The Fuller's Apprentice (The Chronicles of Tevenar Book 1) (29 page)

“But what will the weavers out here do?” Josiah blurted.

“Oh, the work will get done, boy. There’s many ways of finishing cloth; waulking’s just one, and mills haven’t been around for more than a lifetime or two. The folk here know well enough how it’s done. They can manage their own waulkings, or tread the cloth in vats, or pound it in the river. Never fear, the work will get done, as long as there are hands to do it.”

Josiah swallowed. After a moment of silence, Elkan returned to his point. “One way or another, you won’t be waulking much longer. Either you’ll retire somewhere with wizards, or you’ll die out here with no one to help you. Your craft might be doomed, but your life can continue.
If
you listen to me.”

“This is my life.” Norlan gestured around him, his circling hand taking in the mountain peaks surrounding the little valley. “The mountains, the forest, the open sky… this is my home. I’ll not leave it. I’ve lived seventy-two years, and for fifty-nine of them I’ve been wandering the roads and paths up here. I know every twist and turn, yet not a day goes by they don’t surprise me. Far better to live out my life and die in the mountains than eke out a few more seasons mewed up in some town, dependent on a donkey to keep my heart beating.”

Elkan opened his mouth to press the point, but Norlan shushed him. “Son, my father died at sixty. His father only lived to forty-nine. I’ve already had far more years than I ever expected. Leave be. I’m much more stubborn than you. Besides, all this talk is tiring me. If you’ll help me up, I promise I’ll go straight to bed. Jarah will have your hide if you keep me sitting out here on the ground much longer.”

Elkan shook his head. “All right. Rest is what you need. But don’t expect me not to bring this up again tomorrow.” He grinned at the waulker. “You don’t know how stubborn I can be. It’s no coincidence I’m bonded to a donkey.”

Norlan nodded in amiable disbelief. Looking between them, Josiah couldn’t help but feel Elkan was outmatched in this contest.

Norlan had regained enough strength to struggle to his feet with their help. Josiah supported him on one side, Elkan on the other. They made their way to Jarah’s house and settled him into bed.

Elkan spoke to Jarah and Meira in a hushed voice, filling them in on the waulker’s condition and need for rest. Jarah left to spread the word to the concerned villagers. Josiah and the others followed her into the moonlit night.

Meira laid a hand on Elkan’s arm as they drew near Sansom and Rahel’s house. “Are you all right? I know you usually need to eat after a difficult healing. There was some food left; Josiah, maybe you could—”

“No, I’ll be fine. I just need to sleep. I’m sure our hosts will have a generous breakfast in the morning.” He patted her hand as he withdrew from her touch. “But thank you for your concern. Sleep well.” He steered Josiah in front of him into the house.

The next day passed quietly. Restday services were held outdoors in the drowsy midsummer heat. Norlan appeared at the midday meal, looking much revived, full of cheerful stories and lively wit. Afterwards, Elkan tried to prevail upon him to return to bed, but Norlan would have none of it, although he did consent to sit with the other adults in the cool shade of the house and pass the afternoon in relaxed conversation.

Early Firstday morning they packed and set out. Elkan kept looking back. Just before they rounded a bend which would hide the village from sight, he stiffened. “I don’t believe it.”

Josiah darted to his side. Back at Jarah’s house he could make out Norlan’s tall form, pack slung on his back, speaking with Jarah. The waulker waved to her and set off out the far side of the village.

Elkan ran his hand through his hair. “I told him three days.” Sar sidled up next to him, and Elkan twisted his fingers in the donkey’s mane. “I didn’t expect him to listen, but I thought he might at least rest for one. We ought to go—”

Sar turned a calm brown eye on him. Elkan deflated. “No, you’re right. It’s his choice. We can’t make him follow our advice.” He scowled, watching Master Norlan make his slow but purposeful way out of sight. “It’s just…”

He turned, beckoned curtly to Josiah and Meira, and strode off down the road.

Sixteen

M
eira?” The woman squinted at Meira, and a smile broke across her wrinkled face. “My dear, welcome home! Quick, Ideh, run and tell Master Retana that Meira’s home.” The apprentice darted off.

Meira embraced the woman. “Master Avan, it’s wonderful to see you. It’s so good to be back.”

