<h2>Planet 5 / Ch. 36: Not shaving</h2>


    </a>The village of Nazik, Central Caneth


    “How old are you, Hwalf?” his mother asked the next morning.


    “Twenty-six, mother, why?”


    “How is it that I still need to remind you to shave then?”


    “Ah. Perhaps I should have told you, mother. I will not be shaving today.”


    “Your razor is blunt?”


    “No, mother. My razor is sharp, but I will not be shaving.”


    “You do not mourn that judge, surely!”


    “I do not mourn, mother, I celebrate.”


    “Celebrating death is wrong, Hwalf. Have I taught you nothing?”


    “I don''t celebrate death, mother. I honour God for bringing justice to the judge, but my not shaving is a thing to celebrate. There will be royalty at the moot, mother. Maybe the prince of Dahel, certainly the princess-regent and her husband, crown prince of the Isles, and her sister who likes my music.”


    “What music?”


    “The music I cannot play but can think of, mother. I''ve told you of my beautiful music, surely? She likes it, and has asked me not to shave.”


    “Hwalf, you spend too much time alone, coming up with such crazy stories.”


    “I''m not alone, mother. God is with me, Huthal is sometimes around when he wants to talk about God or beat me at Inek. Yesterday he did both, and decided that God''s judgement is worth avoiding.”


    “When will you shave, Hwalf?” his mother asked, exasperated.


    “When Princess Isthana decides, mother, or I decide I don''t like her. Her mother is from Tesk, prince Hal of the Isles is married to her sister. I assume that''s how she has the gift of Tesk.”


    His mother looked at him for a long time, and then said, “You once said that you could hear people''s thoughts.”


    “Nice of you to believe me at last mother. Isthana tells me she can decide to tune out people. I''ve never managed to. I could ask Tuga if he can, and how, I suppose.”


    “Who''s Tuga?”


    “The man who told me he''d given a map of believers in the doom-guard religion to the future empress of Dahel. She''ll probably be coming if the prince does, of course. Tuga also asked me to talk to Isthana. It was a bit embarrassing to find out that she''s a princess half way through talking to her, but she was quite sure she still wanted to talk to me.”


    “The doom-guard religion?” his mother asked, confused.


    “Dum-semb.”


    “But....” she didn''t finish, but he''d heard her thought.


    “Yes, mother. Father was part of it, before he died. But that was a mistake. The man who recruited him had been meant to recruit someone else. They only realised the mistake when Dad went to take his first vow. He never knew they sacrifice people.”


    “He was so proud to be asked to join,” his mother said.


    “That''s how they recruit. It''s all very clever. A club that''s actually a religion. Step by step they feed the pride and convince people that they''re more important than others. Pride and power and other sins. They don''t bother trying to recruit assistant camel herders.”


    “You knew,” his mother accused.


    “I told him. ''It''s sin, dad, they''re feeding your pride and teaching you to sin.''”


    “Your father was a good man,” she asserted.


    “Proud at the end, though. I''m just glad he didn''t get deeper into it. You should be too, mother.”


    Hit by a rare spark of insight, she asked “That''s why you dropped out of school?”


    “I didn''t want to be noticed, mummy. I still don''t, not that way. Don''t say anything, please. Pretend to be ignorant. What I can do is impossible, without God.”


    “All things are possible with him.”


    “Yes. But there are still dum-semb members around. I wondered what this gift was for but now I know. It''s for finding lost children and for being dum-semb''s worst nightmare.”


    “Janela was very thankful. You did a good thing pulling her boys out of the cistern.”


    “But she was not thankful enough to keep quiet like I asked her to. I''m glad Isthana has asked me to grow my beard, and is not just thinking about it. I told her all the women my age were mothers. I forgot that some were also widows already; Janela''s sister was looking for me yesterday evening.”


    “Which one?”


    “I cannot remember her name. The one who accidentally killed her husband.”


    “Linela. That''s just a nasty rumour, Hwalf, he was killed by an old wall falling on him.”


