A Time of Omens - Katharine Kerr [64]
“Whatever happened to the girl’s mother, anyway?” Jill said.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t know,” Keeta said. “She was long gone when I joined Hamil’s troupe. It was quite a large show in those days.”
They were sitting on a stone bench under some trees in Inderat Noa’s marketplace, a big and elegant open square with fountains and little cobbled walkways between the groups of stalls and booths. Afternoon heat danced and shimmered over the paving like the water mist over the fountains. Not too far away Salamander and Vinto were haggling with a pair of archon’s men about a performance permit.
“I did hear that Marka’s mother went back to Mangortinna,” Keeta went on. “I think she was born there.”
“I see. I don’t understand why she didn’t take her daughter with her.”
“How could she? She and Hamil were legally married and ail.”
“Well, what–”
“Oh, wait! You speak so well that I keep forgetting you’re a foreigner. Under our laws a child’s her father’s property. The mother has no say in anything, really, unless he gives her one.” Keeta frowned briefly. “One reason why I made my mind up never to marry.”
“I can understand that. Mangortinna, huh? Well, if she went back home, we’d probably never find her, even if we did try.”
“What do you want to find her for?”
“Oh, it’s probably just sentimentality on my part, but I feel like I should… well, consult her, I suppose. You see, Salamander wants to marry Marka.”
“Marry her? Actually legally marry her?”
“Yes, just that.”
“Well, that’s wonderful! He’s the kind of man who could take good care of her, and she certainly wants to marry him.”
Jill laughed.
“You were just telling me how awful marriage is.”
“For me, it would be, but I know that the way I’ve chosen to live my life isn’t right for every woman. I was really afraid that Marka was going to end up unmarried and pregnant, no matter what you said about his morals.”
“So far he hasn’t laid a hand on her.”
“So far. She’s a pretty little thing, after all.”
“True, and even more to the point with our Salamander, she worships him.”
“Imph. What’s wrong with them getting married?”
“Well, he’s a good bit older than her, more so than you’d ever think to look at him. And then, well…” She hesitated, unsure of how to explain, of how much she could explain.
Someone called their names. Waving the permit, Salamander came strolling over to them, and Jill let the subject drop. Vinto looked extremely pleased about something, himself.
“We shall be setting up our fabulous cavalcade of wonders on the East Square,” Salamander said. “Not only is said square paved and thus quite level, but it’s in the more prosperous quarter of town. We had best return to camp and tell the others of our good fortune. And I want to see how Delya and Marka are getting on with finishing those new costumes.”
“I’m going to stay in town,” Jill broke in. “I want to go see the bookseller, and then I’m supposed to consult with the priests of Dalae-oh-contremo again.”
Although Inderat Noa sported several grand public squares, most of the streets twisted like tunnels under arcades of houses and shops, built right out over them for the shade. As Jill made her way through this dim warren she attracted a crowd of Wildfolk, the big purple-striped gnomes peculiar to Bardek, scurrying along after her on their fat little legs. Although her usual gray fellow did materialize, he took a smaller form than usual, so that he could ride upon her shoulder and look down upon the purple gnomes with a lordly disdain. None of the other people in the crowded street could see her companions, of course, although every now and then some passerby suddenly looked down and frowned at what seemed empty air as a gnome bumped into him or brushed rudely past.
The bookseller, however, could see them quite well, because he’d studied the dweomer lore for some thirty years. Daeno’s little shop was wedged in between a fruit seller’s and a basket weaver’s down on a dead-end alley perfumed with lemons and drying grass. When Jill and her crew crowded