A Time of Exile - Katharine Kerr [167]
“I’m sorry I made you cry.”
“Please come talk to me, Maer. That’s all. Please come back and talk to me.”
“Do you live in those hazels?”
“I live in her country. I visit the hazels. And I can visit the camp, but not when the mean old man’s around.”
“Who?”
“The owl.”
Maer supposed that Aderyn did rather look like an owl, now that he thought of it. Automatically he went to sit up, only to find himself awake in a dark tent with Calonderiel snoring over on the other side. A dream, was it? But a cursed real one! When he fell asleep again, he had only his usual dreams of Glae.
What with the continual wash of quick autumn storms and his herding duties, it was some weeks before Maer saw Little Blue-hair again. She’d been on his mind, though, out of simple guilt. He felt like a man who’s come home late at night without bothering to light a lantern and in his blind progress through the house manages to trip over and injure his faithful dog. Finally, on a sunny morning between two storms he rode out looking for her. When he found no trace of her in the hazel thickets, he rode upstream a ways through grass so tall and wet that it clung to his horse’s legs as they rode through. Still no sign of her. With an anxious eye for the dark clouds building and piling to the south, Maer considered turning back, but up ahead was another thicket. Sure enough, when he rode up, he saw her, standing between two trees and smiling, so brilliantly happy to see him that it ached his heart.
“You did come. Finally.”
“Well, the weather’s not been the best, you know.”
Maer slacked his horse’s bit and as an afterthought unsaddled him to let him roll and rest. Leaving the animal peacefully grazing, he walked into the thicket. She sat down on the ground, gracefully spreading what seemed to be a long blue skirt out around her like a gracious lady. Automatically Maer sat, too, facing her.
“Now, I can’t stay long.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s growing late, and there’s a storm coming. I don’t want to get soaked, and I don’t want to stay out in the cold all night, either.”
“Oh.” She tilted her head to one side and considered. “I can understand that.”
“Good. Now look, little one. We’ve got to talk about somewhat that you’re not going to like. You’ve got to find yourself a man from your own people and leave me alone.”
“Won’t!” Her eyes flashed in rage. “They’re all ugly and warty.”
Maer had to admit that the gnomes he’d seen—and they were the only ones who seemed to be male—weren’t the handsomest lot around.
“That’s too bad, truly, but it’s the way these things go. You know, I don’t think you should be listening to this ‘she’ you keep talking about. I think me she’s leading you down the wrong paths.”
“Not!”
“Oh, indeed? Then why is she messing about with the way you look? I’ll wager Nevyn and Aderyn wouldn’t be very pleased to hear about this.”
“Don’t tell them, Maer! Oh, please, don’t!”
She threw herself forward, so that she was crouching in front of him like a suppliant, and looked up teary-eyed. When she clasped his hand in both of hers, her flesh felt as cool and soft as silk from Bardek. Since he couldn’t manage to think of her as truly real, it was impossible for him to realize that she was dangerous. He smiled and patted her on the cheek.
“I won’t, then. But I still don’t like this so-called friend of yours. I doubt me if she’s a goddess. I’ll wager she’s some spirit or ghost, and she shouldn’t be leaving the Otherlands to mess about here.”
“Not a ghost. Not the Otherlands.” Her hands tightened on his as she stared up into his eyes so sadly, so wistfully, that his heart went out to her. “Would you kiss me, Maer? Just one little kiss?”
With a smile he bent his head and gave her a brotherly brush of the mouth across her