    “I know how he died, mother. She was thinking about it all through the funeral.” She''d lent on the other side.


    “And that''s why you don''t like Linela?” His mother asked.


    “I don''t want to grow my beard for any woman who does not love God, mother.”


    “And this stranger does?”


    “Isthana does, yes. And through her, God gave me a message for Huthal about the judge''s fate, which I told him before the lightning struck. So, for Isthana I do not shave.”


    “And how do you expect to earn enough to provide for a princess?”


    “God will provide, mother,” Hwalf said.


    “You don''t know, you mean,” she accused.


    “I know that there are far fewer dum-semb members than there were, mother. Perhaps I will look for another job after the moot. Now, I must go or I will not even be assistant camel herder.”


    <hr>


    </a>Village of Nazik, Central Caneth


    The sun was just approaching mid-day and the camels were resting when the soldiers arrived at the outskirts of the village. Captain Dalken, their commander, called them to a halt in the in the shade of the tree. There were twenty of them, on camel-back of course. “God has provided us with plenty of water,” Huthal said, modifying the traditional greeting, “Be welcome to drink all you desire, fill your water-skins and water your camels.”


    “We''re looking for the judge of this village,” the captain declared.


    “If you wish to discuss anything with him, you are too late. His body was buried in the ruins of his house yesterday.”


    “There were other fatalities?” the captain prompted.


    “He shouted something like ''Don''t mind the others, help me!'' We were chasing a loose camel, see, I was sure I''d hobbled it properly, but it ran off. We cornered it in in his outer courtyard, and the judge came out of the house to see what the noise was, and then the lightning struck his house, see? And the camel jumped right into his cistern, and the judge got hit by splinters of rock, one went right though his guts like a spear. That''s when he shouted it, see, and then the front of the house fell on him, and he screamed a bit that his legs were trapped, and then another wall fell on him, and he was buried. It was really clear he was going to be dead, so we, Hwalf and me, we got the camel out. Well, it was Hwalf mainly, then while we were getting the camel out, the flood hit the back wall, see, and even more of the house fell down. Hwalf, he saw a couple of kids being washed away, and so we went and chased them too. So there''s missing people, and they might be these others the judge was shouting about us ignoring, but we don''t know. It was pretty late by the time we got the kids back to their mother, see? Stupid place to build a house, right in the wadi, but it was the centre of the village and he never did listen.


    "Thought it was very clever of him to have shade from the banks, and no one remembers that much water in the wadi, ever, and of course his cisterns got full first and he charged people a lot to get at his water. All the cisterns are full now. All of them, that''s not happened even in my grandad''s life.”


    “I see. So who''s missing?” the captain asked.


    “About twenty people, maybe. I don''t know. No one''s seen the mayor or his wife, but maybe they''re just hiding, on account of their friend the judge being judged by God. The wife of the inn-keeper''s gone, but then she might have run off with the money-lender, who''s gone too. Except she was more want to flirt with the policeman who''s vanished with his wife too, and his deputy. Inn-keeper''s wife won''t have run off with him, because he''s her brother. The boss seems to be missing, but then, he''s a friend of the judge too. Then there''s Nangi and his henchmen, who some people say are bullies and others say are robbers, mentioning no names, but they certainly have money and loaf around the judge''s place a lot. Or they did before they vanished. Then there''s about seven traders who haven''t been seen, some with their wives. Looks like everyone in the dum-semb group has vanished, really, except for old Turb, who they found without his head in the rubble.”


    “You said ''the dum-semb group''?”


    “Yeah, it''s this kind of secret club for the rich and powerful.” Huthal said, “Hwalf says it''s illegal, but if it were, what would the judge be doing in it?”


    “Is this Hwalf a trustworthy man?”


    “Yeah, trustworthy. Not very clever, but honest. I don''t think he''s ever won a game of Inek except when I make mistakes. I mean, yesterday, he''d almost beaten me and he just looked away at the critical moment so I could take his king.”


