Ghost Ship (8): What He Found

Writers: Eimi, Paula
Date Posted: 28th December 2017

Characters: Kiomo, Fymer
Description: Fymer reports on what he found while Kiomo was with Lady Xeladrie...
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 1, day 8 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentions: Xeladrie

"All right, what can you tell me?" Kiomo said, clapping his hands
together as he rejoined his friend. His discussion with Lady
Xeladrie had been interesting, and he had been loathed to leave, but
she was not his true mission on this particular journey.

While Kiomo had been socializing with the Lady Holder, Fymer had been
hard at work. There was even some dust on his nose.
"I found out quite a bit," the harper replied. He had arranged the
records to neat piles on the table. "Oh, and the Hold's archievist is
hating me when I commandeered him to help. Don't worry, I didn't tell
what we are looking for or why. I just needed some records the kept
separate from general archieve."

"I would have thought he would have loved to do some real work for a
change instead of just shelving books," Kiomo said, his nose starting
to itch at the dust in the air. "So, what have you managed to piece
together?"

"Where to start? That miner that married to Fingertail cothold?"

Leave it to a Harper to try to be dramatic about a bunch of dusty
Records. As if Kiomo would know what he found out and could pick a
different spot. "That sounds like a good place," he said with a wave
of his hand to continue.

"Right. Journeyman Toskar was assigned by Hall to Turquoise Bay Hold.
He was prospector and was looking for a new iron vein when the Hold's
main source of iron ore seemed to be running low. This was about a Turn
before Plagues. Toskar spent a lot of time scouting the islands and
sent regular reports," Fymer patted the appropiate pile of hides. "He
was very productive report writer. I admit I didn't undestand all his
minecraft jargon. Perhaps you understand it better, you come from
Garnet Valley, right?" Fymer slid the pile towards Kiomo.

"Well, I am not _from_ Garnet Valley exactly, but I did read a bit
about mining while I was living there. What am I looking at?" he
asked, grabbing a hide off the top.

"What he found, exactly. He found something he was excited about.
Besides the girl he ended marrying," Fymer took out the correct hide.
"He used lot of short hand and craft jargon. What does "au" stand
for?"

Kiomo had seen the same notation in the notes of the miners on the
ship and had looked it up, so it was with quick enthusiasm that he
replied, "Gold!" Had they really found it? The original prospecting
report? He quickly skimmed the document. "Looks like he found some
flakes in a river near the lighthouse. They were probably washed down
stream. He promises to look for the source and give more details in
the next report. Shards, this looks like it!"

"Gold? Wow!" Fymer peered over Kiomo's shoulder. "I didn't even know
you can find gold from island. I always thought it just appeared on
mountains."

"What is an island but a mountain in the sea?" Kiomo shrugged.
"Besides, the rivers have to come from somewhere and they flow
downwards, so there must be mountains on the island."

He reached for the next document in the stack and skimmed the page
quickly. "Looks like he followed the flakes up the river into the
mountains. See! Mountains! And he said at this time he has not
quite pinned down the source because of the terrain, but he is going
to try to come at the river at a higher elevation and see if the
flakes continue and he will report more as soon as possible. How many
more of these are there?"

Fymer just nodded and went thru the piles again. "Ah, here's two more
from our new favourite miner," he said and handed them over to Kiomo.

"All right, well... " Kiomo looked them over, first one then the
other with a furrowed brow. "This one says that he couldn't get above
the waterfall in the river and slipped and fell trying, so he was
being tended to by a healer. And then this is just a quick note
saying that due to Plague being reported on the surrounding islands,
the port was being shut down. No more reports would be sent until
further notice. Nothing more than that."

"He probably fled the island with rest of the population," Fymer said.

"And I bet he fled with his new wife's family to Carnelian Coast."
Kiomo bit his lower lip for a moment. "Fymer, did you find any other
mention of Journeyman Toskar's discovery on the island?"

"I don't think so," Fymer replied. Of course, he couldn't be totally
sure, there was whole lot of records and he hadn't inspected them all.
That would take more than a lifetime.

"Can I ask, how hard it is to make Records disappear? Like, say,
these reports here?" Kiomo tapped the stack they had just been
reading.

"Oh, there's couple of ways. Have you seen any fireplaces or ovens
around?" Fymer asked with a glance around. "Although you can be
spotted doing that. Safer is ah, misfiling them. To a place it's never
going to be found. There are records nobody even needs or looks thru
them."

"So, if I just picked up this stack here and uh..." Kiomo stood and
lifted the back of his tunic enough to hide it under the hem of his
trousers. "Would that work?"

"Unless someone hugs you or pats your back. I wouldn't go to toilet
either," Fymer replied with some dry amusement.

"No, of course not," the Holder said with an innocent smile. "And
look at the time. I think I had better go back to my room and change
for the evening meal. I can't go covered in all this dust..."

"Of course not," Fymer chuckled. He has done his share of 'making
records disappear' or 'mysteriously appear'. So his consience wasn't
bother at all.

Last updated on the January 1st 2018

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Ghost Ship (8): What He Found