Ki and Vandien exchanged puzzled glances. What had all this to do with a freight haul?
‘We’ve had word from him over the years. And I recently sent a message to him that the boy was ready to learn now, and that idleness could only teach him mischief. So he has sent back to me that he is ready to receive the boy at any time.’
‘You want us to take your boy to Villena?’ Vandien guessed.
‘Yes. Exactly. I am willing to pay you three georns now, and at his arrival Dellin would pay you another full orn.’
‘No passengers,’ Vandien said flatly. The cuddy was simply too small a space to share. But Ki raised a hand in a ‘wait a moment’ gesture, and asked quickly, ‘What can you tell me of the roads to Villena this time of year? I won’t pretend that I’m familiar with them.’
Brin looked unshaken by her admission of ignorance. ‘The roads are well marked, but they are caravan roads, soft and sandy, more difficult for a wagon than for men and beasts. There is only one river, low at this time of year, but it has eaten its way deep into the grass plains. The banks of the river are high, steep and rocky. Bridges do not stand in flood time, as has been proven many a time. So all folk go south tothe fording place at Rivercross, and then north again to Villena. It is not an easy journey, but the ways are clearly marked, and there are good inns at the towns. It is a journey of, say, ninety kilex, which is …’ Brin paused, converting the distance into time in his mind. He shrugged. ‘Perhaps fourteen days for a wagon, if one takes it at a pleasant pace. There were rumors of thieves and rebels along it last year, but the Duke sent his Brurjan patrols to clean them out. It is a heavily travelled trade route, so the Duke keeps it free of trouble.’
‘If there’s so much traffic between here and Villena,’ Vandien butted in despite Ki’s scowl, ‘why send your boy off with two strangers, instead of with a caravan driver you know, or a trader you’ve done business with?’
‘I …’ The man hesitated, clearly flustered by the question. ‘I saw your wagon. It looked like a comfortable, even pleasant, way to travel. He is my only son, you know. And I would rather he went directly to his uncle, without long stopovers for trading and visiting. The sooner he is with Dellin, the sooner he can begin to learn his trade and become a useful man.’
Vandien rubbed his moustache and lips to cover the twist of his mouth. The man’s reasons did not sound authentic. But Ki was nodding thoughtfully and asking, And how old is Gotheris?’
‘He has seen fourteen harvests,’ the man said, almost reluctantly, but then added brightly, ‘He is large for his years. The Jore blood does that. He will be a good-sized man when fully grown. And he has Jore eyes,’ he added hesitantly, as if they might object to that.
‘I see no problems, then,’ Ki was saying, to Vandien’s total amazement. ‘I’d like to meet the boy, though, before we touch hands on this agreement. Is that acceptable?’
A facial tic twitched Brin’s cheek. ‘Certainly. I will bring him by first thing tomorrow. I will have him bring his things, and I will bring the coins for his passage. That way, as soon as you have agreed, you can be on your way. Acceptable?’
‘I’d have to take on supplies first,’ Ki hedged.
‘Then I shan’t bring him by until you are ready. Noon, shall we say? Nothing makes that boy more impatient than waiting. Better not to make him stand about while things are got ready. We shall meet you here at noon, tomorrow. Good evening.’
Vandien frowned after Brin as he vanished through the portal. ‘There’s a strange man. He doesn’t seem to believe we might not take him. And what was his haste? He didn’t even pause to finish his wine.’
‘Given a choice, would you sit here and drink this stuff? Besides, he takes leave of his only son tomorrow. Such a farewell takes time. What’s flustering up your feathers, Van? You questioned him like a jealous lover.’
‘Vandien,’ he corrected her absently, watching the serving boys pull stiff hides across the portals and peg them into place. A dry wind from across the plains rattled sand against the leather. ‘Didn’t he seem awfully anxious to be rid of the boy? I think there’s trouble in this somewhere.’
‘Your tail’s just tweaked because we aren’t going to run off and start a month of vagrancy tomorrow. You think I’m backing out on our agreement, don’t you? Well, I’m not. But why not start the month off with a little coin in hand? Take the boy and drop him off on the way. New places, you said. Well, I’d never heard of Villena until this night. And neither had you, I’ll wager. So why not start from there?Trelira!’ Ki called suddenly across the room. ‘What direction is Villena from here?’
