The Bird of the River (21 page)

The Ballad of Falena
was everywhere now. They anchored for a night at Red House Landing, and an elderly beggar with a concertina was playing the song in the inn courtyard.

"CARE TO GO ASHORE WITH ME for dinner?" Krelan gave her a meaningful look as she approached the galley queue that night.

"What, to the Red House?"

"Why not? Just wait until I'm done serving everybody and we'll go over together."

"All right." Eliss took her bowl back to the cabin and put on her clean tunic. After a moment's hesitation she took out the shawl Wolkin had bought her and wrapped it around her shoulders. The girl who looked back at her in the polished copper mirror looked very grown-up, very much a girl who was going out to dinner with a boyfriend. And Alder would have scowled and sulked at being left behind, and Eliss would have felt guilty for leaving him.

But I have to grow up sometime,
Eliss thought.
It wasn't fair that I had to be somebody's mother and stay a little girl too.
She was wondering whether she ought to comb her hair when Krelan came hurrying down the companionway.

"Oh, good, you haven't locked the door. Just let me slip inside and change." He stopped and stared at her before slipping inside the cabin. "You
do
look nice. But then, you generally do," he added from inside, a little muffled.

"It's just the shawl," said Eliss, glad he couldn't see her blushing. "It was expensive."

"Ha! No, my dear, -- money couldn't buy your looks."

"You're just flattering. I'm nothing special."

"No, indeed." Krelan's voice was serious. "I mean, I
would
flatter you, if I needed something, because don't all men? But in your case there's no need to make anything up. That's the big difference. That and the fact that you've got brains." He emerged from the cabin, pulling on his hood. "There! Do I look like some harmless little twit?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Good!" Krelan took her arm and they walked back up the companionway.

ALL THE OTHER RED HOUSES Eliss had ever been in had been on caravan routes, crowded with travelers bedding down for the night on the floor. This one was nearly deserted, and eerily silent. The old man with his concertina had spread out his blanket in a far corner of the hall and his snores were already echoing from the high rafters, but other than that no one seemed to be spending the night there. There weren't even many diners, other than a couple of parties who had come up from the boat landing.

"I've never had a seat by the firepit before," said Eliss, looking around. She adjusted a fold of her shawl self-consciously. Her family had always been over there in the shadows, making up beds on the floor with people like the old musician, and young Eliss had looked over in awe at the well-dressed diners at the best tables.

"No caravan parties filling the place up," said Krelan. "This high up the river, they're only going to get barge crews or pleasure-boats, and if you can afford a pleasure-boat, why would you bother eating at a Red House?"

"What's wrong with Red Houses?" To Eliss they had always seemed elegant places, warm havens at the end of a long cold day of travel, a luxury only to be indulged in when whoever Falena had been currently with could afford it. Krelan arched an eyebrow.

"The food's a little basic," he said.

But their dinners, when brought, were well prepared. "Damn," remarked Krelan in surprise, and said nothing further until his plate was empty.

"See?" Feeling gleefully adult and sophisticated, Eliss speared the last fried dumpling on the end of her knife.

"I suppose if you depend on the barge crews for your custom, you'd better serve good food." Krelan pushed his dish away and leaned back in his chair. He gazed around the room. "And, to be honest, I'd never eaten in one of these before. Well, well.
That's
the house security, unless I miss my guess."

Eliss followed his gaze. Sitting alone in the far corner of the room was a big man, soberly dressed and not noteworthy in any respect. He had a tablet open in front of him and seemed absorbed in making notes, but as Eliss stared at him he looked up and met her eyes. She looked away, abashed. Krelan got to his feet.

"I think I know you, don't I?" he said lightly, advancing on the big man's table, so Eliss got up and followed. "I think I met you at my uncle's house."

"I think you did," the man replied. Eliss saw now that the tablet contained a word puzzle, half-completed. Krelan sat down and placed his hands on the table in a curious way: both index fingers out straight, the other fingers folded under. He only kept them that way a moment, but the man noticed, and made the same gesture back. He looked inquiringly at Eliss.

