Darkspell - Katharine Kerr [98]
“It sounds like a good match for people like us,” Mael said at last.
“Oh, listen to you, my royal love. People like us, indeed!”
“My lady forgets that I’m naught but a humble philosopher. Here, when I finish my book, the priests at the temple will have fifty copies written out by the scribes, and I’ll get a half of a silver coin apiece. That, my love, is my sole fortune in the world, so let us hope that Arddyn’s clan won’t be greedy about the dowry.”
“I think they’ll take her interest in my shop, and maybe a bit of silver.”
“Blasted good thing. It’s an unlucky lass who has a philosopher for a father.”
As Gavra was leaving the dun, she met Nevyn, who companionably slipped his arm through hers and escorted her down to the shop. Since the children were making the evening meal in the kitchen, they could talk in private. Nevyn laid a couple of big logs in the hearth and lit them with a snap of his fingers.
“Chilly today,” he remarked. “I’ve got somewhat truly important to tell you. I think I have a very good chance of getting Mael released.”
Gavra caught her breath with a gasp.
“Don’t tell him yet,” the old man went on. “I don’t want to raise his hopes only to dash them, but you need to know. You’ll have much to settle before you leave.”
“Leave? Oh, here, is Mael going to want me to go with him?”
“Now, if you ever doubted that for a minute, then that’s the first stupid thing I’ve ever seen you do.”
Suddenly Gavra had to sit down. She perched on a stool near the fire and wove her shaking hands together.
“I’m afraid there’s no choice but to send him back to Eldidd,” Nevyn said. “Do you want to go?”
She looked at the shelves, at the room, at everything she’d worked for so long to have. She’d be leaving her married daughter behind, too, and what was Dumoryc going to say when she introduced a stranger as his father?
“I suppose I do.”
Nevyn raised one bushy eyebrow.
“Well, ye gods,” she went on. “Eldidd? It’s a long way from here. But what would Mael do without me? He’d starve. Or do I flatter myself unduly?”
“Not in the least, and you know it blasted well.” The old man paused for a grin. “It’s likely that you’ll end up living on the western border of Eldidd, and there’s not a decent herbwoman out there for miles, or so I’ve been told.”
“Truly? What do the folk do for their ills?”
“Rely on what lore’s been passed down in their clans, most like, some of it good, some of it murderous. You know the sort of thing. ‘My gram always used foxglove tea for warts.’ They’ll do it even though old gram left a trail of corpses behind her. There’s a real need for a woman like you.”
Gavra hesitated on the edge of a retort, but she knew he’d found the best lure of all.
“I see. But it’ll be so much hard work, building up a new practice, educating people …”
“Hah! If you had a life of leisure, what would you do?”
“Go mad, most like. Oh, very well, Nevyn, you win.”
“Imph. I wasn’t aware we were fighting a duel.”
Gavra laughed, then went on thinking aloud.
“Well, let’s see. If I build up a new practice for Dumoryc, I can leave Ebrua this one—and the shop! It would be a splendid dowry. We could write the marriage contract exactly as we wanted it if I did that. She’ll never have to worry about her in-laws turning her out in shame just to snag her dowry.”
“Just so.”
“Eldidd begins to sound interesting.” She looked up with a smile. “And, of course, I love my man, too. I’ll simply have to go with him.”
For a variety of reasons Nevyn decided to secure Mael’s release in the spring. For one thing, the kings of the Wild-folk warned him that the winter would be full of bad storms. The most pressing reason, however, lay with Mael himself, who would refuse to leave his imprisonment until he saw his book properly copied, a task that would take months. While the scribes