Ruatha, all but a few of us had gone outside to eat a delayed and well-deserved evening meal when suddenly Alessan, Desdra, and Tuero, consulting the maps, lists, and charts, gave out whoops of exultation.
“We’ve done it, my loyal crew!” Alessan shouted. “We’ve got enough! And enough over the requirement to take care of any spillage and breakage in dispatching. It’s wine all round! Oklina, take Rill and get four flasks from my private store.”
He tossed her a long slim key, which she caught deftly in midair. She grabbed my hand and, laughing with delight, hauled me to the kitchen and then on down to the stores, beyond the cold room.
“He is really pleased, Rill. He rarely parts with bottles of his own store.” She giggled again. “He guards them for a special purpose.” Then her charming little face saddened. “And I hope he will again,” she added cryptically. “He must soon in any case. Here we are.”
When she had unlocked the narrow door and showed me the racked flasks and wineskins, I gasped in astonishment. Even in the dim light from the glowbasket down the corridor, I could see the distinctive Benden flask. Quickly I dusted off a label.
“It
is
Benden white,” I cried.
“You’ve had Benden white wine?”
“No, of course not.” Tolocamp would not have approved of his daughters drinking rare vintages; the foxy Tillek pressings were good enough for us. “But I’ve heard about it.” I managed to giggle. “Is it really as good as they say?”
“You can judge for yourself, Rill.”
She locked the door again, then relieved me of half the burden.
“Did you finish your training at the Healer Hall, Rill?”
“No, no.” Somehow I could not lie to Oklina even if it meant demeaning myself in her eyes. “I volunteered to help nurse, as I wasn’t needed any longer in my own Hold.”
“Oh, did your husband die of the plague?”
“I have none.”
“Well, Alessan will see to that. That is, of course, if you wish to stay on in Ruatha. You’ve been such a help, Rill, and you seem to understand a great deal about Hold management. I mean, we shall have to start all over again, so many of our people died. There are many holds empty, and while Alessan is going to approach the holdless in hopes that some are suitable, I’d rather have a few people about us whom we already know and trust. Oh, Rill, I’m putting this so badly. But Alessan asked me to sound you out about staying on here at Ruatha He has great respect for you. You have been such a help. Tuero—” Oklina giggled again “—plans to stay, no matter how he and Alessan go on about the salary and perks.”
That discussion had been running between harper and Lord Holder whenever they passed each other or worked on a common chore. Tuero had come to the Gather with other harpers to assist the Hold’s regular harper, another victim, as were Tuero’s companions. I couldn’t imagine Ruatha Hold without Alessan and Tuero bickering in the most amiable fashion.
When we returned to the Main Hall, the men had stacked some of the cartwheels and the large jars back against the wall. Alessan and Tuero were clearing space on the trestle table, where we had been consuming our hasty meals. Dag and Fergal came up from the kitchen with the stew; Deefer brought plates and cutlery; Desdra had an armful of bread loaves and a huge wooden bowl full of fruit and cheeses, including the one forwarded by Lady Gana I wouldn’t have thought that that would have lasted past my bringing it here. Follen arrived with the cups and the cork pull.
Outside I could hear the subdued revelry of the others who had now been released from their unremitting labors of the past two days.
So it was only the eight of Alessan’s loyal crew, an odd assortment to sit down at any table for any meal, but the knowledge of an almost impossible task timely completed made companions of us all, even Fergal. He refused a cup of wine with an insolence that I’m certain Alessan
“We’ve done it, my loyal crew!” Alessan shouted. “We’ve got enough! And enough over the requirement to take care of any spillage and breakage in dispatching. It’s wine all round! Oklina, take Rill and get four flasks from my private store.”
He tossed her a long slim key, which she caught deftly in midair. She grabbed my hand and, laughing with delight, hauled me to the kitchen and then on down to the stores, beyond the cold room.
“He is really pleased, Rill. He rarely parts with bottles of his own store.” She giggled again. “He guards them for a special purpose.” Then her charming little face saddened. “And I hope he will again,” she added cryptically. “He must soon in any case. Here we are.”
When she had unlocked the narrow door and showed me the racked flasks and wineskins, I gasped in astonishment. Even in the dim light from the glowbasket down the corridor, I could see the distinctive Benden flask. Quickly I dusted off a label.
“It
is
Benden white,” I cried.
“You’ve had Benden white wine?”
“No, of course not.” Tolocamp would not have approved of his daughters drinking rare vintages; the foxy Tillek pressings were good enough for us. “But I’ve heard about it.” I managed to giggle. “Is it really as good as they say?”
“You can judge for yourself, Rill.”
She locked the door again, then relieved me of half the burden.
“Did you finish your training at the Healer Hall, Rill?”
“No, no.” Somehow I could not lie to Oklina even if it meant demeaning myself in her eyes. “I volunteered to help nurse, as I wasn’t needed any longer in my own Hold.”
“Oh, did your husband die of the plague?”
“I have none.”
“Well, Alessan will see to that. That is, of course, if you wish to stay on in Ruatha. You’ve been such a help, Rill, and you seem to understand a great deal about Hold management. I mean, we shall have to start all over again, so many of our people died. There are many holds empty, and while Alessan is going to approach the holdless in hopes that some are suitable, I’d rather have a few people about us whom we already know and trust. Oh, Rill, I’m putting this so badly. But Alessan asked me to sound you out about staying on here at Ruatha He has great respect for you. You have been such a help. Tuero—” Oklina giggled again “—plans to stay, no matter how he and Alessan go on about the salary and perks.”
That discussion had been running between harper and Lord Holder whenever they passed each other or worked on a common chore. Tuero had come to the Gather with other harpers to assist the Hold’s regular harper, another victim, as were Tuero’s companions. I couldn’t imagine Ruatha Hold without Alessan and Tuero bickering in the most amiable fashion.
When we returned to the Main Hall, the men had stacked some of the cartwheels and the large jars back against the wall. Alessan and Tuero were clearing space on the trestle table, where we had been consuming our hasty meals. Dag and Fergal came up from the kitchen with the stew; Deefer brought plates and cutlery; Desdra had an armful of bread loaves and a huge wooden bowl full of fruit and cheeses, including the one forwarded by Lady Gana I wouldn’t have thought that that would have lasted past my bringing it here. Follen arrived with the cups and the cork pull.
Outside I could hear the subdued revelry of the others who had now been released from their unremitting labors of the past two days.
So it was only the eight of Alessan’s loyal crew, an odd assortment to sit down at any table for any meal, but the knowledge of an almost impossible task timely completed made companions of us all, even Fergal. He refused a cup of wine with an insolence that I’m certain Alessan
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