"A secure friend," said Krelan.

"Very well, then. You're a little young."

"Born into the work, I'm afraid. Took the oath when I was eight."

"Ah." The man looked at Krelan more closely. "Yes. I might know your name. What can I do for you, brother?"

"You can tell me how long you've worked here."

"Five years."

"Good. And you're the only house man?"

"I am."

Krelan reached into his hood and brought out the little portrait of Lord Encilian. He slid it across the tabletop toward the other man. "Seen him? It would have been a little after the Winter Solstice."

"Hm!" The man tapped the portrait with his fingertip, just over the serpent armlet. "Well, I know who he is. Or was. But he never came in this place, brother. Not really the sort of stop his sort would make, is it?"

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure. Anyway, I heard he died." The man surveyed Krelan. "You don't mean they sent a kid like
you
to do anything about it?"

"They did, in fact."

The man shrugged. "No offense. But no, as far as I know he never even moored at the landing. Red Houses are too, what's the word? Declasse, I suppose, for one of them, and there's nothing else here."

"No night life, eh?"

The man chuckled and jerked his thumb at the concertina player. "Old Leadbrick's just about it. Nothing much happens here except a fight now and then when barge crews come in to drink."

"No bandits attacking?" Eliss asked. The man looked at her in surprise.

"No. What would they steal? The souvenir shop's full of junk. The Housekeeper barely breaks even. It's been bad this summer, though, hasn't it, downriver?" He began to look thoughtful. "Bluestone, last I heard. And, what's the gold place? Synpelene."

Krelan nodded. "Asking you as a brother, then: anything you can say that might give me a clue?"

"What, about who did it?" The man rubbed his chin, studying the portrait. "Not really. I'd say the chances are good it happened up in Karkateen. Plenty of ways a boy like that might run into trouble, up there."

"That's what I've been afraid of."

"Don't envy you your job, brother."

"Well. For your trouble." Krelan produced a gold crown from nowhere and slid it across the table to the man, reclaiming the portrait in the process. The man nodded and deftly made the coin vanish.

"Anytime."

AS THEY WALKED BACK DOWN to the landing, Eliss asked: "Why is Karkateen a dangerous place?"

"You've never been?"

"No. No jobs for a diver there. We almost went once. A man we were living with was offered a job there, but he left Mama and went by himself in the end." At that moment it came home to Eliss: that would never happen again. No more desertions. She had lost everyone, but at least she was free. She didn't have to become the sort of woman who clung desperately to someone else for salvation.
Alder was free too... .
No wonder he had wanted to run away. "What's it like in Karkateen?"

"It's a wild city. It's where the river ends. Or begins, I suppose. There's a lot of what my grandfather used to call
lottery rich
up there, and you should have heard the disdain with which he pronounced those words! Believe me, servants know who deserves money and who doesn't. In this case it comes from emerald mines. So there are a lot of mansions owned by people who were clever enough to know what to do with the money they made from emeralds, and a lot of, er, retail establishments frequented by people who
aren't
clever enough to know what to do with the money they made from emeralds. And then there are the people who don't find any emeralds."

"And we're going there?"

"Of course we are. That's where the
Bird
makes her turn and goes back downriver toward the coast. Would you mind very much if I ask you something, Eliss?"

"No."

"Why did you ask our friend whether there'd been any attacks by bandits?"

"Well ..." Eliss shrugged. "There have been a lot of them, haven't there?"

"There have been, yes." Krelan fell silent.

NEXT MORNING THEY DISCOVERED Mr. Pitspike had gone ashore to visit his son, who happened to be the cook at the Red House, and he had yet to return by the appointed time of sailing, though the Housekeeper thoughtfully sent a message to say he was merely dead drunk and not dead. As a consequence Captain Glass postponed their departure a day, and so the crew seized the opportunity to do laundry. The
Bird of the River
was festooned with drying clothes in short order. Eliss was sitting by the rail, trying to begin a novel Pentra had loaned her, when she looked up through shirts fluttering in the breeze and saw the group of Yendri making their way along the riverbank.

