“That’s fine. I’ll be there at dawn.”

Below, a crowd had gathered, waiting on Joss. He assured himself that Scar was at rest, preening as dusk settled. Then he clambered down and waded into the roiling waters.

A temporary court had been set up within the compound. Who had he assigned here?

Ah. The Snake.

“I don’t care if your son is younger than the other man,” Volias was saying to a particularly persistent woman whose face was flushed. “Every witness says they were both drunk. That makes them both culpable. Why these young idiots should make themselves free with wine in times like these is more than I can understand. Haven’t they anything better to do, with folks living under canvas and desperate for water and food, and babies sick with diarrhea? Well, they will have something to do now, since I’ve assigned them both to dig and cover night-soil pits for the rest of the month.”

“You can’t—!”

“I can. Now get the hells out of my face or I’ll ask my militia escorts here to drag you away and toss you into the pits. The ones that are already full with the same crap that’s coming out of your mouth. Gods! Let someone else have a turn.”

He looked up, sensing the crowd that approached. Seeing Joss, his ugly scowl turned into a sneer. He waved away the next petitioner, rose, and strode over to Joss.

“You gods-rotted rutting ass! These people are impossible.”

“Such a good match, you and them.” Although he knew better, he grinned because he did so enjoy seeing Volias suffer.

“You’ll drown in your milky self-love someday. And I hope I’m there to watch and not throw you a rope. Listen, can we talk with some privacy?”

The crowd refused to give them up. They pressed around, everyone talking at once. “What about the theft from my cart? I’ve nothing to feed my children. We’ve no shelter. We were told we could return to our village, but it’s not safe to go back. Is it true the outlanders are looking for women to marry? Why aren’t there more reeves here? One isn’t enough.”

Joss raised both hands to get their attention. “Heya! Listen!” At length, they quieted. “We’ve got business to talk over between ourselves, and then we’ll open the assizes for another session this evening. There are other reeves, at other refuges. But in the end you’ll have to either go back to your homes and rebuild, or go to Olossi. If you’re thinking your lives will be easier in Olossi, be aware that much of the outer town was burned. The folk there have all they can do to rebuild. Go back to your own homes.”

“Why shouldn’t we go to where walls and numbers will make us safe?” shouted one man.

Joss identified the speaker and noted his close-cropped hair and broad shoulders and the plain leggings and jacket commonly worn by farmers. “You’ll get safe passage in a few days. I expect the roads from here back to Olossi to be as safe as we can make them in the time we’ve had. I can’t promise safety on the Hornward road, but patrols will continue to range as far as East Riding. You must take responsibility for local patrols. Each village must set up a militia of able-bodied adults. There may be a few outlaws left hiding in the woodland. You’ll need to capture and turn over to the Olossi militia every straggler you find. Meanwhile, the single most important thing any of you can do, ver, is to plant fields for the coming year while the season is ripe for planting.”