DragonKnight - Donita K. Paul [33]
“‘A man moves forward faster if he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder.’” He rubbed in the last of Master Hoddack’s liniment and put on his nightshirt.
The mattress cushioned his sore muscles in a most satisfying manner. Bardon stretched carefully under the weighty covers and stared at the pine-beam ceiling. When a knock resounded on the door, he thought the manservant had come to haul off the bath water. Still, responding to training, he reached for his hunting knife and laid it alongside his leg, on top of the blanket.
“Come in.”
The doorknob turned hesitantly. A narrow line of light appeared as the door creaked open an inch. Bardon’s hand tightened on his weapon. This is not the way the servant would enter the room.
“It’s me,” said Granny Kye, a second before she pushed open the door. “I’ve brought you tea to ease your aches and help you sleep.”
Relaxing, he sat up awkwardly in the bed to receive the mug.
“Thank you, Granny Kye.”
“You’re welcome, son. I know that not only your overworked body would give you trouble tonight as you try to sleep but also your keenly felt need to do what is right.”
Bardon sipped the tea and chose not to answer.
Granny Kye took a step back but did not turn to leave. “It’s hard to be wise.” The humble woman stood peacefully beside his bed. Her dark eyes gleamed in the candlelight. “I shall tell you something about myself that is unusual for an emerlindian.”
She remained silent, and Bardon wondered if he was required to say something. “Yes?”
“I did not darken as one of our race usually does. People would think I was much younger than my years because of my pallor.”
Her shoulders drooped, and she folded her hands at her waist. “I did not learn from my mistakes. I could not reason out a problem. I could not remember what had been told to me the day before. It was not until I realized that Wulder gave me a different gift of wisdom that I began to mature, to darken.” She sighed and looked the young squire in the eye. “You won’t be able to depend on me to know the answers, to guide you on this journey.”
“You knew there’s a mapmaker in Ianna.”
“Because Paladin told me so a dozen times in the past year.” She spread her hands in a gesture of helplessness. “He also gave me funds for the quest.”
“And you lost them?”
“Oh no! I would never be so careless. I gave them away.” Her face did not reflect any qualms about her misuse of the money.
“If Paladin gave you funds for a specific purpose and you used them for another, don’t you think you have done wrong?”
A whimsical smile lifted the corners of her mouth, and her brown eyes flashed with amusement. “He said they were for needs as I would meet them. Unfortunately, I continually meet people whose needs are greater than my own.”
“Remind me not to let you carry the purse.”
Granny Kye chortled. “See? You already prove that you’re wiser than I am.”
“The coins I left with you on our first morning in Norst?”
“Gone.”
“Gone?”
“Before the day ended.” She paused. “The wheelwright had a need for a new hammer. The kitchen maid has a poorly mother. The boy delivering milk needed sturdy shoes.”
“I see.”
“Also, anything requiring memory is troublesome. However, I am good with herbs, though I sometimes make mistakes.”
Bardon stopped before taking the next sip.
“Oh, the tea’s all right,” Granny Kye assured him. “Jue Seeno helped me.”
He let out a gust of pent-up breath and took another soothing swallow.
“What area is your wisdom in, Granny Kye?”
She beamed. “Painting.”
Bardon considered this for a moment. “You don’t happen to paint murals, do you?”
“No.” She tilted her head and looked curiously at him. “Why?”
“Kale Allerion has seen two murals which turned out to be prophetic.”
“How odd. No, I do portraits, mostly.”
“Portraits? And how does your wisdom show up in portraits?”
“I paint the people as I see them. But when I finish, there’s more there. While I’m painting, the expressions on their faces and the colors around them become clear in my mind. Some people