Fire Dragon - Katharine Kerr [106]
“Niffa!” It was Verrarc, striding up to her. “A good thing it is that you be here. The older woman there, do you see? She be the mother of that Gel da'Thae bard who did take your brother off to the Slavers' country. Her protector”—he gestured vaguely at the Gel da'Thae merchant— “did tell us that she did come here to find news of her son, if there be any such.”
“It be a long way she's come, then, for disappointment.” Niffa kept her voice as bland as she could.
“Ah. No news, then, of Jahdo?”
“Had there been, Councilman, you would have heard it long ere I did.”
For a moment Verrarc lingered, seemingly on the edge of prying. With a little shrug he turned away and walked off to join Raena, who was watching the Gel da'Thae women. Never had Niffa seen such hatred in another's eyes. Raena's skin had gone pale and her mouth twisted as she stared at the two women, her lips working as if to mutter an evil spell. Niffa stepped back into the crowd to lose herself among them before Raena could notice her. She nearly bumped into Harl.
“My apologies!” Niffa said. “But here, be there not a need upon you to tend your master's woman?”
“Let the bitch sniff the grass and squat on her own.” Harl spat on the ground. “If she gets herself kicked by a horse, so much the better.”
“Indeed.” Niffa smiled briefly. “Well, fare thee well, I be on my way home.”
“If it please you, I'll row you across.”
“My thanks. And that will give you some excuse for your master, too, if the bitch should complain about your leaving her.”
It was late in the day before Niffa heard more about the caravan and the two women. Kiel, her elder brother, was serving with the town militia, which Councilman Verrarc commanded. Kiel had stuck close to his commander all day, gathering gossip, and he brought a full basket of it home to share as they sat round the table at dinner.
“Her name's Zatcheka, Meer's mother that be,” Kiel said. “The lass with her, and the councilman did say that she be young, not that I could tell just from the looking at her, but anyway, the lass be her adopted daughter and her heir. Grallezar be her name.”
“Her heir?” Lael said. “Does this mean her son be dead?”
“Not at all. Among them the lasses do inherit their mother's holdings, have she any.”
“Sensible of them.” Dera was laying a big round loaf of bread on the table. “Is there a want on you all for ale with this?”
“Me, for one,” Kiel said. “I did ask about the inheritance, for fear that if Meer were dead, so would our Jahdo be.”
“Our lad be safe,” Niffa put in. “Have no fear. He'll be home soon.”
“One of your dreams, lass?” Lael raised a bushy eyebrow.
“It was, Da.”
Lael smiled, then picked up the loaf and began tearing it into chunks.
“So then,” Kiel went on, “I did hear Verrarc talking with Chief Speaker Admi. There be more to this visit than a mother's worried heart, he did say. Zatcheka be a prominent citizen among her kind, and she did hint of some portentous matter for her town and ours. And Admi did answer Verro, we'll hold council on the morrow to hear her out.”
“Ah,” Lael said. “No doubt they'll put out the call for a town meeting at the end of the morrow, like.”
“So Admi did mention.” Kiel took the tankard from Dera. “My thanks, Mam. But here be the strangest thing of all. Verrarc did tell us, the militia, I mean, and he waited till Admi did get himself gone, but then he did tell us that we'd be guarding the Gel da'Thae camp, taking turns in pairs, all through the night. And why is this, says Sergeant Gart? Think you they be up to trouble?” Kiel paused for a sip of ale. “Not them, Verro did say. I fear that someone in the town may bear them ill, and I'd not have them harmed.”
“Raena!” Niffa blurted before she could stop herself. “It be Raena that makes him fear so.”
“Raena?