Ch: 26 What Happens in the Stable
While Becky and Khan guided Luna on a brief tour, the others started dinner. Shai and Tallum set Gary adrift in the bath again.
Shai had done away with the small pool, Gary liked being close to them all. ‘The poor boy craves intimacy and contact the way a fish needs water to swim.’ She thought, going back to her favorite game of sending him drifting in lazy circles around the bath.
His bandages dissolved in the chaotic waters, revealing the partially healed cuts and bruises, and the wreck of his abdomen. Even Tawny’s skill with spell and needle could not undo that terrible wound.
She pulled him close and laid her head on his chest to listen to his heart for a while.
In a short time a rich scent began to come from the open kitchen, filling the common room. Smoked pork belly seared in a hot pan made everyone sit up and take notice, Luna was no exception.
Even the near lifeless coffin filler in the pool showed signs of movement before long. It was eerie, watching someone who should certainly be a corpse, move slowly to the edge of the water.
As Luna watched, the mysterious and (she was now forced to admit) beautiful smith was having a soft conversation with her pet cadaver.
“Bacon?” The poor thing whispered.
“Aye, Becky did say ye should choose, which shall it be?”
He mumbled something unintelligible and slipped into quiescence again, resuming a corpse like drift.
“New England he did say, Tallum, mind me boy whilst we cook!” In a twinkle the smith was out of the pool, in a robe and helping the others with the meal.
She traded places seamlessly with the giant smith, once more displaying uncanny precision and cooperation. The huge smith seemed as invested in the broken man as the woman was.
Luna sat in the reading nook, watching by the fireside. Khan was moving among them, just as he did when he was her patrol leader.
He smiled and chatted, but he was watching, evaluating, looking for concealed injury or illness.
He scanned gear for wear or damage, watched the cooks as they worked and swept past the pool every so often, watching the invalid float with interest.
She had never known Khan to wield authority as most officers did, he led his patrols just this way. He was more a parent or counselor to many of his troops, something that Luna had seen early and come to love him for.
Orphans rarely attained officer’s ranks in War’s legion. A commoner who chose War, could rise as high as their talents and abilities will allow them. Those who came to War by indenture had fewer opportunities.
Even if officers like Khan were as common as fallen leaves, it would not be enough. War was doomed to lose his battle, Luna had seen enough action to know that. In perhaps a few centuries, nothing would be left but ruins and monsters.
She suspected that was part of the erosion of discipline in Port Fallon over the last two years. That and baron Fallon’s heir being eaten by a gapemaw frog, leaving that fool Brennan in charge. That was a stupid way for a good man to end.
‘If these greenies are worth his time they are worth mine.’ She decided silently. Luna rose and headed to the kitchen, washing her hands in the luxurious, hot running water.
“How can I help?” She asked the sava-... She asked Shai.
“Aid me wi these potatoes, we must peel and cut them small.” Shai said with a smile so warm Luna could only smile in return.
It was by far the strangest kitchen she had ever seen. They worked so seamlessly together, Luna felt like a fumbling rube. Things were moving so quickly, she attempted to withdraw and wash dishes…
There were none. Every spoon, bowl and cutting board was used, and then tossed into the sink. There should have been a mound of washing up to do.
Luna watched as Shai dumped a large metal bowl filled with chopped potatoes into a kettle filled with sizzling bacon, onions and good white flour. She carelessly dropped the soiled bowl in the sink and turned away.
Luna moved up to wash it and feel useful, there was no bowl. In confusion, she felt around in the sink, empty as a beggar’s purse. On the shelf nearby, two more bowls like the one she was looking for stood, clean and empty.
Khan’s warm, strong arms enfolded her from behind. His breath in her ear barely carried his words.
“You are not going mad. Let these children work their magic tonight. Just watch with me.” He pulled her to a comfy seat by the fire to watch the doings.
It took a while for her to tumble the secret. “It's the bells, the girl, Shai has a gift that puts them in step together.” It struck her like an arrow as she spoke. “She used it on the road to quicken our travel! That is useful. Is she the one indentured?”
“No, it's the strange one in the bath. Step careful with him when he wakes, treat him as you would an unfamiliar dog. He probably won't bite without warning.”
They settled into a comfortable silence while watching the young people work together. Shai’s hips never stopped shimmying in time to the music of their own making.
Every knife hitting a board kept the beat, spoons stirred in subtle harmony with the footsteps and quiet humming that drifted from the troupe. What few words they exchanged were chanted in cadence as they performed a subtle and understated dance together.
Before long, bowls of thick white broth and platters of toasted bread began hitting the tables. Luna inhaled deeply, it smelled faintly of fish and earth, with bacon and milk drawing it all together into a mild and warming stew.
