said, as they separated at the end of the music, “You wear my flowers - I hope they pleased you?”
“Very much,” she said, then felt shy again; had he put the dorilys into her basket as the invitation Mallina said it was, or was it simply a stranger’s unfamiliarity with the countryside? She would have liked to ask, but was too bashful. But again it was as if he read her thoughts; he said abruptly, “Darren told me - I meant nothing improper, believe me, Mistress Romilly. In my country - I am a lowlander - the starflower, dorilys, it is the gift of the lord Hastur to the Blessed Cassilda, and I meant a courteous compliment in honor of the day, no more.”
She said, smiling up at him, “I do not think anyone would believe you capable of any improper innuendo, Dom Alderic.”
“I am your brother’s friend; you need not say Dom to me,” said Alderic. “After all, we have hunted and flown hawks together.”
“Nor need you call me damisela,” she said, “My brothers and sister call me Romy.”
“Good; we shall be even as kinfolk, as I am to Darren,” said Alderic. “Will you have some wine?” They had moved close to the refreshment-table. She shook her head and said ingenuously, “I am not allowed to drink wine in company.”
“Shallan, then?” He dipped her up some of the sweet fruit-drink. She sipped it thirstily. After the romping dance she knew that her hair was beginning to come down, but she did not want to withdraw to the giggling girls in the corner and pin it up.
“You are fond of hawking?” she asked him.
“I am; the women of our family train sentry-birds. Have you ever flown one, dcani - Romy?”
She shook her head. She had seen the great fierce birds, but said, “I knew not that they could be tamed! Why, they can bring down a rabbithorn! I should think they were no great sport.”
“They are not flown for sport,” Alderic said, “but trained for war, or for fire-watch; it is done with laran. A sentry-bird in flight can spy out intruders into a peaceful countryside, or bandits, or a forest-fire. But it is no task for sport, and in truth the birds are fierce, and not easy to handle. Yet I think you could do it, Romilly, if your laran was trained.”
“It is not, nor likely to be,” she said, “and doubtless you know why, if Darren has told you so much. Sentry-birds!” She felt a little shiver, half pleasant, trickle down her spine at the thought of handling the great fierce birds of prey. “I think it would be no harder to train a banshee!”
Alderic chuckled. “I have even heard of that in the far hills,” he said, “And banshee-birds are very stupid; it takes little craft to handle them, only to rear them from hatchlings and feed them on warm food; and they will do what you will, spying out game-tracks with the warmth left in the ground, and they make fine watch-birds, for they will scream terribly at any strange smell.”
Now she did shiver; the thought of the great, blind, flightless carnivores trained for watchman-duty. She said, “Who needs a banshee for that when a good Rouser hound is as useful, and much nicer to have around the house?”
“I’ll not argue that,” said Alderic, “and I would sooner climb High Kimbi in my bare feet than try to train a banshee; but it can be done. I cannot handle even sentry-birds; I have not the gift, but some of the women of our family do so, and I have seen it done in the Tower, where they use them for fire-watch; their eyes see further than any human’s.” Soft strains of music began again and he asked, “Would you like to dance this one?”
She shook her head. “Not yet, thanks - it is warm, the sun coming in like this.”
Alderic bowed to someone behind her, and Romilly turned to see Luciella standing there. She said, “Romilly, you have not yet danced with Dom Garris!”
he said scornfully, “It is like him to complain to my stepmother instead of coming like a man to ask me himself.”
Romilly! He is heir to
“Very much,” she said, then felt shy again; had he put the dorilys into her basket as the invitation Mallina said it was, or was it simply a stranger’s unfamiliarity with the countryside? She would have liked to ask, but was too bashful. But again it was as if he read her thoughts; he said abruptly, “Darren told me - I meant nothing improper, believe me, Mistress Romilly. In my country - I am a lowlander - the starflower, dorilys, it is the gift of the lord Hastur to the Blessed Cassilda, and I meant a courteous compliment in honor of the day, no more.”
She said, smiling up at him, “I do not think anyone would believe you capable of any improper innuendo, Dom Alderic.”
“I am your brother’s friend; you need not say Dom to me,” said Alderic. “After all, we have hunted and flown hawks together.”
“Nor need you call me damisela,” she said, “My brothers and sister call me Romy.”
“Good; we shall be even as kinfolk, as I am to Darren,” said Alderic. “Will you have some wine?” They had moved close to the refreshment-table. She shook her head and said ingenuously, “I am not allowed to drink wine in company.”
“Shallan, then?” He dipped her up some of the sweet fruit-drink. She sipped it thirstily. After the romping dance she knew that her hair was beginning to come down, but she did not want to withdraw to the giggling girls in the corner and pin it up.
“You are fond of hawking?” she asked him.
“I am; the women of our family train sentry-birds. Have you ever flown one, dcani - Romy?”
She shook her head. She had seen the great fierce birds, but said, “I knew not that they could be tamed! Why, they can bring down a rabbithorn! I should think they were no great sport.”
“They are not flown for sport,” Alderic said, “but trained for war, or for fire-watch; it is done with laran. A sentry-bird in flight can spy out intruders into a peaceful countryside, or bandits, or a forest-fire. But it is no task for sport, and in truth the birds are fierce, and not easy to handle. Yet I think you could do it, Romilly, if your laran was trained.”
“It is not, nor likely to be,” she said, “and doubtless you know why, if Darren has told you so much. Sentry-birds!” She felt a little shiver, half pleasant, trickle down her spine at the thought of handling the great fierce birds of prey. “I think it would be no harder to train a banshee!”
Alderic chuckled. “I have even heard of that in the far hills,” he said, “And banshee-birds are very stupid; it takes little craft to handle them, only to rear them from hatchlings and feed them on warm food; and they will do what you will, spying out game-tracks with the warmth left in the ground, and they make fine watch-birds, for they will scream terribly at any strange smell.”
Now she did shiver; the thought of the great, blind, flightless carnivores trained for watchman-duty. She said, “Who needs a banshee for that when a good Rouser hound is as useful, and much nicer to have around the house?”
“I’ll not argue that,” said Alderic, “and I would sooner climb High Kimbi in my bare feet than try to train a banshee; but it can be done. I cannot handle even sentry-birds; I have not the gift, but some of the women of our family do so, and I have seen it done in the Tower, where they use them for fire-watch; their eyes see further than any human’s.” Soft strains of music began again and he asked, “Would you like to dance this one?”
She shook her head. “Not yet, thanks - it is warm, the sun coming in like this.”
Alderic bowed to someone behind her, and Romilly turned to see Luciella standing there. She said, “Romilly, you have not yet danced with Dom Garris!”
he said scornfully, “It is like him to complain to my stepmother instead of coming like a man to ask me himself.”
Romilly! He is heir to
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