Past and Present Crimes

Writers: Estelle
Date Posted: 24th March 2024
Series: The Hunt for Gil

Characters: N'vanik, Jayala
Description: N'vanik visits the Harper Hall to share the news about Gil with Jayala
Location: Harper Hall
Date: month 9, day 15 of Turn 11

N'vanik

Jayala

N'vanik had sent word through the watch dragon so the Hallsecond knew
he would be coming. Turnover was a while away but not terribly far, so
if anyone asked, they were discussing the Weyr potentially hiring some
entertainment. And of course with Panitath guarding a clutch, the
Weyrleader had to come alone.

He did feel guilty for taking Loseth away from his mate again, but
this was all to protect the Weyr. The huge bronze called a greeting to
the watch dragon as they came out of /between/.

Having been alerted by a messenger from the watchrider, Jayala was
waiting at the main entrance of the Hall when the Weyrleader's bronze
landed outside. There were a few apprentices loitering nearby, hoping to
discover the purpose of the visit, but even though they ought to have
been at their chores, she didn't shoo them away. Instead, she walked out
into the warm sunlight to greet the dragonpair.

"Weyrleader, welcome to the Hall. My duty to Loseth." Her voice,
harper-trained, carried clearly to the listeners. "We heard you have a
clutch on the sands. May I offer you my congratulations?"

"You may." He couldn't help a smile, which worked out well for their
story. A Weyrleader coming to discuss party plans _should_ be in a
good mood. "My Weyrwoman sends her regrets for not being able to
attend. I know Turnover is months away, but we know the Harper Hall's
finest entertainers are in high demand. Thank you for taking the time
to meet with me."

"It's no trouble at all. Our musicians will be thrilled at the chance to
play at the Weyr - both the younger ones who've never been, and those of
us who stayed with you after the fire and want to renew old friendships.
The Harper Hall remembers the Weyr's hospitality. Shall we discuss it in
my office?"

Jayala started back towards the door, noting that the apprentices were
now eagerly whispering to each other - either about the clutch or the
chance to perform at the Weyr, or both.

N'vanik followed, keeping a mildly pleasant look on his face as they
made their way to Jayala's office. Patience had never been his strong
suit, so almost as soon as the door was closed he said, "We caught
Gil. And he gave us a list of names."

Jayala went still with her hand on the door, her mind immediately
focused. Names... After all this time, she had resigned herself to the
fact that Gil had most likely perished in his escape from White Hollow;
a quite literal dead end in the investigation. If he was alive and
talking, then they had a chance to root out the conspirators once and
for all.

"That's excellent news." She took a seat at her desk, fighting the urge
to demand the list immediately. "Where did you find him?"

"In a tiny little cothold in Emerald Falls territory," N'vanik said.
"Someone passing through saw him and recognized him from the sketches.
We surrounded him when he got back from a hunting trip, and thank
Faranth he went without a fight." He never wanted a repeat of what
happened with Shuvan. As he approached the desk, he reached into his
jacket for a rolled up set of hides. "This copy is for you."

Jayala drew the hides across the desk and unrolled them. The first hide
held the promised list of about a dozen names, mostly holders, though
the treacherous master weaver was there too, and someone identified only
as working for the Steward at Emerald Falls. She was relieved to see
that there were no harpers on the list. Some of her fellow masters had
some dubious opinions, but she'd not thought they would stoop to
attacking the Weyr.

She turned over the first hide and her brow rose, seeing the neat,
closely written text that covered the next. It looked as though Gil had
given the dragonriders not just names, but everything he could remember
about the people he'd carried messages to - their homes, their
appearance and character, any conversation they'd had. It suggested both
that he was an observant man with an eye for detail, and that he'd
talked willingly. Not surprising, if they'd turned on him first.

"White Hollow Hold," she said, returning to the first hide and tapping
the name at the top of the list. "That fits with what my journeyman heard."

N'vanik nodded. "At least some of what he's saying is true. I don't
know if he mixed in lies, or if all of this is just an attempt to
protect his own hide . . ." He sighed. "But I didn't have to force it
out of him, and he says he didn't know they were going to poison the
hatchlings."