“Fish of some kind?” She asked.
“Catfish and crawdaddie, Gary calls it ‘Chowder’, I think that is a silly name.” Becky said cheerfully as she joined their table.
“You eat crawdaddie? Those horrid pinching water bugs?” She asked, looking slightly ill.
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“It grossed me out at first, but Gary swears by them. Besides, this one tried to eat us, ‘sonly fair.” She said around a mouthful.
With a shrug she tried the soup. “Who would have thought?” She asked in wonder. “Those shits are delicious!”
#
After a fine meal they adjourned to the much rumored baths. Khan had not exaggerated the simple luxury of it. It was odd bathing with what amounted to a floating wight though.
Luna had seen a lot of gut wounds, that one was a death sentence sooner or later, from the looks of him, it would be sooner.
“What got him?” She asked Khan softly.
“Crawdaddy gone monster, bigger than Annie. Nearly snipped him in half through armor and shield.” He whispered. “Tawny sewed him back together in the field less than a week ago.”
“Gods above and below, he lasted a week like that? Better to have slit his throat then and there.” She looked him in the eye and spoke slowly. “If I ever wind up in that condition, ease me out of this world and live your life, I would not fester from the inside.”
“If you have Tawny nearby, and this bath to recover in, that would be a waste.” He said, looking more alive and happy than she had seen in a long time. “Come, he’s moving, let's introduce you before he goes again.”
Luna felt terrible, allowing herself to be introduced to this doomed creature. As though he were likely to live till next sunset.
“Nice to meet you Luna,” He gasped, clearly unable to draw a full breath. “I should be up and around in a day or two. We can talk then.” He said, his eyes fluttering.
The naked priestess surged by with a wad of fae dust in her hand, shoving it in his mouth as he slipped away. “That’s a waste, he won’t be feeling anything.” The tattooed woman muttered, drawing a sharp look from Tawny.
“You are new to our troupe, so I will ignore that, mistress Luna. You will find that we care for our own.” She said, sounding cold for a woman who looked so warm. “Do not let the others hear such, we are… prickly at the moment.”
“My apologies, honored priestess. This one is shamed before you.” She said, falling back on her tribal ways in a rare breach of control.
“There is no shame, we need only get to know each other better.” Tawny was a potent force, even without the weight of her titles. Her smile swept Luna up and set her head spinning.
“I shall see to Annie, please excuse my rudeness.” She said, escaping before embarrassing herself further.
Out in the stable, or rather, Annie’s quarters, Luna was pacing and speaking to her closest friend.
“This house is mad, Khan seems willing to leap into bedlam and begin howling at the moon with them.” Luna said. “I am the last one to say someone is moon touched but this is beyond too much… Don’t look at me like that.”
“You do know she is my familiar, don’t you?” Khan asked from the door, as he stepped in and slid it closed behind.
“Yes, but she is my friend, are you? Bringing me to this madhouse with no warning at all. That was for your amusement was it not?”
“How could I warn you? There is more, wait till that boy is moving again, I tell you it is a thing to be seen.” Khan said. “Once we are properly married and free to do as we wish, we will be unstoppable!”
“He is that mighty?” Luna asked in hushed wonder.
Khan laughed long and hard. “Gods no, I hear he fights like a newborn kitten, struggling to find a teat and he has no offensive gifts or talent for magecraft. Yet you will see wonders.” He laughed again. “I’ve only seen a hint, but Old Mikkel and Otho of Joy swear by him.”
Luna sighed. “Those two old fools and their dream of the old days, no one even remembers but them. Everytime I see those two, they convince me anew to join their foolishness.”
She slid towards him, feet silent on the fragrant wood shavings piled in the stalls. “Let the old men worry about tomorrow.” Her voice was low in the near darkness. “I have other concerns tonight.”
Khan backed nervously, trapping himself in a vacant stall. “Luna.. we never spoke of… we never…” His eyes darted all around searching for an escape.
Her voice was strangely husky and raw as she spoke. “I feared this time would never come, Imran Khan.”
Luna followed him in and slid the stall door closed. “You are not my patrol leader, anymore.”
#
Three sharp raps on his chamber door and like a witch’s curse, Brennan’s erection shriveled. Uncle Eglund would wait until he was with his favorite whore.
“Go,” He barked at her, hurling a bronze mark in the girl’s direction. “Tell your mistress to beat you for delaying, five lashes I think.” He smirked. “I want to see those marks when next I send for you.”
Mistress Thune would freshen those lashes every day or two until he summoned her, that was a delightful little game they played.
