“I see you’re happy,” Martha commented ironically.
Ulf nodded. “Very good wine.”
“Eat more cheese and drink less wine.”
“Of course,” Ulf said with a broad smile. His beard was stained red with wine.
Lasgol laughed and enjoyed these little spats between the two of them. Ona and Camu were resting under the table, dozing on and off happily after eating, enjoying the warmth. All the same, Ulf’s shouts always ended up waking them from time to time. But they did not seem to mind very much, and fell asleep again a moment later.
Ulf was incorrigible, which Lasgol knew, and was still as fierce and talkative as ever. Luckily Martha kept him under control. Lasgol wished he could stay a whole season and enjoy the company of both of them. He remembered that his father Dakon never stayed at home for long when he came to visit, and now here he was doing the same thing himself. He wondered whether one day he would be able to enjoy a long rest at home. Probably, but this was not the moment. The war had left the realm in a deplorable state, and there was work to do for everyone – and for the Rangers in particular.
The conversation, laughter and affection went on well into the night, when at last they withdrew to rest. Martha offered Ulf the guest room, but he refused in outrage. He was not so bad that he was unable to go home on his own two feet. One foot, he corrected himself, and they all laughed. The truth was that he had drunk two bottles of painkiller and was stumbling with his crutch. Lasgol was not in the least surprised, and Martha even less so. They saw him leave amid laughter. Luckily his house was not far away. Lasgol thought about going with him, but he knew the old soldier would take offense if he did, so he held back. Ulf was as tough as old boots and would have no trouble, even if a Zangrian regiment were to take over the village.
Martha had Lasgol’s room spotless and ready. He had not realized when or how she had done it.
“Will your little friends sleep with you?” Martha asked him, although she already knew the answer.
“Yes, they like to sleep close to me.”
“And you like to sleep close to them?”
Lasgol nodded eagerly. “I certainly do. They’re the best company anyone could want.”
Martha bade him goodnight and left all three of them in the bedroom. Lasgol undressed, while he looked around at the room and everything in it with longing. He lay down on the bed, which was a double. Camu and Ona did the same on the floor, one on either side of the bed. He got under the sheets and at once felt such a blissful sensation that his eyes closed straight away. He was so comfortable in that soft bed with its clean sheets that an irresistible sleepiness enveloped him.
Tonight I’m going to sleep like a king in this incredible bed, he transmitted to his two friends. It had been months since he had slept in a good bed, and he was going to enjoy it as the greatest of treasures anyone could wish for.
I want, Camu’s message reached him, and a moment later he jumped on the bed and on to Lasgol.
Ouch, be careful. Camu had landed on him, then rolled off to one side of the bed. Lasgol rolled to the other side to make room for him, when Ona landed on him as well.
What’s this? You too?
Ona gave a small groan.
He might not be able to sleep as comfortably as he had hoped to. The two cuddled on either side of him, and they slept together. Lasgol could not entirely enjoy the bed, but feeling the warmth of his amazing companions, he felt luckier than a king.
At dawn the three of them came downstairs, fully recovered after an excellent night’s rest. Martha was already waiting with a breakfast worthy of a visiting foreign ruler: not only for him, but for Ona and Camu too.
“Martha, it’s too much …”
“Not at all. It’s a heartening breakfast so that you can go on with your mission with your energies restored.”
Lasgol smiled. “It’s a breakfast for a whole regiment,” he said, seeing that the whole kitchen table was full of food.
Ona and Camu looked at Lasgol with pleading eyes.
You want to enjoy all this food, don’t you?
Food good. Delicious, Camu transmitted. With the message came a feeling of hunger and a desire for a banquet.
Ona stared at the food, wide-eyed, licking her chops.
All right then. Enjoy the food, but don’t gorge yourselves, because we’ve got a long journey ahead of us today.
Only a mouthful or two, Camu assured him. Lasgol did not believe him.
“Very well, my little fiends want to taste all this, so we’ll have a hearty breakfast.”
“That’s the way I like it,” said Marta with a smile.
The three ate as if they were not going to eat again for a whole season. Not because they were particularly hungry, but because everything was delicious. The more they ate, the more they wanted to go on eating. The moment came when Lasgol could not manage anything else. He felt at bursting-point. Camu was lying on the floor, belly up, with his blue tongue lolling out of his mouth and his stomach twice its usual size. Ona was beside him, finishing a roast chicken she could barely cope with.
“I think we’ve had more than enough,” he commented to his housekeeper.
“Are you sure you don’t
