CHAPTER 12 An Early Arrival, a Painting, and a Wetnurse
Tamalenth clutched, laying thirty-seven eggs, though no queen was present. Tamalenth was however quite smug and insistent that L'rilly should make sure that her wonderful eggs were provided with suitable candidates. Talana suggested inviting Geriana to draw the hatching with a front row seat in case one of the greens fancied her as a rider; and have her along also to record the viewing of the eggs by the candidates.
"To have visual records of such things would be a good idea in any case" she said. "It would be wonderful to have something as a reminder all the time; and also if we have reminders it will enable the idea that Impression is open to all to be perpetuated to future generations. We all know how much got forgotten in the long Interval."
L'rilly nodded.
"I agree. And as you say we can hope that she Impresses too."
oOoOo
Geriana was happy to come and have the opportunity to come and draw on fine sheets of paper as much as she wanted. She said,
"Just imagine being encouraged – and paid! – to do what father often beat me for – wasting valuable resources. And he never had anything so fine for me to use!" She enjoyed drawing dragons and spent long hours recording all aspects of Weyr life. As Impression drew closer L'rilly and T'lana became more convinced that Geriana would Impress.
The big day arrived, and guests started arriving rapidly as the candidates hustled to the hatching grounds. Geriana's charcoal sticks were busy, catching little vignettes, Holderfolk mincing awkwardly on the hot sands, nervous knots of boys, R'gar swooping in on Laranth with the lad who had broken his leg the day before, L'rilly standing on the ledge by Tamalenth's head and a dozen other little scenes. Tamalenth had permitted her to sit right on the hatching ground floor with the easel that H'llon had made when he had realised her need for one.
Lord Deckter waved T'lana over to him after managing a good peer at Geriana's work.
"Need to ask you something later, T'lana. Shan't spoil the moment now. Look, it's starting!"
The first egg was rocking; and Talana sat back to enjoy the spectacle. She never tired of Hatchings, and was thrilled by every Impression. Kibor Impressed this time, a Blue dragon; this was a surprise to many who had expected him to Impress a bronze like his brothers.
"There'll be reason for it." Said R'gar. "Dragons know."
T'lan nodded, having left Deckter to seek out her lover. K'bor was not disappointed; he was obviously thrilled with Baveth and escorted him carefully to the exit where R'gar and T'lana stood, beaming in joy. He was joined by others as R'gar congratulated each of them and directed them to the buckets of meat that had been prepared. As always it was over too soon; and Geriana was still sketching away, without a dragonet in sight.
"Aw, shards." Said Talana. "But she's young yet. Maybe she's due a queen!"
R'gar laughed.
"You do have to order everyone's life, don't you sweeting!" He said. She grinned unrepentantly at him.
"I surely have to order Deckter's. He has a problem for me. I hope it doesn't involve travel or I shall have to turn it down. I feel like I'm carrying a clutch of young bronzes!" She patted the immense swell of her abdomen, pulling a face as the life within her kicked enthusiastically. "And it's a long time since I had any acquaintance with my feet." She groused, trying to ease herself into a comfortable stance. Suddenly her expression changed. "R'gar" she said urgently
"What is it?"
"It must be the humming set it off….I'm wet and I can feel the contractions. Mirrith's coming – you'd better ask Calla to step up when she has a moment." She knew Calla was busy seeing to the minor cuts and abrasions some of the boys had received through being jostled by impatient dragonets. Casualties were not on the scale they had apparently once been, but some damage always occurred.
Mirrith arrived, swooping down; and she and R'gar helped T'lan onto her neck to go swiftly to the shared weyr. R'gar headed off Deckter who had come to seek out the little weyrwoman; and T'lana heard him call his good wishes for a speedy delivery to her. When Mirrith had deposited her she stripped and eased herself into the hot bathing pool, sighing with relief as the water took her weight. She concentrated on her breathing and waited for Calla.
R'gar arrived first.
"Calla'll be delayed" he said shortly. "That young fool T'han managed to break his other leg in trying to untangle Firrianth's wings."
"She'll be too late then." Retorted Talana, more calmly than she felt. "Someone's got ideas about arriving quickly."
R'gar had seen his sons born; it was not a totally new experience. The arrival of his second daughter into the world was however more precipitate than he had anticipated and he almost dropped her. She was a long thin thing, red and angry from the tuft of flaming hair to her tightly curled toes; but R'gar and T'lana thought she was beautiful. Sagarra wordlessly handed her father a towel and he took it with a word of thanks before doing a double take.
"When did you get here?" he asked.
