“You wanted some pain relief for Fen?” Lynette prompted her, heading for the kitchen where her supply of herbs was kept. Morgan followed, and Koradan trailed behind them both. He removed the necklace as he went, somewhat relieved to see that he instantly reverted back to his native form.
In the kitchen, Lynette was muttering to herself. “Willow bark and meadowsweet, and some feverfew… and some ginger.” She set about mixing the herbs in a dish, then poured the result into a cloth bag and held it out for Morgan to take. “Make a tea from this and get him to drink a cup of it every three hours. He’s got a couple of broken bones in his foot, so it’s going to hurt for a few days more, at the very least, but this should take the edge off. And make sure he keeps it still. Any movement will only delay healing.”
“Thank you,” Morgan said. “And thank you, as well,” she said, looking at Koradan. “My husband’s only alive because of you and your men. I’m truly grateful.” With a smile that was both genuine and strained due to the stress of the past few days, she hurried out the door again, closing it firmly behind her.
Silence descended on the kitchen. “Sorry for surprising you like that,” Koradan said. “I should have warned you first.”
“It’s okay,” Lynette said, waving the apology away. “After the number of surprises we’ve had in the past few days, you’d think I’d be used to this by now.”
“Is what Morgan said true?” Koradan couldn’t help asking. “Do you think I make an attractive human?”
Lynette’s eyebrows rose, then she shook herself a little. “I should get your bed set up for the night,” she announced, ignoring the question. “Since Paul’s not here, you can sleep in his bed. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind, and it’ll be far more comfortable than a pile of blankets on the floor. Let me just get things set up for you…” She bustled away into Paul’s bedroom, leaving Koradan feeling perplexed, standing alone in the kitchen.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Ready for another day covered in rock dust?” Melowin called cheerfully, as Koradan arrived at the paddock where the vreki were waiting in the morning.
“Come into the barn,” Koradan said, not even bothering to return the greeting. “I have something to show you. All of you,” he added, as Sigmore and Rigolard just stood there staring at him. Rodgard was the last to arrive, just coming out of the village as Koradan headed for the barn, and he waved at Rodgard to show him where they were going.
Inside the barn, Ashd and Mergh were still lounging in the straw, not yet up and about with the others, and Koradan sent Ashd a pulse of warmth as a morning greeting.
Cancel sky too bright stupid goats, Ashd told him, and it took Koradan a moment to work out what he was talking about. Due to his late start in learning to communicate with the vreki, he still struggled to understand some of what Ashd said. The other four men in his team were far more fluent in vreki-speak, and they would have interpreted Ashd’s comment easily – as would his previous rider, before he’d stupidly gone rock climbing in bad weather and got himself killed.
The goats kept you awake?he guessed, and Ashd nodded.So now you want the sky to stay dark for longer so you can sleep more.
Cancel day. Come back tomorrow.
“Well, I’ve got quite a surprise for you this morning,” Koradan said out loud. “Think you can pay attention for five minutes or so?”
Ashd sighed, then yawned, but obediently rolled onto his front and propped himself up.Awake. Paying attention.
“What’s the drama?” Rodgard asked, coming into the barn behind the rest of them.
“How was dinner?” Koradan asked, hoping Rodgard was in a better mood today.
“Praise the gods, we had a roast leg of goat,” Rodgard said. “No bread, no cheese, none of what I have now learned is called ‘garlic’. That’s what was in the soup, and by Alfrix, it isvile. And I’ve now been introduced to peas, potatoes, pumpkin and silverbeet, all of which, I’m happy to report, are entirely edible.”
“Glad to hear it,” Koradan said, with a knowing smile. “Lynette suggested last night that we should be a little more forthcoming about explaining our likes and dislikes to the humans. Politely, of course, but apparently they’ve been as confused about what to expect from us as we are about what they’re offering. A little more open communication would make everyone more comfortable.”
“Is that the urgent news of the day?” Rodgard said. “And if so, why are we all hiding in the barn like refugees? Or is there a troop of soldiers unexpectedly headed our way?”
“No, there are no soldiers – that I’m aware of, at least – and no, that’s not the news of the day. Lynette gave me something last night. Something that could have significant implications for our future.” Choosing not to drag out the news, Koradan fished the obsidian gem out of his pocket. “Apparently, her deceased husband used to steal these from Chalandrians he’d killed,” he said, holding it up. “And this one is in working order.” He fastened the necklace around his throat and muttered the spell.
“Fuck me, you’re even uglier as a human than you are as a salas,” Sigmore drawled as the spell took effect, though he had a grin on his face as he said it. By salas standards, humans were indeed ugly creatures, with their uniform brown skin and lack of any additional adornments – no horns, no tails, no spikes on their shoulders. But despite the conventional standards of Chalandrian beauty, Koradan would have admitted to himself – if not to the others – that he was actually starting to find Lynette quite tolerable to look at. Familiar, even, though he wouldn’t have gone so far as to say she was pretty. But she was definitely growing on him.
But leaving that aside…
“What do you think, Ashd?” Koradan asked the vreki. Ashd tilted his head from side to side, trying to puzzle out this strange occurrence.
Where Koradan?
“I am Koradan,” Koradan told him. “I’m just disguised as a human. I’m pretending to be a human,” he explained it again, knowing that the vreki sometimes had trouble with abstract ideas.
Salas inside human skin?
“Exactly, yes.”
Eww. Ugly.Then he felt a sudden realisation grip Ashd.Oooh, sneaky!Ashd said, catching on.Secret person. Clever.
