Jioni, page 3
“Not the managing type,” Beirly explained, twisting to look the boy in the face. “He’s not busybody enough to press people when the need calls for it.”
Alex thought about that for a split second. “Like Siobhan does?”
Next to Beirly, Conli snorted. “Exactly like Siobhan does.”
Rune grinned. Meddling was about the size of it. Siobhan couldn’t let anything be if she felt like something wasn’t right. Good thing, too. She wouldn’t have adopted his sorry hide otherwise.
Nuel Hammon finally realized he had left guests standing at his doorstep for ten minutes now. Breaking free, he came toward Siobhan with an outstretched hand. “Light and peace upon you, Guildmaster Maley. It’s a kindness, you bringing my son here so he can announce such good news in person.”
Siobhan took the offered hand in a firm clasp and grinned at him. “I’m relieved to see my Sylvie with a good man, so I was glad to bring them here and let them spend a little time with family.”
Being a businessman himself, Nuel asked the obvious question. “How long can you stay? Are you stopping by while on commission?”
“We are stopping by, but not quite on business,” she replied. “It’s past time to take Tran home and let him report to his elders. You know about his culture’s Learning?”
“I do, yes.”
“He needs to tend to the conclusion of his Learning. We thought to come here, spend a night, and then continue on to Jioni.”
“Well, come in. Let’s settle everyone and sit down to a good lunch.” Nuel gestured for them all to follow. “We’ll talk once we’re all comfortable.”
Beirly hopped off the cart and took hold of Kit’s harness, leading the reinmal toward the stables. Denney took charge of the dogs, wanting them settled in the stables with Kit. Rune hopped off as well, stretching his legs after being confined to the cart.
One of Markl’s younger sisters, who seemed to be sixteen or so, skipped over to them. “I’m Avis. I’ll show you where to put everything, and then you can follow me to your rooms for tonight.”
“Thank you kindly, Avis,” Beirly responded, a smile twitching his beard. “I’m Beirly, the kid over there is Alex, the dog whisperer is Denney, and the blond is Rune.”
“Rune the Pathmaker?” she asked in surprise. She turned, regarding Rune with frank scrutiny. At that moment, she looked remarkably like her older brother. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Master Rune.”
Rune rubbed the back of his neck and shifted a little under her gaze. “You can drop the ‘master.’ I’m not much older than you.”
“Really? Papa said that without you, we’d have lost half of Converse. He said your skill with pathmaking is one of the things that saved us.” She leaned forward at a slight angle, eyes penetrating. “Will you tell me what happened? I’d like to hear your account.”
He had no idea what she was going on about. Rune protested, “I wasn’t the only one working to save the cities.”
“Oh, I know, I’ll get everyone’s account,” she said patiently. “But I want yours first. You’re one of the few who participated in not only the evacuation, but in the battle of Converse and Goldschmidt, too. I’d like an account of all three.” Seeing that he was still uncomfortable, Avis added, “Cha Ji An visited here for a while. She taught me the importance of recording history. If you don’t write it down, things get twisted in the retelling. Papa has ordered me to record everything as I can. Having Deepwoods here will give me eyewitness accounts.”
Now, that made more sense, and Rune felt more comfortable sharing his experience. For a moment, he had been afraid she was crushing on him with a bit of hero worship. That would have made his skin crawl. A former assassin did not a hero make. “I’ll tell you what I saw, then.”
“Excellent.” Avis beamed at him. “Master Beirly, Alex, Denney, you’re all included in this as well. I want to speak with every member of Deepwoods.”
“Well, now, uh…” Beirly hesitated, at something of a loss. “Not much I can tell you, but I’ll share what I know.”
“That’s all I ask,” Avis assured him. “Come this way. We can talk after we sit down for lunch.”
Rune obediently followed, helped settle in Kit, then took his bag up to a rather nice second-floor room. He paused long enough to toss the bag into a corner before coming back down to the main area.