"Right when it started getting messy and T'lan ran out of curse words." Sagarra smiled seraphically at him. "You seemed to be doing so well though, so I didn't interfere."
R'gar grunted. Talana reached out a tired hand to the little girl.
"Give's a cuddle, sweetheart" she whispered "Then you can be the first person to hold your sister."
oOoOo
R'gar permitted Lord Deckter to visit T'lana the next day; he had discovered from the lord Holder what his problem was, and felt that it was something that would give T'lana something of sedentary interest. Deckter discovered the weyrwoman in the process of feeding her baby, Felgarra as they had decided to name her, but being a man of the people was not at all discomposed. He enquired after the health of mother and child; and Talana grinned at him.
"We're both fine, Deckter, but I can see that you're itching to talk about your puzzle – so I'll not press you for the pleasantries."
Deckter laughed a little ruefully.
"You have me to rights there, T'lana. But then neither of us is one to stand on ceremony – so I'm sure you'll forgive me!" He grinned. "As you see I have a packet with me; it contains a picture. However there is a story that needs to be told first." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "In the winter an itinerant artist came to the Hold to ask for work and shelter. A competent artist is always welcome; and I found him jobs. I confess I was partly moved by pity; for he was a sickly creature, and indeed he was dying by inches already when I took him in. Yet he worked hard; and when he was not working for me he worked on a masterpiece for his own satisfaction."
He unwrapped the rectangular board to show Talana; and she gasped in delight.
"It is exquisite!" she cried. "Who is the woman depicted?"
"Of that I have no idea; and Tircil, the artist, never told me. But he asked me to give this to his son Kieril and tell him that within this painting laid everything he had to give him. I felt it a strange legacy unless the woman had some significance; but when Kieril arrived at my message the other day, he professed ignorance concerning her. Moreover he was concerned to find his father otherwise devoid of valuables; for the young man informed me that his father had light-fingered tendencies and he was hoping to restore certain goods to their previous owners."
"He may of course have spent all he had acquired." Said Talana. "Or – let me feel the weight of the painting."
She held the small panel and weighed it in her hands, then shook her head.
"It is too light for him to have melted gold and painted over it." She said. "Moreover, if he loved beauty – as he plainly did – he could not bring himself to destroy artworks such as jewellery." She gazed thoughtfully at the sumptuously clad young woman with rich, asymmetric embroidery covering the bodice of her gown. "It's a strange pattern, isn't it – all those straight lines, no curves or softness such as you might expect on the gown of a gently bred woman as one would expect her to be from the richness of the robe." She frowned, peering closer at the picture. "May I keep it for a while to study?" She asked. Deckter nodded.
"I was hoping that you would be prepared to ponder on it. I feel certain that it holds more than immediately meets the eye."
oOoOo
Talana propped up the little board at the end of her bed and returned to studying it from time to time during the day. She said to R'gar,
"Do you think that she is merely resting her hand against herself, or is she pointing at the jewel on her shoulder?"
R'gar scratched his head.
"She could be pointing." He decided. "Strange embroidery pattern."
"Somehow it seems familiar." Worried T'lana. "It should mean something to me."
"In what way?"
"I have been there – it's a map, a map!" She cried, realising the significance of the tracery.
"A treasure map?" R'gar could not keep excitement from his voice and she laughed at him.
"Dear one, I do love you!" She said, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him firmly. "Are you actually going to let me go out looking for buried treasure?"
He kissed her.
"I've got all the treasure I need in my arms." He told her; and she snuggled against his chest in deep contentment. At last she said,
"I suppose we'd better tell Deckter where it is then – and I'd better do some confessing."
"You know where it is?"
"Sure I do. That heavy embroidered square to the left of her bodice represents the kitchen. Where the passage branches up to her right shoulder, there's a squirly square, which is where the glows were kept; then the passage that leads to the jewel is my passage with the rockfall. I bet he'd have hidden his treasure amongst the rocks; my room isn't shown. But Deckter must know. He's not Meron after all."
R'gar nodded.
"You're right love. But you're not going to Nabol to tell him, nor yet to go ferreting about in dark passageways."
"No?"
"Absolutely no" – and as she made a face "And I've told Laranth to make it absolutely clear to Mirrith that if she took you she'd be putting you at risk."
"That was devious – and unnecessary! When have I ever disobeyed you?" She pummelled him gently.
