Jezal held out the weighty document and Hood snatched it angrily from his hand, tore it open and began to read, the thick paper crackling as it unrolled. The more he read, the grimmer grew his frown.

'An insult!' he snapped when he was done, giving Jezal a brooding stare. 'Lighter taxes and some shit about the use of common land? And that much they'll most likely never honour!' He tossed the scroll sideways to the Tanner, and Jezal swallowed. He had not the leanest understanding of the concessions or their possible shortcomings, of course, but Hood's response hardly seemed to promise an early agreement.

The Tanner's eyes moved lazily over the parchment. Different-coloured eyes, Jezal noticed: one blue, one green. When he got to the bottom he laid the document down and gave a theatrical sigh. 'These terms will do.'

'They will?' Jezal's eyes opened wide with surprise, but nowhere near as far as Goodman Hood's.

'But these are worse than the last terms we were offered!' shouted the farmer. 'Before we sent Finster's men running! You said then we could accept nothing but land for every man!'

The Tanner screwed his face up. 'That was then.'

'That was then?' muttered Hood, gaping with disbelief. 'What happened to honest wages for honest work? What happened to shares in the profit? What happened to equal rights no matter the cost? You stood there, and you promised me!' He shoved his hand towards the valley. 'You promised all of them! What's changed, except that Adua's within our grasp? We can take all we want! We can—'

'I say these terms will do!' snarled the Tanner with a sudden fury. 'Unless you care to fight the King's men on your own! They follow me, Hood, not you, in case you hadn't noticed.'

'But you promised us freedom, for every man! I trusted you!' The farmer's face hung slack with horror. 'We all trusted you.'

Jezal had never seen a man look so utterly indifferent as the Tanner did now. 'I suppose I must have that kind of face that people trust,' he droned, and his friend Hoist shrugged and stared at his fingernails.

'Damn you, then! Damn you all!' And Hood turned and shoved angrily out through the tent flap.

Jezal was aware of Bayaz leaning sideways to whisper to Major Opker. 'Have that man arrested before he leaves the lines.'

'Arrested, my Lord, but… under a flag of parley?'

'Arrested, placed in irons, and conducted to the House of Questions. A shred of white cloth can be no hiding place from the King's justice. I believe Superior Goyle is handling the investigations.'