your tricks. What if those boys run about the town telling the story of how a witch of Antaris stopped one of their tongues with magic?’
‘Don’t lecture me as if I were a child! You should be praising me for using my wits.’ Calwyn’s face burned with resentment and rage. ‘Those boys won’t tell any tales, since they were the ones made to look foolish.’
‘I hope you’re right,’ he said grimly. ‘But next time, try to hold your tongue.’
Calwyn stalked along in a fury. Had she escaped the scoldings of the priestesses only to exchange them for lectures from Darrow? And to tell her off like that in front of his friends was unforgivable. Darkly she muttered, ‘At least in Antaris men don’t behave as though women are there to do their bidding.’
‘Indeed,’ said one of Darrow’s friends suddenly, coming up behind them. He was a short, curly-headed man, a few years younger than Darrow, with bright dark eyes, his face crinkled with lines of cheerful humour. He seemed to bounce along, ready for any mischief or merriment. He grinned at Calwyn. ‘I’m sure you’ve done a good deed tonight for all the young girls of Kalysons. Those louts will think twice before they tease anyone else.’ He held out his hand to Calwyn. ‘I’m Xanni. That miserable oaf is my big brother, Tonno.’
The taller and burlier of the pair, still walking behind them, raised his hand in a brief salute. He was dark and curly-haired, like his brother, but he had an ill-tempered, surly look, as if he had been dragged away in the middle of his meal, and his bushy eyebrows were drawn together in a permanent scowl.
‘My name is Calwyn.’
‘And you come from Antaris. I can see that with my own eyes, even if Darrow hadn’t told me.’ Xanni nodded down at Calwyn’s yellow sleeve. ‘We’ll have to get you some new clothes, you can’t run about the town looking like that. It’s not safe.’
Suddenly Calwyn felt a pang of perverse attachment to her robes. It was true, they marked her out at once as a priestess, or a witch, for those who knew or had heard the tales, and yet she couldn’t help feeling that to put the yellow robes away would be a kind of betrayal. No one would know that she was a sister of Antaris, a handmaiden of the Goddess. It would feel like losing part of herself.
They came to the brothers’ boat. Xanni jumped down onto the deck, and casually, without making a fuss about it, extended a hand to help Darrow. Calwyn hesitated on the jetty; she had never set foot on a boat before. What would be between her and the deep dark water? Only some thin pieces of wood, nailed together.
Tonno growled, ‘Jump down, lass, we haven’t got all night.’
Calwyn jumped, and staggered. Though the boat was still, she was certain she could feel the unsteady bed of sea water shifting beneath the soles of her feet. Darrow saw her uneasy look. ‘You’ll get used to it soon enough. We shall make a sailor of you, never fear.’
‘You won’t send me back to the mountains, then?’ she said.
‘Not tonight,’ he said gruffly. And he held out a hand to guide her to the hatchway.
Down below the deck, Xanni was busy with the lanterns, filling the snug cabin with a warm glow of light. The interior was as cosy as a tiny cottage, with a long table and cushioned benches on either side, storage cupboards and lockers, and a doorway onto a lower cabin lined with bunks. Peering eagerly about, Calwyn squeezed herself into a corner behind the table.
But she had little time for staring before Xanni andTonno rummaged in the lockers and produced some food. It was only hard bread, a cold leftover stew of fish and beans, and some dried fruits, but Calwyn fell upon it as gratefully as if it had been the feast she’d been dreaming of all day. ‘If we’d known you were coming, we would have stocked up the larder.’ Xanni grinned broadly as he watched Darrow tear off a large hunk of bread. ‘But Tonno will make you his particular hot
‘Don’t lecture me as if I were a child! You should be praising me for using my wits.’ Calwyn’s face burned with resentment and rage. ‘Those boys won’t tell any tales, since they were the ones made to look foolish.’
‘I hope you’re right,’ he said grimly. ‘But next time, try to hold your tongue.’
Calwyn stalked along in a fury. Had she escaped the scoldings of the priestesses only to exchange them for lectures from Darrow? And to tell her off like that in front of his friends was unforgivable. Darkly she muttered, ‘At least in Antaris men don’t behave as though women are there to do their bidding.’
‘Indeed,’ said one of Darrow’s friends suddenly, coming up behind them. He was a short, curly-headed man, a few years younger than Darrow, with bright dark eyes, his face crinkled with lines of cheerful humour. He seemed to bounce along, ready for any mischief or merriment. He grinned at Calwyn. ‘I’m sure you’ve done a good deed tonight for all the young girls of Kalysons. Those louts will think twice before they tease anyone else.’ He held out his hand to Calwyn. ‘I’m Xanni. That miserable oaf is my big brother, Tonno.’
The taller and burlier of the pair, still walking behind them, raised his hand in a brief salute. He was dark and curly-haired, like his brother, but he had an ill-tempered, surly look, as if he had been dragged away in the middle of his meal, and his bushy eyebrows were drawn together in a permanent scowl.
‘My name is Calwyn.’
‘And you come from Antaris. I can see that with my own eyes, even if Darrow hadn’t told me.’ Xanni nodded down at Calwyn’s yellow sleeve. ‘We’ll have to get you some new clothes, you can’t run about the town looking like that. It’s not safe.’
Suddenly Calwyn felt a pang of perverse attachment to her robes. It was true, they marked her out at once as a priestess, or a witch, for those who knew or had heard the tales, and yet she couldn’t help feeling that to put the yellow robes away would be a kind of betrayal. No one would know that she was a sister of Antaris, a handmaiden of the Goddess. It would feel like losing part of herself.
They came to the brothers’ boat. Xanni jumped down onto the deck, and casually, without making a fuss about it, extended a hand to help Darrow. Calwyn hesitated on the jetty; she had never set foot on a boat before. What would be between her and the deep dark water? Only some thin pieces of wood, nailed together.
Tonno growled, ‘Jump down, lass, we haven’t got all night.’
Calwyn jumped, and staggered. Though the boat was still, she was certain she could feel the unsteady bed of sea water shifting beneath the soles of her feet. Darrow saw her uneasy look. ‘You’ll get used to it soon enough. We shall make a sailor of you, never fear.’
‘You won’t send me back to the mountains, then?’ she said.
‘Not tonight,’ he said gruffly. And he held out a hand to guide her to the hatchway.
Down below the deck, Xanni was busy with the lanterns, filling the snug cabin with a warm glow of light. The interior was as cosy as a tiny cottage, with a long table and cushioned benches on either side, storage cupboards and lockers, and a doorway onto a lower cabin lined with bunks. Peering eagerly about, Calwyn squeezed herself into a corner behind the table.
But she had little time for staring before Xanni andTonno rummaged in the lockers and produced some food. It was only hard bread, a cold leftover stew of fish and beans, and some dried fruits, but Calwyn fell upon it as gratefully as if it had been the feast she’d been dreaming of all day. ‘If we’d known you were coming, we would have stocked up the larder.’ Xanni grinned broadly as he watched Darrow tear off a large hunk of bread. ‘But Tonno will make you his particular hot
Similar Books