"When you could figure out a way of slipping through my restrictions!" He laughed. "Don't worry, love, I'll tell Deckter and ask him to wait a few days before he starts digging. It's waited through the months between Tircil finding a good hiding place; it'll wait a little longer."
oOoOo
When Calla pronounced T'lana fit to travel, she wrapped up warm against milk fever; but she already had suspicions that her milk was starting to prove inadequate. She was hoping to find a wet nurse at Nabol to help her out, for no one in the Weyr had a small baby to be a milk sibling. However, she was determined to see to uncovering the treasure first; she might have laughed at R'gar for his boyish enthusiasm, but there was something about the very phrase 'buried treasure' that had an excitement about it!
Deckter was waiting for R'gar and T'lana with a young man whom he introduced as Kieril, Tircil's son. The Lord Holder greeted the dragonfolk warmly, and led them towards T'lana's rockpile. R'gar had explained T'lana's previous adventures in the region; and Deckter had been duly outraged at her circumstances. He declared himself even more fascinated to see the room of the Ancients than to uncover the hidden jewels; but T'lana was sure that treasure hunting was as great a lure to him as to any small boy!
There were several sturdy men ready to help shift rock and debris; and the hunt began. Before long a shout went up – one of the men had found something!
The soft leather pouch was swiftly uncovered; and Lord Deckter poured forth a glittering array of jewellery. Keiril sighed in relief.
"I shall feel better to be able to return these to their respective owners." He said. He explained to T'lana, "Lord Deckter has kindly promised to help find the owners. My father travelled quite widely and I fear he could not resist the pull of jewellery." A look of pain crossed his face. "It's why mother left him – and took me with her. He broke his promise to her one too many times."
Deckter patted the young man on the shoulder; and Talana sensed that a deep affection had grown up between them, Deckter impressed by Kieril's honesty; and the youngster touched by the Lord Holder's kindness.
It took some considerable time for the men to clear a large enough gap in the rockpile for a man to readily and safely pass. T'lana directed operations, knowing where was best to break through and where some at least of the loose rocks were. Deckter scrambled through, excited, and held out a hand to help her follow. T'lana and R'gar followed him, the latter eager to see where his love had found her book. Deckter was truly fascinated by the room; and would have stayed for hours tracing the mathematical symbols and mix of strange and familiar animals; but R'gar pointed out that a certain young woman would be wanting her lunch.
"Which reminds me." Said T'lana. "Deckter, I'm looking for a wet nurse to supplement her food; if you could recommend someone, I'd be grateful."
"I can't think of anyone off the top of my head; but I'll ask around." The Lord Holder promised.
oOoOo
Lord Deckter was quick to furnish Talana with a name and location of a possible wetnurse; and she flew over with R'gar to check her out. The Hold was in the Esvay Valley, and the Holder was a nephew of Meron's. He was a large man with a jovial manner and a loud laugh; but T'lana looked into his eyes and shuddered. He was only too willing to be accommodating to the weyrwoman, offering her fine wine and presenting the sturdy holder girl Rannida to her. Talana took an instant dislike to Rannida. The girl was presentable enough and respectful; but T'lana noticed an air of calculation that, she felt, would translate itself into an ongoing demand for gratitude from both weyr and her tiny daughter as she grew. Talana thanked her for the offer; and gave her some remuneration for her trouble; but turned her down. She was about to leave, when a child in the ragged, filthy dress of an ill-kempt drudge ran into the hall and threw herself at her feet, clasping her knees.
"Weyrwoman, I beg of you – my mother and I desire to take service with the weyr as your personal servants!" She cried. "My mother is sick but she will be a hard worker when she has fully overcome birthing!"
The plaintive plea smote Talana's heart; and the terms in which it was couched gave her pause. This was no normal drudge of little education and no breeding.
"Do not trouble the weyrwoman, useless brat!" Roared Holder Derrinik. "Get back to your duties!" He aimed a vicious kick at the child. Talana swung the youngster out of the way, and received the kick herself. The Holder was instantly grovellingly apologetic.
"Weyrwoman, how can I express my apologies? And I am so sorry that this defective is troubling you. I will have her removed at once!"
Talana regarded him coldly, lifting the child; then judging distance carefully she returned his kick, aimed for the crotch.
"So much for diplomacy." Murmured R'gar.
"I will NOT have children mistreated!" snapped T'lan, her eyes flashing. "Where is your mother, child – Take me to her." She held out a hand; and the little girl, much the same age as Sagarra, took it and led her deep into the hold.
oOoOo
The woman was sick; and not just of birthing. Her back was a mess of whip cuts and her soul cried out in an anguish of loss that made Talana clamp her hands to her head until she had her 'inner ear' under control.
"By the first egg, what is going on here?" She exclaimed. The woman turned big eyes on her then looked at her daughter.
"Amrys, what have you done? He will punish us both!"
