The Threshold Child (12 page)

Gainor tossed her hair contemptuously. “Do not be ridiculous,
Deasa. Only
Outsiders
permit those kinds of fashions.”

Rina glanced at Adesina with an alarmed look in her eyes. “Not
that we would think such things about you, Adrie. We are pleased to see that
you have a proper sense of decorum.”

Deasa decided it was time for a change of subject. “Where in the
north do you come from, Adrie?”

Adesina shrugged casually. “Our tribe was nomadic, so we traveled
quite a bit. Have you always lived in the High City?” she asked, shifting the
focus away from herself.

Gainor snorted in disgust. “Goodness, yes! The same old city for
sixteen years. My parents would have a stroke at the very idea of leaving the
city walls!”

Adesina smiled softly as Gainor continued to chatter. She had no
problem carrying the conversation by herself, but she was occasionally aided by
Deasa. Rina said very little and Adesina said even less. When questioned, the
young Shimat found that a simple vague comment would turn the conversation back
over to Gainor. For this reason, Adesina could tell that Gainor would be a
valuable companion in the coming months.

Near the close of an hour, there was a quiet knock at the door and
Jelana entered the room. Gainor hastily sat up and smoothed the skirt of her
dress.

“All right, girls, that is enough visiting. Adrie still needs to
finish unpacking, and she could also use some rest after her long journey.”

The girls seemed reluctant to go, but they all stood and
straightened their clothing primly. Rina looked at Adesina with a hopeful
expression on her face. “Will you be attending school?”

Gainor gave her a condescending glare. “Of course she will be
attending school! It is the city requirement, Rina.”

Rina flushed in embarrassment. “Oh.”

Inexplicably, Adesina felt the urge to comfort this painfully shy
girl. “I have never attended a formal school before. Will you show me around
tomorrow?”

Rina smiled gratefully as Gainor launched into raptures over the
idea.

“Oh, yes! What fun it will be! You will
love
our school. We
have the best teachers in the city, and everyone is so friendly. We will be
quite the center of attention, you know. We have not had a new student in
ages
!”

Deasa smiled in genuine pleasure. “We will meet you on the street
tomorrow morning and we can walk together. We are all neighbors, you know.”

Adesina nodded and waved as the girls walked out of the room.
Instead of getting back to her unpacking, she stood at the window to eavesdrop
on what they were saying as they walked away.

Deasa was the first to speak. “Well, she seems very nice.”

Gainor broke over her with an enthusiastic objection. “
Nice
?
Why, she is absolutely adorable! And so
pretty
as well! She will make a
nice addition to our group. How shocking to be friends with an Outsider! Everyone
will be talking about us, and quite jealous that they were not friends with her
first!”

Adesina could see them making their way down the path and into the
street. Their voices were starting to fade.

Deasa sighed. “You know, Gainor, sometimes I think that you view
your friends as nothing more than fashion accessories.”

Gainor’s indignant response was lost as they walked down the
street. Ravi chuckled in amusement over her first encounter with girls her own
age, but said nothing. Adesina ignored him and thoughtfully turned back to her
belongings to finish putting them away. She was surprised to see that her room
looked like it belonged to someone. It had a strangely human quality to it.

Some of the decorations she had added herself were merely props. A
small statue of a northern deity stood on the desk. An elaborate braid of
material was attached to the doorframe, supposedly lending protection from evil
spirits. A bunch of feathers hung over her bed to protect her dreams. A thin,
silver chain filled with charms and talismans dangled from her windowsill.

All of the things that were truly hers were hidden from sight.
Adesina had discovered a highly useful loose floorboard under the trunk. Inside
the small compartment she created, she stashed all evidence of her true
identity.

Just as she was double checking her room to make sure everything
was in place, there was a soft knock at the door. Adesina’s eyes flashed over
her surroundings before answering.

“Come in.”

Jelana appeared. She surveyed the room and looked pleased with
what she saw. “I see you are all settled.”

Adesina nodded meekly. Jelana regarded the young woman before her
with a maternal expression. “We need to go to the Square to get some things for
you tomorrow. Is now a good time?”

“Yes, of course.”

Adesina and Ravi followed Jelana down the stairs and out the front
door. The sun was past its peak and the beginnings of change were in the air.
They walked down the same way that Adesina arrived. Occasionally the curtains
in the windows of houses would twitch, revealing curious neighbors. More often
than not, people would actually come to their doors to watch the two women
pass. Jelana would greet them all by name, unfailingly polite even though her
expression was rueful.

Their residential area was in the southern section of the city.
The Square was located against the western wall, almost directly north of the
cottage. The business section of the city was separated from the residential by
a large garden, almost a park. Adesina followed Jelana through the tidy garden,
paying greater attention to her surroundings than she had previously.

The grass was trimmed very short, making it crackle softly when
they stepped on it. The gravel walkways were lined with whitewashed stones, and
on the other side of the stones were rows of docile flowers. The shrubbery was
pruned into geometric shapes that dotted the landscape in an orderly fashion.
Citizens of the High City strolled through the garden at a leisurely pace,
nodding to each other with great amounts of dignity.

The two women entered the Square and were greeted by the tall,
uniform white buildings. Jelana first led her young charge to a dress shop to
purchase some clothing that would better suit the city. The small shop was
marked by a simple wooden sign above the door. Jelana walked in without
hesitation, and Adesina followed. Ravi sat down just outside the door, not
inclined to enter the shop.

It was a good-sized single room, with everything inside
whitewashed. Adesina was certain that she would quickly grow tired of all the
white. The shop held an elderly man tending to the counter and two younger men
sewing busily in the back of the room. The young man with bright red hair
looked to be in his mid twenties, and the young man with brown hair appeared to
still be in his teens.

