Snow Fields - Book Two of The Fields of Mendhavai Trilogy

Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

Alcohol-sickness was abundant the following day. Although I debated whether or not to let the men suffer, eventually I scrounged around in my pack and found a pouch of the herbs we used at the keep to ease a hangover. I had decided they had suffered enough over the past three days.

It was nearly noon by the time they were up and moving about, staggering really, and I had the tea in a pot near the lava-rock Bashiir had provided the afternoon previous. True to his word, the stone had held its heat and it was still enough to boil a pot of water; it must have been enchanted. The tea was ready just as the men returned from outside to seeing to their business, and I handed each of them a steaming cup. It was not the most flavorful tea – they made faces at the taste – but it did the trick; within a half candlemark they were digging through their packs for breakfast.

I don’t suppose you have any furniture, such as a table and chairs, in the piles of junk you all have stored away somewhere? I queried Bashiir.

Junk! he replied with indignation, then he chuckled in my head. Yes, junk, we certainly have plenty of that. I don’t think I will find furniture in the junk piles though. Most likely anything useful will be in the treasure rooms. I’ll see what I can find.

Thank you, Bashiir.

With food in hand, we all settled into a semi-circle in the cooler confines of the exit tunnel. The reactions to my news of our purpose here were mixed. Hanosh said nothing, but there was a glaze of fear in his eyes. I thought it a bit strange, as he had been quite brave on our journey here. Smythe sat back, rubbing his chin and watching his charges. Yalli nodded, simply accepting it, though his face turned grim.

“We have to help my people!” Taphille said, angrily slamming his fist into his open palm. He turned eager eyes to me. “We will, won’t we?”

I nodded. “I don’t intend to leave them, or the dragons, without doing what I can for them. However, the rest of you did not come on this excursion to fight. I will leave it up to you whether or not you will help; I won’t command you to.”

Smythe put his fist over his heart and offered a bow from his sitting position. “My Lady, I am yours under any circumstances. I will be at your side.”

Yalli nodded. “As will I.”

I didn’t need Taphille’s answer, I already knew it, but he said, “Me too!” Then grinned, and added, “even if my people weren’t being threatened.”

All our eyes turned to Hanosh, who gulped. He didn’t look me in the eye when he whispered, “I will do what I can for you, my Lady.”

I nodded. I understood his fear and as I had told them, I did not expect any of them to fight, that wasn’t why we had come here. “Thank you, Hanosh. All of you.”

“I-is there a plan?” Hanosh asked, startling me. He was the last I’d expect to speak up in such a manner.

“Well,” I drew the word out, looking at Smythe who only shrugged. “Yrsla doesn’t expect these men to return for several more days yet, nearer to the full moon, so we have a bit of waiting to do and time to figure something out. I think we will need to speak more with the dragons, as they will, of course, be involved, and also with the Sanilans.”

The last drew Taphille’s eager attention my way. “When we will meet them? I was hoping maybe today, but…”

I smiled at him. “I think tomorrow will do. No lazing about in the morning. We will have to make a trek to their village.”