The Lady And the Order [Sunsinger Chronicles Book 4] Page 7

  They were four hours away from the spaceport on Erenon. The launch strain had faded and once they unbuckled their safety belts they would be in free-fall.

  “Is this bad?"

  “No.” She adjusted three dials and checked the gauges before she continued. “I come here because Commonwealth authorities ask me to. For the medicines, for trade information, and to keep an eye on Caderi. I know him better than anyone in the Commonwealth. I have to make sure the truth is reported, not the paranoid delusions of some power-hungry, suicidal spy. That type is just itching for a war to begin, and that's certainly the last thing we need now."

  “Oh.” Bain thought about what she said for a few minutes. He understood what she meant. How could he have reacted to Caderi's outrageousness, his boasting and sly remarks and teasing with Lin, if he had known all the reasons for being on Erenon?

  “Somebody might want you to go back to Erenon someday and continue the friendship between Sunsinger and the Caderi."

  “I couldn't. Haddan hates me. He thinks I'm just a little boy."

  “Haddan is a pompous idiot.” Lin chuckled. “Bain, people often make fun of the people or things they envy the most."

  “Why?"

  “To make themselves feel better, I suppose."

  He had to think about that for a few minutes, too. Bain finally shrugged and relaxed a little more.

  “I won't have to go back, will I?"

  “No.” She shook her head. “I'll attest that there is no friendship between the next generation. I'm rather relieved."

  “Do you ever ... do you ever wish you had married him? I'm glad you didn't, but do you ever wish?"

  “I used to. When it was just Ganfer and me.” She reached over and tousled his hair. “But it's not just Ganfer and me anymore. The one thing I missed was family."

  “You could have ... but you wouldn't be in space, if you married Master Caderi and had children, would you?"

  “Oh yes I would!” She laughed. “I would have demanded to spend at least some time in space, and of course I would have had to train any of our children who became Spacers. But it wouldn't be Commonwealth space, Bain. That's important. There's a whole different feeling when you cross that imaginary line between the Commonwealth and the Conclave. I don't know how to describe it."

  “If you were always in Conclave space, we never would have met,” he offered.

  “That's true. Always hold to what you know to be right, Bain. Even when it hurts. You'll be blessed for it, even if it takes years for everything to work out.” She nodded and winked at him. “Fi'in blessed me, repaid me, by bringing you into my life. But don't let that make you arrogant, you hear me?"

  “No, ma'am!” Bain saluted, wringing another laugh from her.

  When they crossed into Commonwealth space, Bain thought he could feel the difference. He didn't tell Lin, though. Maybe someday he would, but not now.

  * * * *

  Bain stopped when he thought he heard a few sweet notes from a harp pierce the rumbling of the market crowd around him. This early in the morning, people were still too close to sleep to do more than talk in low voices. No laughing, no shouting, no haggling over prices, no merchants singing the praises of their wares. It was easy to hear the harp notes.

  He followed his ears through the sparse crowd, turning right down one aisle, then right again two booths later. This was the musicians’ aisle, according to the musical notes painted on the metal screen on the arched entryway to the aisle. He paused under the arch and looked down the aisle. His ears strained to catch the notes. Were they just random, or had someone been trying to play a song?

  A grin twisted his mouth when Bain caught sight of the green banner with appliquéd roses. It hung across the top and down both sides of the only booth open this early in the morning. Bain caught sight of a head of long, black and silver-streaked hair spilling out from under a blue scarf.

  “Branda!” he called and ran down the nearly deserted aisle.

  “Bain?” Branda stepped out from behind the counter of her booth, into the pebble-paved aisle.

  Today she wore loose green trousers and knee-length tunic and a cloak that matched her scarf. Her cheeks glowed from the chill air and her breath puffed out in white clouds almost as thick as the ones wreathing Bain's head.

  She held her arms wide and hugged him, then pushed him to arm's length so she could look at him.

  “You look good. Where's Lin? What are you two doing on Aranthe?"

  “Lin said this was the best place to take the medicines and herbs we got on Erenon."