This wasn’t the first time he’d been to the Silver Moon guild. In fact, he’d lost count how many times he’d been in this building because of the war. It had been months, but it hadn’t changed from the last dozen times he’d seen it. Its whitewashed wooden walls and area rugs strewn about gave it a sort of comfortable ambiance, more like someone’s home than a guildhall. Rune felt slightly out of step, as if the place was supposed to remind him of home, but nothing in his history was similar enough to make it familiar.
Avis cheerfully led them into a back room overlooking a large garden. Unlike the ornamental gardens of other guilds, this one had herbs, vegetables, and a mini orchard contained within its walls. The Hammons tended more toward the practical, apparently.
The table was already set for both family and guests, which was quick work on someone’s part. Then again, being the notable guildmaster that he was, it was probably a rare event when Nuel Hammon didn’t have a surprise guest for lunch or dinner. People sorted themselves out by plopping into any seat at hand. Several cooks came out with platters of food, which were passed around, and small talk washed over the room.
Rune was always glad to see good food, and the smell alone reminded him the guild employed excellent cooks. Smiling, he loaded up his plate and dug in with relish. Ahh, people who appreciated the fine application of spices.
Although he was all too happy to simply sit and eat, the conversation at the far end of the table caught his attention, and he bent his ear toward it. He’d missed Siobhan’s question but could hear Nuel respond, “Guildmaster Maley, if I may ask, what route were you planning to take to Jioni?”
“Our thought was to go to Wade, catch a ship, and then sail down to Jioni.” Siobhan sat back, brows drawn together in a frown. “Now I’m thinking we need to take paths as much as we can, instead. If the Grey Bridges are still under repair, that will delay us.”
“I haven’t been able to get a solid verification one way or another. I would suggest taking an alternate route if you can.”
While Siobhan thought this over, Markl cleared his throat. “Father. The reason why we came here in person was twofold. In part so I could tell you about my betrothal. I also wish to formally dissolve my membership with Silver Moon, so I can officially join Deepwoods.”
His mother slapped her hand against the table. “Markl! You’ll do no such thing. The only reason I agreed to you going off was the promise you would eventually return home.”
Markl met Karen’s gaze steadily. “Return home and do what, Mother? Study for the rest of my days? Now that I’ve had a chance to apply what I know to the real world, changing the lives of the people around me for the better, do you really think I could go back to that sheltered lifestyle?”
“I’m not suggesting you have to!” she protested, casting a pleading glance at her husband. “We can use you just as much here. Nuel, for heaven’s sake, say something.”
Nuel didn’t respond to his wife, instead studying Markl with thoughtful eyes for a long moment. Then he looked to Siobhan, and a rueful smile tugged at his mouth. “I had a feeling this would happen.”
Karen looked at him with growing irritation and worry. “What are you saying?”
“This woman’s charm”—Nuel pointed at Siobhan—“is so lethal it’s almost legendary. Darling, I’m not sure if you realize, but you’re sitting at a table with two former dark guild mercenaries.”
“Assassin, actually,” Rune corrected with a grin.
“Oh, beg pardon,” Nuel drawled back. Seeing his wife’s jaw dangling in shock, he continued to explain, “It was Guildmaster Maley’s charm and patience that drew both men to her, and now we know them as exceptionally good men. When I’d heard our son was with Deepwoods, I had a gut feeling we wouldn’t get him back from her. Especially with our Sylvie belonging to Deepwoods. Markl won’t take her from the home and safety she’s found in that guild.”
Sylvie batted dark eyes at Nuel. “Father, I do like it when you refer to me as one of yours.”
“Well, aren’t you?” he replied in good humor. “You’ll be my daughter after you marry Markl. You might as well get used to being part of the family now.”
Karen looked between all four of them and deflated with a groan. “This was not at all what I wanted. I barely see him as it is!”
“You barely see me because I’m traveling the continents,” Markl corrected her.
Karen glared at him. “Semantics.”
“Fortunately, I’m in a guild with two pathmakers,” Markl said teasingly. “We should be able to make regular visits now that the madness of last year has calmed down. Siobhan has a policy that we always get to visit our family at least once a year.”
