Midnight Wonders

3.2.2. A Gift of Warm Bread

Kay blinked thrice, sighed, blinked five more times. "All right," he said, and his voice was faint. "But I don't know where she is."

"Who?" said the waiter, who had suddenly appeared at their table with a plate of bread. Luc started and wondered if it was normal in this land for waiters to interfere in the conversations of restaurant patrons.

It appeared so, for Kay's expression did not change and he only said, "He is looking for his sister." He looked at Luc.

"Ah," said Luc. "She's younger than me, and she has red hair, which is very curly and long down to her waist, and it makes her look quite like a lion, and she has brown eyes like mine—"

"I know!" said the waiter, putting the bread on the table. "I've heard of her! There's a lovely red-haired girl at the Yew, and she's just come here to stay permanently."

"Permanently?" said Luc.

"Yes, she has been here rather sporadically, but the queen has been trying to get her to stay longer; the queen is very kind, see." The waiter wiped his hands on his clean new apron. "And she's finally decided to stay. Just in time for the summer!"

The queen? Was that who Cora had been talking about? Had Cora...decided to stay? No—she'd asked him to tell her to stop. But even if she had decided to stay, she hadn't said goodbye.

"I see," said Kay. "Thank you."

The waiter said, "All free," and left.

Kay picked up one of the pieces of bread. There were four slices, each an inch thick. He turned it around in his hand. Luc remembered the brush of Kay's skin as the hazelnuts fell into his palm. He imagined his hand as the slice of bread, imagined sliding his fingers between Kay's and pressing their palms together so the heat of their skins mingled and merged. He could not remember ever holding anyone's hand like that.

"Here," said Kay, holding the bread out to Luc.

Luc scratched his palm. He thought he recognized Kay now, by the gesture. Kay was always offering him something to eat. "You told me not to eat food from here."

"It's all right if it's from me," said Kay. "You don't owe me anything in return, remember?"

Luc regarded Kay a little suspiciously. He still didn't know why that was so, but somehow didn't think he would be getting much clearer of an answer. He reached out and tentatively took the bread. It was still warm. Luc wondered how much heat Kay's skin had already sucked from the hard crust.

"What's the Yew?" he asked as he ripped off a small piece of bread. He put it in his mouth. Soft and warm. "Where Cora is?"

"It's one of the kingdoms," said Kay. "Well, it technically refers to the whole domain of the Yew, but when you say it, most of the time you mean the palace at the Yew. So everyone who lives in the Yew, when they have a dispute over debts, airs the issue to the king and queen of the Yew."

"Do you know the way there?"

Kay looked at him. His expression didn't change, but there was something about the look Luc didn't quite understand. "Of course."

"When can we go?"

"Later," said Kay. "You should eat first." He eyed Luc. "And you need some things. "

"What things?"

"Clothes."

"Oh," he said, remembering how the woman in the market had laughed at him. He ate another piece of bread. "Why did you only order bread?"

"Because we can take it with us."

"Oh," said Luc again. Kay didn't seem to want to be talkative anymore. He fell silent, watching as Kay picked up another piece of bread, turning it in his hands again.