warm and he could drowsily keep an eye on the imps.
Kestrel fell asleep and awoke with a start twice during the afternoon, noting the movement of the sun as the daylight grew brighter, then dimmer, and the shadows of the surrounding trees swung from one side of the pool of spring water to the other.
At last he roused himself from his relaxation and waded back to the imps. He pulled them out of the water and laid them on the grass, then dressed himself before he awoke them from the unmatchable dreams that the water inspired within the souls of the small blue beings.
“Let us sleep more!” Mulberry pleaded. “Those were such dreams – the dancing among the stars, the lights that followed me!”
“Now I know why the members of the court want to come here so desperately,” Acanthus agreed. “This is truly spectacular.
“You’ll count us as permanent members of Lord Kestrel-hero’s guard, won’t you?” he asked Stillwater.
“If the assignment were mine to make, of course,” Stillwater said. “I’m not sure there’s really still a squad specifically and permanently assigned to our friend. But I haven’t been reassigned to do anything else yet, so I am treating our friend as my assignment still, and you are here on temporary assignment. I’m afraid to ask for you to be assigned, until I know what Killcen and Odare decide about their future, and I’m afraid that if I call attention to myself I might be assigned elsewhere!” he gave a rambling answer.
“Let’s return to the smithy and pick up my staff,” Kestrel broke into the conversation.
“As you wish, Kestrel work-duty maker,” Stillwater replied.
They traveled through the unknown once again, and then Kestrel stepped around corner of the smithy and returned to make the rest of the payment for his new staff. “Thank you, again,” Kestrel told the smith as he grabbed his staff with both hands, enjoying the weight and feel of the wood.
“Whatever happened to that elf lady you were with last time? She was attractive,” the smith commented.
“She’s engaged to a nobleman in Graylee,” Kestrel replied. “She’s my cousin, actually.”
“A human from Graylee engaged to an elf? I never would have thought I’d live to hear that!” the smith said.
“Better days are upon u s,” Kestrel said reassuringly. He saluted the smith, then returned to the imps, who spirited him and his cargo of water skins back to the patio of the manor in Oaktown.
“Thank you all,” Kestrel expressed his appreciation to his imp friends. “I do not plan any other trips that will trouble you for a few days.”
“Trouble us all that you need to go to the healing spring,” Mulberry urged him.
The imps left, and Kestrel carried his new staff and water skins into his office, then closed the patio doors and went out in search of food and Whyte. He found both in the kitchen.
“My lord!” the head cook exclaimed. “Gone all day and misses dinner, but manages to find the kitchen eventually.” The man smiled as he dished out a bowl of stew in anticipation of Kestrel’s appetite.
“What news for the day?” Kestrel asked Whyte.
“Remarkably little. Your two nurses agreed to go on your first tour of the villages. I didn’t know how to pick which you would take and which you would leave,” the steward advised.
The next days were relaxed, as Kestrel wrote a letter to the king to announce the delivery of his remittance of revenues for the throne, and he prepared for his trip through several villages of his domain. The day after he watched a squad of guards depart from Oaktown carrying the remittance funds to the capitol of Center Trunk, he and his three companions set out as a smaller contingent.
Each of them carried a set of skins of water from the healing spring, as well as food and other supplies. After seeing how much they had to carry, Kestrel told Remy to pick a friend to bring along as a bearer, while he longed
Kestrel fell asleep and awoke with a start twice during the afternoon, noting the movement of the sun as the daylight grew brighter, then dimmer, and the shadows of the surrounding trees swung from one side of the pool of spring water to the other.
At last he roused himself from his relaxation and waded back to the imps. He pulled them out of the water and laid them on the grass, then dressed himself before he awoke them from the unmatchable dreams that the water inspired within the souls of the small blue beings.
“Let us sleep more!” Mulberry pleaded. “Those were such dreams – the dancing among the stars, the lights that followed me!”
“Now I know why the members of the court want to come here so desperately,” Acanthus agreed. “This is truly spectacular.
“You’ll count us as permanent members of Lord Kestrel-hero’s guard, won’t you?” he asked Stillwater.
“If the assignment were mine to make, of course,” Stillwater said. “I’m not sure there’s really still a squad specifically and permanently assigned to our friend. But I haven’t been reassigned to do anything else yet, so I am treating our friend as my assignment still, and you are here on temporary assignment. I’m afraid to ask for you to be assigned, until I know what Killcen and Odare decide about their future, and I’m afraid that if I call attention to myself I might be assigned elsewhere!” he gave a rambling answer.
“Let’s return to the smithy and pick up my staff,” Kestrel broke into the conversation.
“As you wish, Kestrel work-duty maker,” Stillwater replied.
They traveled through the unknown once again, and then Kestrel stepped around corner of the smithy and returned to make the rest of the payment for his new staff. “Thank you, again,” Kestrel told the smith as he grabbed his staff with both hands, enjoying the weight and feel of the wood.
“Whatever happened to that elf lady you were with last time? She was attractive,” the smith commented.
“She’s engaged to a nobleman in Graylee,” Kestrel replied. “She’s my cousin, actually.”
“A human from Graylee engaged to an elf? I never would have thought I’d live to hear that!” the smith said.
“Better days are upon u s,” Kestrel said reassuringly. He saluted the smith, then returned to the imps, who spirited him and his cargo of water skins back to the patio of the manor in Oaktown.
“Thank you all,” Kestrel expressed his appreciation to his imp friends. “I do not plan any other trips that will trouble you for a few days.”
“Trouble us all that you need to go to the healing spring,” Mulberry urged him.
The imps left, and Kestrel carried his new staff and water skins into his office, then closed the patio doors and went out in search of food and Whyte. He found both in the kitchen.
“My lord!” the head cook exclaimed. “Gone all day and misses dinner, but manages to find the kitchen eventually.” The man smiled as he dished out a bowl of stew in anticipation of Kestrel’s appetite.
“What news for the day?” Kestrel asked Whyte.
“Remarkably little. Your two nurses agreed to go on your first tour of the villages. I didn’t know how to pick which you would take and which you would leave,” the steward advised.
The next days were relaxed, as Kestrel wrote a letter to the king to announce the delivery of his remittance of revenues for the throne, and he prepared for his trip through several villages of his domain. The day after he watched a squad of guards depart from Oaktown carrying the remittance funds to the capitol of Center Trunk, he and his three companions set out as a smaller contingent.
Each of them carried a set of skins of water from the healing spring, as well as food and other supplies. After seeing how much they had to carry, Kestrel told Remy to pick a friend to bring along as a bearer, while he longed
Similar Books