From the look on Karen’s face, that wasn’t at all the reassurance she wanted. Rune watched the war of emotions and could only partially understand what the mother was feeling in that moment. Markl wasn’t hers by blood, and Rune had to wonder if her protectiveness stemmed from the fact he was a chosen son. She struck him as being a little like Siobhan, she wanted her loved ones close. Rune frowned as he tried to imagine someone telling him he could only see his guild maybe once a year. He didn’t like that idea at all. Especially if it was Denney he could only see once.
Rune was fairly sure being given such news would make him resort to old habits.
Perhaps Nuel could read his wife’s expressions well enough to offer, “It just means we’ll have to employ Deepwoods more often so we can see our son, dear.”
“I look forward to your future patronage,” Siobhan said smoothly.
Karen gave her husband a hard, unhappy stare before frowning at her son. “We’ll speak about this later.”
Sensing Markl would have to hash this out in private with his parents, Rune went back to eating. Or tried to. He’d barely placed his fork in his mouth when he realized Avis was staring at him with avid curiosity. Uncertain what her expression meant, Rune chewed and swallowed hastily. Then he leaned sideways, muttering to Denney, “Why is she looking at me like that?”
“She’s been looking at you like that ever since you said ‘former assassin,’” Denney responded, eyes twinkling. “I think you just sparked something in her. Avis, do you want to know his full story?”
Avis gave several emphatic nods.
“In Wynngaardian culture,” Denney explained, “it’s not rude to ask a man’s history. Just say, ‘Rune Maley, will you tell me your story?’”
“Maley?” Avis parroted, eyebrows shooting up. “Wynngaardian? Wait, I thought Siobhan Maley was from Widstoe.”
“She is,” Rune said patiently. Avis didn’t have much information about her brother’s guildmembers, apparently. “I’m her adopted brother.”
“Ado—” Avis snapped her mouth shut before trying again. “Rune Maley, I truly wish to hear your story. Will you tell me?”
Seeing she was perfectly sincere, Rune grinned. “All right. This will take a while to tell, though.”
“We have the whole afternoon,” she said. “My parents are going to be arguing with Markl for a while.”
They likely would be, at that. “Well, then. Here’s the story of Rune Maley.”
chapter four
Tran lingered at the table after the dishes were cleared and people had scattered in different directions. He had half an ear on the conversation in the far back of the room near the garden’s doors. Rune was explaining his history to an avidly listening Avis. Denney and Alex jumped in as well, explaining parts of the story from their own perspective, as their lives were tangled with Rune’s. Reminiscent of her brother, Avis held a leather notebook and scratched out notes at high speed.
Dropping into the chair opposite Tran, Grae spread out a map between them. “Tran, help me remember all the paths. I don’t think my map is accurate anymore. Didn’t we lose a path in Teherani?”
“To flood,” Tran confirmed, pointing to one on the far western shore. “A tidal wave carried it off completely.”
“That’s what I thought. I’ve been thinking about a new course since the Grey Bridges are still questionable. Without them, the best way is to go via boat across to Dykes, take a path to Kaillmark, then take a boat on Pryiam’s Waters down to Jioni.” Tran considered this route. It would shave off about two days of travel. But… “Are you sure? That means we’re back to a longer boat ride.”
Grae grimaced. “Don’t remind me. Hopefully I can sleep through most of it.”
Snorting, Tran rumbled a soft chuckle. “You and boats. Well, I admit it seems like the better option. It’s a shorter path.”
“It wouldn’t have been if we didn’t stop in Winziane first,” Grae said. “In fact, it would have been equally fast either way, but as it stands now, I think it’s the safest route.”
“Find Shi-maee and run it past her,” Tran suggested. “We’re going off six-month-old reports and bad rumors. It’s still chancy, but I like our odds better going this direction.”
“So do I.” Grae nodded in agreement and then levered himself up, taking the map with him.
As soon as Grae left, Wolf sat down, offering a plate of freshly-washed strawberries. Tran took up two and bit into them with relish; they were juicy and sweet on the tongue.
