Gallel's Heir

Chapter 18.1: Visits

***

Lianna wished she could hide behind Canúden as the Kel spoke of his plans; Canúden who always seemed to know how to take care of everything, the man Mama trusted most. Her father's words seemed to be nothing more than the smoke rising from the flames in the hearth. As smoke, the words seemed elusive, rising beyond her reach before she grasped their meaning, no matter how she concentrated. Her face felt hot as it would if she stood over a fire, and her eyes stung as if filled with hot soot. Watching the hearth, she saw patterns in the flames and in the smoke, always the same and always changing; and with their every movement, she was unable to say what image had just passed. Her father droned on; she caught a word here and there, but before she situated it clearly in her mind, the word slipped away and she found herself numbly confused once again.

Trembling, she turned her eyes to the Kel. He seemed to be smiling, but his expression meant nothing to her; it seemed to go with his words as two inharmonious chords go together. The words clanged in her mind, and she wanted to be sick. The thought came to her, dimly, to vomit into the fireplace; it just seemed a natural place to relieve herself. But that would mean she would have to move to the hearth and draw unwanted attention to herself. It would mean she would have to move, and if she took a step in any direction, except maybe towards Canúden, she would crumple to the floor, if she could move at all.

Canúden stared at the floor. There was a moment when she thought he said something, perhaps in answer to something the Kel said, but she wasn't sure what it was. Had she said something previous to that? Her tongue burned as though from the exercise of speech, but other than the sensation, she had no clear memory of it. It seemed that the Kel had said something to her. What was it? If she had spoken, what did she say?

Everyone in the room seemed to be a statue, stiff and slow. So she was surprised when they moved... to a door? Everyone but Tutang left. She thought Canúden had been dragged out by the soldiers. She had moved previous to that. She had come up stairs. She'd been tugged through darkness. A forest. Salty kisses. In this dim room, Tutang sat on a very fat and high four post bed with the curtains squished near the head. He seemed to be saying something. A small fire in a hearth cast a cold orange glow about the room. She could see nothing of outside, it was too dark, and heavy red curtains hung at what she dimly assumed were windows, three sets of them along one long white wall. A huge, intricately carved wooden box towered upright in the corner. Garlands of fragrant dried flowers and leaves hung along the wall. At the other end of the room was a smaller fat bed with a green, yellow, and red striped puff quilt on top. How strange it was that she could identify the intricate pattern of the quilt, yet she had no idea what her father was saying.

Suddenly, as if in shock, she recognized the words, "Well, Lianna, I brought you some nice things from Whellung. They're in the wardrobe over there. Some nice dresses. I'm sure you'll like them. You can change in the next room, if you like, and get rid of those nasty things you've got on now. It's a tub room, with a big stone tub just like we have at home. This is a fine hotel, don't you think? Fine service, but what else would you expect when a Kel stays? Scummy town, though, don't you think..." He went on, she supposed, but she couldn't make out any more of his words. He lay under his quilt and he held out a lamp. She stared at this gesture, uncertain what it meant. She squinted her eyes, and mechanically took the lamp. She touched the glass, and the heat from the flame brought her back somewhat to reality. The Kel's words came to her clear like a flash, as if he had suddenly began speaking into a volumizer.

"I had them fill up a tub for you and start a fire. I knew we would find you today; the dogs just seemed so sure, you know. It should still be quite steamy. Just get some clothes from the wardrobe, if the maids didn't already set out some nightclothes for you. There should be soap and everything in there. There was when I took a bath, anyway. Don't take too long, though, because we're going to leave pretty early tomorrow. Granted, you could just take a nap on the ship, but still, getting up so early after going to bed so late is always unpleasant. Well, good night, Lianna." He lay down and the bed nearly buried him in its softness. "I'm so glad that I found you, Lianna." He paused. "And it's not just because of Tamil."