L. Modesitt - Ordermaster

Kharl could tell that Fasyn was not pleased with that thought.

“Do you still follow the Justicer’s Challenge?” asked Fasyn.

“The offer is made, but I don’t know of a time that it’s been taken. What about here?”

“Some would-be advocate who wanted to be lord justicer tried it, I’d say fifteen years back.” Fasyn paused. “No. Sixteen, because one of the cases was the Asolin case. He came close, won four out of five. That was right after Lord Justicer Reynol took the dais.”

“What was the case he lost? The challenger, I mean, if you recall.”

“Oh … that was an assault on a tariff farmer.” Fasyn laughed.”The challenger claimed that, when a tariff farmer exceeded the authority delegated by the Lord of the Quadrant, he could not act under the mantle of the Lord, and therefore an assault was not a crime against the Lord, but against a person, and therefore, merited but a flogging, since no weapons were used. The precedents state clearly that tariffing is a sole privilege of the Lord, and that when delegated, anything that interferes with that privilege constitutes a crime against the Lord.” Fasyn shrugged. “He ended up getting eighty lashes. It took him three days to die.”

“He followed the Code of Cyad, and not the more recent precedents?” asked Kharl.

Fasyn frowned.

Kharl decided to explain. It was one of the few cases where he did know something because he’d seen and followed a tariff farmer’s case in Austra, and because he’d researched some to find out what would happen if he’d done something to Fyngel, the tariff farmer who had cost him his cooperage. “The Code of Cyad made that an absolute law, but that was when the tariffs were collected directly by officials appointed by the Emperor of Cyador. The Lords of both Nordla and Austra have asserted that precedent, but I never did find a proclamation or a case that actually confirmed that authority.” He laughed softly. “Not that I’d challenge a Lord on that point.”

“You’re a wise advocate in that, Lord Kharl.”

Kharl did not correct the clerk’s assumption that he was an advocate.

“I can see that you’re busy.” Fasyn nodded and turned.

As Kharl followed the overclerk with his eyes, he noticed the robed figure of a lord justicer in the hallway outside. Kharl walked around and behind the shelf, out of sight of the two Nordlans and Demyst. There he raised his sight shield and turned back to follow the overclerk.

Both men walked to Fasyn’s chamber. Kharl had to hurry to slip inside before Reynol gestured for the overclerk to close the door. The mage had to flatten himself against the wall between two bookcases.

“What more did you find out about this envoy?” Reynol cleared his throat. “He is an envoy. I checked with Overcaptain Osten.”

“He knows his way around the cases. He has a recommendation from the lord justicer of Austra. The way it is written, it would be hard to forge. From all that, and the way he speaks, I’d say he’s an advocate, or close enough that it makes little difference. He’s not lord-born, but not low crafter. He’s not practiced much. It could be that he was trained, then was granted lands by Lord Ghrant.”

“Payback for supporting Ghrant in the revolt, no doubt.” Reynol’s words were sneering.

“Why would Ghrant send an advocate and call him a scholar of the law?” mused Fasyn. “Do you think he really might be?”

“I don’t know, but Captain Egen says that Lord West will want to know,” replied Reynol. “We don’t wish to displease Captain Egen.”

“No, ser.”

“Watch him closely. Find out anything more that you can.”

“Yes, your lordship.”

“Let us get back to the Hall. We need to dispose of that cabinetmaker.” Reynol turned.

Kharl did not move until the two had left. Leaving his sight shield up, he moved back to the library and out of eyeshot from Demyst before releasing it. He doubted he would find much more of immediate interest to him in the library, but he needed to make sure of that.

Kharl finally returned to the residence sometime closer to two glasses past noon. Before finding Erdyl, he washed up, then came back down the front staircase.

Erdyl was seated at the desk in the library with a stack of books beside him, jotting down notes. He stood quickly. “Ser?”

“You can tell me what you found out while we eat,” Kharl said.

“There’s not much, ser. No one seems to be in Brysta.” Erdyl looked directly at Kharl.

That was a lord’s reply, Kharl reflected, meaning no one felt to be of power and real import, for the city still held crafters, servers, tanners, scriveners, and even justicers. Kharl decided against calling that to Erdyl’s attention, not at the moment, at least. “Let’s go eat, and we can talk at the table.”

Kharl was hungry, and a little frustrated. As he’d suspected, the case files in the library not only were old, but there were missing volumes and files in every section. While some of those might well have been stacked on the desks of Fasyn and the other clerk, that still would not have accounted for all the missing documents and volumes.

As Kharl headed for the dining room, both Demyst and Erdyl followed.

Khelaya stood at the door from the service pantry to the dining area. “The bread is not so warm as it should be, ser,” she began. “A glass past noon, that was what I was told.”

“The bread is not your fault,” Kharl said as he seated himself at the end of the dining room table. “I spent more time than I’d planned. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“And the fowl-”

“I was late,” Kharl said, taking one of the sauce-covered slices, then adding lace potatoes from the casserole dish. “That wasn’t your fault.”

Khelaya’s knowing glance confirmed that.

Kharl filled his beaker with lager, taking a long swallow, before turning to Erdyl. “Tell me about each one-in the order you visited them.”

“First, I went to the Lydian residence. The secretary was there. That was Lyelt. The envoy is Kyanelt, but he returned to Lydiar to meet with the duke, and he isn’t expected back for at least three or four eightdays.”

“What did you find out from him?”

“He told me that I shouldn’t fail to make sure you and I went pheasant hunting in the uplands after harvest, and to take in the ice festival at Kofal at the turn of the year.”

“What did he say about Lord West and the Hamorians?”

“Lord West is most charming. The Hamorian envoy never says anything, and what he does say tells you nothing. Lyelt knows that the Hamorian merchanters are selling goods. At least, they’re unloading them, but he doesn’t know who’s buying them. There are usually Lydian iron factors selling iron pigs here, but he hasn’t seen any of their vessels all summer …”

Kharl nodded. In time, he asked, “Who else did you see?”

“There isn’t a secretary at the Sarronnese residence, but the envoy has an assistant. Her name is Jemelya, but she just welcomed me, and said that she’d be most happy to meet with me after you met with Envoy Luryessa.” Erdyl took a sip of his white wine, then a mouthful of bread.

“Did she say anything at all beyond pleasantries?”

“She said I would have an interesting year. I didn’t like the way she smiled when she said it.”

Kharl laughed.

“The residence of the envoy from Hydlen was closed. Not even a steward, just a caretaker. The same was true for Spidlar and Certis.”

“Did you meet any others from Candar?″

“The Gallosian secretary was curt. Dour fellow. His name was Ustark. Told me that nothing ever happened here, that the functions all combined second-rate food with third-rate conversation. Not like being an envoy inCigoerne, where the entertainment and food were outstanding. He also suggested that, outside of his envoy and the Hamorian envoy, none of the envoys were of particular import or ability. I just listened. That part was hard, but I just listened.”