The Scene of the Crime

Writers: Heather, Estelle
Date Posted: 30th June 2024

Characters: Tasni, Embric
Description: Tasni talks to the fieldhand who witnessed the fire, who suggests a new theory for what happened.
Location: Green Valley Hold
Date: month 8, day 20 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: Reven

The sun was sinking low in the sky when the first of the fieldhands came
trudging back from their work, following the road back to the Hold.
Tasni watched them return, splitting off in ones and twos, some heading
to the cots or the inn, others to the main Hold. After meeting the
master harper she'd spent some time exploring and had been directed by a
drudge to the home of the man who'd brought the first report of the
fire. He'd likely be one of the best witnesses to exactly what had happened.

She took another stroll around the hold to give the man some time to
clean up after his day's work, then returned and knocked at the door.

Embric paused at the knock on the door, freezing as he cocked his head
to the side. Had someone knocked at his door? Forgoing a shirt, his
hair still dripping wet from where he'd been cleaning up in the
washbasin, he swung the door open while running a towel over his hair.
"Yeah?"

"Oh, are you Embric? I'm Tasni, a harper from the Hall." She could see
she'd interrupted him and hoped this wasn't a bad start. "I'm sorry - if
it's not a good time, I can come back later."

His eyes slid sideways to her shoulder knots. "Oh, right. Reven
mentioned someone might be coming by to ask questions." Embric
couldn't remember if the Holder had specified that a _woman_ was
coming by. "It's not a bad time," he said, pulling his shirt on. "Did
you want to see the start of the fire?" he asked as he pulled the door
closed behind him. Having a woman in his home unchaperoned would have
felt scandalous.

"Yes, that would be a great help. Thank you for taking the time," Tasni
added, knowing that he might be tired. She fell into step beside him as
they walked back down the path from the cot. "Holder Reven said you were
the one who reported the fire to him. Do you remember what you were
doing when you saw it?"

"I was treating some of the plans for stem rust. I'd just gotten my
bucket and tools when I smelled the smoke. I came around the corner of
the shed here," he said, leading the way," and when I rounded it the
whole field there was ablaze." They stood before the field that was
nothing more than an ash heap now.

She looked out over the destruction, stunned. Where there had once been
a field of wheat, only charred, blackened stalks remained, and the soil
was trampled and churned up where the holders must have worked to put
the fire out. Even Thread burrows wouldn't have done so much damage.

"What a waste." She knelt down and scooped up a handful of ash, letting
it trickle through her fingers. If this had been done by thieves as a
distraction, it had worked far too well. Tasni couldn't help thinking
that whoever set the fire had really wanted to hurt Green Valley. "Did
you see anyone else around this area?"

"No, but I wasn't looking either. As soon as I saw the flames I rang
the bell for the water brigade and then went to the rain barrels to
start trying to put out what I could." His lips turned down as he
surveyed the damage. "A futile effort, obviously."

"You stopped it spreading to the other fields," she offered, hoping that
was some comfort. The Holder might have lost his crop, but the
fieldhands would also have seen their hard work going up in smoke. "Do
you know which part of the field it started in?" If there was an
arsonist, that might give a clue as to how they'd escaped.

Embric gestured with his head. "That corner nearest the shed was
already burnt up when I got here. _If_ someone started it, the shed
would have provided the perfect cover for it."

"All right if I take a look?" She retraced their steps back to the shed.
Like most structures in a Pass, it was stone-built so had survived the
flames, but the walls on the side nearest the field were darkened with
soot. If someone had been hiding here to start the fire, any tracks
would be long gone - but if they'd escaped towards the Hold, the way she
and Embric had just come, he'd have seen them.

When she walked around the far side of the building, she found a faint
track which looked as though it led along the edge of the field and out
towards the surrounding woods. Perhaps they'd gone that way, or else
they'd hidden in the shed itself and then mingled with the holders
coming to fight the fire. "Have you heard of anyone living out in those
woods? Any cotholds, or holdless camps?"

"No, ma'am, I haven't, but the guards would be better informed on that
front." Embric had never been around a female harper before. She was
certainly much better to look at than old Engad. "Maybe it was holdbrats
playing with fire? Could explain why they would have hidden to do it.
Then, once it spread out of control, they could have run, afraid of
getting in trouble."

"That's possible. I'll ask at the Hold, see if any kids came back late,
looking guilty. Or singed." She looked out over the destruction of the
field and winced. "If that's what happened, I wouldn't like to be in
their boots."

"Me either," Embric heartily agreed.

Last updated on the October 19th 2024

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The Scene of the Crime