Rallying the Troops

Writers: Suzee, Miriah, Heather, Avery
Date Posted: 30th May 2017

Characters: Zathris, Yusanis, Karhal, Loella
Description: Zathris and Yusanis meet with Karhal about the vandalism around the Hold, but things turn interesting with a startling admission from Loella.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 11, day 8 of Turn 8

Zathris

Karhal

Loella

Zathris didn't even look up as rain began to drizzle down, coating his hair and shoulders. The Lord Holder was standing, hands folded behind his back, watching as the guards worked with the new recruits that they'd scrounged up. Getting them hadn't been easy, Karhal's wife Loella, and her ability to hear things would have been a much better solution....

**Flashback**

The temperature was right at freezing as Zathris and Yusanis walked to
the modest cot where the Captain of the Guard lived, but at least the
sun was in full shine. Zathris remembered when he'd first moved to
Amber Hills how he'd had to adjust to the sometimes frigid
temperatures. Now he enjoyed the brisk, clear air that the cold
temperatures gave Amber Hills.

At his side Alik trotted, his ebony ears up and alert as they moved.
The loyal canine had certainly come to give Zathris a measure of
security whenever he was about the Hold, especially since the issue
with the bandits had come about.

"I hope Karhal's wife has a hot pitcher of klah ready," Zathris
confessed as they walked, boots crunching against the frozen ground.

"In this weather, I suspect everyone has warm drinks going." Or so
Yusanis hoped. He was carrying a bundle with hides and writing
implements in his hands, and thought that he definitely needed to
replace his gloves. It seemed like the chill was cutting right through
them.

When Karhal saw the pair approaching in the weather, he quickly opened
the door to allow them in. "My Lord, Yusanis. Welcome to my home.
Please, come in. I believe Loella has food and drink prepared for you
both."

Yusanis knocked his boots against the wall in an attempt to clear them
of snow and dirt before he stepped inside. "Thank you for having us
over," he said cordially.

Loella emerged from a back room in her next best dress and dropped a
curtsy to Zathris. "My Lord," she dipped her head but it came up with
a smile. "Sir," she dipped again though not quite so low to the
Steward. "Please be welcome in our home."

"Thank you for your hospitality, ma'am." Zathris inclined his head to
Loella, thinking that Karhal surely had secured himself a pretty wife.
"I apologize for not coming by sooner, Karhal. Have you recovered well
from your injury?"

While she let her husband answer for them, she stepped toward her
small kitchen and brought forth a small platter of pastries and
pitcher of freshly made klah which she set down on a small table near
the group of chairs.

Yusanis set aside his shoes and settled down, grateful for Loella's
offer of aid. "Thank you for the drinks, ma'am, we need them in this
weather."

"Indeed I have. The wound was just deep enough to require stitches,
but I've had worse. Please, sit, if you would." Karhal gestured to a
seat at his table, and moved to his own, his hand brushing Loella's
back in a silent gesture of appreciation for her efforts.

She squeezed his fingers and returned to the kitchen where she was out
of sight but could still hear clearly.

Zathris took the offered seat, rubbing his hands together as he did so
to bring some warmth and life back into his numb digits. "I still
can't believe someone was bold enough to attack the Captain of the
Guard in the first place." He confessed to Karhal.

Karhal shrugged. "It happens, though I think in this instance the man
was desperate." He frowned for a moment and leaned forward, resting
his arms on the table. "I'm of the opinion, though, that there are
more people with this sort of mindset in the Hold and outside of it. I
don't think this will be the last situation that we'll encounter."

"Judging by the graffiti that continues to crop up in different places
around the Hold, I would say that you are right." The Lord Holder
wondered what had spurred these sort of feelings in his absence, he
didn't recall any hostility before he'd left.

"There does seem to be a substantial amount of frustration. It's
interesting that there seems to be two different points of attack. One
is on Zathris' competence as Lord and ability to protect people - it's
very targeted to Amber Hills' situation. The other is more generalized
and talks about women's rights. Is it two different groups?" Yusanis
wondered aloud.

"I don't think so." Karhal shook his head. " If there is more, I think
they're connected." He took a drink and leaned back. "The problem is,
no one has come out and said with certainty exactly what they want to
fix what they are complaining about."

"Of course they didn't, it's easier to bitch than it is to solve things,"
Yusanis said grimly. "They may not even have an endgame in mind."

"Do we have enough guards to post more watches inside and outside the
Hold? Perhaps we could catch someone in the act." Zathris asked
Karhal.

Karhal exhales through his nose as he thought about assigning more
watches. "Not really. We could, but it would tax the men I have, and
sleepy men aren't the most observant."

A thundercloud formed on Loella's face as she thought how their
suggestion would affect Karhal. He was already working too hard as it
was and here they were demanding more and more. She didn't say
anything as she brought out a fresh pot of Klah but she couldn't help
want was written on her face as she deposited in rather firmly in
front of the Lord and Steward.

Karhal's answer frustrated Zathris, although the frustration was not
directed at his Captain of the Guard, it was directed toward Amber
Hill's lack of resources when it came to their guard. "What's the
solution then? If we don't have the men to catch the people
vandalizing the Hold then how can the people trust us?" The question
was more thinking aloud, than directed at any one present.

"Is there some way we can supplement the guard force?" Yusanis asked,
as he picked up his klah and nodded to Loella.