The haste with which the portly caravansary owner trotted to their table betrayed her interest. ‘To the south-west, about fourteen days away. It’s right on the caravan routes. There’s Algona, Tekum, Rivercross, and then Villena. A lot bigger town then Keddi. It was originally a T’cheria settlement, but nowadays there are quite as many Humans there. And a group of Dene have settled at Rivercross. Thinking of going there?’
‘Perhaps. Perhaps not. I was just wondering.’ Vandien played her out on her own curiosity. ‘What are you serving for the evening meal tonight?’
‘I’ve mutton pastries and tubers with onions baked in soft gourds. Barley and bean soup, and a good fresh bake of bread. What takes you to Villena?’
‘Nothing, probably.’ Vandien replied easily, pressing his leg against Ki’s to ask for her silence. ‘Brin wanted us to take his son there, but Ki’s not much for taking passengers. She likes her privacy. Just curiosity made me ask. Neither of us had heard of the place.’
Ki picked up her cue. ‘I’ll have the tubers and onions baked in the gourd, the soup, but no …’
‘Goat? He wants you to take Goat to Villena?’
The avidity of the question trampled over Ki’s attempt to order food.
‘Gotheris was the boy’s name, I thought,’ Vandien ventured.
‘Aye, but he’s been called Goat since he was four or five. He was a spry little fellow then, always gamboling about, so full of energy and mischief. There wasn’t a mother but wished he were her child, when he was small.’ Trelira’s eyes journeyed to some dreaming place and remembered some regret. ‘Why must children change and grow?’ she asked sadly of no one in particular. Then her attention snapped back to Ki, and her eyes went shrewd and businesslike. ‘How much did he offer you for the trip?’
Ki opened her mouth to protest this prying, but Vandien hastily pressed a filled wineglass into her hand. She held her words back behind tight lips.
‘Three georns and a full orn on safe arrival,’ Vandien told her with disarming frankness. His smile made her trustworthy. ‘Have pity on a stranger, Trelira. I can’t even remember how many georns or horns in an orn. Given the roads and the distance, would you say that’s a fair price for the trip?’
Trelira took a deep breath for speech, then shut her mouth and gave a quick nod.
Ki took up her part in Vandien’s game. ‘I wonder why he doesn’t wait until he has friends going that way?’ She glanced casually at Trelira.
‘They’d know the … he wouldn’t know anyone. Brin doesn’t know that many folk here. His land is on the edge of the town, alone but for his sheep and his three sons. His wife’s sister was my cousin’s wife,’ she added, speaking softly to herself.
‘Well, we haven’t said we’d take him, yet,’ Vandien admitted casually. But Trelira was no longer listening. She rose and turned, walking slowly back to her kitchen, her head full of her own thoughts. Kiand Vandien exchanged glances.
‘Interesting.’ Ki sipped at her wine.
‘Nice mess. Brin says his only son, Trelira says one of three. Brin says he wants the boy comfortable, Trelira says he wouldn’t know anyone else to take him. Whatever smells funny here, she’s got a family tic to it that’s keeping her from gossiping. Suppose he’s a half-wit?’
‘To be apprenticed to a healer?’
‘I could tell you stories about healers that would make you
believe it,’ Vandien offered lightly. Then he shrugged, and became serious once again. ‘What else could it be?’
‘Maybe nothing but your imagination. Maybe a boy grown too big for home and small-town life. Don’t sour the deal, friend, before we’ve even seen the boy.’
Food arrived, a double order of everything Trelira had mentioned. Ki frowned as the serving boy set it before them. ‘What’s this?’ she demanded.
The boy stared at her as if she were daft. ‘Food?’ he suggested.
‘We didn’t ask for any yet.’
‘Trelira ordered it for you. Oh, I’m to tell you there’s no charge. To give you good strength for an early start tomorrow.’
Vandien raised a mocking eyebrow at Ki. She only snorted, and pushed her share of the mutton pastries onto his plate. He accepted them. ‘Still not eating meat?’ he asked the soup gravely, smiling behind his moustache.
