“If having them here holds off the Wyverns from Edenrich, then yes,” Bercie said calmly.“And we don’t need to trust them blindly.Their actions will speak for themselves.And so far—”
“So far,” Jerrold scoffed.
“Cirda hasn’t had the same kind of childhood you had,” Bercie tapped her finger on the table.“He hasn’t known what we have known.”
“I fear for him,” Jerrold breathed out.
“Think of it this way,” his mother said.“Since the death of your namesake, Edenrich has repeatedly sent men of war to subdue us.Now they have sent a man of words.I doubt it was their intention, but perhaps they have sent us the Lord High Baron we need.Ifwe hold our minds open to the idea.”
Jerrold leaned in, putting his hands on the table, preparing to rise.His mother set her wrinkled hand on his.He hesitated, looking down at her weathered hand, then looked up.
Her face, tired and worn, still held a spark.“Jerrold,” she said.“Dare to hope.”
“Maybe,” he said.“We’ll see.”
Bercie nodded and smiled.“Go on, now.Go make sure Cirda scrapes all the tree sap off those clothes before he washes them.Then see what your son has learned.”
“I’m getting out of doing the dishes?”Jerrold rose.
“Don’t get used to it, young man.”Bercie rose stiffly.“You can show me this amazing knife move later, after the lad goes to bed.”
“Aye, Mother.”
Halithe crammed thelast of her bread into her mouth.They were all summoned to Lord Orval’s “office,” and it wouldn’t do to arrive still chewing.She was sure the small room off the kitchen was really a pantry, but the Lord had claimed it as his own and put in benches and a small table.
It was a tight squeeze with everyone there: Ritathan, Aramal and Halithe on one bench, Lady Amari, Roth, and Rosalind on the other.Orval sat at the head of the table.The twins lay on a blanket on the floor by the door, napping, curled around each other.Yfin was out cutting firewood, waiting for Roth.
Orval cleared his throat.“I am expecting Jerrold this afternoon and the students—”
“Guards,” Roth muttered.
“—will be here shortly,” Orval nodded.“We assume they are the ears and eyes of the Black Hills and that everything we say and do is reported.”He gave Roth a pointed look.“They’re good kids,” he said.“And they need to learn.”
“Even if they turn on us?”Roth grumbled.
“Even so,” Orval said calmly.“Jerrold said he’d be out later, to go over the maps we found.”
“Wethe the healer is coming as well,” Amari said.“She wants to check me regularly as my date grows closer.”
“I want to be there,” Orval said.His voice was firm, though it held an odd quaver.
“Orval, there is no need,” Amari said.“I’m fine.”The Lady’s eyes narrowed.“What I really want is for her to show me the old medicinal herb garden hereabouts.”
“Now, as to scheduling.”Orval asked.“Rye, how much time do you need for Leeda’s lessons?”
“A quarter of an hour,” Ritathan said.“No more than a half, at best.”
Halithe stared at him, as did the others.
“That’s all it takes?”Rosalind asked.“To learn to be a mage?”
“No,” Rye said.“But that’s all the time we need for lessons.”
Orval sighed.“If you wouldn’t mind translating?”
“Yes, I would,” Rye smiled smugly, then repeated, “That is all the time we need.”
“Well, that’s easy enough to work into the mornings, out of sight of the others,” Amari said.“Chores are spread out, mornings, afternoon and evening.It will help to have extra hands.”She stared at Rye.“That includes you, you know.”