"Surely not all of the duties need fully able-bodied men who can
patrol and fight people off. Sometimes the guards watch the gates and
check for signals or take care of equipment. Could you appoint some
old retired men with sharp eyes and minds, but who aren't up to manual
labor anymore? Give them those more sedate activities and keep the
ones who are hardy for the active patrols?" he suggested.

There might not be too many new men that way. After all, people
retired for a reason. But if they could use previously-overlooked
people to free up a few men here or there, wouldn't that help?

Rubbing his chin, Karhal nodded. "Could do." He drummed his fingers in
thought, glancing up at his wife before making his suggestion. She
wasn't going to like it. "Could also pair up the older men with the
canines we've been training. I'll have to train the men in how to
handle them and commands, but the canines are more adaptable than most
expect." It would take more of his time, but in the long run, they'd
have more eyes and ears. He also made another suggestion. "And we need
more canines. I can't over burden the bitches we have now with bearing
pups. But if we could pair each guard with a canine, not only would we
have sharper eyes and ears, but a canine handler and a guard is worth
two guards.

"If we need more canines, then we'll make that priority as well," he
nodded toward Yusanis so his steward could make a note of that. "We
can ask around at some of the local cotholds if any litters are weaned
and ready."

"Any specific kinds of canine? More like a hunting one or more like a
herding one?" Yusanis asked Karhal.

Speaking of another pair of eyes... "What about trying to get some
firelizard eggs off of traders or from a local gold flit?" he added.
"Their ability to go /between/ could make them a useful message
transfer and warning system, even if they aren't as useful at actually
guarding as a canine is."

Those would be a bit more expensive unless he figured out a cheap way
to get eggs, but he had contacts he could try to lean on.

"I can hear them," Loella nearly clapped her hand over her mouth after
she let that piece of information lose in the room. Her eyes widened
and she looked quickly at her husband in fear that she'd overstepped.

For the first time Zathris turned his full attention to Loella, "Hear who?"

She bit her lips for a moment knowing she couldn't back out now no
matter how much they frightened her. "Dragons, sometimes I get little
pictures of firelizards around the Hold. But mostly dragons."

"If the Hold ever desperately needed a dragonrider, that could be a
very useful talent for you to have," Yusanis quietly told Loella.

Zathris wasn't sure why Loella had blurted this information out, how
did it help them catch who was vandalizing the Hold if she could only
converse with the firelizards a 'little'? The Lord Holder looked as
Karhal, waiting for him to explain his wife.

Loella smiled a little at the Steward and ducked her head in a nod.
Then she searched her mind for a way to explain what she was thinking.
"Firelizards aren't smart like dragons. They're... emotional and
usually happy. Unless there is a stranger who feels threatening." She
saw Lord Zathris was looking to her husband but she hadn't really put
together what she'd been hearing from the little creatures. "I just
realized that sometimes when these things happen at night they warn
each other about bad strangers. But other times they don't. Do you
think maybe sometimes it's someone here? Someone who lives in the
Hold?" She didn't know if that made any difference or not or if
they'd already realized that some of the problems had been home grown
and others were not from Amber Hills.

"I must confess to not knowing as much about firelizards as I should.
We should pull a beastcrafter in, though, and ask them about the
lizards and see if they could be used in conjuncture with your
ability." How had a woman been living at the Hold with an ability to
talk to all dragons and Zathris not been made aware?

"Do we have a list of everyone with a firelizard?" Yusanis asked. He
hadn't thought it would be something important enough to track, but
now it seemed like it might be.

"We could run some tests on your ability to hear them. If they could
relay you an alert, and you could tell Karhal..."

Lips thinned, Karhal sat stiffly, clearly displeased at the direction
the conversation had gone. His jaw muscle tensed and released. "I
would prefer that my wife stay clear of any of this. And I don't want
word to spread about her abilities." His face remained stoic, but
inside he was furious. "She is with child and I will not have her put
in any danger."

Loella's eyes dropped to the floor and a tiny shiver went down her
spine. She didn't know why she'd blurted out the truth but she had
rarely seen her husband hide so much anger. Of course he couldn't give
vent to it in front of the Lord of the Hold or his Steward but she
knew he would make his thoughts very clear when they left. A
protecting hand hovered over her abdomen when she heard an unhappy cry
from the other room. "Excuse me," she murmured and went to tend to her
daughter.

Zathris didn't really understand his Captain of the Guard, since
Loella would never be in any physical danger, but he respected the
man's right to deal his wife as he chose.

"Then we are back to square one, needing more men for patrols. We'll
have to pull retired guards, and recruit some other hands. It doesn't
take an experienced fighter to use their eyes and sound the alarm when
something is going amiss." Zathris said authoritatively, having made
his decision.

"Thank you for your input, Karhal, and for the klah, madam." Zathris
said, standing and inclining his head to Loella.

She settled for a simple nod and dip as she bounced Karella and sought
to stay in the background. She'd already made enough of a mess if she
read her husband correctly.

"Yes, thank you both. And apologies for any trouble," Yusanis said.
He'd liked his idea, but knowing Loella was pregnant he could
understand Karhal not wanting any risk.

"It's no trouble at all, my Lord." Karhal rose. "I am at your
service." He kept his face straight and pleasant, but there was
tightness around his mouth.

Zathris left the Captain's cot feeling no more comfortable about their
vandal situation than he had when they arrived. This was going to
require more than just the traditional methods to fish out the
culprits. He still hadn't heard back from his father about a possible
visit to Amber Hills, but now, more than ever, he was thinking he
needed Lord Ethris's advice.

Last updated on the June 14th 2017

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Rallying the Troops