Chapter 74: What is it that you need? (2)
That single word seemed to change the atmosphere of the room.
For several moments, the Lord Commander said nothing.
He knew what Encrid was talking about.
The silence of the Great Green Forest.
For more than three weeks now- not a single Roamer had been sighted in the perimeters of the Wall..
The strange silence had lasted twenty-two days - something Ulrich himself had never experienced in his nineteen years at the Wall.
And when the creatures finally returned, they had not returned in their usual chaotic groups.
Forty Reevers had appeared in three separate groups, each emerging at carefully spaced intervals. Sumpers had been sighted during daylight, while Stoopers had begun moving in patterns that suggested coordination rather than instinct.
That alone would have been strange enough.
But the Far-Watch had already begun investigating the northern and eastern regions of the forest, and one of their best men had disappeared when they needed him the most.
Ansel Corr had gone northeast.
And he had not returned, not even when the roamers had returned.
Weeks had passed without a message, without a body, without even a trace of what had happened to him.
More Far-Watch parties had been sent to search for Corr, but every one of them had returned empty-handed. After that, the Far-Watch had doubled its activities, desperate to uncover the reason behind the forest’s strange behavior.
Encrid knew enough about the Far-Watch to understand what that meant.
Ansel Corr was not some inexperienced scout who had simply wandered too far from the Wall.
He was the best man the Far-Watch had ever produced.
If a man like that could disappear without leaving behind enough evidence to explain what had happened, then something was seriously wrong.
Encrid watched Ulrich carefully.
The Lord Commander remained completely still.
But Encrid could see it now.
Ulrich already knew.
The strange silence had not escaped his attention.
Corr’s disappearance had not escaped his attention.
The changes in the forest had not escaped his attention.
Even the unusual movements of the Roamers before they disappeared had not escaped his notice.
He had seen all of it.
Perhaps he had seen it even more clearly than Encrid had.
The realization settled heavily between them.
Encrid had not been summoned because Ulrich was angry about the document.
He had been summoned because the document had confirmed a suspicion the Lord Commander already carried.
Something was coming from the north.
Something large enough, or dangerous enough, to make even the Roamers abandon the lands surrounding the Wall.
Or perhaps they had not abandoned them at all.
For several moments, neither man spoke.
Finally, Encrid broke the silence.
"Do not misunderstand me, Lord Commander."
Ulrich looked at him.
"Although I am doing all of this because I do not want the Wall to fall, that is not my only reason."
Ulrich waited.
"The North belongs to the Gannons."
Encrid’s voice grew quieter.
"If the Wall falls, the Roamers will not stop here."
He looked toward the map again, his eyes tracing the lands beyond the Wall.
"They will pour south into Gannon territory."
His expression hardened.
"I do not want that to happen."
Ulrich continued watching him.
There was no immediate response, and Encrid did not press him.
Eventually, the Lord Commander turned toward the map.
He remained there for a long time.
After that, they continued their discussion.
They went over the condition of the Wall, the supply situation, the missing Far-Watch patrols, the strange absence of Roamer activity, and the possibility that the silence itself was a warning rather than a sign of safety.
Ulrich questioned several of Encrid’s assumptions, and Encrid defended the parts of his plan he believed were sound while admitting where he lacked sufficient information.
Neither man pretended to know what was coming.
That uncertainty was precisely what made the situation so dangerous.
Eventually, Ulrich closed the folder.
He looked directly at Encrid.
"What is it that you need?"
For the first time since entering the room, Encrid smiled without restraint.
He slowly raised one hand.
Three fingers extended.
"Three things."
Encrid raised one finger.
"First, I want a seat at the Council table."
Ulrich was taken aback.
For a moment, he wondered if he had heard the young man correctly.
A seat at the table was not some ceremonial position, nor was it a place reserved for sharing a meal. The Council table was where the most important decisions concerning the Wall were made.
Only fifteen people had a place there.
Nine Commanders.
The Vice Commander.
Steward Vess, who oversaw the Wall’s supplies and quartermaster operations.
The leader of the Far-Watch parties.
The Chief Healer, who was responsible for everything concerning the Wall’s medical needs.
The Senior Lampwright, who oversaw every flame that burned along the Wall.
He, the Lord Commander of the Wall, himself.
Those fifteen people represented the military, supplies, reconnaissance, medicine, and every other function necessary to keep the Wall alive.
And Encrid was asking to become the sixteenth.
Ulrich opened his mouth.
"No-"
"If I need to make changes here at the Wall," Encrid interrupted, "then I need to be at the table where those decisions are made."
Ulrich’s eyes narrowed.
Encrid lowered his hand slightly but kept his first finger raised.
"I don’t need a position. I don’t need additional authority, privileges, or benefits."
He looked directly at the Lord Commander.
"Just add me as a strategist for the Wall."
Ulrich stared at him.
"You think the Commanders will agree to that?"
"They won’t."
The answer came without hesitation.
"The Commanders will not agree to it."
"Then there is no point asking."
"There is."
Encrid’s expression remained calm.
"Let’s go with the oldest rule."
Ulrich waited.
"Invoke the older rule of the Wall - let the council vote.."
The room fell silent again.
"If I get the majority, add me to the Council."
Ulrich studied the young man standing before him.
It was an audacious request.
Perhaps even an absurd one.
Encrid had been at the Wall for only a few months. He had no official military command, no rank among the Council, and no authority over any of the people sitting around that table.
Yet he was not asking Ulrich to force them to accept him.
He was asking them to choose.
That made the request considerably harder to dismiss.
Ulrich finally leaned back in his chair.
"I cannot promise you the seat."
"I know."
"But I can put the matter before the Council."
Encrid nodded.
"Then that’s enough."
He raised a second finger.
"Second."
Ulrich already had a feeling he was not going to like this one.
"Your vote."
Ulrich stared at him.
Encrid continued.
"Vote for me when the Council decides whether I get the seat."
For a moment, Ulrich simply looked at him.
Then he laughed.
It was short and genuine.
"You are very sly."
Encrid smiled faintly.
"I am trying to prevent the Wall from falling, Commander. I would be a poor strategist if I didn’t plan for the obstacles in front of me."
Ulrich shook his head.
"So that’s why you wanted me to hear your three requests before anything else."
"Your vote matters more than mine."
"And you wanted to secure it before the Council meeting."
"I wanted to ask the person who could actually give me the chance to make my case."
Ulrich’s smile faded, though there was still amusement in his eyes.
"You really are a troublesome brat."
Encrid raised his third finger.
"Third."
Ulrich’s expression became serious again.
"What is it?"
Encrid looked directly at him.
"Allow me to take one item from the Wall’s Vault."
The amusement completely disappeared from Ulrich’s face.
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