‘Don’t push me, friend.’ The smell of the pastries was driving her crazy, and her resolve seemed in question. But she’d stick to it, if for no other reason than that he teased her about it. She was breaking her bread over her barley soup when Trelira’s shadow fell across the table again. ‘Goat,’ she began without preamble. ‘He’s family. I’d never speak ill of him. Those that do, don’t know him. That’s all. Actually, I wish him a good journey, with every comfort. So I’ll add two georns of my own to his passage money. And any trader in town will tell you that adds up to a handsome fee for a trip to Villena.’
The two crescent coins clicked onto the table. Ki and Vandien stared at them, unmoving.
‘What if we decide not to take him?’ Vandien asked.
‘You’ll take him,’ she said with decision. ‘One look in his eyes, and no one can refuse the boy. And everyone in town knows that he wants to go away from here.’ Trelira turned on silent feet and was gone.
TWO
‘The boy looks ordinary enough.’ Vandien leaned out of the cuddy door and let his gaze follow Ki’s. He had just finished storing their provisions in the cupboards and drawers inside the caravan. The two georns had been enough to take on generous supplies, and at Trelira’s urging, they had done so. Vandien was more than a little disgruntled about it. Ki didn’t usually spend advance money until she had decided to take on the job. So much for meeting the boy first. Well, whatever problems came with him, Ki had bought them in advance.
‘Fourteen?’ he observed sceptically.
‘Looks more like sixteen to me. But you never can tell; some boys grow fast,’ Ki replied.
Gotheris walked beside his father, and nearly matched him in height. That put him half a head taller than Ki and the equal of Vandien. His brown hair clung to his head as smoothly as a cap and was cut to one length on the sides and back. In front it touched his eyebrows in a straight line. His eyes were light, though at this distance Vandien could not tell what color they were. His face was long and narrow, with the unfinished look of a boy who is sure of all the answers while still discovering the questions. His young body was lanky, as if growing bones were outracing the meat and muscle that should cloak them. His cream-colored shirt was lavishly embroidered in red and yellow, in gay contrast to the rough brown robe Brin wore. Goat wore loose brown trousers that fluttered around the tops of his sandaled feet. The boy strode empty-handed, but Brin had a large basket buckled to his back and a woven bag in his arms. Vandien frowned at the boy’s laziness, then decided it was none of his business.
‘Well, here we are, all ready to go!’ Brin greeted them. His words rang falsely hearty in Vandien’s ears.
Ki made some noncommital reply, studying the boy. The boy’s eyes were very large, and slightly protruding. So that was what the father had meant by Jore eyes. Up close, they were so pale a green they verged on yellow, and the pupils were not those of a Human. A little crossbreeding, then, somewhere back in the family line. The rest of him seemed Human enough. He had a sweet little pink bow of a mouth, but when he smiled he showed teeth long and narrow and yellow as a goat’s. Goat looked brightly from Ki to Vandien as Brin set his burdens down by the wagon and wiped his sweaty face with a stained kerchief.
‘This is my son, Gotheris. Gotheris, make your respect to the teamster and his wife. Vandien and Ki.’
‘The teamster and her partner. Ki and Vandien.’ Vandien corrected him mellowly.
‘I see. Beg pardon,’ Brin flushed, but Ki ignored the stumble. Gotheris giggled, in a high pitch more like a girlchild’s laugh than that of a youth on the verge of manhood.
‘Well, at least I’ll know from the start who I must hark to!’ the boy burst out, grinning delightedly from Ki to Vandien. ‘Is this the wagon?’
‘You’ll have to hark to whichever of us speaks,’ Ki said firmly, but the boy had turned from the group and was climbing into the caravan.
‘Please excuse him,’ Brin said hastily, trying to speak smoothly. ‘He’s so excited to finally be on his way, and full of curiosity about you and your caravan. I’m afraid his manners flee before his impulses sometimes. You may find him a bit uncouth, I fear. We have lived an isolated and rural life for so long that Gotheris has none of the graces or sophistication you would find in a city-bred boy. It is unfortunate that boys of that age usually believe themselves the very soul of wit and judgement. With just the two of us, he has grown up speaking his mind rather bluntly to adults, and often gives his opinions before he isasked. But aren’t all boys his age like that? He is a bit coarsely mannered, I’m afraid, but the training and discipline of a healer will soon take off his rough edges.’ Brin’s eyes darted from Ki to Vandien as he sensed their reluctance. He kept nodding at his own words and smiling so earnestly as he explained and excused that finally Ki nodded to make him stop.
