put in authority in a Hold that will be totally demoralized to find
itself leaderless?” S’nan asked, so incensed that he was speaking
faster than anyone had ever heard him talk.
Ah, but we put in a new Holder so quickly no-one will have time to
become demoralized,’ Tashvi said.
I suspect that we will,’ Paulin said. Vergerin is not in his known
holding, and indeed the place looks to have been deserted for some
length of time.” S’nan was aghast. Chalkin has removed him?” Probably
to that cold storage he’s said to have in his lower levels,’ M’shall
said grimly.
Master Domaize insisted that we learn the rudiments of architectural
draughting,’ the young portraitist said.
There’s another level,’ Issony put in, tapping the right-hand corner of
the paper. You were lucky not to visit it.” He gave a snort. Chalkin
calls it his cold storage.” The teacher glanced around the table. A
lot of small cubicles, some horizontal, some vertical, and none of them
longnough or wide enough for the poor blighters shoved in em.
You can’t be serious?” S’nan’s eyes protruded in dismay Never more,’
Issony said. One of the kitchen girls spilled a tub of sweetener and
she was immured for a week. She died of the damp cold of the place.”
Then, as lantine’s pencil slowed, There’re steps down from his rooms
here. They come out in the kitchen. He’s always complaining that
delicacies disappear from storage, but I know for a fact he’s the one
snitching.” Issony grinned. I was trying to get some food one night
and he nearly caught me at it., There’s an upper level over this
section, lantine said his pencil poised. But the door was padlocked.”
Supposedly due to subsidence,’ said Issony with a bit of a snort.
But there wasn’t as much dust in the hall as usual in his back
corridors. I think it could be an access to the panel heights.” We’ll
have a dragon up there, too,’ Paulin said. He wasn’t the only one to
stand behind the artist to watch him work.
Quite a warren. Glad you looked about you when you were there,
lantine.” He patted the young man’s shoulder in approval. So how many
. . . ah . . . discreet exits are there’?” I know of nine,
besides the front one and the kitchen door,’ Issony said as he pointed
out the locations.
Paulin rubbed his hands together and, waving everyone to resume their
seats at the table, stood for a long moment looking at the floor plan.
So, let us not waste time and let us agree on the . . . ah …
strategy here and now. Irene, I appreciate your willingness to be bait,
but let us use surprise instead. Issony, lantine, when would the Hold
be at its most vulnerable?” The two men exchanged glances. Issony
shrugged. Early morning, about four-five o’clock. Even the
watchwher’s getting tired. Most of the guards would be asleep.” He
glanced towards lantine who nodded.
So, we will need dragon riders .
Let’s stick to those of us in this room if we can,’ M’shall suggested.
It’s totally improper to hound a man in his own Hold, began S’nan,
starting to rise from his seat.
G’don of High Reaches, seated just beyond him, pulled his arm to reseat
him.
Give over, S’nan,’ he said wearily.
F You’re excused from the force, S’nan,’ Paulin told him, equally
exasperated.
But. . . but Even his Weyrmate shushed him.
There’re more than enough of us quite willing,’ said Shanna of Igen
with a withering glance at the dismayed Fort Weyrleader.
Good. Then we’ll cover all the exits .
There’s one window in the kitchen that they always forget to lock,’
lantine said, and I don’t think they ever feed the watchwher enough.
He’s all bones. Something juicy might occupy him. And I think the
window’s beyond his chain’s reach.” Good points, lantine,’ said Paulin.
Through the window, then, and we’ll infiltrate irninediately up to
Chalkin’s private quarters through the back stairs.
The hidden door’s the panel next to the spice cupboard.
If you take me along, I can find it in a jiffy,’ Issony suggested, his