  “Erenon?” Branda shook her head and finally took her hands off his shoulders. “Lin is still trying to reform that pirate, Caderi?"

  “I don't think so. She said she wouldn't go back there anymore.” Bain didn't know why he felt slightly sad about that; he hadn't felt comfortable on Erenon; especially visiting Caderi's estate.

  “Ah, well, at least she tried. Her conscience is clean. But you—you've grown again. Are you ready for your new harp?” She stepped back behind her counter and tugged back a sheet that covered the harps in their clear, insulating cases.

  “No—I mean—I didn't come here just to get it. I heard a harp and I wondered if you were here.” He wished he would stop blushing so much. Branda and Lin understood him, even when he tripped over his tongue and felt like a clumsy clod. And an ungracious, brainless one at that.

  “Well, you've made a nice start to a chilly day, I can tell you that.” She chuckled and folded the covering cloth with a few quick twists of her hands. “Did Lin send you out shopping for her?"

  “No, I'm supposed to meet her at the Healer's Guild hall. She left about an hour ago."

  “Then you have plenty of time. She'll haggle with them and share news and grumble about the state of things in the Conclave for at least two hours. Unless she wants you to meet the seneschal for the Healers Guild?"

  “I think so. She wants me to meet a lot of people, so I can work with them in the future."

  “Then you'd better hurry along.” Branda patted his shoulder and turned it into a gentle shove. “But you remember, you two are to come back here and have lunch with me, hear? There's a wonderful little cook stall just around the corner that will bring the food here. We can eat in the back of the booth, for a little shelter from the wind. It doesn't look like rain today, do you think?"

  “I don't know.” He wondered if he should study weather signs in his next unit of science. There was so much Bain didn't know about planets because he concentrated so much on how starships worked and navigating space. And history, of course. He loved studying history.

  After he said good-bye to Branda, he hurried through the market. It was hard to just walk by all the stalls and booths opening up with displays of tempting, strange, colorful merchandise. Bain hardly ever bought; looking and wondering and asking questions was more than enough for him.

  Then a flicker of green cape caught his attention. Bain stopped short and turned, trying to catch a glimpse of the person wearing it. His whole body seemed to miss a beat as memory washed over him.

  He saw the green cape again. The marketplace crowds were starting to thicken, a few more people adding to the numbers every minute, it seemed. Bain strained his eyes, standing on tiptoes, and watched the woman striding down the main thoroughfare through the marketplace. Her steps were smooth, long-legged. She balanced on the balls of her feet instead of grinding the heels in like most people. She wore black pants and calf-high black boots. Her billowy hood was up, hiding her head. Bain walked a little faster, trying to catch up.

  The woman turned left, going down an aisle marked for book disks and entertainment chips. A long, glossy strand of red hair had escaped the confines of her hood and hung down nearly to her waist. Bain grinned when he caught a glimpse of Sister Marnya's tiny nose and delicate cheekbones.

  “Up to mischief, are you?” a deep voice asked, and a huge, strong hand clamped down on Bain's shoulder.

  A shout started u
p in Bain's throat. He turned, trying to twist free of his attacker—then saw the dark hand on his shoulder. The sound caught in his throat and he turned, staring up and up into Jax's grinning face. A little yelp escaped Bain as he tried to turn his shout for help into a greeting.

  “I couldn't resist. Sorry,” Marnya's bodyguard said. He gestured toward the aisle where she had turned. “We'd better hurry. She could get into all sorts of trouble if I let her out of my sight for a minute.” He chuckled, giving a totally different meaning to his words.

  Bain hurried down the thoroughfare at Jax's side for a few meters, then remembered where he was headed.

  “I can't—I have to meet Lin at the Healers’ Guild.” Bain again returned to his errand; this time with a little more regret than before. “Will you tell her I said hello? Maybe if we stay a while, we can talk? I'm glad to see you again, too,” he hurried to say.

  “Certainly. I know Sister Marnya will be glad to know you're here.” Jax nodded and raised a hand in farewell. In a few moments, he had vanished down the aisle, following Sister Marnya.

