K'vin was glad to a.s.sist her and she was stiff enough so that her first steps were awkward. Then she recovered her mobility and walked firmly to the easel.

"My word, you did do yards today, didn't you? Filled in that whole panel of the dress and... have you got my eyes crossed?"

Iantine laughed. "No, step a little to this side. Now back again. Do the eyes seem to follow you?"

Zulaya gave a little shake, widening her eyes. "They do. How do you contrive that? I must say, I'm not so sure I like me watching everything I do.

K'vin chuckled. "You won't, but your presence hanging in the Lower Cavern may spur the lazy to complete their tasks more quickly."

"I'm not sure I like that idea any more than having me leering at me up here." She turned to the table, mostly covered by Iantine's paraphernalia. "I had klah sent up not too long ago," and she cast an accusing eye on Iantine. "It should still be hot."

She unscrewed the lid and steam obediently rose. "It is. Shall I pour for all of us?" Which she was doing even as she spoke.

"Maybe I should leave now?" Iantine suggested, looking from one to the other.

"No," she said quickly.

"I wanted to be sure your sketches were safely in your possession," said K'vin, taking a chair.

"And, did they solve the problem?" Zulaya asked, spooning sweetener in the cups and pa.s.sing him his. "Come, sit, Iantine. You must be more tired than I am. I've been sitting the whole time."

Iantine grinned as if, K'vin noted with a twinge of jealousy, totally at his ease with the Weyrwoman. Few were, except Tisha who treated everyone like an errant child or Leopol who was impudent with everyone.

"So? What's the result?" She indicated with a wave of her hand that he should speak out in the portraitist's presence.

"M'shall's disgusted. They still don't have a unanimous decision about impeachment. Jamson's the hold-out."

"He's not always dealing with a full deck," Zulaya said succinctly, "at least so Mari of High Reaches Weyr told me."

"And he's getting worse. Thea takes charge when she can, and that older lad of his."

"Gallian's my age," K'vin exclaimed. "Can't they get around that?"

"Short of making Jamson abdicate, no. At least according to my understanding of the Charter. And it just got refreshed." She gave K'vin a droll smile. "As well I listened in to what T'lan was reading."

"I'd forgotten the half of it myself. Have you reread it recently?"

The Trials at Telgar and Benden Weyrs

As it happened, a blizzard covered most of the eastern mountain ranges and all of Bitra when the trial was convened. The winds were too fierce over Bitra for even a dragon to penetrate. The storm had not yet reached Benden so they, and representatives from every Weyr and Hold, were present: with the exception of Lord Jamson of the High Reaches who was very ill of a respiratory fever.

The Lady Holder Thea came, annoyed that Jamson had a legitimate excuse for his absence and had sent Gallian in his place.

"It might have done that stubborn streak of his some good to hear just how that Chalkin conducts his Hold. Oh, he'd've spouted on about autonomy but he most certainly is against any harm coming to unborn children." Thea gave Zulaya a significant nod, reminding those around her that she had borne fourteen children to Lord Jamson in the course of her fertile years: sufficient to substantially increase the borders of the Hold when the children were old enough to claim their land grants.

Held in the capacious Lower Cavern at Benden Weyr, the first of the two trials was a sobering, well-conducted affair. At one time there had been trained legists on Pern, but the need for such persons had waned. Most arguments were settled by negotiated compromise or, when all negotiation efforts failed, by hand-to-hand combat.

Consequently a spokesperson for the accused guards had to be found: one of the teachers from Fort Hold who specialized in legal contracts and land deeds reluctantly agreed to officiate.

Gardner had not been very enthusiastic about involving himself, however briefly, with rapists but he recognized the necessity for representation and did his best. He had perfunctorily questioned the victims as to the ident.i.ty of their alleged a.s.sailants and tried to shake their testimony. The three women were no longer the frightened, half-starved wretches who had been so abused. Their time in the Weyr had done wonders for their courage, self-esteem and appearance.

Gardner even insisted that they had been rehea.r.s.ed in their testimony, but that did not m gate the circ.u.mstances of the grievous bodily and mental harm inflicted on them.

"Sure I rehea.r.s.ed," the oldest of the women said loudly. "In me mind, night after night, how I was flung down and done by dirty men as wouldn't have dared step inside a decent woman's hold with such notions in their head. I ache still rehearsing..." and she spat the word at him, "what they again and again and again." For emphasis she slammed one fist into the other hand. Gardner ceased that line of questioning.

In the end, he managed one small concession for the right to be returned to their Contract Hold, following the trial, rather than have to make their own way back to Bitra.

"Fat lot of good that'll do them," Zulaya muttered under breath when he won that point. "Chalkin hates losers and the guys have lost a lot more than their contract."

"I wonder what sort of tone Chalkin's next letter of protest will take," Irene said with a malicious chuckle. Paulin had received a thick screed from the Bitran Holder when he discovered the unmitigated interference of a.s.sorted renegade dragon riders in his affairs and the abduction of 'loyal holders' from their premises. "If he dares make one." She went on.

