Finder's Bane - Kate Novak [104]
Jedidiah announced that he was going off with Shishi to "sing for their supper." Joel offered to accompany him, but Jedidiah suggested quietly that the young bard remain behind in case Walinda needed company.
Joel thought that highly unlikely, since the priestess had remained completely silent throughout the meal, but the young bard nodded in agreement. Immediately after Jedidiah and Shishi left, Walinda retired to her room to rest.
Joel enjoyed the solitude of the garden. With the banelich in another plane, all his worries seemed far away. He tried to compose something on his birdpipes that expressed the harmony he felt in this place of the dead, but jarring notes continued to block the melody. In his head, he knew that this was just the calm before the storm. Sooner than he wished, he and Jedidiah would be confronted with the dilemma of the Hand of Bane. He continued to worry about what choice Jedidiah would make.
When darkness fell upon the garden, the bard retired to his room. He left the door open to the perfumed night air and sat down on his mat. He pulled off his tunic and began unbuttoning his shirt. He wasn't yet tired enough to sleep, but there was nothing else for him to do. He felt suddenly very lonely.
Someone rapped lightly on the wooden frame of his open door. Joel looked up. Walinda stood there, looking as aimless as he felt. She wore nothing but the red silk robe she'd found in her room. She had shed her haughty expression with her armor, and only her facial tattoos and the gem in her forehead served as a reminder of her tyrannical beliefs.
"Do you wish to be alone?" she asked.
"Not really," Joel said with a smile, although the priestess wouldn't have been his first choice of company. "Come on in."
The priestess of Bane slid gracefully into the room. She carried a pottery flask with two small china cups. She set them down on the table and then sat down beside Joel on the mat. She settled to the floor with a little less grace, almost a fall. Joel pulled away a few inches. "What's this?" he asked, nodding at the flask.
"Something to drink," Walinda explained. "It's quite good. Try some."
Joel leaned over and poured a little of the beverage into one of the cups. The liquid was clear and very warm. He brought it up to his lips and sniffed. There was a strong odor of alcohol. He sipped the drink. It was strong and a little acrid.
"Where'd you get this?" the young bard asked.
"The old slave brought it for me," Walinda said. She leaned over and poured herself a full cup.
Joel wondered if Walinda had somehow asked for the drink, or if the servant woman had brought it of her own volition. Of course, there was also the possibility that Jedidiah had recommended to Shishi that it be provided to the priestess.
Walinda held up her cup. "What shall we drink to?" she asked.
Joel thought for a moment. They still didn't have much in common. "To Shishi's hospitality," he suggested.
Walinda nodded and took a drink from her cup. She closed her eyes and exhaled.
Joel took another cautious sip. The beverage was far stronger than anything he was used to drinking.
"What song were you playing in the garden?" Walinda asked.
"I was just trying to compose something. The melody wouldn't come out right."
"Tour god is not with you tonight," Walinda said with a knowing nod, leaving her head hanging down so that she stared into her cup.
"You might say that," Joel replied, trying to hide his grin.
The priestess was oblivious to the bard's amusement. "It is worse for me. I have been with Bane, and now his absence is like a rent in my heart."
"I didn't know you could miss abuse," Joel said caustically.
"Bane is the embodiment of power, of strength. For him to allow any to question his authority would be a demonstration of weakness. The feel of his power is like this drink, sharp and strong. When he shared his power with me, I was happy. Now that he is in another plane, cannot call on him for power."
"You can't cast any spells