  Bain ran this time and tried not to look at the people and stalls he passed. What other friends would he see, and want to stop to talk with them? He couldn't afford to take any chances.

  * * * *

  Lin was still with the purchasing agent for the Healer's Guild when Bain reached the hall. It was a wide building of green-gold brick, six stories tall. Bain stopped for a few seconds on the bottom step leading up to the arched doorway and stared. He had never seen bricks that color before. Was it native to Aranthe, or had the masons done something to the sand and mud when they baked the bricks?

  Grinning, Bain realized he was wasting time again, and started up the steps—all twenty of them—to reach the door. It stood open, but a little curved gate only two meters into the receiving hall kept people from just walking into the healers’ offices and lecture halls and healing rooms. He stopped and rested his hands on the railing of the gate, midway between his waist and shoulders. A chime sounded somewhere down the long, dimly lit reception hall. It was made darker by the red-black wood paneling the walls and even the ceiling.

  “Yes, can I help you?” a tall, spindly-looking man said in a creaking voice. He emerged from the shadows; dark skin and dark eyes and a long, dark robe made him nearly invisible. His short-cropped hair was pure silver, and seemed to glow softly in the streaks of pale amber light coming from the few globe lights high in the ceiling.

  “Good morning, sir. My name is Bain Kern, sir. I'm supposed to meet Captain Lin Fieran here. Could you tell me where to go?"

  “So you're Lin's apprentice?” He smiled, revealing tiny white teeth. “My, you're a polite one. Most boys your age would have vaulted over the railing and started exploring."

  “Lin says Spacers can't afford to make enemies by being rude."

  “Well, she ought to know.” He nodded, chuckling a little, and pressed his hand against a panel on the other side of the gate. It clicked and chimed and swung open. “Come in, Bain. Come in and be welcome. I am Master Sogo. We have a mutual friend in Dr. Anyon, I hear."

  “Yes, sir.” Bain followed as Master Sogo headed down the shadowed hall. “He's with the Rangers now."

  “To serve where we are needed, even at the risk of our lives and comfort—that is the highest service we can give to Fi'in, as well as our fellow Humans.” Master Sogo nodded and glanced over his shoulder, giving Bain another wide smile. “Lin speaks highly of you."

  “Thank you, sir.” He didn't quite know how to respond to that remark, but decided it wouldn't hurt to be polite and express gratitude.

  “I didn't know whether to blame her advancing age or her loneliness or if she was just a doting fool,” the man continued. He paused in an open doorway and glanced at Bain. A moment later, he burst out in laughter that rang to the vaulted ceiling. “Forgive me, boy. I didn't mean to sound so harsh about your captain. Lin has been so stubbornly set against taking an apprentice for so long, it amazed all of us when we heard what she had done. You must be a truly remarkable boy."

  They continued down another long hall, better lit, with a wooden floor and white-painted walls and closed doors. This looked like a business section to Bain's reckoning.

  “She is a distant relative,” he admitted. Bain knew his face was red; it felt hot enough to burn. He wondered what expression he wore to make the old man laugh so loud. “I think she took me on because she felt a responsibility for me."

  “Maybe. Lin is entirely too generous and has too strong a sense of responsibility. Almost a martyr complex. But I have also known her to be remarkably possessed of common sense. If you two did not get along, if you did not possess remarkable talent of your own, she would have given you over to someone who could help you make something of your life.” He nodded sagely and winked slowly. “Mark my words, Bain Kern, your captain values you highly."

  “Then why did you think Lin—"

  “People change as they grow older. I used to be horribly anti-social when I was younger. Now, I enjoy playing the part of the doting, indulgent uncle to everyone I meet. And teasing them unforgivably."

  “That is an understatement,” Lin said with a chuckle as they entered a brightly lit room.

  The crates full of spices and herbs and medicines from Erenon were scattered all around the room, sitting open, with the little boxes and bags and sealed canisters open for sampling. Bain took a deep breath, savoring the mixture of sweet, bitter, salty, pungent, and even some that pierced the sinuses and made his eyes water. Mixed together, they were almost overpowering. He didn't mind the sensation at all when his head cleared and he seemed to float a few centimeters off the floor for a moment or two.

