“I agree.” He settled down next to the child while Eddis ate,telling her what she would see outside and where they would go. “You needclothes of your own,” he said.
She fingered the loose jerkin she wore-M’Whan’s spare, whichitself had been bought secondhand.
“But this is nice stuff.” She looked up at him. “Too good fora camp brat, maybe, but big enough, it would last a while. Blot don’t needmore.”
Eddis sat back and waited. Her lieutenant was getting further with the girl than she might. It took time, but finally the girl agreed to leave the little room if M’Baddah agreed to stay right with her.
The short journey from the inn into the fountain square was slow. The girl was wary of everything and everyone, though at this early hour, the area was relatively deserted. The market was better. There were things to look at: piles of fruit and bright-colored cloth. Blot hid behind M’Baddah asthe stall-holder gave her a kindly smile.
“You buy often enough from me, Eddis,” the old woman said,“and you’ve done us all good service. We’ll see you get a good bargain andproper garments for him.”
Eddis smiled and let the mistake pass. Blot was won over by the woman’s quiet manner, entranced by the clean, colorful jerkins the old womanheld against her skinny shoulders to test for fit. Eventually the little girl came away clutching two changes of shirt and trousers, as well as a pair of boots and soft foot-wraps to go under them. She even relaxed enough to walk between the two fighters.
But as they came abreast of the tavern, the clothing was forgotten, a fallen heap at her feet. Blot clung to M’Baddah, her face buriedagainst his chest as men just inside the open doors started a cheer for the new heroes. The outlander moved aside, drawing the girl with him. Eddis scooped up the fallen bundle and followed. Once the noise had faded away, she knelt and laid a gentle hand on Blot’s shoulder.
“You
A muffled, tearful voice finally said, “Got ’em rolls still.Where us slept.”
“We’ll take you back there, then. Would you like that?” Eddisasked.
Blot nodded, finally easing her grip on M’Baddah’s arms, andtook back her bundle and followed the swordswoman.
Once back in the small chamber, Eddis said, “You can bar thedoor so no one can open it, and you’ll feel safe. But you have to promise toopen it for us, when we come back.”
“Promise” took a little explaining. The child finally noddedand rubbed her hand across her eyes and sniffed loudly. Eddis gave her lieutenant a frustrated look.
“M’Baddah, we can’t keep calling her Blot. That’s not aname!”
“What they said I was,” Blot offered sullenly. “My… myfriend didn’t never like it. Called me Windflower, but that was only for him andme. He said, rest of ’em’d make fun. Was our secret.”
Eddis sat cross-legged on the floor and beckoned the child close. M’Baddah had turned away to gaze out the open door. She lowered hervoice.
“You and I have a secret, too. Know what my name is?”
“Eddis,” Blot said promptly.
The swordswoman shook her head.
“Yes, but when I was a girl, about your size, before Ilearned to use a sword, my name was Flerys. It means ‘flower’ where I comefrom.”
Blot looked at her, visibly puzzled.
“See, I didn’t think that was a good name for a swordswoman.So I called myself Eddis. Maybe we could call
“Flerys.” The girl tried it and smiled tentatively.
“It fits you.” Eddis reached cautiously, and to her surprise,the girl let her lightly pat her shoulder. “Now, you can stay here and feel safewhile we go back to that tavern. Eat all the rolls if you’re hungry. We’ll bringmore later.”
A few moments later, she and M’Baddah walked away from thelittle chamber, having heard the bar drop into place.
“Gods,” Eddis said feelingly, “I hope she’ll open it again.”
“She will. That was kind of you, my Eddis. Flerys suits herbetter than it would you.”
Eddis rolled her eyes. “You sneak! I should have known you’dhear all that!”
He laughed quietly and clapped her on the back. “I wonderedoften what kind of village woman would name a baby girl Eddis. Flerys is a good name, and a proper one for the bright poppy I see in that child. Not
The sun was well above the Keep walls when Eddis and hersecond headed back to the tavern. “Jers is probably going mad, waiting for us.Where’s everyone else?”
“Jerdren left the inn when I did, but he went back to theGuild Hall to speak with the master. Blorys went to the chapel to see what aid the curate might provide. Our Keep men are talking to their fellows to see who might come to talk to you and Jerdren this evening. My son is at the provisioner’s, making certain that we will be able to get all the oil and lampswe need-if we do take up this journey.”
“Efficient,” Eddis said. She stopped short as they came up tothe tavern doors. Sitting outside, basking in the early sun, were two dwarves. Both wore sleeveless leather tunics, heavy pants, and thick boots, but they were otherwise unclad and unarmed. Eddis could see bruises and half-healed cuts on their bare forearms, and the older- looking of the two was missing most of his right ear. They looked up as the swordswoman drew near and respectfully inclined her head.
“I’m Eddis,” she said. The younger of the two cleared histhroat with a deep cough.
“Know who you are,” he said evenly. “And that’s M’Baddah.Everyone in the Keep, even us, knows that.” The older one touched his arm, andhe fell silent. “My uncle,” he said with a nod at the older dwarf.
“We were once from the far north,” said the other dwarf.“Most of us got driven out of the mountains though, and some of us went east,but we found little to mine and came back along that road, yonder, a few days ago. Turned out to be a bad choice.” He let his eyes close.
“We’re the last. All our folk-and now just us two,” theyounger said bitterly.
“Easy, lad,” the elder said. He looked up at Eddis. “Word hasit you and yours may ride out that way soon. Don’t ask us to go. We won’t. Badthat way. Bad luck for us dwarves anyway.”
“You don’t look ready to face it again, and no blame to you,”Eddis said evenly. “But I wouldn’t have asked you to go. If we go, it’s strictlya mission for volunteers.”
“Fools,” the dwarf said.
“Perhaps, but if you could tell us what you saw, show us onthe map we have…”
She let the suggestion hang. The younger looked as if he wanted to refuse, but the uncle sighed and nodded.
“Tonight, here?” Eddis asked. Another nod. “We’ll buy-foodand ale for you both.”
The dwarf smiled faintly. “Of course you will.” He gotcarefully to his feet. “Tonight, then.” He let his nephew lead him off in thedirection of the barracks. Both dwarves were limping.
Eddis and M’Baddah watched them out of sight. “Should I haveoffered to pay for the information, M’Baddah?”
“With some dwarves, that would be insult-as if they thoughtonly of coin. If what they tell us is of value, you can offer a small purse, and leave them free to take it or refuse.” He bowed her ahead of him, into thetavern.
There were few people in here at present. The taverner smiled as they passed him, heading for their usual corner. Eddis settled against the far wall, facing the door, and accepted the cup of fresh-squeezed apple and pear juice the barmaid brought her.
“We’ll need lists,” Eddis told M’Baddah as she set her cupaside. “Everyone should be responsible for his own weapons and personalsupplies, but we’ll need a central list for some things, and I say we writeeverything down as we think of it, because there’s going to be too much toremember. Like healing potions-as many as we can get our hands on. And someonebesides Mead-if Mead and Willow decide to come-who can use them, or better yet,who can heal more than small wounds. We’ll lose people out there otherwise.”
“You’ve decided to go, then?” her lieutenant asked.
