Treevi was heard by the traveling Circuit Judge sent out from the Royal Court in Dronned. The court sat in the constable's office, which was hot and crowded when all the Gillos, plus Pern Treevi and his team of legal advocates, were gathered inside.
The judge gaveled the session into order and began an examination of the papers. He searched through them, studied the deed, checked the seal for authenticity with a book of seals, and looked up.
"These papers as presented by Ware Gillo appear to be correct and in order."
Arguments were then presented by the legal advocates. These arguments were laced with airy verbiage and long, complex references to ancient laws governing the construction and maintenance of seaponds.
The judge listened patiently for several hours. When the Treevi lawyers had finally finished their presentation the judge referred to several notes. Then he called the lawyers forward and peppered them with questions.
"Where, in all this train of argument, do you make the case that Ware Gillo's deed to the seapond in question is without merit?"
The lawyers hemmed and hawed, one or two began long perorations, but the judge cut them short.
"Have you any evidence that invalidates this deed?" He raised the deed and showed it to them.
There was no such evidence.
After a short summation of the case the judge announced that he had found in favor of Ware Gillo. The seapond belonged to Ware Gillo, by clear title and deed.
Outside the constable's office Pern Treevi and his friends gathered in an angry group and raked the Gillos with hard stares. Ware and Thru brought up the rear of the Gillo family and returned the hard stares with smiles, ignoring the malice directed toward them.
There was a long, loud celebration at the Gillo house that night, and Thru found himself receiving the attention of several of the young mors who were present, as well as indulgent smiles from mothers and grandmothers. His own mother, meanwhile, watched him with an anxious eye.
He knew she was desperate to have him fall in love with a family mor and settle and live in the community, adding to her kin-group. Going off to Dronned opened up all sorts of other possibilities, none of which she liked to consider.
But Thru remained unmoved throughout it all. He was happy to talk, cheerful and open, and yet he did not call on the young mors afterward.
He finished the great "Chooks and Beetles" mat and laid it up with the others, then decided on a final hike up to Cormorant Rock, just to see the great view of the land once more before heading south to Dronned.
As he went northward on the trail he had the feeling that someone was following him. At a sudden turn in the trail where it hooked around a crag, he ran ahead and climbed to the ridgeline some two hundred feet above. He crouched immobile behind a tree and watched the trail below.
After a little while he saw Ulghrum, Pern's hired heavyweight, stealing along the trail. Ulghrum slowed when he realized that there was no sign ahead of Thru. He slipped off the trail and hid himself behind some bushes.
Thru thought about this and its implications. None were good. He doubled back behind Ulghrum and got into a position where he could watch. Ulghrum stealthily crept back to the trail and looked up and down, then he crossed it and began to climb the mossy soil under the trees. As Thru watched, Ulghrum carefully tracked up the ridgeline until he came on Thru's tracks near the top.
Ulghrum immediately hid himself.
Thru nocked an arrow and waited.
After several minutes had gone by he saw Ulghrum leave cover and start to move along the ridgeline, following Thru's trail. Ulghrum had drawn his own bow and nocked an arrow.
There was no doubt in Thru's mind that Ulghrum planned to kill him.
Still, he could not take the mot's life without breaking the law. It would be murder to kill Ulghrum. And there were no witnesses to a plea of self-defense.
Therefore, he released his arrow from hiding and at a
The judge gaveled the session into order and began an examination of the papers. He searched through them, studied the deed, checked the seal for authenticity with a book of seals, and looked up.
"These papers as presented by Ware Gillo appear to be correct and in order."
Arguments were then presented by the legal advocates. These arguments were laced with airy verbiage and long, complex references to ancient laws governing the construction and maintenance of seaponds.
The judge listened patiently for several hours. When the Treevi lawyers had finally finished their presentation the judge referred to several notes. Then he called the lawyers forward and peppered them with questions.
"Where, in all this train of argument, do you make the case that Ware Gillo's deed to the seapond in question is without merit?"
The lawyers hemmed and hawed, one or two began long perorations, but the judge cut them short.
"Have you any evidence that invalidates this deed?" He raised the deed and showed it to them.
There was no such evidence.
After a short summation of the case the judge announced that he had found in favor of Ware Gillo. The seapond belonged to Ware Gillo, by clear title and deed.
Outside the constable's office Pern Treevi and his friends gathered in an angry group and raked the Gillos with hard stares. Ware and Thru brought up the rear of the Gillo family and returned the hard stares with smiles, ignoring the malice directed toward them.
There was a long, loud celebration at the Gillo house that night, and Thru found himself receiving the attention of several of the young mors who were present, as well as indulgent smiles from mothers and grandmothers. His own mother, meanwhile, watched him with an anxious eye.
He knew she was desperate to have him fall in love with a family mor and settle and live in the community, adding to her kin-group. Going off to Dronned opened up all sorts of other possibilities, none of which she liked to consider.
But Thru remained unmoved throughout it all. He was happy to talk, cheerful and open, and yet he did not call on the young mors afterward.
He finished the great "Chooks and Beetles" mat and laid it up with the others, then decided on a final hike up to Cormorant Rock, just to see the great view of the land once more before heading south to Dronned.
As he went northward on the trail he had the feeling that someone was following him. At a sudden turn in the trail where it hooked around a crag, he ran ahead and climbed to the ridgeline some two hundred feet above. He crouched immobile behind a tree and watched the trail below.
After a little while he saw Ulghrum, Pern's hired heavyweight, stealing along the trail. Ulghrum slowed when he realized that there was no sign ahead of Thru. He slipped off the trail and hid himself behind some bushes.
Thru thought about this and its implications. None were good. He doubled back behind Ulghrum and got into a position where he could watch. Ulghrum stealthily crept back to the trail and looked up and down, then he crossed it and began to climb the mossy soil under the trees. As Thru watched, Ulghrum carefully tracked up the ridgeline until he came on Thru's tracks near the top.
Ulghrum immediately hid himself.
Thru nocked an arrow and waited.
After several minutes had gone by he saw Ulghrum leave cover and start to move along the ridgeline, following Thru's trail. Ulghrum had drawn his own bow and nocked an arrow.
There was no doubt in Thru's mind that Ulghrum planned to kill him.
Still, he could not take the mot's life without breaking the law. It would be murder to kill Ulghrum. And there were no witnesses to a plea of self-defense.
Therefore, he released his arrow from hiding and at a
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