The Bird of the River (35 page)

"I can carry it anytime, you know, Mama." Wolkin did his best to clip his words the same way. Another person moved into the Runners' parcel depot, and everyone else moved a step farther along in the queue. "Oh, good! It's almost us next."

Eliss merely nodded. One of the objects inside the crate was a letter she had written, dictated by Krelan. She ran over its text in her mind, hoping it was convincing.

Dear my lord,

I am fulfilling a vow sending you this. I am a poor man and it is better you do not know my name but I swear I was not mixed up in this. Me and a friend were camping on the creek trying to find some emeralds and this boy came walking along the trail with a box in his arms and when he tripped and fell we saw somebody had knifed him. So we took him into our camp and bandaged up his wounds but he been in a bad fight and we could tell he was not going to live long. He could tell it too. He made us swear by all the gods to help him or a curse would get us. We were supposed to take all his things he carried and the box too with the thing that is in it and post them to you with a letter explaining what happened. After he died I mean.

He said to tell you he did his duty and you will know it by what is in the box. There is gold too but we did not touch any of it for fear of the curse and we also put in his things, we did not keep them after he died, his knives and that picture. That should show you we did what we were supposed to. We do not want any trouble from anybody and would not ever be disrespectful my lord.

And he said to tell you to go to Krolerett where there is this girl working at a place called Golden Hospitality House and she is going to have a baby and it will be your grandson or granddaughter which you will want to know.

And he said also that he saluted you with his dying breath and done his duty. And a little while after that he died. We carried his body into town and had it burnt proper. Now we are going to post this and find someone to take it to the Runners for us.

Post Script, all this happened at Karkateen.

"Look! It's our turn!" cried Wolkin, and added, "Mama." "So it is," said Eliss. They went inside and set the box on the counter. The clerk inspected the box and paused, sniffing the air suspiciously.

"Would there be ... something dead in this box?"

Eliss shrugged and pointed to the destination label. The clerk read it.

"Oh,
Mount Flame.
Say no more. You'll want this expedited, I expect.

"Yes, please."

"Just a moment." The clerk set the package on the scales. "Do you want a reply?"

"No, thank you. Just delivery."

"Five gold crowns, then. For the hazard."

Below the counter level, Wolkin clutched at his heart and rolled his eyes. Eliss paid without comment.

"Mama, I have to talk to you!"

"In a minute, Praxas, dear."

Wolkin clutched her hand as they walked out together, and the minute they were clear of the door he yelled,
"Five gold crowns!
Do you know what you could buy with five whole crowns?
Gold
ones?"

"A life without trouble," said Eliss serenely, swinging his hand as they walked back toward the
Bird of the River
.

"Well, do we still have enough for my bribe?"

"Of course."

They stopped at a sweets stall where Wolkin selected a bag of rock-candy emeralds, and after some grudging deliberation added a little box of flower creams for Tulu.

"Except I don't see why she has to be bribed too," he said.
"I'm
the one keeping a deadly secret which I'll never tell even if I'm tortured. What was in the box, anyway?"

"Just some things."

"Maybe instead of a bribe it could just be a present for Tulu."

"Why not?"

"That would be better. Are you going to marry Krelan?" Wolkin inquired, somewhat indistinctly around a lump of candy.

Eliss looked down at him in surprise. "Maybe. Someday. Probably. Why?"

"Because you shouldn't rush into anything. That's what Daddy says. And he turned out not to be an assassin after all, and it was pretty dumb to trip in the street and bust his head open like that, and he's so weasely-looking. You could get someone a lot more handsome." Wolkin threw her a slightly anxious glance.

"Why would I want to marry an assassin?"

"Well, it would ... it would just have been better. And if his daddy has disowned him now and he won't even be rich and all ... don't you want to marry someone rich?"

"I don't know. At least a spitboy can cook."

"He
can
cook," Wolkin admitted. They came level with the
Bird of the River's
dock and spotted Krelan on the aft deck, dumping out a bucket of cooking grease. He looked up and gave them a wry smile. Eliss met his eyes and nodded, just once. Wolkin wrinkled his nose. "But, see? He's just ... with his head all bandaged and all ... and ..."

Across the street the same fiddler from a week ago struck up
The Ballad of Falena
, as his vocalist passed the hat. Wolkin turned and flung out his arm to point at them. "Because there! You're Beautiful Falena's daughter, and you could marry anybody in the world, because you're even
more
beautiful, so you should marry a prince or something."

"Princes come in all sizes," said Eliss. "Even spitboy size."

And it's all right to be Beautiful Falena's daughter
, she thought,
as long as I don't make her mistakes. And only Alder and I will even remember what they were, and when we forget she'll still be a beautiful song
.

Mr. Riveter was running to and fro on deck shouting orders, as the crew prepared to warp the
Bird of the River
out of the docking area. His eye ranged across the wharf and he spotted Wolkin.

"What are you doing ashore?" he said. "You're supposed to be grounded!"

"I'm sorry, sir," said Eliss, taking Wolkin's hand and starting down the gangplank. "I asked him to go ashore as my escort."

