To Storm Heaven - Esther Friesner [57]
“So you see,” M’kin concluded, “we’re here to make sure no more of that sort of thing happens. If you want to visit the holy place, Avren there’ll take you up. He’s a shepherd, but there’s no harm in him.” At the sound of his name, the childlike man looked up and waved at the visitors, then got to his feet and tried to make a present of one of his toy sheep to Mr.
Data. The android accepted the gift and stood holding it as if it were about to bite him.
“There now, Avren, take back your toy,” M’kin said in a kindly voice. He took the sheep from Mr.
Data and shoved it back into the shepherd’s hands.
“You know you’ll only be crying after it if he keeps it.” “You can have one of my real sheep, if you want,” Avren told the android. “Symo’s watching ‘em for me ‘til I can go back up the mountain, then I’ll watch his when it’s his turn to help here. We’re going to get a big bag of sweetcakes, after.” “Thank you, but I already have a pet,” Mr. Data told him.
While this was going on, Lelys discreetly whispered in the second guard’s ear, “Does he really take care of sheep?” The man seemed nonplussed by her question.
“Why shouldn’t he? That’s what we have our shepherds do.” “But he seems so—so helpless.” “I grant you, he’s simpler than most of’em, but he’s not really one of our own. He come up over our mountain past Six Mothers’ shrine from the seaward side years and years ago. He didn’t have too big a herd with him when he come—it’d do your heart good to see how they’ve prospered since—and he said he didn’t recollect his old village’s name. Well, with shepherds that happens more’n you’d think, especially after the midsummer rites. They’re simpleminded and memories run out of their minds like water through a sieve, but they do raise up the herds fine, and those of their sons who don’t go through their initiation rites grow up the same in mind as you or I.” “Are they all like him?” Lelys stared at Avren, who was now trying to coax his toy sheep to graze on the cockade of brown, lacy, dried flowers pinned to his wide-brimmed hat.
The second guard nodded. “All. Some folk like to make sport of’em, but they do their job and they can do other jobs as well if you explain the how of it to ‘em plain enough. Bilik oberyin says that the shepherds are a living reminder of how it used to be for all of us, in the times of the Sixth Mother, and how we should be kind and grateful to ‘era instead of teasing, but some peoplere” He shrugged. “My sister married a Shepherd for her second husband and she’s happier with him than she ever was with the first, and he was a merchant.’” “You two go on ahead up to Ma’adrys’s shrine with Avren,” M’kin urged, standing aside to let Data and Lelys inside the fence. “He knows what’s in the hut now down to the last spoon and he knows to tally up everything that’s there after you’ve made your prayers and left. Not that I’m saying you’re likely to take anything,” he added quickly.
“I can promise you that we will take nothing that is there now,” Mr. Data assured him as he fell into step behind their beaming shepherd guide.
When they were about halfway between the house and the gateway, Lelys scampered up the slope to tug at Mr. Data’s sleeve. “This will be easier than I hoped,” she said. “He can be our witness.” She nodded at Avren, who was striding along ahead of them, singing a tuneless song at the top of his lungs and playing toss-~ind-catch with one of his toy sheep.
“Witness to what?” Data asked.
“The miracle I’ve got planned. He has taken a liking to you. All you will have to do once we are inside the house is start talking to him while I pretend to pray. The last time we were in there, I saw a basket in one corner of the room. That is where I will kneel and while you keep him occupied, I will drop the medicine vials from my basket into that one.” “Ah.” Data nodded his comprehension. “You will then pretend to discover them there?” “A miracle,” Lelys aliitreed. “A gift sent by Ma’adrys herself to her people in their time of need.
No one will question it and no one will balk at using