    “I see,” the captain said. “Does he have enemies?”


    “Hwalf? Who''d bother picking Hwalf as an enemy?”


    “Rivals in love?”


    “Look, officer, you don''t know Hwalf. He''s honest, he''s trustworthy, he used to be pretty smart at school until just before his dad died, then it''s like he just decided that his ambition was to do nothing, impress no-one. Like at Inek. If you want to beat someone at Inek, play Hwalf. He''s not easy to beat, he''s tricky, and you''ll know you''ve had to work to beat him, most of the time. If you make so many stupid mistakes that you deserve to lose then you will. But I''ve watched him play others who can wipe the floor with me. They work to beat him too. He plays to play, not to win. He doesn''t chase girls, and they don''t even notice him. Except Linela, last night, it was her sisters kids he found, see, and then surprise surprise he wasn''t there. He''s got no ambition except to be left alone.”


    “Thank you for your explanation,” Captain Dalken said, “so you believe dum-semb is no longer in this village?”


    “Maybe some of the trader''s wives. I don''t know.”


    “Just so you know, dum-semb is the religion of the doom-guard.”


    “That''s what Hwalf said he thought, yes. But he said that no one he''d spoken to could confirm that. And the judges in the neighbouring towns often turn up to their secret meetings.”


    “If the meetings are secret, how do you know about them?”


    “Because they don''t leave their camels to wander away, and even if the boss brings them, it''s not hard to recognise a camel even without it''s harness.”


    “Not for someone that knows them, no.” the captain agreed. “What about this one?”


    “This is Vini. My greetings to Hwelef when you return one of his best behaved animals.”


    “Well done, man. Very well done. So who would you say was the most influential person in the village now?”


    “That''s a tough one. Inn-keeper, maybe? Or the pastor?”


    “And you can watch these camels for us? Standard army rates, of course.”


    “Certainly sir!” Huthal agreed. Twenty camels at army rates when the boss was missing was going to make his wife very happy.


    It was not until the evening that the captain tracked down Hwalf, returning from where he''d been grazing the camels.


    “You''re a hard man to find, assistant camel herder Hwalf.”


    “If I''d known you were looking for me, captain...” Hwalf said, but shrugged.


    “You''d have hidden better?”


    Hwalf shrugged, “Probably not. I don''t like to upset people. I was simply with the camels. I could not have come before my replacement arrived, but you could have come to find me. Of course, the horrible things kick, so maybe you chose the wiser course.”


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    “You play Inek, I understand.” the captain said.


    “I do, captain.” Hwalf said.


    “I''ve not met many who can beat me.”


    “I''ve met plenty who beat me.” Hwalf countered, with a winning smile.


    “So I understand. A certain assistant camel-herder implied that you let people win. I would like to see you try to beat me.”


    “Some people say that, but they don''t really mean it, in my experience. They find it upsetting.” Hwalf countered.


    “You knew that dum-semb was the religion of the doom-guard.” The captain said trying a different tack.


    “People don''t like to know such things. It scares them. And who listens to assistant camel herders?” Hwalf asked.


    “Who did you try to tell?” It was half an accusation. Failing to report a capital crime was itself a crime.


    “Other than assistant camel herder Huthal who did not believe me? There was no official in the village who was not part of it, except the pastor who is a timid man with heart trouble. We had no regular visitors who did not seem to be part of it. My cousin was becoming a trader, he travelled to distant towns. I told him. He was careful to find someone he thought he could trust in a far-off village. When he returned here, within a week he had been killed, sacrificed.


    That was about five years ago. You are the first soldiers to visit our village since, except during the market season. During the market season, the soldiers are always watched, to ensure that no-one approaches them. It is a simple thing for an assistant camel herder who no one considers a threat to notice this extra watchfulness. It is altogether more difficult to find someone to tell. I suppose I could have left the village with my mother and followed the trade-route to the city. Except of course I have no camel of my own, and it is easy for mounted men to catch up with someone on foot.”


    “A letter...”