"Oh, why did it have to snow so hard? I'd love to have had him here when his guards said they 'was only following orders to keep the holders from leaving'! M'shall would have gathered him up in a ball and rendered him spitless M'shall had a.s.sumed the role of prosecutor, claiming that right since it had been his riders who were first on the scene. He had been exceedingly precise in manner and in his questioning.

"Poring over the Charter and what books Clisser could send him on legal procedures," Irene told Zulaya with a broad grin. "It's done him a world of good. Taken his mind off the spring, you know."

Zulaya had nodded approvingly. "He'd have been a good legist or did they call them lawyers?"

"No, barristers."

"Yes, barristers stood before the judge and handled the trial procedures," Irene replied.

"Gardner wasn't half bad, you know. He tried," Zulaya remarked. "I'll even forgive him asking for mercy for those miserable clods.

"After all, he had to appear to work for his clients," she added tolerantly. "I'm glad we had Iantine sit up close. I want to see his sketches of the trial. I could wish he worked as fast with my portrait."

"Your portrait is scarcely the same thing as annotating a trial. And he's to come to Benden when he's finished with you two, you know."

Zulaya was pleased to hear the pride in Irene's voice when she mentioned Iantine. He was a Bendenian.

"You mean, when he's finished sketching our riders?"

Irene gave a wistful smile, tinged with sadness. "You'll be glad he did. I wonder will he do the same thing for us at Benden?"

"Whatever he can fit in, I'm sure. That young man's got himself more work than he can handle."

"If he can get it all done before.. oh, the jury's back." The twelve men and women, picked at random by straw from those who had come to observe, had listened to all the evidence. Tashvi, Bridgely and Franco had sat as judges. Now a silence descended over the room, so intense that a cough was quickly m.u.f.fled.

The three rapists were accounted guilty as charged and three more were sentenced as accessories, since they had helped pin the victims down. The penalty for the rape of a pregnant woman was castration, which was to be carried out immediately. The others were to receive forty lashes, well laid on by Telgar's large and strong stewards.

"They were lucky there isn't Fall," Zulaya remarked to Irene, Lady Thea and K'vin. "Otherwise they could also have been tied out during the next Fall."

Despite herself, Thea gave a shudder. "Which is probably why there are so few cases of rape recorded in our Hold's annals."

"Small wonder," K'vin said, crossing his legs again. Zulaya had noticed his defensive position and her lips twitched briefly. He turned away. His Weyrmate had nearly cheered aloud when the verdict was delivered "You can't do that to me," one of the guards was roaring now as he belatedly realized the significance of the verdict.

He had been the leader of the men stationed at the eastern border crossing. The other defendants were too stunned, their mouths moving in soundless protest, Morinst being loud enough to drown out any complaint they could voice. "You're none of you my Lord," he'd railed at three Lord Holder judges. You've got no right to do this."

"And you had no right to rape a pregnant woman!"

"But Chalkin ain't even here." The man writhed in the grip of his guards.

"Chalkin's presence would have had no effect on the trial or the verdict," said Tashvi, at his most repressive.

"But he should've been here!" Morinst protested.

"He was invited to attend," Tashvi said without regret.

"He's gotta know. You can't do nuthin' without him knowing. I gotta contract with him."

"To rape, torture and humiliate?" Bridgely asked in too soft a voice.

Morinst clamped his lips shut. He struggled more violently as the bailiffs aimed him towards the exit... And his punishment. Not that he could escape either the sentence or the Weyr. The other two were still too stunned to resist their removal to the infirmary where the verdict would be carried out. Those to be lashed were brought outside, though not all the audience followed to witness the corporal punishment.

When that, too, had been completed and the men removed to have their wounds treated, the observers filed back into the Lower Cavern.

While this was scarcely an occasion for celebration, except that justice had been served, a substantial meal had been prepared. Wine was the first item sought and served.

"You were superb, M'shall," said Irene when her Weyrmate joined her, a newly opened skin of Benden wine on his shoulder, "and do please give me a gla.s.s. Though I'm sure you need one more than I. Nice of Bridgely to supply it," she added to Zulaya.

"I think we all need it," the Telgar Weyrwoman said, glancing over to where the three plaintiffs were celebrating with considerable enthusiasm. "Well, let them. Now what do we do?"

"Well, we've the second trial to get through. I hope it goes as well," M'shall said.

"No, with them," and his Weyrmate pointed to the three women.

"Oh. That them. They say they just want to go back to their homes. Not going to let Chalkin take it because they're not there holding their places." He made a grimace. "Some of them don't really have much to go back to. Chalkin's bullies burned what was flammable and pulled down what they could. I'd say the storms kept more damage from being done. But," and he altered the grimace to a grin, "give'em credit. They do own what they hold, and now they know it. It may give them a tad more backbone next time they're chivvied and more pride in what they do. They've also asked for ground-crew training."

"Nothing like losing something - however briefly - to make you value what you have," Thea said. "On the practical side, though, I think High Reaches can supply some basic items.

"Anyone organizing that?" She glanced about at others in the group. "D'you have numbers yet?"

