Happy birthday Max! Nothing will make your father feel old more than the steady increase in your age ;-)
To the max "We need to leave before Grace emerges," said Lord Derby into the silence that his last pronouncement had produced. "I feel like we're all procrastinating." "We have to walk past the Witnesses again, milord," said Samual. He sighed, and deftly picked footing that allowed him to jump a short way down from the Temple before he had to jump to the ground. "I might prefer to take my chances with her Ladyship." "She left her Byakhee unattended," said Tomasz, following Samual's lead. "They can support the weight of two of us back to home. But one of us will still need to walk past the Witnesses." "Obviously me," said Lord Derby with no pause. Samual looked at him, his eyes bright, ready to argue. "Because only Tomasz knows how to fly one of those things, and I have, based on our outward journey, only thirteen of those things to listen to. Which is one less than both of you." "Or I could fly Samual past the Witnesses and return for you," said Tomasz. "I don't see this as an either-or situation." Lord Derby smiled. "Indeed, you are quite right. The obstacle is not that great. Quickly then, let us leave before Grace finishes whatever she is doing in the Temple and comes back out looking for us." "What is she doing in there?" said Samual. He looked back at the squat stone building, noting the scars and scrapes in the stone. When considered as a fortification, something that had seen battle, the Temple seemed somehow more dangerous. "If she was just looking for us then she should have come out straight away." "We don't know how large it is inside," said Lord Derby. "Or who... or what else might be in there." "Just when I thought you couldn't get anymore cheerful," muttered Tomasz. "Come on then, let's go."
The Byakhee was restless as they approached it, stamping it's clawed, chicken-like feet and raising and settling the black-and-red feathers on the back of its neck. Tomasz made a clucking noise that seemed to calm it, and then cursed under his breath in Polish until Samual nudged him. "She's just thrown the saddle on," he said. "Look, it's digging in -- it's actually cutting into the Byakhee. No wonder she's so upset, this is disgraceful." "Grace is disgraceful," said Lord Derby, letting a smile turn his lips up briefly. "Indeed, I think there is much truth to that. Then sort out the saddle and fly Samual over. I wish to... talk to a Witness." Behind his back Tomasz and Samual exchanged appalled looks, and then got down to resaddling the Byakhee and mounting up.
The fourteenth Witness stayed silent as Lord Derby approached it, but when he turned to the thirteenth it started whispering again, barbed words and accusations that were hard not to listen to. He forced himself to ignore them until he was standing in front of it, and then relaxed a little, hearing it. ...to the maximum the law allows. But you are above the law, Investigator, and you choose to use that privilege to your own ends, and we little people are trodden beneath your noble feet... Lord Derby lifted his hand to his eyes as though shading them from the sun. As he did so he heard the squawk of the Byakhee overhead. The Witness fell immediately silent, and then spoke only one word in a tone of utter respect. Sire. "That can't be good," said Lord Derby softly, to himself. He kept his hand at his eyes and walked the length of the Witnesses swiftly, finding himself more disturbed by the silence than he had been by the accusations.
That can't be good... no, no it can't. That is an impressively sinister little turn you've pulled off at the end there. Concerning and intriguing and all that good stuff.
2 comments:
Happy birthday Max! Nothing will make your father feel old more than the steady increase in your age ;-)
To the max
"We need to leave before Grace emerges," said Lord Derby into the silence that his last pronouncement had produced. "I feel like we're all procrastinating."
"We have to walk past the Witnesses again, milord," said Samual. He sighed, and deftly picked footing that allowed him to jump a short way down from the Temple before he had to jump to the ground. "I might prefer to take my chances with her Ladyship."
"She left her Byakhee unattended," said Tomasz, following Samual's lead. "They can support the weight of two of us back to home. But one of us will still need to walk past the Witnesses."
"Obviously me," said Lord Derby with no pause. Samual looked at him, his eyes bright, ready to argue. "Because only Tomasz knows how to fly one of those things, and I have, based on our outward journey, only thirteen of those things to listen to. Which is one less than both of you."
"Or I could fly Samual past the Witnesses and return for you," said Tomasz. "I don't see this as an either-or situation."
Lord Derby smiled. "Indeed, you are quite right. The obstacle is not that great. Quickly then, let us leave before Grace finishes whatever she is doing in the Temple and comes back out looking for us."
"What is she doing in there?" said Samual. He looked back at the squat stone building, noting the scars and scrapes in the stone. When considered as a fortification, something that had seen battle, the Temple seemed somehow more dangerous. "If she was just looking for us then she should have come out straight away."
"We don't know how large it is inside," said Lord Derby. "Or who... or what else might be in there."
"Just when I thought you couldn't get anymore cheerful," muttered Tomasz. "Come on then, let's go."
The Byakhee was restless as they approached it, stamping it's clawed, chicken-like feet and raising and settling the black-and-red feathers on the back of its neck. Tomasz made a clucking noise that seemed to calm it, and then cursed under his breath in Polish until Samual nudged him.
"She's just thrown the saddle on," he said. "Look, it's digging in -- it's actually cutting into the Byakhee. No wonder she's so upset, this is disgraceful."
"Grace is disgraceful," said Lord Derby, letting a smile turn his lips up briefly. "Indeed, I think there is much truth to that. Then sort out the saddle and fly Samual over. I wish to... talk to a Witness."
Behind his back Tomasz and Samual exchanged appalled looks, and then got down to resaddling the Byakhee and mounting up.
The fourteenth Witness stayed silent as Lord Derby approached it, but when he turned to the thirteenth it started whispering again, barbed words and accusations that were hard not to listen to. He forced himself to ignore them until he was standing in front of it, and then relaxed a little, hearing it.
...to the maximum the law allows. But you are above the law, Investigator, and you choose to use that privilege to your own ends, and we little people are trodden beneath your noble feet...
Lord Derby lifted his hand to his eyes as though shading them from the sun. As he did so he heard the squawk of the Byakhee overhead. The Witness fell immediately silent, and then spoke only one word in a tone of utter respect.
Sire.
"That can't be good," said Lord Derby softly, to himself. He kept his hand at his eyes and walked the length of the Witnesses swiftly, finding himself more disturbed by the silence than he had been by the accusations.
Greg - indeed.
That can't be good... no, no it can't. That is an impressively sinister little turn you've pulled off at the end there. Concerning and intriguing and all that good stuff.
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