"I had to do something! The weyrwoman will look after us!" Amrys cried.
"Indeed I shall!" Declared Talana. "Your daughter says you have just birthed – and if that is so there is no excuse for such a whipping before or after!" R'gar, who had followed, nodded.
"There must be enquiry into this." He said. Talana's eyes narrowed.
"Deckter is hoping we will deal with it for him. He said to 'go and take a good look' if you recall. Either that or he wants us to witness. Tell me, for what reason was this done?" She asked the woman. The woman tried to pull herself upright.
"Last week I was Lady Rillys and my daughter Lady Amrys. My husband, Lord Derrinik, has never been an easy man. I had showed too much of a friendship towards the hall harper; and he took it for more, though I was never unfaithful in deed. He had me whipped to make me miscarry though it took many days of whipping before it was accomplished; and he strangled the child in case it was Ferdal's. My daughter and I he declared drudges and has had punished any who show us kindness. But he is the Holder; and I have no kin or craft."
The simple dignity of Rillys told more than her words; and T'lan's eyebrows met in the famous scowl.
"No." Said R'gar.
"He must be dealt with."
"Not by us. It is Deckter's business. We have witnessed. Deckter will find others to testify when it is apparent that Derrinik's ascendancy here is in jeopardy. We will take them away to safety."
Talana bowed her head. Her heart longed to turn on the Holder as he barged in through the door blustering and shouting – if walking rather bow legged – but she knew that her father would disapprove of High Reaches Dragonkind gaining a reputation for killing Meron's relatives. There had been at least one other duel that she knew of apart from the double duel she and R'gar had fought; and tongues would wag.
"We were leaving." She said coldly. "With guests who wish – as is their right – to come to the weyr. We shall be seeing Lord Deckter. In your shoes, I'd make a run – sorry, hobble – for it." She gave him her most brittle smile and swept out, carrying Amrys; R'gar followed with Rillys.
oOoOo
Calla exclaimed over Rillys and sorted out salves; and T'lana left Amrys in the care of Sagarra. Sagarra was inclined towards jealousy; but when her T'lan had made clear that Amrys had her own mother, and had explained what had befallen, her natural compassion welled up and T'lan knew that Amrys would be taken good care of.
"And I still need a wetnurse." She muttered to herself. Rillys raised herself on one elbow, to the protest of Calla.
"Lady T'lana – my milk is still in. May I be a wetnurse for you?"
"My dear, is that wise? You are so badly hurt!"
"I want to. I want to say thank you for helping us; it is something I can do."
Talana exchanged a glance with Calla. The healer nodded imperceptibly; helping with T'lan's baby might help Rillys get over the cruel loss of her own.
"If you are sure." Said Talana. "I do not want to make your loss worse for you."
"If I cannot have my own baby I can at least give a better chance to another. As another woman I can see that you worry."
Talana bowed her head. She was concerned for Felgarra, more than she had admitted to R'gar, as her milk dwindled.
"Then I accept your kind offer; and if you will permit, Amrys will doubtless be a good friend for my eldest daughter." She said, carefully embracing Rillys.
oOoOo
Deckter was furious.
"I knew he was a blustering bully" he told R'gar "But that counts as murder. I had received a complaint from the harper Ferdal that he was abused, beaten and thrown from the Rivenhill Hold for no good reason, and that he had reason to fear for the safety of Lady Rillys. I wondered if he had found amusement in that quarter and his ejection were justified if a little rough. It seems that even if Rillys had been guilty of adultery – which both she and the harper have denied – such a punishment is excessive. And to punish her through ill treatment of the child and murder of the baby is unacceptable. Believe it Bronze rider, I shall not be lenient."
R'gar believed it. Deckter was a man of his word, and one who believed in getting things done. He also believed in maintaining good relations with the weyr, and was happy to learn that T'lana had found a wetnurse in Rillys. Rillys herself almost wept at the kindness she was shown; Derrinik was such a bully she had forgotten that men could be gentle, and watched R'gar's treatment of T'lana with astonishment.
"I hope you appreciate what a fine man you have there" she said. Talana nodded.
"Yes." She said. "I hold him in the highest R'gard…"
The End [of this one]
A/N T'lana is still fumbling her way around the craft of Logicating, though her ability to notice things and correlate them stands her in good stead; she and her friends start to get a grip on it from hereon.
Amrys gets her own series later on when she's older...
However I am taking a break at posting for a few days; Chronicles of High Reaches will be with you on Valetine's Day followed by a braided novel called 'Women of High Reaches' touching on a few of the ladies new and known.