“Mother! You are the living end.”
“Of course,” she said patronizingly. Then she surprised both men by sneezing. “Oh, good heavens!”
“Hmmm,” said Gallian with mock severity, “that’s what happens when you tell stories. You get what you pretended you had.”
“He’s sent someone looking for you, too, son.””
There was a polite tap at the door. Gallian went immediately to answer it, opening only wide enough to be seen.
“Yes, tell Lord Jamson that I’ll be there directly.”
“I’ll wait with Lord Paulin until you can get the letter, Galli,” she said, pouring herself some wine. “This is to fortify myself against my cold and any relapse I might have taken.
“Another small glass for yourself, Paulin? To toast my debut as an actress?”
“I wish you’d thought of that ploy earlier.”
“So do I,” she said with a little sigh. “But I hadn’t such an overwhelming need to before. Those poor people! Who will take over from Chalkin once you get him out? And what will happen to him, for that matter?”
“That has to be decided.”
“We were just discussing that, Mother,” Gallian said.
“There’s Vergerin, the uncle on the father’s side.”
“But Vergerin gambled his succession rights away,” Thea said sternly.
“You heard that, too?” Paulin asked.
“Well, you know that Bloodline,” Thea said. “Always gambling. On the most ridiculous things, too, and for the most bizarre wagers. But to gamble on the succession?” Her expression showed her disgust over that wager.
“Perhaps Vergerin learned a lesson,” Gallian remarked a trifle condescendingly, Paulin thought.
“Perhaps,” Paulin said. If we find him alive.”
“Oh, no!” Thea’s hand went to her throat in dismay.
“If the Council votes to impeach…”
“Not if, Gallian, when,” said Paulin, raising his hand in correction.
“When they do, how do they go about getting Chalkin out of Bitra Hold?” Gallian asked.
“I think that will require thought and planning,” Paulin replied.
“But go now and see your father, Gallian. Mustn’t keep him waiting. He might change his mind.”
“Not when Mother’s health is at stake,” Gallian said and, with a final grin, he left the room.
“Promise me, Paulin, that Gallian’s chance at succession won’t suffer because of this?” asked Thea, earnestly gripping his arm.
“I do promise, Thea,” he said, patting her hand.
Four days later, when Lord Jamson and Lady Thea had been safely conveyed to Ista Hold, the rest of the Lords, Ladies Holder and the Weyrleaders convened an emergency meeting at Telgar Hold and formally impeached Lord Chalkin for dereliction of his duties and responsibilities to Benden Weyr, for the cruel and unusual punishment of innocent holders (Iantine’s drawings were submitted as well as the proceedings of the recent trials), for refusing to allow the Charter to be taught so that all would know their rights as well as their responsibility (Issony gave testimony on that account) and for denying these rights to his holders without due reason.
Gallian soberly voted ‘Yea’ in his turn, having duly exhibited his authorization to act in all matters concerning High Reaches Hold.
“So, now what do we do?” Tashvi asked, clasping his hands together with an air of relief at a difficult decision completed.
“Obviously, we inform Chalkin and remove him,” Paulin said.
“No other trial?” Gallian asked, startled.
“He just had it,” said Paulin. “Judge and jury of his peers.”
“It would be against all precedent to employ dragon riders to effect his removal,” S’nan stated flatly.
Everyone turned to the Fort Weyrleader, showing varying degrees of surprise, disgust, anger or incredulity at such a fatuous statement.
“Impeachment is also against all precedent, too, S’nan,” M’shall said, “because this is the first time that Clause has been invoked since it was written two-hundred and fifty-odd years ago. But it’s now a matter of record. However, I disagree that the dragon riders should bow out. Fraggit, S’nan, one of the main reasons for getting rid of him is that he has not helped to prepare his Hold which we are honor bound to protect. I’ll drag him out of there myself if need be.”
Irene beside him nodded vehemently in his support and then glared at S’nan. Sarai, S’nan’s Weyrwoman, regarded Irene in horrified dismay.
“If you don’t grab him first, he’ll just flit out of that warren of a Hold of his, and who knows what he might do then?” Irene said.
Then she blinked and cocked her head, puzzled.
“You know, I don’t know enough about the interior lay-out of Bitra Hold to know where to find him, much less grab him with all those bodyguards he has around him. Franco?” “What?” The Nerat Lord Holder responded nervously. “I can’t tell you what Bitra’s like. I’ve never been in more than the reception rooms even if Nadona is my sister.”
“How curious,” Bastom remarked.
“What will we do when we do get him out?” Franco asked. “Who’s to Hold? Those kids of his are too young.”
“The uncle, Vergerin…” Paulin began.
“What about a regency till they’re of age?” Azury Suggested, cutting across the Fort Lord’s beginning.
“Or a promising younger son from a well-conducted Hold?” Richud of Ista asked, looking about brightly.
“We know the Bloodline’s tainted with the gambling addiction,” put in Bridgely.
“That trait can be remedied by strict discipline and a good education,” Salda of Telgar said firmly. “As the seed is sowed so will it ripen.”
“Vergerin.”Paulin said again, raising his voice to be heard above the various arguments.
“Him? He gambled his rights away…” Sarai of Fort Weyr said at her most severe.
“Chalkin cheated.” said M’shall. “He did in every high-stake game I ever heard of.”
Irene gave him a very thoughtful stare.
“So I heard!” M’shall repeated.
“VERGERIN” and Paulin roared the word, stunning everyone into silence, “must be considered first, since he is of the Bloodline. That’s a stipulation of the Charter which I intend to follow to the letter. He is missing from the property where he had quietly resided since Chalkin took Hold.”
“Missing?”
“Chalkin do it?”
“Where? Why?”
“Vergerin would have had training from his brother in Hold management,” Paulin continued, and I believe that the records state that Kinver was a capable and fair Lord Holder.”
“He gambled, too,” Irene remarked in an undertone.
“But he didn’t cheat,” M’shall said, giving his Weyrmate a stern look.
“We all adhere, do we not,” Paulin went on, “to the Charter Inheritance Clause which stipulates that a member of the Bloodline must be considered first? Now, if Vergerin is available.”
“And willing,” M’shall added.
“And able,” G’don of the High Reaches Weyr amended in a firm voice.
“Able and willing,” Paulin echoed, “we would then be following the Charter -“
“We’ve set one precedent today,” Bastom said. “Why not give Bitra a break and put in someone trained and competent? Especially since there’s so much to be done to get that Hold cleared for the spring action.”
“Good point. How about a team? Give some young, eager scions some practice in day-to-day management?” Tashvi suggested.
“All those with younger sons and daughters available for the job, raise your hands,” said M’shall, not quite as facetiously as he sounded.
“No, you have to replace Chalkin with a member of the Bloodline,” S’nan said loudly, pounding the table with both fists.