1630, Sea Season, Death Week, Clayday
Context
In Boldhome, Varanis has words with her former Wolf Pirate, turned house guard. After session 6-25 (Prax Harder).
Events
After taking care of the urgent things that were needed in Boldhome, Varanis checks in with the household servants, starting with Pallia, the one-time Wolf Pirate.
The man sleeps in the stables when the front room is full, and as there are plenty of people in the household right now, he is up above the horses and the bison and the zebras, but he eats in the kitchen like the rest of the servants. His days are spent out, but he is there in the morning when Varanis comes in from saluting Yelm.
She signals her desire to speak with him, gesturing to the bench near the hearth.
He balances a knife across his bowl as a threat to anyone who will touch his food, and goes to sit next to the bench, looking up.
The Wind Lord considers him a long moment.1Insight: She’s either sizing him up, debating telling him to sit on the bench, or both. Finally, she asks in Heortling, “Have your lessons at the Air Temple continued?”
Pallia nods. “Yes. They… continues. They go on.” He looks like he is understanding a lot more than last time they spoke.
“Good.” She is silent for a heartbeat or three. Finally, she says, “Tell me what happened?”
The pirate looks around. “In… Boldhome?” It looks like he is thinking about how to put the words together, and is checking as he does to be sure he has the right subject.
She nods. “And here.” She gestures around the room, presumably encompassing the house itself.
Pallia nods. “Well. Prince-King rode out, with warriors. Her band-people and others. Small mountain force, few horses. Word flew that Great Harrek approached.” He shrugs. “I dedicated a wind to her soul, and made ready the animals. Nobody stands when Harrek roars.”
Emotions flit across the Vingan’s face. Her nostrils flare as she exhales, but she says nothing. Lips pursed tightly, she nods for him to continue.
“Told servants, leave some gold-jewels, bury some, take some. If house fall, still have it. If attacked, still have it. But what is in house make people stop looking. Then duck arrived, made… more gold-silver.” Pallia’s brow creases. “So, send servants away with duck and also tell him I kill him if he let them die. He call me stain from arse end of devil’s marsh. I tell him you return and deal with him if he steal but I deal with him if they die. Then I close house. Most of city still wait-watch-hope. I go to up-gate, not down-gate, but on way I find sword-warrior. He finds me too. Finds-looks. Tells me if I am Pallia to be at house and wait. He accompppeagne me.” The word gets lost in the pirate’s heavy accent.
“Sword-warrior?” she asks. “Which one? What name?”
He looks into the past, thoughtfully, and then shakes his head. “Big man, tall. Truth, Death, Truth again. Scar here.” He sketches the Runes on himself. “Don’t know if alive. So, we wait. Eat. He knows how to war – we eat food, make to take with us, put into bags. Sounds from gate. We watch as army returns. Good order, but without Prince-King. Already gone on. I ask if I go now, or he kill me. He sayeth to me that I will be wanted and called for, but not made into example. No execturion.”
She nods thoughtfully. “You did well. I will need to find out who. Perhaps Berra can.” Refocusing on Pallia, she asks, “What next?”
“Next, small warrior come. Runner, not man to stop me if I run. We all three take food and water and all the things, on last horse. Golden one. Expensive one last so people fear to steal. An… two Humakt-men, one Orlanth-man. No trouble. Up into top of city, the greenway. Much of Regiment there, much of Sundome, many many women already. Smarter than men. And city starts empting. So many people go past. I see some go towards trolls but not many. Some hide in caves. Other already in caves. Telmori lining the wall. And then wait again. Evening, and the High Sword-Captain talk to me. Strange group. Translators, Pirates, one or two, Yggian Islander. People who know the Wolves. He listen and watch city move. I talk and do not die. That man… in charge but not only voice. Sharperst but he speak to others too.”
“Sounds like Eril,” she muses. “It is good that you did not die.”
He nods, agreeing to one or the other part of that. “So, morning, and the gates break. Wolves come in. Duck kills many, escapes into water. And they split up. Some to palace, some into city. Women and priestesses call and chant, and walls rise in city. Mostly under line of sword-warriors. Hole… Whole… defesnive line. And Harrek goes to the Palace. Eril-lord-captain asks me names of bands, asks others too. Many many people talk to him, yet he just watch, nod, say little, watch again, say a little more. Pirates fail at walls. Many attacks. Harrek… his work was done. He did not try the walls. Went to Air Temple, went to other strong places, strong rooms, broke places for his crew but was after hit the palace, not the people.”
At the mention of Harrek’s name, again, Varanis’ eyes flash and her hands curl into fists.
She takes several steadying breaths, but her fury is palpable. The sort of thing that makes hairs stand on end.
Pallai does not notice, or is concentrating too hard on the story to react. “Palace shooked. Air carried news, husband-horse-lord escape, ride up cliff. Is good news, maybe even true. Make sure to cheer, give people brave thoughts. Child do well, taken away. Then darkness. They attack in the night. Sword wait, wait, wait, they say let blind man be eyes. Then sun rises from Temple and archers have so many targets. And the magic men stop they flying magic, too.”
She nods. “The High Sword knows what he’s doing. There is much that can be learned from him by those willing.”
“Line is behind market. So, winds also blow warriors across wards. And then… two days? No sleep, just watch-fight. Arrows found in Sun Dome Temple like miracla. Gifts of Yemalaio. And market fall, walls hold. Harrek sleeps, I think. Probaly drunk. More swordsmen come through gate. Cincina and Keldon.” Pallai shrugs. “Then sleep. Many already have one turn off walls. Sun Dome come out after sunrises in night, but spears less good, bows very good. After that, some days, on wall and off wall, then Wolves leave.”
“Did anyone give you trouble on the wall? For your past?”
There is a laugh. “In with sword crew. All face front, no questions. Two to see if I run, but I swear not to, they take that. And so are guards too.”
She nods. “Good. That is good. And after? When they were gone? You returned here? Found the others safe?”
“Then yes, back here. Gold gone that duck made, all terrible mess. Usual thing. No blood here. Stables not burn, which very good. And so wait. Others winter in Boldhome, I here, and some… lodgers? Duck bring in friends but not usual sort. Ducks without house, stay for some snow then go. Their feather-stick-house bru-ened. Uh… then snow melt, merchants charge too much, homestead comes back. Kestin and Irillo come and go, Dr’rmal and Oriana and many. Lenta is at Temple, and maybe at walls.”
“You did well,” she repeats. She looks around the room, still angry despite the calm words, then she sighs and the breath seems to carry the anger from her. “Very well.” Now she reaches for one of his hands.
He lets her have it, cautiously.
“Pallai, you have served me well,” she tells him. “Your debt is cleared and if you wish, you are free to leave. But,” she squeezes his fingers, firmly but still gentle, “if you wish to stay, I would keep you on as a guard. You’d be paid and housed here, and I would expect you to keep training at the Air Temple.”
He may have hoped for that, because it does not seem like a complete surprise, but he nods. As tears flood his eyes he says, “Free to starve. Good for a wulf. I think at it.”
She squeezes his hand again and then rises, pulling him to his feet. “I may not always be safe to know, but if you choose to stay, I will do my best by you.”
He embraces her. Orlanthi know when to show emotions.
She returns the embrace, her own eyes going glassy.
“Stable is warm,” he says. “Maybe buy special blanket for golden luck-horse.”
Stepping back, she gives him a warm smile. “Of course. Now, back to your food. It’s likely gone cold.”
- 1Insight: She’s either sizing him up, debating telling him to sit on the bench, or both.
