Dragonquest - Donita K. Paul [108]
Lyll reached out and patted her old friend’s hand. “If you took time to know Him, you wouldn’t be frightened by the prospect of His presence.”
The innkeeper tapped her two little slave girls on the shoulders and waved them off. “Go back to your chores,” she said gruffly. She watched until the kitchen door closed behind them.
With a shudder, Mistress Meiger turned back to the elegant lady at her table. “You’re talking of things that shouldn’t be talked about, Lyll. There’re some things best left alone. Talking ’bout the Mighty Good and the Mighty Bad will bring trouble to us all.”
“And who do you think is best pleased by this lack of talk?”
Mistress Meiger stared, then shook her head.
“I know,” said Toopka. “Pretender.”
Lyll shifted her attention to the doneel child and smiled.
“That’s right, and can you tell us why?”
Toopka screwed up her face. “Because…because Pretender likes to jump out and scare you. If you talk about him and know he’s around, you aren’t as likely to be surprised. But I don’t know about Wulder.”
“Wulder,” said Regidor, “likes to be familiar, Toopka. Like a bed you’re used to. There you relax, trusting in the comfort and safety during the dark times.”
Toopka studied Regidor’s face for a moment and then nodded.
The sound of horses clopping down the street interrupted the conversation. The riders drew up in front of the tavern. A moment later Dar and Bardon appeared in the doorway.
Dar doffed his hat and bowed to those present. “Our quarry approaches. Bardon and I went out early this morning to see if we could locate the band of potion peddlers. Their wagon is a few miles east of River Away. Our wait should not be long.”
45
BREAKFAST
Master Meiger strode into the common room of the tavern with three distinguished gentlemen of the district at his back. “We’ll have no more riffraff entering River Away and upsetting the order of our lives. The council has met, and we have decided to request that you and your comrades leave our peaceful hamlet immediately. Today!”
The three men behind him nodded their heads.
The companions around the breakfast table stopped eating and looked to the official representatives of the village and the outlying community.
Kale recognized all of them. She’d worked in their homes. I wonder if they count me as one of the “riffraff.”
The four marione men had prepared themselves for this confrontation by dressing in their best. They didn’t look as if they had been up all night, discussing the best course of action. But Kale knew that was standard procedure for accomplishing anything through the council. They loved to meet and would debate matters for countless hours.
Lyll’s voice entered Kale’s mind. “Don’t be harsh, Kale. These men are concerned for their families. And they don’t know what’s at stake. Remember, they treated you well. Extend the same courtesy to them tenfold.”
Kale studied her mother’s face, serene and gentle. To herself she admitted she had never been harshly used. The mariones treated me fairly. Their own children didn’t get warm-hearted praise, and so I didn’t either.
She examined Master Meiger and his friends, trying to be more objective. The men were not wealthy, but they’d put on their grandest garments to carry out this important mission. Although they still looked countrified, Kale found their determination made her proud. This surprised her.
But it shouldn’t. These families gave me a home and taught me to be self-sufficient. They did their best for me even though I’m an o’rant, not a marione.
The tree at the head of the table snorted, shook with vigor, and rose. By the time Fenworth stood, he’d regained the semblance of a man.
“You see!” Meiger’s voice echoed in the open space of the nearly deserted tavern. “That’s just the sort of thing we don’t do around here.”
Wizard Fenworth marched around the table. His staff hit the wooden floor with resounding thuds. He certainly didn’t appear to be an