DragonKnight - Donita K. Paul [57]
The cook grinned. “They’re ten, sturdy and willing.” Her wide smile revealed her obvious pride in her boys. She waved them toward the supplies on her kitchen table. “You each grab a stack of those blankets, follow the squire, and mind you, do exactly as he tells you.”
“You’ll earn a pip apiece,” Bardon said. “One more thing, Cook. Do you know where the Hoddack fellow is now?”
“He refused a good meal and went out again. No good will come of that.” She smacked the dough with the palm of her hand, and her sons looked knowingly at each other.
Bardon tucked the rest of the blankets under one arm and grabbed the basket with the other hand. “Thanks again, Cook. I’ll have your boys back in an hour.”
She nodded and glanced at her sons. The look said they had better be a credit to her, and both boys nodded with understanding.
They went through the inn to the front. Bardon wanted a buggy to take them to the jail. If they were set upon by footpads in the night, he would be hard pressed to defend them all with his arms loaded down.
As they approached the vehicle, Bardon glanced at the southwestern sky. He could see the Wizards’ Plume above a housetop.
That’s not good. We’re running out of time. I could move so much faster if I didn’t have to take N’Rae and Granny Kye along. Of course, I would be making great time to an unknown destination. I’m not sure the granny knows where it is from all her tidbits of information she’s gathered. I don’t know if Bromptotterpindosset can get us there. From all appearances this is a wild-goose chase.
The boys’ excitement at riding in the horse-drawn vehicle amused him. So did their sober expressions as they watched the jailer’s ritual of retrieving the proper key. But amazement touched his heart as he watched them push the blankets through the bars and compassionately hand food to those in all three cells. They spoke softly to the children on the other side of the iron door.
Bardon placed a hand on each head and roughed their hair as they walked back up the stark corridor. He would be sure to tell Cook how graciously they did their task.
When he reported the incident, she beamed and scooted them back to bed.
She stood with her hands on her hips, a berry-stained wooden spoon poking out of one fist.
“They’re good boys,” she said. “Their father’s a sailor and gone too much, but I teach them the ways of Wulder, not like most in this province. And their father tells them the wonders of Wulder he’s seen all over the world. They know the truth, they do. They’ll be all right in this life.”
Bardon next reported to N’Rae that her grandmother was more comfortable. Then he sought his narrow room, his narrower bed, and a time of reflection. His thoughts became a long petition to Wulder to make right the chaos into which his life had fallen.
Gray clouds obscured the morning sun. N’Rae already waited at the bottom of the stairs when Bardon came down. She carried Jue Seeno’s basket on her arm.
“What are we going to do?” she asked.
“We have three appointments on our agenda today,” he answered, heading for the common room where breakfast would be served. “We must see to securing a place on a ship going north. We must find a reliable transport of my dispatch to Paladin. And we must free Granny Kye and the children from the jail.”
“The last one first, please.”
Bardon patted her shoulder and then turned her toward their breakfast. “Fortunately, all those problems may be solved by one man, if he is willing.”
“Who?”
“The harbormaster.”
“He can do all that?”
Bardon nodded and pointed to a table with two chairs. “Along the coast of Amara, the harbormasters wield great power.”
They sat, and Bardon handed N’Rae a basket of small, fragrant, sugary breads.
“I’m not hungry,” she protested.
“I am.”
“We must hurry.”
“We won’t be able to get anything done until the clock strikes nine and the business day commences.”
“If this harbormaster is so