Chapter 27The first citizen of any Fyorlund community, be it village or town, was its Rede. It was an office that fell to many different types of people, though none were young, as all had had some experience of service with the Lords or the King. It was part of the Law of Fyorlund that no man should lead until he had served, though little leadership was generally required of a Rede, the natural temperament of the Fyordyn being generally towards order and discipline. In practice, the office tended to be no more than a form of dignified retirement for some respected member of the community.
It was the intrusion into this retirement of a mounting hubbub that brought a scowl to Rede Berryn’s stern face and sent him to a window, and thence to the outer door of his official residence to make h
