Kezra Venn picked up the stiff, indigo-dyed tally-ribbon and brought it close to Paxa’s animal fat lamp. The wax coating was cold and brittle. He smelled faintly of rendered mutton fat and subalpine turpentine. Across the surface of the ribbon, stamped into the wax with an iron seal-die, ran a series of military abbreviations and notched numerals.
“Translate it,” Kezra said, looking up at Yseld.
Yseld stepped to the table, her hooked staff leaned against her hip. Her finger pointed to the stamped brass grommet at the top of the ribbon.
“In the Cairn Host,” Yseld explained, her voice steady and cold and exact, “a grommeted blue ribbon is an official proof sweep order issued by the chief map maker at Stonewake Citadel. The chief map maker is Ulvan Dret, Quarter rank. Every thirty days during the autumn season, Dret sends out a check calm distance to verify the boundary benchmarks and solid strength of the outer mountain stations.”
She moved her finger to the three notched crimps along the right margin.
“Each crimp represents a ten-day stage from the departure date stamped at the base,” Yseld continued. “The departure stamp reads the twenty-second day of the last moon. Counting thirty days from that stamp, the returning proof calm distance is scheduled to arrive at the Needlehouse on Day Eighty-Three.”