"And you have to go with a lady when she asks you for help. You said," said Wolkin smugly, and took off like a shot the moment his feet touched the deck. "Tulu! I found some real emeralds! Want to see?

Eliss walked over to Krelan, who was scraping the last of the grease into the slush barrel, and kissed his cheek. "Isn't this romantic?" he said.

"I'm swooooning," she replied. They heard a heavy tread coming up the companionway, and turned. Captain Glass stepped on deck. He fixed them in his dull gaze a moment. Eliss thought she saw something flash in his eyes, brief as a fish leaping.

"Cast off, Mr. Riveter! Time to get aloft, Vigilance," he said.

"Yes, Captain, sir." Eliss turned and scrambled into the rigging. As she climbed she saw the musicians assembling on the aft deck, handing around a pipe of pinkweed amongst themselves with all the solemnity of priests. Salpin, however, grinned and held it out to her, with an inquiring lift of his eyebrow. Laughing, she shook her head and kept climbing.

Eliss found her high place and settled in there, watching as the
Bird of the River
backed out and made her gigantic turn for the journey downriver. Slowly the world rotated around the
Bird's
mast. A gust of wind filled the sail, and they were away.

EpiLogue
Four years Later, at Moonport

THEY WALKED ASHORE WITH PENTRA. Krelan carried one big market basket and Eliss carried the other.

"I wonder if I can get nuts at a good price," mused Krelan. "It would be nice to dress up the porridge a little, don't you think?"

"You see, that's just one of the reasons people like it better when you cook instead of Mr. Pitspike," said Eliss. "You have ideas."

"How very kind," drawled Krelan, peering at his shopping list. He had let his beard grow, and it had the same sickly penciled-in look as his mustache, but the combination made him look a little less ridiculous than with the mustache alone. He glanced up from the list and added, "There's your brother. I'll just go price melons, shall I?"

"Oh, you know he doesn't hate you anymore."

"Of course. Still ..." Krelan took both baskets and sidled off to a market stall.

"Caiwyr! Denuseth!" cried Pentra, running forward. Three Yendri walked toward them along the riverbank. Two wore white robes. Pentra embraced them each in turn, and then drew a little apart with her lover and son. They chatted together happily.

Eliss followed more slowly, gazing at Alder in amazement. "You've grown again," she said.

"You always say that," he replied. They embraced a little awkwardly, for he had to lean down to put his arms around her.

"It's always true. How are you?"

"Very well." Alder looked warily across the market at Krelan. "Have you married him yet?"

"No! We both agreed to wait until we're twenty. He says he wants to be sure nobody's going to show up to kill him first."

Alder sighed and shook his head. "And are you well?"

"Yes. And Salpin's girlfriend wanted you to know the ointment cured the baby's rash. Are you coming aboard for the party tonight?"

"Of course!"

"Good! She can thank you herself." Eliss stepped back and looked Alder up and down. "Wolkin will be jealous. He's as tall as I am now, and thought he was all grown-up. Wait until he sees you."

For the first time Alder grinned. "I can go show him my disciple moves."

"What, meditation? He could use some tranquility. The boys have started noticing Tulu. He's becoming overprotective," said Eliss, somewhat pointedly. Alder looked down, sheepish. He had been holding a small package under his arm, and now he held it out to her.

"I got you something."

"Oh! Thank you."

"The Lady says--you know, she worries about your people. Our people. She says it would be awful if you all killed one another off. She's having us collect a library of your books, to copy and study, so we understand you better. I mean, of course
I
understand you, but the others--"

"I know." Eliss fumbled with the package's string. "Go on."

"Anyway, Caiwyr and I, that's our mission. Going to cities and buying books for her library. And I found this. And I remembered you always talking about it, and I asked the Lady and she said you could have it, because you needed to know how it ended."

Eliss unwrapped the cloth slowly and saw the title, faded but still legible, on the book's spine:
The Silvergilts of Delairia
.

"Oh." Tears stung her eyes.

"Is that it? Is it the right one?"

"Yes." She threw her arms around him and hugged him hard. "Thank you! After all these years--"

"I found something else too," Alder said, a little hesitantly. "After all these years."

"What?" Eliss drew back. She touched the book's cover gently, as though it might vanish.

"My father." He watched her face to see her reaction, and when she smiled and took his hand he looked relieved. "His name is Alder too. He's a good man. He has an orchard and he makes brandy. He remembers you and he says he's sorry about Mama. He never knew about me. But he didn't mind me finding him, Eliss! It was the most wonderful day of my life!"

"Does he look like you?"

Alder nodded, his eyes alight with happiness. "I wish Mama could see."

"Maybe she sees. I hope so." Eliss rewrapped
The Silvergilts of Delairia
and tucked it under her arm. "Come on now and say hello to Krelan. And be nice."

Alder rolled his eyes and looked stubborn, and the expression was so like little Alder's on his long adolescent face that Eliss laughed. They walked away together, into the throng of people buying and selling, as the
Bird of the River
sat quiet at her mooring and the long summer day drew to a close.