Frozen Prospects (6 page)

Betreec
nodded. "That is well within her rights, especially
considering the close relationship between you and your son. We'll
listen to both parties tomorrow and rely on the Goddess to guide
us."

It
seemed as though Jasmin had heard all she needed to hear. She
gathered Va'del up with a glance and swept out of the room.

Mindful
of the warning that he'd received before going out, Va'del tried to
remain alert to his surroundings, and ready for possible trouble,
but he found it somewhat difficult in light of the wonders he was
shown in the next few cycles.

They
never let the youngsters see any of this back home. If I'd been
apprenticed, I'd have seen one of these areas, possibly two if I was
very lucky, but not everything.

The
large cavern where the village wanted to start farming was the first
thing Jasmin asked to see. Once there, she showed him the clever
way in which the villagers were using lichen to break rock chips
down into soil. "It is similar to how they start the mushroom
farms below us. Once the mushrooms have had a go at the human and
animal waste, what is left would actually serve quite well as a
medium for growing grain. Notice how the rock here is lighter in
color than most of the walls you've seen in the village so far? The
lighter rock should reflect more light back to the plants, so a
weaker light source could be used."

Their
guide took them through a large opening into another room, and
Va'del realized that there wasn't just one cave meant to be used for
growing, but two.

"Won't
they need two light sources if they have two rooms?"

Jasmin
shook her head. "Plants do best with alternate periods of
light and darkness. They can move a single light source between the
two caverns, and more than double the yield they'd otherwise get
from their crops."

Va'del
nodded, struck by the simple genius of the idea and realizing for
the first time on a truly fundamental level just how self-contained
each village was. "Where does the village get its water? Do
they have hot springs like mine did?"

Jasmin
shook her head. "They don't. Instead, some of the heat from
the village is allowed to escape up a slim hole to the outside.
That results in the snow melting and trickling down into cisterns
where it is stored until needed."

"If
there aren't any hot springs, what provides the heat to keep the
village from freezing?"

With
a smile that lit up her pale-blue eyes, Jasmin asked the guard who
was serving as their guide to take them to the heart chamber.

When
the trio arrived, Va'del's breath was taken away by the sheer beauty
of the fist-sized sapphire resting on the stone pedestal in the
center of the room.

Stepping
into the amazing heat of the room, Jasmin pointed at a series of
holes bored into the top of the walls, barely visible in the soft,
blue light provided by the sapphire. "Hot air rises, so these
allow the heated air to circulate out to various parts of the
village while the ones in the bottom allow cold air to come into the
room."

Va'del
shook his head in astonishment. "It is amazing. If it is so
powerful, though, why doesn't it give off more light?"

Jasmin
laughed, but it was an easy sound, not at all reproachful like the
Jas'per's braying, mocking laughter. "The creator of the Heart
Stone could have made it so that it gave off more light, but only at
the cost of reducing the amount of heat it provided."

Va'del
momentarily got the feeling that Jasmin was going to say something
else, but she looked at their guide, and then seemed to think better
of it.

"We'll
be fine to make it down to the mines on our own. I remember the
way, and am well acquainted with Master Miner Bac'tra."

After
the guard had bowed and left, Jasmin turned to Va'del. "The
creator of the Heart Stone was a Guadel. In fact, she comes through
our lineage."

Responding
to the look of confusion on the young man's face, Jasmin continued.
"There is very rarely any real family relationship between the
various people in a given Guadel lineage. Instead, those trained by
a specific Guadel are typically considered to be of that Guadel's
bloodline. Ironically enough, although we may be quite different in
appearance, generally speaking we choose to train people similar to
ourselves, and consequently the men of the bloodline will have the
same qualities, and seek out the same kinds of wives."

Va'del
nodded despite being sure there were subtleties he wasn't grasping.
Encouraged, Jasmin finished her explanation as they left the heart
room. "We're of the bloodline of Stephens. It was one of his
three wives that created the Heart Stone after he died and she took
up residence in the Capital. It is said it took her more than
twenty years to finish it, despite being one of the most powerful
magic users of her day."

Once
the pair arrived at the mine entrance, they were met by a short man
who was almost as heavily muscled as I'rone. Master Bac'tra greeted
Jasmin with a nod, listened as she introduced him to Va'del and then
looked him over with careful brown eyes. "You're a bit too
tall to really be a miner, at least the way we mine around here."

I
wonder if that was part of why the master miner at home never
approached me about becoming an apprentice. He always seemed a
relatively decent fellow.

For
all that the mines weren't as exciting as the heart room, Va'del
felt as though Bac'tra had casually poured weeks worth of knowledge
into his head. Different types of rocks, the way that seams tended
to come together, and the likeliest places to find gemstones were
all covered. It was enough to leave Va'del's mind spinning but
nothing stuck with him quite like Bac'tra's parting comment.

"Once
we're done with an area half the work is complete towards turning it
to livable space for when the settlement grows. Space is never an
issue. It's always the food as is the limiting factor."

##

The
mood when Va'del awoke was even more serious than normal among the
Guadel. When the young man finally questioned Jasmin she explained
as well as she was able. "The Headman here is for the most
part a good man. Usually he's scrupulously fair in his judgments,
but he's also got a temper. Add in the fact he's spoiled his son
more than he should have, and this may very well be one of those
instances in which the woman asking for us to review He'lo's
judgment is right."

Va'del
shrugged as he ate a piece of dried fruit from their food stores.
"So the three of you will find against the son and that will be
the end of it."

Betreec
overheard the explanation and shook her head. "Sometimes it's
not that easy. Tradition and law grant people the right to appeal
decisions to us, but that doesn't mean the rest of the villagers, or
the Headman even, can't make life miserable for the person who asked
for judgment."