    “Is easy to spot in a village where the only post is for visitors or the pastor who I felt I could not tell because of his heart, and of course the fact that his brother was involved, on the edges. As was my father for a time, before he died, but that was a case of mistaken identity, I heard some of them discussing what to do with this peasant who''d just become a member by an accident of name. So I believe this hand goes to me.”


    “You speak in terms of Inek?” The captain asked.


    “Yes,” Hwalf agreed.


    “So you will play against me?” there was an eagerness in the captain, Hwalf heard. He really did want to play Hwalf at his best.


    “And I will allow you to discover if your only mistake was simply telling me you wanted to lose, or if you are able to lose some other way.” Hwalf said, calmly, setting up the board on a table of the inn. “Is this a new policy of patrol? To play camel herders at Inek?”


    “I have been asking questions. There has to be a judge in each village. There must also to be a policeman and deputy, but those roles can be filled by a couple of my men. You are seen as honest and impartial.”


    “Oh, I''m very partial.” Hwalf said, “Partial to be left alone, to not stand out, to not make powerful enemies.”


    “Such as dum-semb?”


    “The evil one has other accomplices, but they must surely be among his favourites. Feeders of pride, perverters of justice, destroyers of life.”


    “You say you do not wish a public role, but I am told you do not turn aside from roles that people need you to fill.”


    Hwalf didn''t bother to deny it. Sometimes he considered it a failing. But if he was needed, then he was needed. “You think that if I beat you at Inek it will prove I am the one for the job?”


    “How you beat me will tell me a lot about you, I think.” The captain said, truthfully. Hwalf knew the theory: a crook would try to steal, and so on.


    “Perhaps I will manage to confuse you so much that you agree that I am not the one for the job. Or at least, that it is only a temporary post until you can seek advice from the capital? I will hope for that. As you are my guest, you may choose sides, and choose order of play. You may even choose to use your own cards if you do not trust mine. They are not marked. Do you have your own dice? Mine are worn and have a tendency to prefer threes.”


    “A useful number for defender.”


    “The tendency is no match for strategy, and you are a strategic player, I think.”


    “And you?”


    Hwalf laughed, “I am your worst enemy or your best friend, captain. If you wish to lose, you will, if you wish to win and do not make stupid mistakes, you will. If you need teaching, I will try to give it. If you are proud, beware your fall. Inek is an easier game than life, and in life I wish you to face some uncertainties.”


    “You speak as a mystic.” Dalken said.


    “Me? I''m no mystic. I''m only someone wishing to sow confusion. Is it working?”


    “I will play defence, and move first.”


    “A bold strategy. Or foolish. Would you also like to deal?”


    “I leave you that honour.”


    And so the game began. The captain seemed to be a good player, but choosing defence with first move and not being dealer had a fatal flaw, if the first move was one of the normal ones. So it was that Hwalf beat him in the minimum possible number of moves. Hwalf said, “Hardly a fair game, captain. All I have proven is that the fatal flaw is fatal.”


    “I''ve not seen a victory so swift, however, nor to a king-side opening.”


    “Each generation forgets what their grandfathers learned the hard way, captain. And my great-grandfather taught me when I was young. Would you like me to play defence-first so you can try to reply?”


    “This should be interesting,” the captain said.


    “You really wish to lose?”


    “Yes,” Dalken replied.


    “Then my move is this.” Hwalf said, moving the most insignificant of his pieces sideways.


    The captain''s eyes opened wide. Normally a defence-first strategy left the major pieces open for an attack because pieces were out of position. Hwalf''s move had made no difference at all to that attach scenario, effectively turning the defence-first game into an attacker-first one.


    “You have disarmed my whole game-play,” the captain said.


    “If you do not like the game, captain, then it is normally possible to play another one.”


    The captain smiled, and discarded one of his cards.


    “See! The student thinks he learns,” Hwalf moved his insignificant piece back again, “But he forgets something that is important.”