The man at the counter greeted them warmly. “Mistress Jelana,
welcome. Surely you have not worn out your dresses already?”

Jelana shook her head. “No, no, Master Ardley. We are hosting this
young woman and she is in need of a school uniform as well as a carpenter’s
apprentice sash.”

Master Ardley nodded and sized Adesina up. He reached under the
counter and pulled out a length of thick white string with regularly spaced
black marks. The brown-haired young man put aside his sewing and went to stand
by the elderly man. As Adesina was measured, Master Ardley would state the
numbers and the young man would write them down.

It took only a few minutes, and then the man gestured impatiently
to his apprentice. The young man hurried to sort through the shelves of
pre-made clothing. He returned with two dresses and matching aprons identical
to the ones Gainor and the others had worn. Master Ardley took them as his
apprentice hurried off again. With dexterity that belied his aged hands, Master
Ardley began hemming the sleeves and skirts of the dresses.

The apprentice returned with several pairs of brown stockings and
a dark blue sash with a white circle on the shoulder. When he had deposited
these items on the counter, he silently went back to his sewing.

Master Ardley finished his hemming in remarkable time. He folded
each article of clothing neatly and wrapped it all in brown paper. When Jelana
began pulling out her purse, he held up a weathered hand.

“My wife has been admiring Mistress Eda’s new rocking chair.”

Jelana smiled. “Of course. I will tell Hass to deliver one to your
home.”

She and Adesina gathered up the packages and bid Master Ardley a
good day. Ravi shadowed them to their next stop, which was at the cobbler’s,
and waited just outside his door as well.

It was very much the same by way of conversation. The cobbler,
probably only in his early thirties, measured Adesina’s feet and came back with
a pair of very sensible brown lady’s boots. He accepted payment with a
lifeless, but extremely polite, smile.

After they had finished making their purchases, Jelana strolled
through the Square, showing Adesina around. Most merchants had kiosks set up in
the center of the Square, while most artisans ran the shops that made up the
border. There were, of course, exceptions. Jelana pointed out a large shop with
a lavish display in the window.

“That is Master Lindell’s spice shop. He is Deasa’s father. He is
the most prominent merchant in the High City. Although, he deals quite a bit
with Outsiders,” she said in a slightly distasteful voice, as if to indicate
that this last fact lessened his prestige.

Adesina looked at the vivid window display and smiled quietly to
herself. It seemed a bit bold to have such a display in a city such as this.
Jelana averted her eyes as if it were indecent. She sighed and admitted, “The
quality of Master Lindell’s spices is much higher than any other merchant’s in
the city. And his prices are quite reasonable.”

They walked a bit further and Jelana pointed out the shops that
they passed. “This is my brother’s cooper shop. This is the wainwright’s shop.
This is a floral shop.”

They passed by an understated little shop without comment. Adesina
could tell by the window display that it was an apothecary shop, but Jelana
acted as if it weren’t there.

She slowed her pace. “What shop is this?”

Jelana reluctantly turned her eyes to the sign above the door.
“That is
Mistress
Faryl’s apothecary shop.”

Adesina took note of the emphasis with some confusion. She cast a
quick glance at Ravi, but he offered no explanation. Jelana merely shook her
head and walked on. “It was her uncle’s shop while he lived. Oh, if he could
see it now. An apothecary shop run by a
woman
.”

The young Shimat had to stifle a laugh. She could imagine the look
of well-bred horror on Jelana’s face if she were ever to discover Adesina’s
true identity. A
woman
warrior. Ravi shared her amusement, and gave her
a warm smile.

She fixed an uncertain expression on her face and looked at Jelana
with mournful eyes. “Is it improper for me to apprentice a carpenter?”

The older woman hesitated apologetically before answering. “Well,
dear…no…because you are an Outsider, and were not taught as we are. Of course,
if you were to marry quickly you would not
need
to work. That would be
ideal, but no one will fault you for apprenticing in the meantime.”

Jelana quickly moved on. They next came to a blacksmith’s shop
and, as before, Ravi seated himself outside. The door was wide open, and the
heat from within issued out. A sharp methodical ringing could be heard from the
back of the shop. Jelana looked uncomfortable as she stepped through the door.
She half turned and said to Adesina quietly, “Hass is usually the one to come
here for our needs. However, that task falls on me today.”

The front room of the shop was attended by a boy in his early
teens. He had a mop of dirty blonde hair and large brown eyes. He was of medium
height and wiry build, and he wore a dark blue sash with a brown circle on the
shoulder. All of his clothing bore scorch marks, and his stance was hesitant.
He looked up at them and stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes fixed on Adesina.

There they stood for several uncertain moments before Jelana
cleared her throat delicately. “Good afternoon, Horas.”

Horas gave a slight jump and looked at Jelana blankly. “Good
afternoon, Mistress Jelana.”

Several more awkward moments followed as Horas turned his eyes
back to Adesina. The young woman met his dazed expression coolly, but was a bit
puzzled inside. Was this boy so unaccustomed to Outsiders?

Jelana cleared her throat again. “Horas? We are here to pick up my
husband’s order.”

Horas started out of his bewilderment and hurried about the shop
with strange twitchy movements. “Yes, Mistress Jelana.”

In his haste he began knocking things over. The ringing in the
back of the shop ceased and the connecting door was darkened by a large muscled
figure. The man had a shock of dark hair, a thick beard, and earnest blue eyes.
His facial features were blunt and strangely gentle—quite a contrast to his
intimidating build. He seemed to take in the situation with a glance.