Avan cooed at the baby peering over Meira’s shoulder. “This must be little Ravid, then?” She sobered, laying a hand on Meira’s arm. “We were all so shocked when your message came last fall. Terrible, just terrible. I’m so sorry…”

Meira nodded, blinking. “Thank you.” There was an awkward moment of silence. “Master Avan, this is Wizard Elkan, who’s been kind enough to accompany me on the journey, and Sardonyx, and this is Josiah…”

The introductions went on for quite some time, for Meira seemed to know most of the people in Shalinthan, and more and more of them arrived as word spread of her return. Josiah was quickly lost in the torrent of Minerkins and Smiths. He resorted to smiling and nodding, wearing the pleasantly blank face he’d perfected for use on these occasions, resolving to sort out later any names he really needed to know.

Meira led them through town, looking anxiously ahead. “It’s not time for the evening meal yet. Mother and Giva should still be in the workshop, and Father won’t be in from the fields till near sunset this time of year.” Elkan and Sar followed her, Josiah trailing behind. People gave him a wide berth, eyeing the mountain cat at his side warily. Josiah kept a firm hand at the nape of Tobi’s neck, but he was confident now that she knew how to behave and would comply with his wishes.

Ahead of them, two women in soot-stained leather aprons rounded a corner and caught sight of them. The older one broke into a run. She threw her arms around Meira. “You’re home! Oh, Meira, I was so worried—” Her voice choked into a sob.

“I’m all right, Mother.” Meira sounded on the verge of tears herself. She turned and embraced her sister. “Giva, Mother, this is Ravid.” Her voice broke, and she busied herself freeing Ravid from her back and displaying him to his tearfully admiring relatives. Ravid stared warily for a moment, fingers in his mouth, then dissolved into wails.

Josiah shifted his feet. He was tired and hungry. They had risen early that morning and pushed hard through the day. Meira seemed to have forgotten the rest of them in the excitement of reuniting with her family. Shouldn’t the head of the town council have heard of the wizard’s arrival by now and come to offer them hospitality? He was glad Meira was safely home at last, and he’d miss her company, but Elkan’s responsibility for her was over. They should bid her farewell and see to their own business. It was early enough that Elkan might grant him an hour or two of free time to explore the town once they were settled.

Elkan, however, showed no signs of impatience. He waited, absently stroking Sar, until Meira broke off and turned to him. “Mother, Giva, this is Elkan Farmerkin Wizard…” Josiah suffered through another round of introductions, finding it harder to keep his smile plastered to his face. Maybe Meira’s mother would invite them to share supper, at least.

Elkan was at his most charming and professional, no hint of urgency in his calm demeanor, but he did eventually bring the conversation around to the matters that concerned Josiah. “If someone would be so kind as to send word to the head of the council that we’ve arrived, we can see about making arrangements for our stay.”

“Of course.” Meira’s mother looked around. “I’m sure someone was sent to take word to the mines as soon as you arrived. But it’s a fair distance from town, so it will be a while yet until Master Noadiah gets here.

“Oh yes,” she responded to Meira’s surprised exclamation. “I guess there’s no way you could have heard. Noadiah was chosen head last spring, when Zelman was injured in the cave-in and retired. Noadiah is Meira’s master and head of the gold mine, Master Elkan.”

“Just Wizard Elkan for now, Master Retana,” Elkan replied automatically, but Josiah could tell he was surprised. Meira hadn’t told them her master was such an important person.

“Of course. My apologies.” Retana looked at Elkan, Josiah and the animals as if seeing them for the first time. “What am I thinking? All of you must be exhausted from your journey. Come, you can wait at my home until Noadiah arrives. Meira, dear, you must stay with us, at least for a few days. Your house is still shuttered, of course. When you’re ready we can see about opening it up and airing it out, if you’re quite certain you want to. You know you always have a place with your father and me. I hate to think of you in that empty house all alone.”

“No.” Meira swallowed, but her voice was firm. “I’ll stay with you tonight, Mother, but I want to get settled in at home tomorrow. When Master Noadiah comes, I’ll talk to him about resuming my work at the mine. Ravid’s old enough now for me to start the standard half-day schedule, if someone can be found for me to partner with…” She trailed away.

“I’m sure the guilds will be able to work something out.” Retana led them through the streets as she spoke. “Several parents were widowed in the cave-in at the big iron mine last spring, it was terrible. I think Oren’s father is keeping his two little ones in the mornings, but he’s frail and the boy is just too wild for him to handle. And Amian’s girl is about Ravid’s age; she’ll be wanting to get back to the forge before long.” All the way across Shalinthan she kept chattering on about people Josiah didn’t know.

