Dragonquest - Donita K. Paul [100]
Kale knew this tavern well. A door led to the kitchen, an addition built onto the back of the establishment. Stairs climbed along one wall. On the second floor, three bedrooms quartered paying guests overnight. On the third floor, two bedrooms and a sitting room accommodated Master and Mistress Meiger. And at the very top, in the attic, a small room housed the village slave. Kale had climbed those stairs countless times.
Noonmeal had not yet been served. Logs crackled and popped in the huge fireplace. In one corner, near the mural, two figures sat in the only upholstered chairs in the room. The lamp on the table between them had not been lit, so Kale’s eyes, accustomed to the outdoor brilliance, could not make out who they were.
Two women’s voices seasoned the atmosphere with a dash of lighthearted conversation. One of them chortled, her humor evident in the robust music of her laughter. The other’s laugh came reluctantly and sounded rusty, as if not often used. Kale recognized the second as her former mistress. The first was unknown to her.
Kale stepped forward to stand beside the wizard. He patted her on the shoulder and left his hand resting there in a comforting manner. She breathed deeply, smelling the old wood and the pine oil polish she remembered rubbing into the bar and banister. The pleasant scent of smoke from the fireplace mingled with a faint fragrance of stew from the kitchen.
The women stopped speaking.
Kale’s eyes had adjusted to the dim light. She could now see the squarish form of her marione owner, Mistress Meiger. The other woman stood, and Kale sighed her relief. This was not her mother. This woman was taller by several inches than Mistress Meiger, but just as round. Her brown and gray hair hung over one shoulder in a thick braid. Simple homespun material made up her neat but plain blue dress. A white bib apron covered the front. The woman moved closer with hesitant steps.
In every way that her mother was elegant, this woman was not. Her double chin did not rise haughtily. Her mother’s back held her exquisite figure erect. This woman stooped. Her mother’s finely chiseled face reflected her moods in beauty. This woman’s tears ran down wrinkled cheeks.
She held out a hand. “First, I want to tell you I love you. Second, I must explain why it was necessary to hide you in a safe place.”
Kale’s eyes shifted to Mistress Meiger and then to Wizard Fenworth. Both wore expressions of concern.
The woman took Kale’s hand and pulled gently, guiding her to the seat she had just left. Mistress Meiger vacated her comfortable chair and bustled out of the room through the door to the kitchen. Wizard Fenworth took a seat on a wooden chair by one of the few windows. The woman, still holding Kale’s hand, sat in Mistress Meiger’s chair.
“You’re my mother?” Kale’s voice came out in a whisper.
“I’m Lyll Allerion.”
“My mother?” Her voice rose in volume by just a little bit, but the squeak made it seem louder in her own ears.
Lyll’s face wrinkled in puzzlement. “Yes, Kale, I’m your mother. I had to leave you here when your father was taken captive by Risto. I knew Risto would try to find you, and use you, to coerce your father into following his evil ways.”
Kale nodded slowly. “And where did you go?”
“To find Kemry, of course.”
“Kemry?”
“Your father.”
“Oh.”
Kale sat still, absorbing this information. She studied the hand holding hers, then the face of this woman who said she was Lyll Allerion. Laugh lines radiated from the corners of her gentle hazel eyes, but her lips were pursed in a worried moue. Yet even with a frown, this mother looked loving, approachable.
“Did you find him?” Kale asked.
Tears welled in Lyll’s eyes. “Yes, but I could not save him.”
“He’s dead?”
Lyll shook her head. “Asleep—in a trance.”
“Risto?”
Lyll nodded.
“Then there’s still hope.”
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