the crowd interaction with Kestrel, and they stood with nervous energy.
“Will you two be alright with your room for the night” Kestrel asked the two nurses.
“We’ve shared rooms for years. Mom didn’t believe in us having separate rooms as girls,” Parisse answered.
Kestrel stood in dumbfounded silence. “You two are sisters?” he asked faintly.
“Have been all my life,” Jacquie told him briskly. “She’s two years older than me. And it shows.”
“It doesn’t show anything to me,” Pont told Remy, in a quiet tone that the sisters didn’t hear.
“We’ll meet you in the square after breakfast,” Kestrel told the women.
“What if no one comes?” Parisse asked.
“Then we’ll leave to head to the next village,” he answered promptly. “Let’s go, boys,” he turned and led them out of the room quickly, before the sister nurses could spring another surprise on him. “We’ll go find some trees. I’m partial to chestnuts, if that doesn’t bother you?” he asked politely.
“Chestnut trees are good,” the boys answered simultaneously, and they began to trot along behind Kestrel as he led them towards the edge of town.
“My lord?” a man’s voice called. It was a husky voice, and the words were slurred, causing Kestrel to anticipate trouble as he turned to spot the source of the words.
“Why are you here stirring up trouble like this, my lord, if you are a lord?” the man said. He came from the direction of the tavern, the same direction that Kestrel and his companions had come from; he had apparently followed them out into the darkening sky.
“Go on away, don’t give folks crazy ideas about healing things that the gods won’t change,” the man said as he stumbled forward.
“There’s nothing crazy in what we offer. We’re just here to help,” Kestrel answered. He prudently maneuvered himself into a position in front of the boys, to shield them from any sudden hostility that the elf might vent.
“My wife’ll hear about this and she’ll bring her boys to see you in the morning, blind things with no arms, who she wears herself out trying to care for,” the man spoke angrily, but his voice changed to one that was mournful. “She used to be so full of life, but caring for those two has taken all the life out of her.
“I don’t even go home most nights,” he muttered, then looked around. His eyes focused on Kestrel, and he suddenly swung his fist at the face of the lord of the manor at Oaktown.
His actions were slowed by the ale he’d drunk, and Kestrel easily evaded the effort, then grabbed the man from behind and immobilized his arms.
“Let go of me you round-eared freak!” the man shouted.
“Where does your wife live?” Kestrel asked, and he tightened his grip on the man’s arms. “Show us which way to your wife’s house.”
“It’s down there,” the man nodded his head. “Let go of me!”
Kestrel propelled the man in the direction he indicated, as the two wide-eyed boys followed.
“Which house?” Kestrel asked again after they’d travelled a hundred paces.
“The blue roof. Let me go! Don’t go in there,” the man was angry, then pleading.
Kestrel released his hold on the man, and pressed him away, backward, in the direction of the town, away from the house with the blue roof.
“Go someplace and sleep,” Kestrel told the man.
“Stillwater!” Kestrel called. “Acanthus! Mulberry!”
“What are you doing?” Pont asked. “Aaahh!” he shouted in surprise a moment later as the three imps were dimly visible in the increasing gloom of the night.
“My friends, I would like to take six or so elves to the healing spring tonight. Can you gather together enough imps to carry us all, and all of you could spend the night as well?” Kestrel asked, feeling assured of the answer he would receive.
The imps did not even answer, but disappeared.
“What happened?” Remy asked.
“They went to find
“Will you two be alright with your room for the night” Kestrel asked the two nurses.
“We’ve shared rooms for years. Mom didn’t believe in us having separate rooms as girls,” Parisse answered.
Kestrel stood in dumbfounded silence. “You two are sisters?” he asked faintly.
“Have been all my life,” Jacquie told him briskly. “She’s two years older than me. And it shows.”
“It doesn’t show anything to me,” Pont told Remy, in a quiet tone that the sisters didn’t hear.
“We’ll meet you in the square after breakfast,” Kestrel told the women.
“What if no one comes?” Parisse asked.
“Then we’ll leave to head to the next village,” he answered promptly. “Let’s go, boys,” he turned and led them out of the room quickly, before the sister nurses could spring another surprise on him. “We’ll go find some trees. I’m partial to chestnuts, if that doesn’t bother you?” he asked politely.
“Chestnut trees are good,” the boys answered simultaneously, and they began to trot along behind Kestrel as he led them towards the edge of town.
“My lord?” a man’s voice called. It was a husky voice, and the words were slurred, causing Kestrel to anticipate trouble as he turned to spot the source of the words.
“Why are you here stirring up trouble like this, my lord, if you are a lord?” the man said. He came from the direction of the tavern, the same direction that Kestrel and his companions had come from; he had apparently followed them out into the darkening sky.
“Go on away, don’t give folks crazy ideas about healing things that the gods won’t change,” the man said as he stumbled forward.
“There’s nothing crazy in what we offer. We’re just here to help,” Kestrel answered. He prudently maneuvered himself into a position in front of the boys, to shield them from any sudden hostility that the elf might vent.
“My wife’ll hear about this and she’ll bring her boys to see you in the morning, blind things with no arms, who she wears herself out trying to care for,” the man spoke angrily, but his voice changed to one that was mournful. “She used to be so full of life, but caring for those two has taken all the life out of her.
“I don’t even go home most nights,” he muttered, then looked around. His eyes focused on Kestrel, and he suddenly swung his fist at the face of the lord of the manor at Oaktown.
His actions were slowed by the ale he’d drunk, and Kestrel easily evaded the effort, then grabbed the man from behind and immobilized his arms.
“Let go of me you round-eared freak!” the man shouted.
“Where does your wife live?” Kestrel asked, and he tightened his grip on the man’s arms. “Show us which way to your wife’s house.”
“It’s down there,” the man nodded his head. “Let go of me!”
Kestrel propelled the man in the direction he indicated, as the two wide-eyed boys followed.
“Which house?” Kestrel asked again after they’d travelled a hundred paces.
“The blue roof. Let me go! Don’t go in there,” the man was angry, then pleading.
Kestrel released his hold on the man, and pressed him away, backward, in the direction of the town, away from the house with the blue roof.
“Go someplace and sleep,” Kestrel told the man.
“Stillwater!” Kestrel called. “Acanthus! Mulberry!”
“What are you doing?” Pont asked. “Aaahh!” he shouted in surprise a moment later as the three imps were dimly visible in the increasing gloom of the night.
“My friends, I would like to take six or so elves to the healing spring tonight. Can you gather together enough imps to carry us all, and all of you could spend the night as well?” Kestrel asked, feeling assured of the answer he would receive.
The imps did not even answer, but disappeared.
“What happened?” Remy asked.
“They went to find
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