"Actually we do," Zulaya said, including Irene in her nod.

"Three hundred and forty-two - no, forty-three with that premature baby. It's very good of you to offer, Thea."

Thea snorted. "I've reread the Charter, too, and know my duty to my fellow creatures."

"You wouldn't also happen to know how many poor wretches hold in Bitra?"

M'shall had that answer. "Of course, you can't tell if Chalkin doctored the last census or not, but he's supposed to have 24,657 inhabitants."

"Really?" Zulaya was surprised.

"But then, Bitra's one of the smaller holds and doesn't have any indigenous industry - apart from some forestry. The 5 down to what's needed locally. There're a few looms, but no great compet.i.tion for Keroon or Benden.

"And the gaming," Thea added with a disgusted sniff.

"That's Chalkin's main industry."

"Well, he's lost a lot on this gamble," Zulaya said.

"Has he?" K'vin wanted to know.

The second trial was almost anticlimactic. Gardner again presented the seven defendants accused of allegedly 'causing grievous bodily harm and death' to five innocent men and while Gardner again stipulated that the men had only been obeying orders to restrain 'by any means' anyone trying to s the border out of Bitra Hold, their putative domicile, it claimed that unnecessarily severe restraint had been used causing the deaths of persons who should not have been denied 'lawful' exit, this being a usurpation of their basic right to freedom of movement.

The subsequent mutilation and/or torture of the seven, the prosecution said, was not inherent in the order to 'restrain by any means'. Chalkin had no right to take the lives of any holders without due cause and/or trial by jury.

The day's jury retired and, within half an hour, unanimously rendered a verdict of guilty. The men were sentenced to be transported by dragon back to the eastern islands with a seven-day supply of food, which was the customary punishment for murderers.

"Are there many on the islands?" Thea asked. "I mean, there have been others sequestered there. Even families, I read, but that was years ago."

Zulaya shrugged. "Telgar's never had to take anyone there, so I wouldn't know."

"Benden hasn't," Irene said, "at least not as long as we've been Leaders."

"My father sent two," Paulin said. "And I do believe that both Ista and Nerat have sent killers there."

"Chalkin did, too," Gallian surprised them by saying. "About four years ago. I don't know where I heard about them. Some sort of real trouble down in his Hold, and he had Ista transport them since the men originated from that Hold."

"Oh, I remember now," Irene said. "M'shall only mentioned he was glad he hadn't had to do the transport."

"Maybe we should send Chalkin's men there when they can travel," Zulaya suggested.

"No, let him see that we won't tolerate his methods of Holding," Irene said, her tone implacable. "Maybe he'll come to his senses."

"That'll be the day!" Zulaya said facetiously.

When snow had melted sufficiently to allow any travel out of Bitra, Chalkin did send another blistering note of protest to Paulin, making it plain that he intended to demand compensation at the Turn's End Conclave for the ritual disfigurement of men "only doing their duty". This time, however, an elderly green rider collected the message when the urgent banner was seen flying from the panel heights of Bitra Hold. F'tol endured a long harangue from Chalkin that letter had better be delivered, that dragon riders were parasites on the face of Pern, that there'd be some changes made or... F'tol was neither intimidated nor impressed.

Stoically he took the letter and responsibly delivered it.

Whether Chalkin knew, or cared, that the refugees had been returned to their holdings was not known. F'tol was reasonably sure that would have been included in the tirade, since Chalkin seemed to have included every other shortcoming, mistake and venial sin ever committed by a dragon rider Both Telgar and Benden Weyrs made daily checks on the returned, to rea.s.sure them as well as those concerned with their welfare. Of course the conditions in Bitra, with dragon-high drifts blocking major roads and tracks, made it improbable that any of Chalkin's men would have been able to move, much less go the distance to the far-flung properties.

Benden Hold and Weyr became the latest winter victims as the blizzards which had hovered over Bitra made their way eastward, coating the eastern seaboard, even down into the northern section of Nerat which hadn't seen any snow since the settlement of the Bendens in the early decades of the First Pa.s.s.

The dragons were the only living creatures who didn't mind snow, since their tough hide was impervious to its cold as well as between.

They muchly enjoyed the snow battles that the weyrfolk indulged in, and then the warmth of sun intensified by the white landscape so they lounged in reflected be spite the more northerly position, Telgar Weyr got only a hand span of snow and made do with that. The young were fascinated by the stuff and by having to crack ice of the lake to bathe. Bathing a dragon had become a hazard, but T'dam allowed the weyrlings to suds up a *ago net and allow it to rinse itself off in the frigid water. But y washings resulted in some distress for the rider.

"I've chilblains again," Debera complained to Iantine, showing him her swollen fingers when he came out to watch her tend Morath.

The little green was a favorite subject of his because, he told Debera, "she has a tremendous range of expression on her face and gets in the most incredible positions." Debera was far too besotted with her dragon to disagree with such an impartial opinion. If she herself figured in every sketch Jantine did, she did not wonder about it. But the other green riders did.

"You should get some of Tisha's cream. It stopped my fingers from itching," he snapped his fingers, like that!"