Chapter 71: Ulrich Vance (1)
Fifteen minutes later, Vess was sitting in the Lord Commander’s room, and the book he had found was now lying in Ulrich Vance’s hands.
Vess had not told Encrid about it.
He thought about that decision for a long time afterwards. If he had gone to Encrid first and asked what he should do, Vess was almost certain the young lord would have told him to leave the matter alone. And lately, Vess had begun to notice something about Encrid that bothered him.
The young lord had a bad habit of carrying burdens by himself, even when those burdens were too heavy for one person to carry.
So Vess had climbed the eastern stairs to the Commander’s rooms, carrying the book with him. When he entered, he placed it carefully on the old, scarred wooden table in front of Ulrich.
Ulrich looked down at the book.
Then he looked at Vess.
"What’s this?"
"Something I found."
Ulrich studied his face.
"That sounds ominous."
"It might be."
Vess took a slow breath and placed his hand on the book before continuing.
"Commander, there are four things you need to know."
The old commander leaned back in his chair, caught off guard by Vess’s sudden arrival. Ulrich had known Vess for eleven years, and this was hardly the first time the man had barged into his room without warning. Yet there was something about the expression on Vess’s face that made Ulrich pause and study him for a moment.
"Go on."
Vess glanced down at the book beneath his hand.
"First, this was written by Encrid Gannon of the Third Office. It is written in his own hand, and he wrote it himself. I did not order him to write it, nor did anyone else."
Ulrich’s eyes shifted to the book. He could understand why Vess was telling him that Encrid had written it. After all, he had brought the book to him for a reason. But he could not understand why Vess felt the need to emphasize that he had not ordered Encrid to write it.
’Did this brat called Encrid do something shady and get caught by Vess?’
The thought crossed his mind, but Ulrich remained silent, allowing Vess to continue.
"Second, Encrid did not give this to me. I found it inside a drawer that I had every right to open. He does not know that I have it, and he does not know that I brought it here."
Ulrich’s confusion only deepened, but he remained silent. He could not yet understand where Vess was going with this, and Vess showed no sign of stopping.
"Third, I have read the Imperial Code."
That finally caught Ulrich’s full attention.
His eyes lifted from the book and settled on Vess.
"And I know exactly how some parts of this document could be interpreted under that code."
Vess paused for a moment. He swallowed, then continued.
"If this ever reaches a magistrate, my name will be written beside his. The book was sitting in my office, and the drawer was unlocked. If that is enough to make me responsible for what is written here, then so be it."
Ulrich still did not reach for the book.
He studied Vess instead, waiting for the final point.
"And the fourth?"
Vess met the old commander’s gaze directly.
"For four months, I have been signing that young man’s papers because I trusted him."
There was no hesitation in his voice now.
"And in all that time, I have never once regretted doing it."
The room fell completely silent.
Vess lowered his eyes to the book beneath his hand.
"I don’t understand everything in there. Some of it is far outside my work, and I do not have the knowledge to judge every part of it. But I have been responsible for the stores of this Wall for eleven years."
He rested his palm against the cover.
"And in those eleven years, I have learned one thing very well. I know what belongs here. I know what leaves here. I know what is recorded, what is missing, and what should never have been possible in the first place. So I can say with confidence that everything in this document is correct, at least to a certain degree."
Ulrich finally reached forward and took the book.
His eyes immediately fell upon the title written across the first page.
A Plan to Prevent the Fall of the Wall.
His brows lifted slightly.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he opened the book and began to read.
Vess pulled a chair toward the desk and sat down, waiting quietly for Ulrich to read.
Ulrich read the first few pages without speaking. His expression slowly changed as he moved through the document, his eyes lingering on the figures, explanations, and carefully written observations.
After several pages, he finally looked up.
"Are you sure this was written by the young brat who came to the Wall not so long ago?"
"Every word of it."
Ulrich studied Vess for a moment before lowering his eyes back to the book.
"Hmm."
He continued reading.
Several more pages passed in silence before Ulrich stopped again.
"And you are sure all these calculations are correct?"
"As far as my knowledge goes."
Vess leaned back slightly in the chair.
"Who knows the Wall better than me, Commander?"
Ulrich gave him a long look. It might seem as arrogance but Ulrich knew it wasn’t. If Ulrich was the one who controlled all the men at the Wall then Vess would be the one who commanded all goods and supplies.
Ulrich only knew how to manage the Wall, the one who actually kept it running was Vess - so the words from such a men, carried much more weight than any other person to Ulrich.
He closed the book halfway, though his hand remained resting on its cover.
"I’ll take a look at this."
He glanced toward Vess.
"And you should get some rest."
Vess hesitated - he wanted the commander to read the whole thing but Ulrich spoke again before he had the chance.
"You look terrible."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I Can’t sleep, not after finding that - It’s both unsettling and reassuring."
"I agree."
Ulrich opened the book again.
"But I’ll take care of it. Let me lose sleep for a while."
Vess gave a small nod and rose from his chair.
He turned toward the door, but before he could leave, Ulrich spoke again.
"Steward."
Vess stopped and looked back.
Ulrich’s eyes were already on the pages.
"Whatever you found in there..."
He paused.
"...I’m glad you brought it to me."
Vess nodded once.
Then he left.
He did not go to bed.
Instead, he returned to the Third Office and sat alone in the darkness until dawn, thinking about what he had found and what might happen because of it.
✧ ✧ ✧
The next morning, a man arrived at the Third Office carrying a direct order from the Commander.
He found Vess at his desk.
"Steward Vess."
Vess looked up.
"I have an order from Commander Ulrich."
The man’s expression was formal.
"He wants Encrid Gannon brought to his room."
Vess stared at him for a moment.
"Now?"
"Immediately."
Vess leaned back in his chair.
For a few seconds, he said nothing.
Then a small smile appeared on his face.
"Well..."
He folded his hands on the desk.
"Looks like the Commander didn’t sleep either."
✦ ✦ ✦