The Robin And The Kestrel

There must be wonder upon wonder inside this vehicle, and she wanted to see the inside, badly.

And yet, if she did_she would have to try to calculate just how much it would take to get the Deliambrens to part with enough of their precious 'technology' to give her something like the luxurious appointments in this thing. And she had the horrible suspicion that it would require selling herself, Jonny, and any children unto the ninth generation into virtual slavery to acquire it.

But wouldn't they thank you for it every time they woke in warmth or cool comfort?

Maybe if she saved Harperus' life, or something...

Even as part of her was thinking these thoughts, the rest was aghast. How could she want anything that badly? Wasn't she a Gypsy and a Free Bard? How could she even think about becoming tied down to anything or anyone for the sake of a mere possession?

But_! that interior voice of greed wailed.

To get her mind off that greedy little inner self, she turned the subject to politics. The Deliambrens always wanted to hear about politics, for politics affected trade, and trade was a large part of their life.

And there were serious changes occurring, changes that seemed minor and subtle, but could build to devastating results.

'It isn't just the Bardic Guild, though it's the worst of the lot. What Talaysen thinks is that the Guilds are trying to get as much power as the Dukes,' she said, after describing some of the troubles the Bardic Guild had been causing for the Free Bards. 'And the High King seems to be letting them get away with it.'

Harperus looked troubled. 'I fear that is because the High King has lost interest in governing the lesser Kings,' he said, after a moment. 'There is much unrest among the Twenty Kings, and more still among the nobles. Many of them have gone back to feuding, quarrels which would have been strictly squashed a few years ago. There is something amiss in the High King's court.'

'What is worse, to my mind, is that the Guild and the Church seem to be working together to cause problems for anyone who does not agree to the rules of the Guild and Church,' Gwyna said. 'And the High King is letting them get away with this.'

'But the twenty human Kingdoms are but a small part of Alanda,' T'fyrr objected, flipping his wings impatiently. 'They are insignificant in scale! Surely, Harperus, you concern yourself too much with them _'

'They are a small part, it is true, but they are strategically placed,' Harperus pointed out. 'If there is war among them, as there was in the days before the High King, they can effectively cut us off from many things that we need.'

'And as you have often pointed out to me, humans breed like rabbits,' Gwyna interjected with some sarcasm. 'They may only be the Twenty Kingdoms, but they have spread out to occupy a great deal more territory than they held originally. We aren't a peaceful species, Harperus. And I don't care how superior your weapons are, my friend, enough bodies with spears and swords can take over that precious Fortress City of yours, either by treachery or by siege. While they may not have the stomach for losses that great, they can certainly lock you inside that Fortress for ever and aye.'

'That had not escaped our notice,' was all Harperus said. But though his tone of voice was mild, she detected an edge to it. 'This is the other of the reasons why I was willing to take this particular vehicle. I can leave small devices now that can collect more information without the need for human agents. I fear that we will have need of such information.'

Gwyna sighed. 'Are we heading for the Waymeet between Westhaven and Carthell Abbey?' she asked. 'If we are, that would be a good place to talk to people and to leave one of your little 'collectors,' both. I'm certain that the Waymeet family will give you no difficulty over leaving such a thing.'

At Harperus' nod, T'fyrr asked with puzzlement, 'What is a Waymeet? You have not told me of this.'

'I did not tell you because we were not going there until we encountered our two young friends,' Harperus replied. 'But Robin tells me that there is a cartwright there, and a cartwright is what they most urgently need at the moment.'

'The Gypsies created the Waymeets,' Gwyna told the Haspur. 'We created them, and we continue to run them, even though now there are a number of non-Gypsies who know about them and use them.' She thought for a moment; she had lived with the knowledge of Waymeets all her life, and had never needed to describe them to anyone before. 'You find them just off the major trade roads,' she continued, finally. 'They're a special, permanent camping-place, with a caretaker, certain things like bathhouses and laundries, a small market, and a population of craftsmen. One thing is pretty important; they're all on land that doesn't belong to anyone, not Duke nor Sire, not Guild nor Church. And another; no one stays there more than a few days at a time, except when bad weather really bogs things down. I know there will be a cartwright there, which solves our problem, and there will be people for Harperus to talk to with fresher news than ours.'

T'fyrr nodded as he followed her words. 'And the caretaker charges a certain amount for the amenities?' he hazarded. 'Such things would make camping there more attractive than camping in the wilderness. Civilized.'