There were three of them. One was shorter than the other two. Eliss set the book down and stood, feeling her heart pound.

Three Yendri, and she knew them all. The handsome one, and wasn't it odd how she now could tell them apart enough to see distinctions like that, the handsome one had danced with Pentra. The one in the white robe was Mr. Moss. Alder was walking between them, still clutching his bag. He had been crying and looked sullen.

But he was all right. He was alive and all right. He hadn't drowned or been killed by demons or gotten lost. All her bitter anger dropped away and Eliss felt light enough to fly.

She heard a cry of surprise from behind her on the deck, and running feet. A second later Pentra was beside her at the rail, waving frantically.

"Denuseth!"

They were coming down on the landing now. The handsome one looked up and grinned. Yes, he
was
handsome, wasn't he? He waved back at her and they kept coming. Alder looked up, saw Eliss, and his face screwed up as though he was going to start crying again.

Now other people on deck had noticed and come to the rail to stare. Eliss turned and ran down the gangplank. She threw her arms around Alder and hugged him tight, blind with tears. Alder drew a deep breath.

"I'm sorry I ran away without telling you," he said. "I apologize."

Eliss only clung to him, her throat too tight to get any words out. She heard Pentra saying to--to Denuseth, that must be his name-- "It was so kind of you to bring him back."

"No, it was selfish. An excuse to see you again."

"Are you all right?" Eliss managed to say at last. Alder nodded, but she couldn't remember ever seeing him look so unhappy.

"And I bring news from Caiwyr." That was Denuseth again. "A letter, and a bag of apple tea."

"How is he?"

"Well. He'll tell you the rest."

It had been easier to be angry at Alder than to imagine him dying alone somewhere. Eliss thought of all the ways in which she had been comparing Alder to the uncles who had come and gone, when he was only a little boy after all, and miserable at having to live in the wrong world.

Eliss swallowed hard. She looked up at Mr. Moss, who was watching them, without any expression she recognized. "Thank you," she said. "Mr. Moss, would it be all right--would you take my brother as an apprentice?"

Mr. Moss nodded slowly. Alder pulled away from her and looked up into her face. "Please," he whispered.

"Is it truly what you wish?" said Mr. Moss.

"Yes," said Eliss. "It is. As long as I know he's safe, it's all right."

"He will be safe with us."

"Eliss, I'll be so careful, I'll learn things and--and I can send you medicines if you ever get sick," Alder babbled.

"It's not as though you won't see each other again," said Pentra, holding out a handkerchief to Eliss. "Twice a year, the
Bird
stops at Moonport."

Eliss nodded and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry you had to come so far for nothing," she told Mr. Moss. He shook his head.

"Without this, both your lives would be poisoned," he said. "Now that weed is pulled."

"Have you got your blanket?" Eliss looked down at Alder.

"I have my blanket. And a place to sleep." His slow smile brightened to radiant happiness. "And summer is coming
soon.
It is, Eliss. It finally really is."

NEXT DAY THE
Bird of the River
set sail and continued on her journey, Mr. Pitspike having been carried aboard semiconscious the previous night. With Denuseth and Mr. Moss, Alder stood on the landing and waved good-bye to Eliss, who watched him from the mast platform as long as she dared. He seemed taller already.

She felt an odd sensation, like a tug on her attention. She looked down at the deck. Captain Glass stood at the tiller, his broad expressionless face turned up to her.

"You did good, Vigilance," he called.

THAT NIGHT AS ELISS WAS GETTING ready for bed, Pentra came in with a little pot of hot water.

"I'm going to make some tea," she said. "Would you like any?"

"Yes, please. Thank you." Eliss sat up. She watched curiously as Pentra opened a locker and got out a canister and a small pottery jar with a spigot. She set them on the dresser, shook some of the canister's contents into the jar, and added the hot water. "Er ... all I have to drink out of is my bowl, but you don't have to fill it all the way."

"Wait." Pentra set the pan aside and took something else from the locker. She turned around and opened a wooden box to reveal a set of celadon cups nested in velvet. "These will do. We can use a pair of these, don't you think?"