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"Where was that?" asked Master Helmand as the folk around him whispered and nodded

"There’s a stone circle That’s where we caoes willingly to that place"

It was clear to Liath that the round, but the confession seemed to peel off a layer of suspicion from his scrutiny After all, how badly can fools threaten an are?

"You know the convent?" she asked hiuide to show us the way"

"Oh, yes They co a estured toward the chapel, seen now to be so small that no more than twenty folk could crowd into its nave "You have a chapel, I see"

"Yet no deacon" He hesitated, glanced at the other elders, and went on as they fluttered their hands and nodded their heads eagerly "Perhaps you’d take a request to the regnant, Eagle We’ll host you gladly, though we haven’tWe’re beholden to the regnant here, as you know Freeholders We have a charter!"

"Have you?" Liath asked with interest "When was it written?"

He cleared his throat Everyone looked embarrassed "Well, then, in the ti since We only hear it read aloud but twice the year at spring and fall, and this year at springtide none came from the convent to us"

"Did they not?" Liath looked at Thiadbold He shrugged "Have any gone to see if there is trouble there?"

"The river flooded The ford hasn’t been passable for h"

"Is there no hope of us winning through?"

He beckoned to aup on the walls This one came down, and it appeared he was a hunter and tracker for the holding, one who ranged wide

"I’m called Wulf," the man said by way of introduction after Helmand had explained the situation He looked to be about Thiadbold’s age, somewhere between late twenties and h, with handsome eyes and a warp to his chin froht be better now We can try"

"Weto the elders "We’ll be grateful for your hospitality I can read that charter for you, if you’ve a wish to hear it"

Oh, they did

An entire cere of their charter in the sa from the sandy seashore A table and chair were carried out into the open air and a cloth thrown over the table Every household brought cups and drink and set them on the common table Last, a pale horn was produced fro four times, once at each corner of the stockade, before they put it away Lanterns were lit as the inhabitants gathered, stationing themselves in a tidy semicircle, children at the front, adults behind All reest longhouse with a small cedar chest in his hands He set it on the table, opened it reverently, and uncovered folded parch down the top and the other the bottoh there was still enough light for Liath, at least, to read the bold letters

The text was succinctly written and began on the paler, flesh side of the vellurain side was blank and the corners showed a tendency to curl in that way The parchment had a hole in it, and the scribe had drawn her ruled lines and written in her text around the flaw The script had an old-fashioned look to it For one thing, it used all uncials, as they had done in those days The scribe’s hand had no beauty; Liath could have done a better job But she could read it

"‘I, Henry, by the Grace of God in Unity, Regnant over Wendar, do grant to the inhabitants of Freeburg the custo, she was re west of Gent, when she had read aloud a charter very like to this one "Whoever shall acquire property by clearing wastelands shall hold it for the sanant nor anyone else, shall de any requisition or aid… They shall pay neither tariff nor tax upon their food or the wine they have grown in their own vineyards … Whoever lives in the holding a year and a day shall afterward remain undisturbed’"