanith won’t want to race at the end. She did two transports today to our one.

The brown paused, then laughed.

She says, watch me, brown. Nobody can beat a green when it comes to speed. I can beat you all no matter if I did ten transports.

Raventh laughed. I think I will try to beat her this time. So hold on tight when we do.

K’ndar grinned, then stopped dead at the edge of the dragon meadow.

This is odd, he thought, what am I seeing? TWO brown dragons in the dragon meadow?

He stopped to count. Mondevuth, bronze. Corvuth, bronze. Raventh, brown. Motanith, green. Yes, there’s an extra brown.

Who is that, next to Motanith?

He is Falconth.

He’s from where?

He is from Western Weyr. He is chatting up Motanith. He thinks he can beat her at racing. She says, not a chance, he’s too big.

Did he, um, bring someone here from Western Weyr?

His rider.

Well, duh, he thought.

If I didn’t know you better I’d say that was sarcasm.

What is sarcasm?

Just then, he heard Francie’s dragon bay door open with its characteristic screech.

“Shaff, I keep forgetting to have Orlon’s team see to that bloody screech,” she said as she came out, flying gear on and a harness over her arms. Her trio of fire lizards erupted and Siskin joined them in a dizzying spiral of joy, anticipating the thrill of drill. Raylan followed her.

“Francie,” K’ndar said, hesitantly, “Do you see two brown dragons?”

“You didn’t drink your lunch, did you, K’ndar? Seeing double?” Raylan teased.

“Hey, no, I don’t drink you know that. No..oh, you got me.” K’ndar realized the game when Raylan dissolved in laughter.

“Yes, K’ndar, two browns. And the brown’s rider is coming out of our quarters right now. He’s new here. He’s going to have to choose between traditional quarters, like T’balt and D’nis have in the mountain, or a dragon bay like we have. There’s two that are empty at the moment.”

A tall man emerged from Francie’s dragon bay.

It was Pojar, the new botanist, carrying a harness.

“Wait, what? You’re a dragon rider? But Jansen called you Pojar.”

“I know. She swore me to keep it a secret until later. “It’s a surprise for K’ndar,” she said.”

That brat, K’ndar thought, fondly.

The brown rider stuck his hand out for a fist bump. “It’s P’jar, rider of brown Falconth, from Western Weyr. Pleased to meet you, K’ndar.”