The Magic of Recluce - L. E. Modesitt [182]
“It’s about time,” observed Barrabra as Shervan led me into a long dim room dominated by a long polished red-oak table. On each side was an equally long and backless red-oak bench. At each place was a large and empty, bowl with an equally-proportioned spoon.
At the table sat another youth older than the boy who had greeted me, a girl with golden hair like Barrabra’s but barely coming into womanhood, and just showing curves under her maroon shirt; and two men even younger than Shervan, but wearing the same uniforms.
A woman easily three times my age sat in the middle of the side of the table opposite the door where I had entered. Her gray hair was worn in combs like Barrabra’s. Like Barrabra, she also wore three-quarter-length trousers with wide legs, and a loose shirt with sleeves that ended above the elbow. While the younger woman’s garments were a dark green, the ancient’s were a pale yellow.
Click…click…My boots clattered on the tile floor.
“He doesn’t sound like a wizard,” complained the old woman.
“Grandmere!”
“He doesn’t.”
“I saw him pull a cake for his horse out of thin air!” announced Shervan.
“You’re calling that pony a horse?”
“He’s cute,” added the boy who had first greeted me. “I wish I could have a little horse like that.”
“It’s time to eat. It’s past time to eat. So sit down. No, not there! You give the wizard the chair.”
Shervan bowed and gestured to the chair at the head of the table. I supposed I should have refused and offered it back to him, but the confusion of the conversation was disorienting.
I sat. The place on my right was empty, and the blond girl was seated on my left.
The room was suddenly silent. I swallowed, and it seemed like an eternity before I realized, silently thanking Magistra Trehonna as I did, that Kyphros belonged to the one-god believers. I swallowed again as everyone looked at me.
“In all times…” I began slowly, and as I began I could see the tension on the other faces ease. “In all times, there has been disorder. It is the job of right-thinking people to bring order from chaos…may we have the will to bring that order. May we have the strength to resist evil and do good.”
I bowed my head, since I had no way to end the prayer, not that I could voice.
“Peace under God…” added Shervan.
“Very nice…it was strange, but nice…” said one of the other soldiers.
“He sounds like a wizard,” added the old woman who had just said that I didn’t sound like one.
“Where’s the food?”
“I’m getting it, I’m getting it!”
An aroma of spices and meats entered the long room even before Barrabra arrived with the tray, bearing a huge casserole which she set in front of the older woman before heading back to the kitchen. One saving grace was that I wouldn’t need the knife that I didn’t have. I fingered the empty sheath, wondering if I had really wanted to carry the knife at all. But that was silly. At least, I thought it was silly, but I still wondered.
“Spiced lamb chili, my favorite! You remembered.”
The second tray held two enormous freshly-baked loaves of bread, and that was followed by a pitcher of something and a tray of battered mugs.
With that, Barrabra plopped herself onto the end of the bench next to me and looked at me, face to face. Her breath was like cloves, strong, but not unpleasant. “Do you have a woman, wizard?”
I swallowed.
“I don’t think so, Barrabra.”
“Well, do you or don’t you?”
“Pass the chili!”
“Just take a chunk of bread, and send the loaf to the wizard.”
“My name is Lerris, and I’m—” I was going to say that I wasn’t a wizard, but the words stuck in my throat. That scared me, the thought that I was even partly maybe a wizard.
“He says his name is Lerris.”
“That’s better than calling him wizard. He’s too young to be called wizard, even if he is one.”
“I want the chili!”
I looked frantically at Shervan, but he just grinned and plunged his spoon into the bowl of chili, whatever that was. In his other hand,