    By discarding, the captain had weakened his hand, and the advantage he''d hoped to gain evaporated. He groaned at being caught in such a childish mistake. Some of his men started to gather around.


    It was plain that Hwalf could play that waiting game forever, or at least as long as he possessed the insignificant piece.


    And so the game began in earnest, and the crowd saw the might of the most powerful attacking pieces failing to pin down what was supposedly the weakest piece on the board. Hwalf''s major pieces were almost entirely ignored by both players, until Hwalf played a card that gave him an extra move, and with a major piece he took three of the captain''s pieces in quick succession, and with them the game.


    “You forget, captain, that no real battle plan survives contact with the enemy,” Hwalf said.


    “And I was so intent on catching your annoyance that I left myself wide open,” the captain said ruefully. “Two childish mistakes in one game.”


    “It is not polite to agree with one''s guest in all circumstances,” Hwalf said, to the amusement of the soldiers.


    “Another game?” the captain asked.


    “I think perhaps the inn-keeper might like some custom,” Hwalf said, “whether we occupy his tables more or not.”


    “You heard him, men.” the captain said, “If you''ve been watching, you need to be a customer, but if you get drunk you''re on report.”


    “A small bowl of stew, please.” Hwalf said, to the now grinning inn-keeper.


    “Stew''s off, Hwalf, seeing as my cook has vanished.”


    “I''m sorry,” Hwalf said, “she was at the judge''s meeting?”


    “Probably. I''ve told her to stay clear, but...” the inn-keeper shrugged. “She was a good cook and a poor wife, and I was a poor husband. I''ll miss her, but not as much as I should.”


    “Pastor says Janela''s sister Linela is a good cook.”


    “You''re not growing your beard for her then?” the inn-keeper asked. “I heard she was asking after you last night.”


    “She''s not found me to ask, and if she did I''d tell her to look at my chin, and it''s not for her.”


    “But you won''t say who for?”


    “Not while I''m trying to spread confusion in the captain''s brain, no. I''d have to ask her if she wants it secret a bit longer.”


    “Fair enough,” the inn-keeper said, nodding. “I can do you plate of fried vegetables.”


    “That''d be good, thank you.”


    “And for the good captain?” the inn-keeper asked.


    “I''d not object to a plate of fried vegetables, especially if it had some meat in it too. I don''t mind sharing with my teacher here, and I''ll pay for both.”


    “See, the captain tries to put me in his debt. I accept if he will play attacking, first move, and avoid childish mistakes.”


    “Who deals?” the captain asked.


    “Your choice.”


    “Then as I wish to be beaten at my strongest, I will deal.”


    “Perhaps you should sell tickets, master inn-keeper,” Hwalf said. “The captain wishes to lose, so the game may take some time.”


    “Hwalf,” the inn-keeper said, “you always lose.”


    “Most people want to win. The captain wishes to fight hard and yet be beaten, and yet is forgetting what I said about when his friend can also be his enemy, which is sad considering recent events.”


    “The judge?” the captain asked, confused.


    “Tew.”


    “You''re saying you''re a spy?”


    “Of course not, captain. But if your eyes betray your thoughts to me are they not both your friends and enemies?”


    “You are more than a simple camel herder, that''s certain,” Dalken said.


    “Oh, absolutely.” Hwalf said. “I''m a complex assistant camel-herder, an unpublished and unknown composer of what might be beautiful songs, a natural born-cynic, a teacher of truth, and a spreader of the good-news, and to top it all off, according to Huthal, a lazy lizard. You have challenged me, captain, to put aside the lizard, and so unfortunately has someone you may have seen from a distance or even met, so the lizard must go. It''s very sad. Your deal, your attack, your move, your strategy won''t work against me, sorry. I haven''t learned how to be taken by surprise yet.”


    “What are you talking about, Hwalf?” Huthal asked, coming to see what was attracting the crowd.


    “The captain wishes to be beaten,” Hwalf said. “So the lone lazy lizard must put aside his long-established policy and become a hunter rather than prey for a while, at least. Hopefully it only costs me funny looks.”