“Up and around?” Wolf asked, half-turning to watch Grae go.
“Seems the better way.” Tran eyed the plate and wondered just how many of those Wolf intended to share.
“It’s worth a try, at least,” Wolf admitted. “Siobhan’s likely to agree.”
Tran grunted in agreement.
From somewhere in the back came a loud exclamation that sounded like Markl’s mother. Tran looked in that direction even though he couldn’t see through the walls. “She’s not happy about this.”
Wolf shrugged. “What mother would be? Our Markl’s a thinker, not a fighter, which makes her worry more.”
“It’s not like we go looking for trouble,” Tran said in mild defense. “It’s just that trouble finds us.”
“Nothing we can do about that,” Wolf agreed amenably. “Do you have the feeling Markl is using Sylvie as an excuse of sorts to stay in Deepwoods?”
Wolf had gotten that impression as well, eh? “I do.”
“Siobhan predicted months ago Markl would likely end up staying. I wish I knew how she figured out things like that.” Wolf shook his head, marveling at his wife’s insight, then reached for another strawberry. “I wonder if their wedding will go any smoother than mine.”
“It’ll likely be worse. He’s the eldest son of a guildmaster,” Grae said as he rejoined them at the table. “I talked to Siobhan, and she said this route sounds much better, so we’ll go with it. Anyone want to go shopping with me?”
Another near ear-piercing yell came from the back, Markl’s mother apparently warming up to some objection she had. Tran winced. Angry women always led to trouble, and his luck was bad enough. “I’ll go.”
Wolf glanced toward the back and wisely said, “I’ll go with you too.”
ӜӜӜ
Siobhan’s head was splitting by the time night had fallen and she was able to retreat to her room. Wolf was already in bed, sitting cross-legged under the blankets with a map sprawled across his lap, indicating he was waiting for her to join him. He took one look at her face and offered sympathetically, “Headache?”
“Like you would not believe.” She dropped heavily onto the edge of the bed, toeing off her boots, but lost her motivation and energy before she could change clothes for bed. “Karen is not a happy woman.”
“Would you be, if your son was traveling the continents?”
“Well, no, but it’s not like he’s going alone. We’re also not going toward southern Teherani. She mentioned some pirate trouble rumored there. We’re steering well north of it.” Remembering the argument, she felt her head trying to split anew. “Grae coming in to talk to me about the new route helped tremendously, but Karen didn’t want us going to Teherani at all.”
“How are pirates worse than an army?” Wolf wondered, setting the map aside. “And Markl came through two battles just fine.”
“Exactly what Markl observed. Karen didn’t like hearing it.” Siobhan groaned as her husband’s magical hand found a knot at the base of her neck and started in on it. He might only have one good hand, but he knew what to do with it. Letting her head lull forward, she continued, “I think Markl’s always been under a stigma because of his birth. Karen’s had to defend him more than her other children, and she’s become overprotective of him as a result. Danger like this makes her instincts scream.”
“Makes sense,” Wolf allowed, shifting to another knot. “I did hear some rumors while we were shopping—and it turns out Karen might be justified in some of her worries. There have been a few pirate ships spotted along the northern coast.”
Siobhan’s head came up at those words and she twisted to look at him. “More than the usual?”
“That’s where they disagreed, but one of them mentioned he saw them with his own eyes near Dykes, just north of it.” Wolf’s expression was somber, voice troubled. “Wife, we might have trouble on our hands as we travel. There’s no word of them near Jioni, but this might not be the safe in-and-out trip we’re trying to achieve.”
Siobhan chewed on that news. With this many bad rumors milling about, a cautious man would think twice about going anywhere near the continent. By the same token, traveling anywhere came with danger. It’s why an escorting guild like hers survived. It was that spice of trouble that kept things interesting. Her guild wouldn’t know what to do with themselves if things were always peaceful. No one routinely traveled over the Grey Bridges—which could drown an unwary traveler—if they didn’t like a little spice of danger. “But one pirate ship we can handle, if it comes to that.”
