Reyr the Gold (Dragonwall Series # 2)

Chapter 36 - Byron's Decision

Fort Squall

Tamara and Lady Emmy entered Fort Squall's dining hall together, happily chatting about her lessons. It was mid-morning, so the breakfast dishes had long since been cleared. The hall's tables, except for one, stood empty with benches neatly pushed beneath. The room was quite airy when it wasn't full of bodies.

It was a common misconception that the hall's sole purpose was a place to serve meals or hold occasional gatherings. This misconception was far from the truth, for in fact, the hall was often in use during the entire day. When meals were not in session, it was used for meetings, group activities, training, and more. Today was such an occasion. Today, Tamara was to be familiarized with a new task.

There was only one group in the hall at this time. She and Lady Emmy approached a trestle table at the front of the room. There were a number of others assembled here—all Riders—gathered about a large, open book. Tamara's eyes widened when she saw that it took up nearly the full width of the table.

The happy chatting stopped when she and Lady Emmy were spotted. Those at the table rose to greet them. Tamara admired the respect they paid Lady Emmy. Their expressions mirrored fierce loyalty for their fort leader. She hoped that someday she might be respected in such a way. Respect was not given, it was earned. Lady Emmy had done well earning theirs. That made her the best sort of role model Tamara could have asked for.

After their greeting, Lady Emmy introduced Tamara. All of the Riders gave their names by way of introduction, even though Tamara had already met many of them. There was Amirah—Soren's Rider. Soren was a wing-second to Alark, and Brylee was Alark's Rider. She sat next to Amirah. Then there was Darya. They had spoken once or twice during dinner. Darya had a pleasant, dimpled smile, warm brown eyes, and a round face. Sandra was there too; she was Dagen's Rider. There was also Valda, Maranda, Ellira, Sable...

All too soon, the names of those she did not yet know began slipping from her mind. There were seventeen Riders in total, so it was a lot to remember. Yet, she was determined to remember their names as best as she could. Perhaps later in the day she would go back through them with Lady Emmy to practice.

"Tamara will join us henceforth," Lady Emmy explained when introductions came to an end. "She may not yet be mated, but I see no reason to withhold these duties until then." The Riders gave their approval in the form of complacent nods and welcoming smiles before returning to their task.

"Stand beside me, dear, and I will explain what we are doing here." Lady Emmy led Tamara around the table. At first it seemed silly; Emmy took several loops about the table, arm-in-arm with her, walking at a painfully slow pace. Tamara remained quiet, even though she wanted to ask why they weren't sitting with everyone else. After a few minutes she realized that Emmy was observing the conversations between the group. The Riders at the table were discussing shifts—patrols for each of the Dragondoms in their territory. They used the book to write out names, often scratching out one and replacing it with another. Some of the names had been scratched out so often, that the ink was almost unreadable.

When she had an opportunity, Tamara took a good look at the large book. It was made up entirely of timetables. Someone had taken on the painstaking task of drawing grids on each sheet of parchment, both front and back. It was in these boxes that names, times, and locations were written.

At this point, Emmy began to explain the situation. "Every two weeks, we convene to create patrol schedules. The Riders of Fort Squall's wing-leaders and wing-seconds are required to oversee this duty. Given that you are soon to be the Rider of a wing-second, this will become your responsibility too." Emmy paused as they rounded one end of the table and began their walk to the other end. "We try to plan four weeks in advance, but things often change, especially as of late."