  “He hasn't been picking on you too badly, has he, Bain?” Lin continued. She got up from the table where she had been signing papers and applying her thumbprint to a sensor pad for the legal records.

  Bain just grinned and shook his head, which made Master Sogo and the other healer, a tiny, black-haired woman in white robes, both burst out laughing.

  “You got here sooner than I expected. Didn't you go through the marketplace at all?” She winked at him.

  “Yes, but—Oh, I almost forgot.” Bain settled down on the bench that ran the entire length of the table. “I met up with Branda and with Sister Marnya and Jax."

  “Branda is here early in the season, then."

  “All finished, Captain,” the lady healer said. She closed the sensor pad's case and tucked it into the wide sleeve of her robe. “You're a blessing from Fi'in. Your timing is perfect. We'll say prayers for your safety for the next month."

  “And probably cursing me for the next two months, while you're processing all those raw herbs,” Lin muttered. Her eyes sparkled, teasing. Both healers grinned and shook their heads. Bain noticed that neither one denied her words.

  * * * *

  By the time they were finished with a tour of the Healer's Guild hall—Master Sogo insisted on giving Bain the grand tour of grand tours—the noon hour was nearly over. Bain was worried Branda would think they weren't coming to see her, but when he mentioned it Lin said their relative wouldn't mind waiting. They would miss the rush at the food vendors’ stalls and the food would be fresher and better cooked if there were fewer customers waiting to be served.

  Branda was busy with three red-haired, chubby women all dressed in green with gold belts and boots. Lin stared, open-mouthed, at the women for ten seconds—Bain counted. Then, shaking her head, she beckoned for Bain to follow her. They went around the corner to the food vendor Branda had mentioned before, and placed an order for their lunch. Lin grinned and swallowed a few snickers along the way there and back, but she never said a word. She did wipe her forehead, miming relief, when they returned to Branda's stall and the three women were gone.

  “Not a word from you,” Branda said, shaking her finger at Lin as they approached. “They bought a harp and a guitar and two tambourines apiece."

  “Performers, then.” Lin wr
apped her cloak a little tighter around herself as a gust of chilly damp wind wriggled down the aisle, between the booths and stalls and sending cloaks and papers and signs flapping.

  “They think they're performers. I say they're all tone-deaf. I convinced them they needed to listen to my grandfather's instructional tapes and study the diagrams and all five teaching books before they tried to play anything. I almost refused to sell anything to them, but they do love music, even if they can't play or sing to save their lives.” Branda shook her head, chuckling a little, eyes bright with pity for the pathetic, amusing, fat little women.

  Branda wanted to know about the visit to Erenon. She had gone there twice with Lin and found a good market for her music and instruments, but didn't want to go back. They sat in the shelter of the booth and ate hot, spicy meat in a thick green sauce, wrapped in steaming, salty soft flatbread, with bowls of rice in a thick, sweet red sauce, with dozens of tiny chopped vegetables Bain couldn't name, mixed into it. There was tea, green or red, with lots of sweetener. They talked and caught up on news of mutual friends. Bain listened far more than he talked, but that was all right with him. He liked listening to Lin and Branda because their comments eventually explained for him the why and how of things happening through the Commonwealth. He didn't know when he had figured it out, but he knew if he listened long enough and thought about what people said, he would eventually understand without having to ask questions that made him look stupid.

  “Oh, goodness,” Branda said. She put down the covered pitcher of green tea, after pouring herself her fifth cup. “Here comes one of them again.” She nodded toward a far-off figure in green, with red hair peeking out from under the hood of her cape, approaching through the shifting crowd. “I hope I didn't make a mistake selling to them. They did dearly love my harps, especially, but I can't countenance selling anything I've made to people who won't treat them properly,” she continued, keeping her voice low.

  Bain watched the approaching figure. Funny, but the woman didn't look fat. He didn't see a bit of gold on her clothes, either. He glanced at Lin and Branda and back at the woman, and grinned. Lin saw.