time she had visited. She put Chelah on the bed, and cleared a space for herself to sit.
Ludde coughed convincingly. "Had the grippe bad." He reached for the flask of poteen and poured them both a shot of the clear spirit. He raised his glass. "Dagsanat!" After this toast, he tossed his drink straight back.
So did Suvi. The cheap liquor burned her throat, but it left a pleasant residue of warmth in her belly afterwards. A second round followed immediately, and then Suvi turned over her glass on the mantelpiece.
Ludde regarded her hopefully. "No more?" His blue eyes had already begun to look a little bleary.
"That is enough for me. But you may keep on if you like. I will have a smoke." Suvi knew the flask of poteen would be empty before the end of the afternoon, but she had long ago stopped arguing with Ludde about his drinking.
"Suit yourself, girl." He refilled the glass, and drank it with a satisfied sigh. "Been to see your friend Max, have you?" He raised his craggy eyebrow at her and she nodded.
Suvi packed her pipe with tabac, and then offered him her pouch. He withdrew a dark brown briar from his pocket and polished the wooden bowl carefully on his filthy galligaskins. Ludde lit his pipe with a flaming taper from the fire, cupping the chip in his big, rough hands. "Don't trust him," he growled, after they had smoked in companionable silence for a few minutes.
Suvi had grown accustomed to such conversational non-sequiturs from Ludde. "Who, Max? Don't worry. I can deal with him."
"Can you?" He shook his head and his rusty blond hair waved wildly, almost as if it had its own message to relay by semaphore. "You don't know him."
"And you do?"
He frowned darkly. "His kind, yes. I know them. They'll cut your heart out and eat it raw for the right price. Nice girl like you shouldn't mix with the likes of him. Or me, for that matter." Suvi paid little attention to this. Ludde's opinion of humanity began low and fell sharply the more he drank.
"Chelah and I like coming to visit, don't we, girl?" She stroked the degum, and it snorted sleepily.
Ludde's expression was sour. "Don't know why. Not worth the trip."
Suvi finished her pipe and knocked the ashes on the hearth bricks before she spoke again. "I think you are a good man, no matter how contrary you pretend to be. You have given Carina at least half your catch of pikken this year, and asked nothing in return."
"Pah! There is no one to eat it but me. Why let good fish rot?"
"Don't you have any family?"
"No! Not anymore."
"What happened to them?" Suvi wondered if he would answer.
He didn't. Ludde stared off into the distance for a full five minutes, but whatever thoughts filled his mind, he kept them to himself. Perhaps he even forgot Suvi's presence altogether, because then he took a generous swallow straight from the flask of poteen.
She frowned. "I wish you wouldn't do that."
A belligerent haze filled his eyes. "Go home if you don't like it, girl."
Suvi did not move. "I would rather stay here and talk with you. May I ask you another question?"
He shrugged. "You can ask, but I probably won't answer."
"Why are you so unhappy?"
He took another long pull at the poteen, draining the last drop. His expression dared her to object, but Suvi only sat quietly, stroking Chelah's ears. After a moment, Ludde hurled the empty flask into the fireplace, and it shattered against the bricks. The fire hissed like angry snakes. He looked over at Suvi, his eyes wild with rage and despair. "Because I deserve to be!"
She kept her voice very soft. "That isn't an answer, Ludde Armstrong. Tell me the truth."
He struggled to his feet and stood swaying before her, with his fists clenched. "You want the truth, little girl? Here it is. I killed my brother's wife. Now do you see?" Ludde put a trembling hand to his face, and turned away from her. "Go home, Suvi. Go back to people you can help."
She stood without speaking, and he heard her footsteps cross the floor. He kept his face
Ludde coughed convincingly. "Had the grippe bad." He reached for the flask of poteen and poured them both a shot of the clear spirit. He raised his glass. "Dagsanat!" After this toast, he tossed his drink straight back.
So did Suvi. The cheap liquor burned her throat, but it left a pleasant residue of warmth in her belly afterwards. A second round followed immediately, and then Suvi turned over her glass on the mantelpiece.
Ludde regarded her hopefully. "No more?" His blue eyes had already begun to look a little bleary.
"That is enough for me. But you may keep on if you like. I will have a smoke." Suvi knew the flask of poteen would be empty before the end of the afternoon, but she had long ago stopped arguing with Ludde about his drinking.
"Suit yourself, girl." He refilled the glass, and drank it with a satisfied sigh. "Been to see your friend Max, have you?" He raised his craggy eyebrow at her and she nodded.
Suvi packed her pipe with tabac, and then offered him her pouch. He withdrew a dark brown briar from his pocket and polished the wooden bowl carefully on his filthy galligaskins. Ludde lit his pipe with a flaming taper from the fire, cupping the chip in his big, rough hands. "Don't trust him," he growled, after they had smoked in companionable silence for a few minutes.
Suvi had grown accustomed to such conversational non-sequiturs from Ludde. "Who, Max? Don't worry. I can deal with him."
"Can you?" He shook his head and his rusty blond hair waved wildly, almost as if it had its own message to relay by semaphore. "You don't know him."
"And you do?"
He frowned darkly. "His kind, yes. I know them. They'll cut your heart out and eat it raw for the right price. Nice girl like you shouldn't mix with the likes of him. Or me, for that matter." Suvi paid little attention to this. Ludde's opinion of humanity began low and fell sharply the more he drank.
"Chelah and I like coming to visit, don't we, girl?" She stroked the degum, and it snorted sleepily.
Ludde's expression was sour. "Don't know why. Not worth the trip."
Suvi finished her pipe and knocked the ashes on the hearth bricks before she spoke again. "I think you are a good man, no matter how contrary you pretend to be. You have given Carina at least half your catch of pikken this year, and asked nothing in return."
"Pah! There is no one to eat it but me. Why let good fish rot?"
"Don't you have any family?"
"No! Not anymore."
"What happened to them?" Suvi wondered if he would answer.
He didn't. Ludde stared off into the distance for a full five minutes, but whatever thoughts filled his mind, he kept them to himself. Perhaps he even forgot Suvi's presence altogether, because then he took a generous swallow straight from the flask of poteen.
She frowned. "I wish you wouldn't do that."
A belligerent haze filled his eyes. "Go home if you don't like it, girl."
Suvi did not move. "I would rather stay here and talk with you. May I ask you another question?"
He shrugged. "You can ask, but I probably won't answer."
"Why are you so unhappy?"
He took another long pull at the poteen, draining the last drop. His expression dared her to object, but Suvi only sat quietly, stroking Chelah's ears. After a moment, Ludde hurled the empty flask into the fireplace, and it shattered against the bricks. The fire hissed like angry snakes. He looked over at Suvi, his eyes wild with rage and despair. "Because I deserve to be!"
She kept her voice very soft. "That isn't an answer, Ludde Armstrong. Tell me the truth."
He struggled to his feet and stood swaying before her, with his fists clenched. "You want the truth, little girl? Here it is. I killed my brother's wife. Now do you see?" Ludde put a trembling hand to his face, and turned away from her. "Go home, Suvi. Go back to people you can help."
She stood without speaking, and he heard her footsteps cross the floor. He kept his face
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