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SHARDIN WEYR, six months before our story begins
A high-pitched squeal sounded in the dim cavern and the abruptly cut off with a snapping sound. The body of a tunnelsnake dropped to the ground with a dull thud.
“Perfect,” a voice said softly. Hands with long, pale fingers wedged a cork onto a small glass vial in which several drops of liquid glinted. She tucked the vial into a cloth pouch at her belt and turned around to look at the body of the girl who lay on the stone shelf. Her hair, formerly so lovely, hung lankly now, obscuring the gash across her temple. A red stain showed on her chemise.
The woman used her toe to nudge the body of the tunnelsnake closer to the girl’s foot. Then she pulled a heavy crockery dish from a high shelf and smashed it on the ground, plucked up one of the broken shards, and brushed it against the still-bleeding wound on the girl’s head.
“Don’t worry my sweet,” the woman whispered. “Someone will surely be by here again in the next couple days.”
DUFAS HOLD, six months before our story begins
“Lord Bergal!” Tyros exclaimed, giving the man the half-bow due to an equal. “And Reptal, my boy. You’ve gotten… quite tall.” Tall was the kindest thing that could be said of Idjut Hold’s heir-apparent, who might more easily be described as “disgusting.” He was very tall, but he had no bulk to back up that height. His complexion was sallow, though it was difficult to tell under all the acne. His dark hair was too long and visibly greasy. His teeth were crooked and yellow.
“I’m not your long-lost nephew, Tyros,” Reptal said, leaving off the holder’s title.
Lord Tyros forced a smile, for Bergal’s sake, and turned back toward the Hold. “If you’ll follow me, my daughters are expecting you.”
The three men entered the hold and made the short trip to the formal reception room. Eight young women awaited them, lined up at the front in their gather best. Considering that they were all Tyros’ daughters, they were of nearly every shape and size, and once you got to know them, every disposition too. Several looked anxious about the audience, others looked bored, and at least one looked very unhappy.
“Lord Bergal, Reptal, I would like to introduce you to my daughters.” And they proceeded down the line from oldest to youngest, Tyros providing the name and virtues of each.
“And finally,” he concluded as they reached the last girl in line, “my Elphynia, my baby. She’s only fifteen you know,” he added with a nervous glance at the elder holder. “She hasn’t settled on any particular vocation yet, but you know… the impetuousness of youth and so on. Shall we eat?”
“I want her,” Reptal said, unwilling to be distracted.
“What?” Tyros said, intentionally refusing to understand.
“That last one. Elphynia, right? She’ll do.”
Tyros swallowed hard and ignored the loud moan coming from his youngest daughter. “Very good then,” he said, sounding only a little strangled. “I’ll have the steward draw up the papers while we eat.”
“We already have papers prepared,” Reptal said. He drew a rolled-up document from inside his coat and laid them on the table. Elphynia’s name was already drawn in, Tyros could see, plain and clear as day. “No need to draw this out and impose on your hospitality.”
Tyros gritted his teeth and signed the papers, wishing his older daughters would have the decency to escort the sobbing Elphynia out of the room.
Filed under: Act One, Fanfiction, Pern | Tagged: Bergal, Dufas Hold, Elphynia, Idjut Hold, Reptal, Shardin Weyr, Tyros | Leave a Comment »
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