Dragonquest - Donita K. Paul [68]
“Stay out of sight,” she whispered. “You can forage all you want up here. I’ll be back to sleep in the loft. If anyone comes up, remember—stay out of sight!”
Kale climbed back down the ladder and nodded at the men who glanced up from their game of cards.
She shivered as she recrossed the open space between the stables and the huge stone manor. A cold wind whipped under her cape.
Regidor responded. “Brr. It’s cold in here. Be sure what you bring is hot.”
She stomped back into the heated kitchen and went to warm her hands by the hearth.
“See if you can find an extra blanket, too.”
First let me see if I can get a bowl of stew. Then I’ll think about bedding.
She casually surveyed the other people in the room. Only Bardon seemed aware of her presence.
“I’ll cover for you while you take something to Regidor.”
Her eyes popped open. His voice in her mind proved her point. Bardon could and did mindspeak. His talent would have to be addressed.
Does he know the etiquette Leetu Bends drilled into me? Does he know how to protect himself?
Kale looked away from the bothersome lehman and spied a clean bowl on a preparation table. She crossed the room, picked it up, and returned to the fire. No one seemed interested in her actions. Many of the workers had finished their chores for the day. They relaxed around a table, enjoying their supper and swapping bits of household news. Other servants still carried trays of food to the dining hall and brought back empty dishes.
The gleaming platters on large polished trays held delicacies she had never seen before. The aroma filled her nose like a promising potion.
Kale ladled stew, chunky with large cuts of meat and vegetables, into the bowl. She then sat in an out-of-the-way corner and pretended to eat, watching the activity around her. At an opportune time, she slipped out the door to the main part of the hall and followed a shadowy corridor to stairs that led to the bedrooms. With her mind on her meech friend, she followed the instinct that would lead her to his room.
I’m coming, Regidor.
“Good. I’m famished.”
I’ve got a large bowl of stew. It’s delicious.
“Can you find me?”
I think I could find you in a tumanhofer mine with all its twisting, turning tunnels.
“Kale, your talent is truly remarkable.”
She stopped in the dark hallway. Remarkable?
“Yes, remarkable, but keep moving. I’m hungry.”
Regidor sent her an impression of his rumbling stomach. She grinned and quickened her steps.
Once she had to duck into an alcove to avoid passing a maid coming back from an errand. Twice she passed rooms on tiptoe, knowing someone was working within. A dog rose from guarding another chamber and challenged her with a soft growl.
“It’s all right, fella,” she said as she approached. “I don’t want to go into your master’s room.”
The dog settled down again. It watched her walk by with only its twitching nose indicating it was interested in the bowl of stew.
She hurried to the end of a hall and turned down a gloomy passageway lit by one flickering sconce. A door at the end opened, and she hastened to where Regidor waited.
“I don’t like this place, Kale,” he said as he took the bowl. He crossed to a stool and sat down quickly, already spooning the broth into his mouth. “Mmm. This is good.”
She sat on the edge of a hard cot covered with a thick, scratchy blanket. “What don’t you like about the manor? Is it just because they put you off in seclusion? That’s Dar’s idea of a joke.”
“No.” Regidor slurped a big chunk of potato off his spoon and smacked his lips as he chewed. “Remember I told you about being able to see something about people. I think it has to do with how much at peace they are with their existence.” He was devouring the stew at an impressive