Maybe Thune had a whore that looked like that red haired smith bitch, or a skinny dark girl… or one could be taken off the streets of the dock ward with ease.
Those thoughts entertained him while he dragged his clothes on and stomped off to meet his lord and uncle, baron Eglund Fallon.
He was ushered into his uncle’s study immediately, finding the baron at his desk, a tall stack of documents and a quill were the only things on the wide expanse of oak.
“Lady Trelawny was notably absent at dinner Brennan. I have also not received any useful reports on that orphan I sent you to look at. I even hear that a band of green adventurers slew the creature in the marsh.”
“Uncle, patrol leader Nazar should have filed…” Eglund raised a hand, silencing him.
“I have Nazar’s report. He states that he was unable to see the orphan in question, learning only that he is gravely wounded and may not live.” The baron sighed long and slow. “Did you see this child, nephew?”
“I did, he is not likely to survive. Even so, he is not worth the effort, he had nothing to recommend him.”
“And the lady Trelawny?” He asked. Making his nephew shrink back in his seat.
“She is traveling under a veil of penitence, working as a common healer, she will not break the seal of her veil.”
“In that case you are to take a patrol of light horse, ride out, find mistress Trelawny's party and apologize abjectly and humbly for causing offense.” The old man smiled sadly. “Gift her some trifle, that horse I bought this spring, Winslow. That will do nicely.”
#
Luna and Khan crept guiltily back inside in the small hours, slipping around through the bath to Khan’s room.
Just as the door slid closed, Luna stopped. “Wait, where is your mostly dead friend?”
The duo padded back down the hall to the bath, it was empty. They looked in the kitchen and common room as well, also empty.
Khan was pacing in the reading nook, as they all called it. “I would rather not wake the others, they must have taken him to a bed. We should bathe while it's empty.” He said with a grin. “I have wood shavings in places…”
They had been ‘bathing’ for a good while when they heard a door slide closed nearby. The godsdamned walking corpse ambled up to the pool, as they separated to a discrete distance.
He was hunched almost double and clutching at the angry looking remains of his abdomen like his guts could spill out at any moment.
“Don’t mind me,” He whispered in that lyric accent. “I need to rest, but you can stay.” He pulled a huge wad of fae dust from somewhere and shoved it in his mouth. “I’m gonna be unconscious for a while.”
Just like that, he was as good as dead again. Though the damage to his lower body seemed much healed, the wound in his abdomen remained horrifying. Luna could not resist moving closer and taking a sniff.
“What are you doing Luna?” Khan called from nearby.
“I don’t want to get attached if he’s going rotten. Don’t look at me like that, you remember Dolan.” She said, while returning to his side.
“I also remember Mai Ling. She begged you to cut her throat, begged for hours thinking she had vigil worms in her brain.” He grinned at her as she fidgeted. “I had to tie her to her horse. What was it that the healer found back in town? A tiny moth trapped in her ear.”
“That moth could have gotten into my delicate underthings, that would have been a disaster. You haven't seen them yet.” Luna whispered while nibbling at his throat.
A shimmering cascade of harp notes tinkled on the stairs. Becky was announcing herself and allowing them time to become less thoroughly entangled. The kid had class.
She came skipping down the steps and made a perfunctory check of the not exactly dead man.
While she worked, Annie came clopping around the corner into the bathing area. The enormous horse leaned over Becky to sniff demurely at the floating man and chuffed softly in satisfaction. “See? He will be fine, I’ll send him to see you when he’s feeling better.” Becky said.
“Are you also touched by the god of Beasts, mistress Becky?” Luna asked.
“No, I speak horse. Only familiars are smart enough to have a chat with.” She patted and scratched the horse’s cheek. “Annie is a great conversationalist.”
She nuzzled her face in Annie's neck in embarrassment. “No sweety, don’t tell me about that… no humans don’t talk about that with other people.” She said cryptically. “I understand, people do that in stables all the time, we still shouldn't talk about it.”
While walking Annie back to the stables she chatted away. “I’m sure he didn’t hurt Luna, she seems fine. No, humans are just loud that way…”
“Khan, please, cut my throat.” Luna whispered, lost in new and exciting depths of mortification.
“We will trade, we slit each other's, but first, the horse dies.” Khan agreed.
A thin and weak voice rose behind them, still faintly sing-song. “Annie is my guest, you are her entourage. Perhaps I should have servant’s quarters added on to the stable…” He seemed to meditate on that for a moment. “no, she needs her rest.”
The boy’s grin would have been goofy and charming in a living face. Sadly, he drifted off again, leaving that grin to become a waxen death mask, it was ghastly.
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