Retana’s home was at the edge of town, attached to her workshop. A small stream gurgled out of the mountains and passed close by the walls of the sprawling stone building. “Let me step inside for just a moment. We left so quickly when we heard you were here we didn’t even bank the fire properly. Giva, show them in, I’ll take care of putting your work away. Get them something to drink. Meira, you can stable Thistle with Mushroom. And the wizard’s animals—if that’s all right?” She eyed Sar and Tobi and shot a nervous glance toward her house.

“Yes, that will be fine. Josiah?” Elkan gave Sar a final pat and sent him off with Josiah.

Josiah sighed, but accepted his usual assignment with good grace. “Come on, Tobi. Here, Meira, let me take Thistle, too.”

Meira’s donkey rolled her eyes and shied when he led her near Tobi, but Sar snorted at her and she subsided. Retana pulled out a large key and let herself into the workshop. Through the door Josiah caught a glimpse of a large, orderly workspace, a glowing fire, and tables scattered with a variety of tools. The rays of the setting sun caught a myriad of shining gold surfaces, from ingots to half-finished pieces to bits and pieces of scrap metal. Even the dust on the floor glittered. Against the far wall a display case stood, filled with finished jewelry. Josiah saw necklaces, rings, bracelets, and brooches before the door swung closed.

The stable out back was spacious. One stall contained a donkey very similar to Sar and Thistle, but dark brown. He lifted his head and swiveled his ears forward to inspect the new arrivals.

Josiah decided he’d better not test the strange donkey’s tolerance for the mountain cat. He swept a hand out toward the wooded slope of the mountain. “Go hunt, girl.” Tobi sprang away, huge leaps taking her deep into the woods in moments.

He unloaded the donkeys, dumping Meira’s gear against the wall. He eyed Sar’s load ruefully, considering the likelihood that he’d have to pile it all back on Sar before the evening was over,. But he couldn’t just leave the donkey laden, so he heaved it into a pile near the door. When he finished tending the animals, he was pleased to smell savory odors wafting from the main building.

He entered to find Meira’s mother and sister preparing the meal. Chunks of meat and vegetables sizzled on skewers laid over the fire. Giva patted out thin rounds of bread dough and fried them on a hot griddle. Retana minced herbs and crushed spices in a mortar without ever stopping her flow of words. Her comments were mostly aimed at Meira, though every now and then Elkan or Giva received a share of attention.

“You haven’t let him have any solid food yet, of course? I swear, some of the young women these days practically compete to see whose baby can be eating solids first. Smush up bits of fruit or vegetables and shove it in the poor child’s mouth, if you can believe it. I’ve always said when they can pick it up and put it in their own mouth is when they’re ready, not a moment before. And if you can keep it from them until they have at least four teeth, all the better. Don’t you agree, Meira?”

“Yes, Mother.” Meira sat in a large, upholstered chair by the fire, her hands supporting Ravid as he stood in her lap, bouncing up and down. Josiah wondered at her meek response, for he knew he’d seen Meira offer bits of soft food for Ravid to mash with his still toothless gums.

“Don’t you think you ought to scoot your chair a bit farther back from the fire, dear? I know you would never let him fall, but accidents do happen, and I wouldn’t want to see my grandson burned, no I wouldn’t, would I, little sweetie?” Her final words changed to a high-pitched coo directed at Ravid.

“Of course, Mother.” Meira shoved her chair back from what had seemed to Josiah a perfectly safe distance from the flames.

“Giva, don’t let the meat get too well done on that side before you turn it. This is a new recipe Afraima taught me. The meat cooks so much quicker when it’s cut up like this, Giva and I can work that much longer before we need to stop and get the meal on. Your father does like to have a meal waiting for him when he comes in from the field. I keep telling him he should get the guild’s approval to sell that field, it’s practically in Folith, and buy something closer, but it’s just the same as it’s always been. He thinks since it was his father’s and grandmother’s he can never give it up, not even if it means he has to walk an hour morning and evening. Not that either of you two apprenticed as a farmer, so I don’t know why he thinks he’s holding on to it. That journeyman of his would be happy enough to buy it when he makes master, I’m sure. The last one would have too, but no, Jered wouldn’t hear of it, so now she’s set up with a field not a quarter hour’s walk from her home, and Jered still has to get up before sunrise and walk halfway down the mountain to get to his.”