The Shadow Isle - Katharine Kerr [75]
“I be right here.” Grallezar opened the chamber door and hurried in. “Let me put her in her cradle.”
Dalla fell asleep as soon as Grallezar took the baby, only to wake soon after to a repetitive chirping noise. At first she was puzzled— had a bird gotten into the chamber? Then she realized that Dari was crying. She sat up and pulled back the bed-curtain to peer out. The golden light of late afternoon fell through the unglazed window onto Sidro, who was sitting in the chair and murmuring to the baby.
“Here’s your mam!” Sidro said. “Hush, hush, little one, I’ll take you to her.”
Dallandra settled the baby at her breast—the false milk had come down in profusion—while Sidro pulled back and tied the bed-curtains. Dari was a straightforward nurser, Dallandra was relieved to see, sucking the liquid down as fast as she could without dainty pauses or fussy fits, unlike Loddlaen. Pray to every goddess I have enough milk this time! Dallandra thought. I owe it to this child to feed her well.
“Exalted Mother Grallezar went down to the great hall for dinner, ” Sidro said. “So I was taking a turn at being nursemaid. She’ll be back in but a little while.”
“That’s fine, and my thanks,” Dallandra said. “Do we have rags for the baby’s bottom?”
“We do, Wise One, all freshly washed, too. I’ll fetch them.”
“My thanks again! These things are so much easier out on the grass.”
When Grallezar returned, carrying food for Dallandra from the dinner down in the great hall, Penna came with her. Since Cadryc’s wife fed her servants decently, Penna had filled out some over the winter, becoming merely thin rather than far too thin. Her short brown hair gleamed like fur in the sunset light. She had a new dress, too, of clean pale linen with a touch of embroidery at the neckline.
“Well, Penna,” Dallandra said, “do you remember me?”
“Of course, Lady Dallandra.” Penna curtsied. “You saved my brother’s life. I came to tell you that he’s all healed up now. And I wanted to give you my humble thanks again.”
“You’re most welcome.”
By then Dari had fallen asleep. Grallezar took her and tucked her into the cradle beside the bed while Penna watched, smiling at the baby.
“Lady Dallandra?” Penna said suddenly. “You have dweomer, don’t you?”
Dallandra hesitated, then saw no reason to lie to this strange creature, who seemed to have some sort of instinctive dweomer herself. “I do, truly.”
“Then what are we?” Penna turned to look at her. “Me and Tarro, I mean. We’re not Westfolk, and we’re not just people, are we?”
Behind Penna’s back, Grallezar opened her mouth in surprise, flashing a gleam of pointed teeth.
“You see that, then,” Dallandra said to Penna. “I’d wondered. I’m afraid I don’t know yet, but maybe you can help me find out.”
“I will, and gladly. The folk in our old village—I didn’t feel so different there. But I do here, and I wondered.” Penna curtsied again, then began backing toward the door. “I should let you rest. I don’t mean to be discourteous.” She turned and fled the chamber, leaving the door open behind her.
With a shake of her head Grallezar shut the door, then came back to pull the chair up to the bedside. She sat down with a sigh.
“What a strange lass that one be!” Grallezar said. “Not human, indeed, I’d have to say. It gladdens my heart that she can see it, or she’d be in for a truly bad shock.”
“Just so. I find myself thinking of Envoy Kov’s staff—I told you about that, didn’t I?”
“You did. And the missing element of water.”
“The unfortunate thing is, Penna’s terrified of going near rivers and other large bodies of water, according to Neb, anyway. So I don’t really see how she can be somehow linked to it in the Elemental sense.”
“Alas. A fine theory, slashed by a nasty fact.” Grallezar grinned at her. “Well, no doubt we’ll find the truth sooner or later.”
“There are so many truths we need to find, and sooner rather than later. It makes me tired just thinking about them. I—”
Someone knocked, and Grallezar