Jasmin
handed Va'del his sword as she continued. "Also, the balance
of power between the Guadel and the Headman is a fragile thing. For
all it's carefully delineated, we've just come from an example of
just how difficult the headmen can make things for us if they're so
inclined."

Jasmin's
last few words were said with a kind of studied casualness that
Va'del suddenly realized signified some importance. Before he could
further examine the idea, I'rone led the four of them out of the
guest rooms and off to the secluded cavern that would serve as the
judgment room.

Although
Va'del did his best to follow everything that was said, he found
himself hard pressed to understand all of the particulars of what
had happened between the widow and the Headman's son.

It
took several cycles before I'rone finally nodded and sat back. He'd
asked quiet questions about a variety of things that never would
have crossed Va'del's mind, and Va'del wasn't sure what had prompted
more than half of them.

Betreec
asked the widow, the Headman and his son to leave, and then signaled
for Va'del to remain quiet. Once the judgment room was empty but
for the four of them, Jasmin closed her eyes briefly and then swayed
as she opened them. "They won't be able to overhear us now,
but let's be quick or I'll be so exhausted that you'll have to carry
me back."

Betreec
looked at Va'del. "I know that you aren't as well versed in
law and the finer points of contracts as the rest of us, but what do
you think about all of this?"

"I
guess it all boils down to the question of whether or not the
husband's death nullifies the agreement? If the contract is still
in effect, then the Headman's son has to pay out a substantial sum.
If not, then the widow is left essentially penniless."

I'rone
nodded. "So is it in effect?"

Va'del
opened his mouth, thought for a second, and then shrugged. "I
don't really know, but it seems to me that the son is a bit of a
sneak who has just latched on the excuse that the husband died as a
way of getting out of paying a substantial amount of money."

The
honest answer startled a chuckle out of Jasmin. "I think
you're right, but unfortunately the question is whether or not the
law supports him on this. He took a gamble, but in all fairness so
did the husband. It wouldn't be right to protect the husband, or
his widow, just because we don't particularly like the son."

"I
don't know then."

I'rone
picked up his copy of the agreement and pointed to a section,
causing Betreec to nod in agreement. "I think you're right.
This kind of accidental death isn't found among the dissolving
agents. The fact that we've seen a number of contracts which do
detail this kind of accident as nullifying a contract doesn't really
serve as an excuse to nullify this particular one."

Despite
her obvious weariness, Jasmin was also nodding now. "You're
right, other than to show that they should have included a provision
of that nature if they really wanted the contract to dissolve under
those circumstances."

Once
the three Guadel were in agreement, Va'del was sent out to summon
everyone back into the room, and I'rone, of all people, issued the
final judgment.

The
normally terse Guadel waxed incredibly eloquent as he explained the
relevant points of the contract, and why they'd decided as they had.
In fact, I'rone did such a good job that when all was said and
done, even the son didn't seem overly upset.

For
all that I'rone's speech was exactly the kind of thing Va'del
usually would have wanted to remember, when the massive man finished
and sat down, the younger man found that he couldn't remember a word
that had been said.

She
was so grateful. The relief on her face was the most amazing thing
I've seen. She really didn't have anywhere else to turn for help.
If not for the Guadel, she'd never have received justice. Jasmin
and the others are trying to help me, just like they helped her.

The
trip back to the guest rooms seemed to pass in a blur. Once the
group arrived, Va'del turned to Jasmin. "I've thought about
it, and if you're still willing I'd like you to make my arm heal
faster. I'm sorry I got mad when you fixed my lungs. I'm ready now
for whatever changes need to happen for me to become a Guadel if
you'll all still have me."

Jasmin's
expression instantly changed. She wasn't angry or unhappy with him
in any way, but it was obvious he'd just crossed over into serious
territory.

"What's
occasioned this change, Va'del?"

If
the expression was merely stern, the words were almost accusatory,
and Va'del suppressed a sudden flash of hurt that Jasmin, of all
people, would suddenly turn on him.

"I
don't understand. I thought this is what you wanted. For me to
become a Guadel, to be like you."

Jasmin
shook her head. "What I want isn't an issue at the moment.
Please answer the question. Why have you suddenly decided you're
willing to do things that were so distasteful to you just a few days
ago?"

Va'del
suddenly realized the repercussions of failing this particular exam
could be far reaching.

"I'm
not sure. It's more of a feeling than anything I can really pin
down. I guess I just want to be able to help people like you all
just did by sitting in judgment. There are so many people out there
who don't have anywhere to turn for help, and the Guadel are the
helpers of last resort. I guess I can't think of any other way I
could help so many people."

Jasmin
studied his expression for several seconds and then finally nodded
as her face relaxed into its usual smile. "Well then, I think
it's time we see about getting that arm patched up so you can be
ready to lend two good hands when they're needed."

Between
the long journey from Screaming Wind Village, and the two cycles of
one-armed weapons practice I'rone had put him through, Va'del was
possibly the most tired he'd ever been, but he didn't really care.
Not even the normal cycle's worth of law homework was enough to
discourage him.

As
Va'del shifted his sleeping mat so that it would shield him from the
cold wall he was leaning against, Jasmin came over and asked to look
at his arm. "It is healing up nicely now. I think we'll
probably be able to pull the splint off tomorrow morning before we
set out."

"Thanks.
It will be nice to be able to switch which hand is holding Sleepy's
guide rope."

Hearing
her name, the gurra bleated from the darkened corner serving as a
holding area for the animals.

Va'del
and Jasmin both laughed. Jasmin looked over to the far end of the
cavern where I'rone and Betreec were engaged in a discussion of
their own, and then leaned in and whispered. "Last night when
I worked on your arm I also made a little change that will make it
easier for you to put on muscle for the next little while."