    “You think you''re going to win?” Huthal asked, peering at the captain''s cards and then Hwalf''s.


    “Sadly, I''m quite sure of it.” Hwalf said. “It''s very unfair of the captain to do this to me. Perhaps I should lodge a complaint against him at the palace? I doubt the princess would agree with me though.”


    “What have you been drinking, Hwalf?” Huthal asked.


    “Water and that heady intoxicant known as rekindled hope, Huthal. You can blame the captain, the princess and the musician if you wish. Or the sovereign Lord I serve. See, I sow confusion in your mind as well as the captain''s.”


    “He''s drunk.” Huthal said.


    The captain decided on his plan and made his move. Hwalf ignored that move and countered the trap the captain had planned for four moves ahead. It became an epic battle of thwarted attacks and ignored feints. Nothing the captain tried worked.


    “Captain, do you wish to resign now?”


    “You''ve not taken a single piece yet.”


    “I play national crisis,” Hwalf said, putting down the two cards that reset the captain''s pieces and all but two of his. The audience groaned for the captain''s sake. Hwalf''s major defence pieces were in perfect position to annex half the captain''s manoeuvring territory.


    “Doubled,” the captain said, discarding all his cards and picking up just one in exchange. It was a risky strategy, played by instinct, rather than planning.


    Hwalf smiled. “Well done, captain Dalken. I didn''t expect that.” The board was back to the start, and the captain tried another attack pattern. The dice throws of conflict came quick then, and the captain seemed to be winning for a while, but as soon as he returned to strategy Hwalf started to out-manoeuvre him. The confusion on the captain''s face became more and more evident.


    “Tew, you said,” the captain said at last. “And so it seems. At strategy you beat me, so I must dismiss strategy as useless.” He used his last card to move two major attack pieces into conflict with one of Hwalf''s major defenders.


    “A suicidal move, unless the dice are your friends,” Hwalf observed. One attacker was destroyed, but the other was victorious. The captain smiled, “sometimes, when the odds are against you, the possibly suicidal charge is the best solution.” On instinct the captain did nothing, gained a new card, and thought about how nice it would be to see princess Winessa again. His next move was again played without a long-term goal, a simple reinforcing of his position, keeping his options open.


    Hwalf''s grin widened. “You are certainly a versatile opponent, captain. See what you can learn about me from this.” His move blocked one of the four attacks the captain had been thinking of.


    Inek was a game that could be played mainly on the board, as had been the case so far, but it could also be played with the cards and dice. There were always different options for the attacking player. The captain was truly an excellent player, and his instincts were good. But the crowd could tell he wasn''t playing with a single goal in mind, his moves were coming too quickly, too erratically. Hwalf was able to defend, but had the luxury of planning. Gradually the attacker''s position weakened. Dalken then decided on a set-piece attack that he used against Winessa, and carefully thought about how he wanted the play to proceed. It was a trap for thought-hearers. Hwalf ignored the fake plans. “Have you just arrived from Caneth city, captain?” Hwalf asked conversationally. There were some laughs from the audience, as the innocuous-sounding question implied total ignorance about desert life.


    “Better to say I arrived back from the city a few weeks ago.”


    “Ah, so you have no up-to date news,” Hwalf said, thinking to Isthana [Do you know a captain Dalken?]


    [Winessa''s boyfriend. He''s there?] Isthana asked mentally.


    “Some.” Dalken replied to Hwalf''s earlier question, “We passed a telegraph station a few days ago.”


    [He wants to lose to me at Inek. And to make me judge over this village.]


    “Will Tesk be joining the confederacy?” Hwalf asked, making his move.


    “Tesk and Dahel join the Committee of Nations.”


    [What do you think?] Isthana asked.


    [The lazy lizard will have to wake up and stop being scared. But I think you want me to do that too, don''t you?]


    [Yes.]


    “Ah, small steps first, that''s sensible.” Hwalf said. “And the leeward kingdoms will be invited too?”