"Well, he would say that. But it's plausible they would have kept that
part of the plan known to as few as possible. Most people, even those
who sympathize with their cause, would be horrified by the idea of
harming newly hatched dragons." At least, Jayala hoped that was the
case. "We harpers can try to corroborate his story. White Hollow is
already under investigation, but we can look into these other holders."

"I'd appreciate it. And thank you for all your help finding Gil." They
wouldn't have been able to track him down without the harpers
investigating. "Dolphin Cove is in your debt."

"The Harper Hall is happy to assist. These people are a threat to all of
us." Jayala slipped the list into a desk drawer, out of sight of curious
apprentices, and locked it. "Speaking of which - I wouldn't mind having
a word with Gil myself, if it can be arranged." After speaking with
Tasni and reading her report, certain facts about the man had reminded
her of a crime for which no-one had ever been punished. "I'd like to ask
him what he knows about the burning of the Harper Hall, eight Turns ago."

N'vanik's eyebrows rose. "You think he was involved with that too?"

"No one ever found out who did it, but there was a young guard at the
time who came under suspicion. His wife had started to train as a singer
at the Hall, and they were heard arguing earlier in the evening." Jayala
hadn't been there at the time, but she'd spoken to several people who
had and studied the reports. "His name was Gilbek. I checked at the
Hold, and he left shortly after."

So maybe Gil was involved. Going from burning the Hall to attacking
the Weyr, N'vanik didn't think that was too much of a leap. "You can
definitely talk to him, and let me know what you find out. Maybe he
did set fire to the Hall and the people at White Hollow offered him
protection. Or maybe the holder found out and threatened to turn Gil
in unless he did the holder's bidding."

"It's possible. One reckless action may have sent him down a very dark
path," Jayala said, though there was little sympathy in her voice. "I
would still like to hold whoever started the fire accountable, even
after all these Turns. I could come to the Weyr in a few days' time - to
agree on the arrangements for Turn's End, perhaps, and pay my respects
to the Weyrwoman."

"That sounds good." N'vanik's jaw clenched. "If he did set that fire,
if he's hurt both Hall and Weyr, then he should absolutely pay."

"Our Craft lost a great deal in that fire. Our history, our work and our
home." Although she hadn't been there at the time, but had seen the
impact of it when she'd come to the Weyr, the faces of those who'd lost
a life's work. "It's taken a long time to rebuild - and longer still to
restore trust with the Hold. We don't wish to interfere with the Weyr's
justice, but finding the arsonist would mean a lot to us." She sighed.
"We have to be sure, though, so I appreciate the chance to talk to him."

The Weyrleader nodded. "You and the Hall have been good allies, and
I'm happy to be a good ally in turn. If he's the arsonist, we can
discuss what we should do with him." Much as N'vanik was eager to take
matters into his own hands, Jayala _had_ been a great help and it was
well worth staying in her good graces.

"Thank you. I hope my Craft will always remember what we owe to the
Weyr. Oh - speaking of which..." Jayala drew out a hide from a stack on
her desk. "A few suggestions for Turnover. We can send a group of
musicians, but most of these pieces are well known so if you have
craft-trained riders or weyrfolk, they can join in. The Weyrharper
should be able to help plan that."

"All right." That was supposed to be the purpose of this trip,
afterall. N'vanik was definitely going to push the actual planning
onto the Weyrharper. He usually liked to have some involvement, but
N'vanik had too much to do.

"We can't send you away empty-handed," Jayala said, smiling. Not after
all the effort they'd made to distract inquisitive apprentices. "I could
come to the Weyr on the eighteenth, if that would be convenient?" She'd
only two classes that day, which could be rearranged, and it would give
her enough time to talk to Tasni again.

"Yeah, that works." He was eager to know what she might find out from
Gil. "I look forward to extending you Dolphin Cove's hospitality."

"I expect I'll appreciate it more than your latest guest," Jayala said
dryly as she accompanied the Weyrleader to the door. Even if Gil was
innocent, she doubted he was enjoying his current situation much.

N'vanik snorted in amusement.

Last updated on the March 28th 2024

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