'Hai!' Tarma said sharply; they stopped dead, and turned to look at her. 'Go gently, warladies,' she said in her own tongue. 'Mind your manners.'
Landric hid a smile as the now docile creatures let themselves be led away at the boy's pace. 'I'd best help him, if you think they'll allow it,' he told the Shin'a'in. 'Else he'll be all night at it, trying to groom them on a ladder!'
'They'll allow anything short of violence, providing you leave our gear with them; but for your own sake, don't take the packs out of their sight. I'd hate to have to recompense you for broken bones and a new barn!'
'Told you I soldiered with Shin'a'in, didn't I? No fear I'd try that. Take your ease inside; 'tis poor enough, and I beg you forgive the state it's in, but--'
'Landric, no man can be two things at once. Better the house should suffer a little than your fields and stock. Clean plates won't feed your younglings,' Kethry told him, following the oldest girl inside.
There was a musty smell inside, as of a house left too long unaired. Piles of clean clothing were on the benches on either side of the table, the table itself was piled high with dirty crockery. There was dust everywhere, and toys strewn the length and breadth of the room. The fire had been allowed to go out -- probably so that the two-year-old sitting on one corner of the hearth wouldn't fall into it in his father's absence. The fireplace hadn't been cleaned for some time. The kitchen smelled of burned porridge and onions.
'Warrior's Blade -- what a mess!' Tarma exclaimed under her breath as they stepped into the chaotic kitchen-cum-common room.
'It's several months' accumulation,' her partner reminded her, 'and several months of fairly inexpert attempts to keep up with the chores. Guests or no, I'm not going to let things stay in this state.' She began pinning up the sleeves of her buff-colored traveling robe and headed toward the nearest pile of clutter.
'My thoughts entirely,' the swordswoman replied, beginning to divest herself of her arms.
Landric and his son returned from stabling the mares to a welcome but completely unexpected scene. His guests had completely restored order to the house; there was a huge kettle of soup on the once-cold hearth, and the sorceress was making short work of what was left of the dirty dishes. Every pot and pan in the kitchen had already been washed and his oldest girl was carefully drying and stacking them. The next oldest was just in the last steps of sweeping the place out, using a broom that one of the two had cut down to a size she could manage. His four-year-old son was trotting solemnly back and forth, putting things away under the careful direction of -- the swordswoman?
Sure enough, it was the hawk-faced swordswoman who was directing the activities of all of the children. She was somehow managing to simultaneously change the baby's dirty napkin, tickling him so that he was too helpless with giggles to fight her as he usually did; directing the four-year-old in his task; and admonishing the six-year-old when she missed a spot in her sweeping. And looking very much as if she were enjoying the whole process to the hilt.
Landric stood in the door with his mouth hanging open in surprise.
'I hope you two washed after you finished with the horses,' Kethry called from her tub of soapsuds. 'if not, wait until I'm through here, and you can use the wash water before you throw it out.' She rinsed the last of the dishes and stood pointedly beside the tub of water, waiting for Landric to use it or carry it out.
'This was -- not necessary,' he managed to say as he hefted the tub to carry outside. 'You are guests--'
'Oh, come now, did you really expect two women to leave things in the state they were?' Kethry giggled, holding the door open for him. 'Besides, this isn't the sort of thing we normally have to do. It's rather a relief to be up to the elbows in hot water instead of trouble. And Tarma adores children; she can get them to do anything for her. You said you know Swordsworn; you know that they're celibate, then. She doesn't often get a chance to fuss over babes. But what I'd like to know is why you haven't hired a woman or gotten some neighbor to help you?'
'There are no women to hire, thanks to the monster,' he replied heavily. 'Those that didn't provide meals for it ran off to the town, thinking they'd be safer there. I'm at the farthest edge of Lord Havim's lands, and my nearest neighbors aren't willing to cross the distance between us when the monster is known to have taken my wife within sight of the house. I can't say that I blame them. I take the eldest with me, now, and I have the rest of the children barricade themselves in the house until we come home. The Gods of the Wheel know I'd be overjoyed to find some steady woman willing to watch them and keep the place tidy for bed, board, and a bit of silver, but there isn't anyone to be hired at any price.'
'Now it's my turn to beg your pardon,' Kethry said apologetically.
'No offense meant, none taken,' an almost-smile stretched his lips. 'How could I take offense after this?'
That night Tarma regaled all the children with tales until they'd fallen asleep, while Kethry kept her hands busy with mending. Landric had kept glancing over at Tarma with bemusement; to see the harsh-visaged battle- scarred Shin'a'in warrior smothered in children and enjoying every moment of it was plainly a sight he had never expected to witness. And Warrl put the cap on his amazement by letting the baby tumble over him, pull his fur, tail,