    “Some have been, yes. It is difficult to travel through the mountains.”


    “Especially to those not used to it. I expect most of us living here would find it difficult to travel through marshland without becoming stuck or eaten. You have warned the judges of our neighbouring villages about the religion they''re part of?”


    “I will be checking your back soon, unusual herdsman, as we checked theirs.”


    “You may check now if you like. And may the lord God judge all who knowingly follow dum-semb the murderous religion of the doom-guard, as he judged the corrupt judge of this village, and may he show mercy on those who have been caught in its web and bring them to repentance.”


    “Amen.”


    [Any message for him from Winessa?] Hwalf asked Isthana.


    “It''s easy to be brave now there are none in the village, captain,” Hwalf said.


    “Are you sure there are none?”


    [Bethania says she''ll be coming to the moot too if Esme lets her.]


    “Yes. And I want you to ask yourself if you''d take such a risky strategy against any high-councillor of Tesk.”


    “The high councillors of Tesk can hear thoughts, herder Hwalf.”


    “They can, I know. I was told once that apart from one a long long time ago, they''ve always been women. You have two or three moves before I beat you, I think.”


    “That few?”


    “I may be wrong. The future is in the hands of God, after all. You might just resign, for instance. Oh, by the way, Isthana says she''s coming, and she agrees with you that I should accept the role you''re convinced you ought to force me into so that''s my fate sealed. She also says that her youngest sister is asking her big sister if she can come too. I guess that she will distract you from your work, but she probably doesn''t think of it like that.”


    “And you expect me to believe that, do you?”


    “Of course not. I expect you to work out how to ask for some kind of confirmatory message to be telegraphed and couriered here at great effort, or something like that. But Isthana asks if saying that you got kissed on the king''s orders counts as sufficient confirmation.”


    “I suppose I may as well resign, but I want to see how you plan to win.”


    “Like this.” Hwalf said, playing two cards. The first gave him a surprise attack, the second meant the attack was a guaranteed success. Dalken lost his major pieces and the game.


    “I am beaten, and yet if you accept the post, I win my hand.”


    “You win that one,” Hwalf agreed. “My mother will want to know about salary, and I will need to know about the details of the law I must apply impartially, must I not?”


    “Mostly, the local judge''s role is to decide who lies and who tells the truth, and to decide on what is a fair punishment in the circumstances. But yes, you must know about the scale of punishments the law provides, and also there are lawyers who remember part of the law that favours their client and fail to mention the part that favours the other side. These things do not need to be challenged on the spot, you may examine the law after you have listened to the representations of lawyers. If you find a lawyer has not just been partial in his selection but has actually misquoted the law, you should remind them, and you may charge them a fee for your time outside the court checking up on the law, and if appropriate, a fine for treating the law with contempt. Fines belong to the state, of course.”


    “And who actually collects fines, in an ideal world?” Hwalf asked.


    “In an ideal world, there is a village reeve, someone trustworthy and nominated by the villagers themselves, who collects fines and taxes, and pays salaries and passes on what''s left at the end of the year to the tax collector. Two sets of accounts are kept by the mayor and the teacher.”


    Hwalf tried not to laugh. “The teacher is the pastor''s wife, who is good at teaching but not very good at keeping track of things. I cannot imagine her as an accountant.”


    “And who collected market fees?” the captain asked.


    “Chief camel herder, a dum-semb appointee presumed dead, with support from Nangi and friends, the dum-semb enforcers.”


    “And taxes have been collected?” Captain Dalken asked.


    “Taxes, and Nangi''s ''local taxes'' and all sorts of other extra contributions if you annoyed them,” Hwalf said.


    “The crown has not received any contribution from this village for a long time.”


    “Well, the the biggest house in the village is in ruins, but of course the rubble could be searched. The mayor''s is probably worth investigation too. And of course the relatives of the missing might know something.”


    Captain Dalken nodded, thinking that he was going to need a long time to get to the bottom of the investigation.