It still took another two days afterward for the meeting to assemble. Lidia tried to use that time as efficiently as possible: in addition to training and maintaining her equipment, she finished The Laws and Customs of Amn. She managed to locate a blank book, beginning the long process of handwriting her copy.
As she'd read, she'd tried to find evidence that the Baron's claim on Imnesvale might be illegitimate. But, without the land deed, going down that route would be fruitless; the taxes he'd levied on Imnesvale were legal. And, though she returned to the burned fields for a few hours and searched the abandoned cabins, she came away empty-handed, with no hard evidence that the Baron had burned the farmers' crops.
Meanwhile, a series of retinues began trickling into Imnesvale. The manor house on the edge of the town grew more lively with each carriage that passed by, with a series of staged fox hunts taking place on the second day. The guards protected the forest near Baron's manor, forbidding anyone from entering on pain of death.
One upside to the festivities, however, was that the Baron seemed to pay less attention to the fact that the farmers were finally getting their overdue spring planting done and that they had mysteriously obtained cheap seeds for their freshly plowed fields.
Gorion's Company denied knowing anything about the farmers' affairs most vehemently, but it didn't stop their trips to and from Pardo's house.
Since Vincenzo's place was being used to host the meeting, the Company had to temporarily move their quarters to a few rooms in Minister Lloyd's house. Still, soon enough, as the sun climbed to its apex, the time came for deliberations to begin.
Lidia was the only one admitted to meet with the Baron, his representatives, and his advisors. She passed through the crowd of about three dozen or so, who had gathered outside the lodge waiting to hear the final result of the deliberations. Pardo was there, but not Moreno; the guards had orders to kill the latter on sight. No one said much or acknowledged her beyond courteous nods. She could see the doubt in their eyes and faces.
She went up the porch stairs and inside without much resistance from the Baron's guards. She had thought that the lodge had put forward a great deal of effort for Greengrass, but the food and decorations today were on another level already.
Blue banners and buntings hung from the walls, magelights hung over the party's heads like miniature golden stars, and the floors and walls were scrubbed so thoroughly that one couldn't find dirt even in between the floorboards. Finely carved wooden chairs were arranged around ten round tables draped with deep red satin tablecloths. Each table had an impressive spread of food: roast duck and turkey, cheesecake colored yellow with saffron, pea and ham soup, a fresh loaf of wheat bread along with butter painstakingly molded into the shape of a mountain ram, and several other dishes.
Off to the side, a tall golden harp was playing, its strings plucked by a magical unseen hand that never tired or faltered.
The guests at the lodge, about fifty in all, seemed to be fellow nobles, though if they were relatives, advisors, or something else, she could not tell. Altogether, their clothes were a rainbow of colors, and their golden rings on their ears and hands glinted brightly. The air was full of their convivial conversation over goblets of wine, and the event seemed more like a party than anything else.
Though Lidia was wearing a borrowed blue dress that Eina's daughter no longer wanted, she felt out of place. She wondered if anything she could say would carry any weight or if she would be seen only as an amusing distraction from start to finish.
Baron Metrich, in any case, seemed to be expecting her. He was a tall man of about forty, with a well-trimmed brown mustache and a strong-jawed face. His tunic, robe, and breeches were mostly black, as though he had better things to do than choose the color of his clothes. Unlike the rest of his guests, he seemed bored, as though everything about this event was strictly business.
Off to the side were his assistants, Crolus and Lanka, and Lette. Crolus was still in full armor and bearing the crossed heart of the Order on his shield, but Lanka and Lette were both soberly and plainly dressed. Lette acknowledged Lidia with a quick, nervous nod while Lanka stared straight ahead.
The Baron addressed Lidia with words in a tongue Lidia didn't recognize, but she guessed that it was probably Thorass.
Crolus spoke up. "Like many knights of the Order, the mediator is not of Amn. This is not an official government proceeding, so I would ask, Baron, that you use the common tongue or allow me to translate between the two of you."
The Baron dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "Oh, very well. Let us proceed in Common, then."
He gave Lidia a hard stare. "So, Lidia. The Order sent you, you say? You are somewhat less 'ornamented' than I had pictured."
"I am their representative in this matter. Baron Metrich, it is an honor to speak to you and your guests today." She glanced between the Baron and the gathered audience as she spoke. "As many of you are aware, Imnesvale lies at an important point for Amn's defense; Nashkel's fate might be decided today. I will help you resolve this matter quickly and fairly.
"You called the Order here, Baron, so I'll hear your side of it first. What has been your trouble?"
Baron Metrich folded his arms. "All I need is for the Order to remove the squatters from my land. My own people have received nothing but scorn, and recently they have even been attacked. It has been a difficult time and I would like this matter closed."
"It has been a difficult time, indeed," Lidia said. She resisted the temptation to detail how difficult the past two tendays were and how much less so it might have been with his help. "I witnessed the aftermath of attacks on your people myself."
"Did you, now?" the Baron said. "Since you've seen what they're capable of, you understand implicitly."
She continued: "As I came into Imnesvale, I saw several fields burned near your estate. Nothing was said in your complaint about how the wolves are already at your door. I only heard about squatters, but you seem to have more pressing concerns. Would that the Order had heard about this sooner — it must protect those who need it most. I believe we ought to call for more assistance from the High Hall to end the lands' pillaging for good."
Several faces in the front row of the crowd turned to each other, confused. Lidia caught a whisper, "This presents a clear danger if…"
"There's no need for that," the Baron said, raising a hand. The others fell silent.
Lidia kept pressing him: "Baron Metrich, whoever burned the fields slipped past your guards and practically scorched your front door. Does this not concern you?"
He replied, "The Sythillisians are gone, and my affairs are not open for discussion. What matters is the land I want and the people that must get off it."
At the mention of the Sythillisians, the crowd began to exchange among themselves furtive glances, worried murmurs, shakes of the head.
"The force that attacked Imnesvale at Greengrass was a party of advance scouts, but your guards were nowhere to be seen when they arrived — I'd understand if you were stretched thin with these threats to your land. And, in any case," she continued, "the Sythillisians attacked after I had arrived. I was not speaking of them. Instead, the fields were burned sometime before last winter. "
The two druids were listening intently now, and a worried look was already stamped across Lette's face.
"I don't know who did it," Lidia said. "Perhaps it was the Sythillisians, and if it was, I am shocked that they could have raided your lands without anyone realizing it. All I know is that it seemed to affect only those farmers who couldn't pay their taxes."
Murmurs again among the crowd, but this time they seemed more approving.
But Lette clasped her hand over her mouth, her eyes growing wet and containing a silent question as she turned to Lanka.
Lanka set her jaw and rose to her feet. "Baron Metrich, we had agreed that we would remove the residents as peacefully as possible."
The Baron sneered. "What would be your concern? Your hands are far from clean in this matter, my dear. Your precious animals and environment have made you a turncoat."
Though Lanka tried to restrain her, Lette suddenly lurched from her chair, briskly walking towards the door. As soon as her feet crossed the threshold, she ran, tearing through the crowd gathered outside and down a half-overgrown path into the woods, fleeing as though she were hunted.