Days Of Light And Shadow by Greg Curtis Page A

music to his ears. On a day like this he could almost imagine that he was home again. Free. He could almost forget that he had duties to attend to. Almost.
     
    But there was work to be done. There was always work to be done. Being an envoy might seem like light work to others, a few quiet words spoken here and there, the odd meeting, and maybe a dinner or two, but that was only what it was meant to look like. The truth was that it was an endless chore.
     
    Iros turned and spoke to his assistant “Pita when you have the chance I want you to check if master Harold’s wagon has arrived yet, and if it has, if he has been able to acquire the fire glow foxglove. I would very much like to have those plants before Lady Elwene returns from her pilgrimage.” As she was the high lord’s sister he considered it important to have a gift for her whenever he could, and since she was turning to the priesthood more and more, he thought that the gift of the rare northern plant with its bright red blooms would be especially welcomed. It was after all a medicinal plant as well as a pretty flower.
     
    And if he was honest, she was one of the prettiest of elves, with her face always glowing with joy and never an unkind word on her tongue. The flower would compliment her well, maybe even bring a smile to her lips. And she had such a pretty smile. Not that the son of a farmer lord and a human would ever be considered worthy.
     
    “Yes sir.” Pita was busy making  notes with his charcoal stick on the sheaf of rice paper he always carried around with him, and briefly Iros had to wonder anew if his memory was truly so terrible. But he seemed like a clever enough lad, his language skills were excellent, the reports from the tutors at the Academy glowing. So surely not. In time he hoped Pita would make a good envoy in his own right. It was just a lack of confidence he suspected. Pita was simply frightened of making a mistake, of forgetting something. But at least he could write as they walked, and it was a good day to enjoy a walk.
     
    “Make sure that the horses are seen by the blacksmith, and if possible all of them should be shod today. Indri is starting to favour her front right and these river stone paths are hard on hooves.”
     
    “Also, call in on the butchers and see if you can get some pork bones for Saris. Her teeth are looking a little yellow.” Saris yipped in agreement as she trotted beside them. A simple jackal hound she had no idea what was being said, but she knew her name, and she liked it when he used it. She liked everything he did. Iros didn’t fully understand why she was so affectionate, her kind weren’t usually that way, even among themselves, but he would have missed her orange striped and spotted fur more than a little if she wasn’t there. And this was a day on which a man and his dog or his jackal hound should enjoy a walk in the sun.
     
    She was a useful animal to keep as well for an envoy, and several times he’d thought wistfully about putting her on staff. Children loved her for some reason, and they would come from all over to pet her. Something she accepted with good grace. And children had parents, some of them high born parents. If they carried back word of their happy encounter to their parents, that could only be good.
     
    Of course he did sometimes worry that she might snap up a pet. Children she knew weren’t food, but animals not so much. And elven children seemed to love their pet rabbits and squirrels. He had to watch her.
     
    “Then go to the library. See if you can speak with the masters there about obtaining a copy of the poetic works of Perilla of Storva. I would like all of us to be completely familiar with her work before the dinner next week.” Reading poetry wasn’t his favourite pastime, but when the mission had agreed to hold a formal dinner for the masters of the local Academy of Grace in honour of the bard, he could make an exception. It was expected, and it would be a