‘There’s only the one big bed in here! Do we all sleep together then, tumbled in a pile? I’ll warn you, I’ll ask to be on top!’ The boy was half-hanging out of the caravan door, a wide smile on his mouth. The ribald note in his voice shattered the just-made accord. Before either Ki or Vandien could speak, Brin stepped forward and seized him by the shoulder.
‘Gotheris! Mind your behavior! Do you want these folk to think you witless and rude? Show them some respect, or you’ll never be on your way to Dellin.’
‘Yes, Father,’ Gotheris replied, his manner so suddenly meek and chastened that Vandien felt his disgust abate somewhat.
‘Have you ever been away from home before?’ Ki asked casually.
‘I’m afraid not,’ Brin answered for him. ‘You can see how excited he is; he has wanted to leave Keddi for so long, to see more of the world. I’m afraid he shows himself in a bad light in his excitement.’
‘I’m familiar with the way of boys,’ Ki answered, addressing them both. ‘No one could travel with the Romni and not become accustomed to the antics of children. Even the most disciplined will kick up their heels at the start of a journey. But,’ she added, turning gravely to Gotheris, ‘we must understand things before I touch hands with you on this. If we take Gotheris, he must be willing to obey Vandien and me. I will expect him to help with the camp chores at night, to clean up after himself, and help care for the horses; that means fetching water if needed, helping to unharness at night, that sort of thing. In short, although he will be our passenger, he will have to be a responsible member of the party as well.’
Gotheris’s face had grown more and more indignant with every condition. The words fair burst from him. ‘But my father is paying you to take me!’
‘Hush, Son.’ The man’s big hands flapped at him beseechingly. ‘I am sure you understand that all must cooperate on such a journey. And, Gotheris, think of all the things you’ll learn!’
The boy made no reply, and his eyes dropped to look at the dusty ground. But in the instant before Ki began speaking again, his gaze leaped up to meet Vandien’s in a rebelliously measuring look. Vandien met his look gravely, and the boy looked down, but a half smile rose and lingered on his face. Vandien suppressed a sigh. Soon enough, boy, he promised himself.
‘He must be courteous, not only toward us but to any we meet along the way. And, in such close quarters, I must insist on personal cleanliness, and his awareness of the privacy of others.’ Ki was going on with her list of requirements. Brin was nodding earnestly to all she said, but the boy didn’t appear concerned. First he picked at his yellow teeth, and then squatted down to scratch his ankle vigorously.
‘I’m sure he’ll be no trouble, once he settles into the rhythm of the journey. He knows he has to behave if he is to reach Dellin without delay. He’ll do his best to be useful. Won’t you, Gotheris?’
The squatting boy cocked his head up at his father and gave a quick flash of his teeth. ‘Of course I will, Father. What boy wouldn’t jump at the chance to travel to hot, dusty Villena, there to study his eyes out with his humorless uncle, so he can spend the rest of his years looking at smelly sick folk and birthingsqualling babies for screaming women? What else could I possibly want to spend my life doing?’
The words were unforgivably rude, but the tone was so earnest and sincere that Vandien felt himself at a loss. Was this the blunt speech of a young man who had lived isolated for most of his life? Was it familiar teasing between father and son? Brin more ignored than smiled at the remark.
In the awkward silence that followed, Ki met Vandien’s eyes; he suddenly relaxed. Her look told him all. The boy’s last words had decided her. She wasn’t taking him anywhere. Vandien breathed an inner sigh of relief. Oh, she’d be fractious about having to convert some of the Windsinger’s gold into georns to pay back Trelira’s advance, but that was better than being saddled with that boy. He hadn’t realized how much he’d been dreading the trip until the threat of it was removed. Breaking the news to Brin was Ki’s task. After all, it was her wagon and team; she had the final say on all decisions. Thank the Moon, he added to himself.
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