Elvensty, page 22
part #1 of Swordflower Series
The Flegg gave Aya a sympathetic smile. “Yes, it’s been a very long day. I’ll see you two in the morning.”
Aya followed Khomar upstairs, and she scarcely felt the pillow before she drifted off into a deep sleep.
Chapter 20
“Neta told me that you drove Dorro away,” Rondo said in an accusing tone. He stood over Palo who was sitting alongside Marta and Khomar with their cups of khava. There were dark circles under Rondo’s eyes, and his face looked haggard. It was obvious that he had stayed up late the night before.
“Rondo,” Marta interjected softly in a conciliatory tone, “you did not hear what Dorro said.”
“It does not matter,” Rondo replied hotly, his accent thickening. His eyes remained focused on Palo. “Dorro will no longer be helping in the shop, and we are already too busy at is. Palo will have to take his place.”
Palo shifted uneasily in his seat, and Khomar could see that there were words on his tongue that he was holding back. “I was planning to help, Rondo,” he said at last. “What kind of man do you think I am?”
Rondo frowned but said nothing in response. Instead, he poured himself a cup of khava and made his way toward the shop.
Khomar stared at his full cup of khava in front of him as the quiet settled again upon the room. He felt badly for Palo and considered how he might be able to help him. A memory stirred from the argument on the previous day.
“Palo, you mentioned something yesterday about building an addition to your house?” Khomar began inquisitively.
Palo gave Khomar a puzzled look. “Yes, we’re building an addition for Rondo and Neta. Why do you ask?”
Khomar shrugged. “I’m going to be here all week, and I’ve nothing to do but wait for Dhrudmon to come back. I have experience building houses in Auxland, and I’d be glad to help in any way I can.”
Palo’s eyes brightened. “Ah, yes. We have some supplies, but no one who can work on it. I’ve tried to do what I can, but now….” He paused, his eyes drifting toward the door to the shop as he frowned. Then turning back to Khomar, he asked excitedly, “Would you like to see it?”
“Yes, please,” Khomar replied brightly, glad to see some life return to Palo’s face.
Palo led him into the living room and through the door that opened to the back of the house. They had already prepared the foundation and finished the initial framing of the walls. Trusses had been assembled and placed over the room, but only a third of the roof cross boards were in place. Two piles of lumber were piled to one side along with a stack of rough wooden shingles.
“We had hoped to finish the roof before the Crossing, but we weren’t able to,” Palo explained shaking his head.
Khomar nodded thoughtfully as he assessed the work that remained. He figured it would take him a day to complete the cross boards and a couple days to finish the shingling. “I should be able to finish the roof, and then I’ll try to get done what I can.”
“Anything would be a great help, Khomar,” Palo said gratefully. “Rondo will be pleased.” As the two headed back into the house, Khomar was already planning out his work for the day, glad to have something to do.
An hour later, Khomar was perched up on the rooftop, hammer in hand, as he held a length of wood across the trusses. He placed nine nails in his mouth as he held one nail in the fingers of his left hand. Then with practiced precision, he drove the nail through the beam into the truss with a single blow followed rapidly by a second nail, two thumbs widths below. Sliding swiftly along the roof, he repeated the process four more times until the crossbeam was firmly set in place. If the rain continued to hold off, he hoped to have all of the crossbeams completed by mid-afternoon.
He counted out ten more nails from the bag he had tied off to his belt and pulled up another board. He was just starting to put the nails in his mouth again when he sensed movement in the window just beyond the edge of the addition. From the size and shape of the body that slid out of the window – not to mention the behavior true to form – he guessed that it was Tallo. Not wanting to frighten the boy while he was climbing onto the roof, Khomar proceeded to secure the next board. As he drove in the last nail, Tallo sat down on the roof of the main house to watch him.
“Tallo,” Khomar said, his eyes still focusing on the board in front of him. “Does Neta know you’re up here?”
He heard the boy gasp and sigh. “No,” he replied sheepishly.
Khomar looked over then and saw Tallo sitting on the edge of the roof with his legs dangling down. His sea foam eyes were watching Khomar intently even as his face twisted guiltily.
“Tallo, let me get you down,” Khomar told him with a sigh. “We need to talk to Neta.”
Tallo frowned and started to climb down.
“Wait!” Khomar said quickly, setting down his hammer. “Let me get over there.” Khomar deftly balanced himself on a line of crossbeams and walked over toward Tallo. He climbed down the ladder he had left near the house and moved until he stood directly beneath Tallo.
“Drop down, and I’ll catch you,” Khomar said, looking up at the boy as he peered down at him.
Tallo turned around then and, grabbing hold of the edge of the roof, allowed himself to hang for a moment before dropping into Khomar’s outstretched arms. Khomar was impressed with Tallo’s agility, but he was not about to let him demonstrate it again if he could help it.
He lowered Tallo to the ground and let him go, allowing him to walk freely beside him as they entered the house through the door that led directly into the kitchen.
They were met by Neta whose eyes immediately fell upon the young boy. “Tallo,” Neta said reprovingly. “What have you been doing? Why aren’t you with Jessa?”
“I was watching Khomar,” Tallo pouted. “I didn’t run off.”
Aya, who was standing behind Neta peeling potatoes, glanced up at that but turned her back to them quickly. Khomar could sense her silent laughter even as her shoulders shook slightly.
Khomar shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Tallo was sitting on the roof.”
Neta’s eyes grew wide before she scowled at Tallo. “Tallo!” she breathed, and then it seemed she was at a loss for words. Finally, she yelled, “Jessa! Where are you?”
The adolescent girl came hurrying down the stairs carrying Iddo. She froze as she caught sight of Tallo, a look of dread crossing her face. “He… he was right there,” she began, her voice filled with desperation. “He was in your room. I just turned around to change Iddo, and… how’d you get down here?” Her face went pale and even her lips lost their blue color.
“He was on the roof, and Khomar brought him down, that’s how!” Neta hissed angrily. “You were supposed to keep watch of him and keep him from bothering Khomar. Tallo could’ve broken his neck!” Jessa was cowering in the face of Neta’s rage. Aya frowned and met Khomar’s gaze as her brow creased with concern.
“It’s alright,” Khomar said taking a half-step forward. “Actually, I wanted to ask if Tallo could help me.”
Tallo looked up at Khomar in surprise, and Aya nodded silently as a small smile touched her lips.
Neta looked confused and concerned. “You’re working on the roof, no? You want him to be on the roof?”
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t fall,” Khomar reassured her. “I just need some strips of strong cloth.”
She gave him a thoughtful look before nodding with a frown. “If you’re sure that he won’t be a burden to you,” she assented. “Jessa, go get Khomar the cloth he asked for.”
Jessa set down Iddo and slipped through the door to the shop. She soon returned with strips of strong cloth in hand. Khomar fashioned a simple harness by tying the strips of cloth around Tallo’s arms and torso. Then he tied it off to a length of rope. Tallo squirmed impatiently, and Iddo watched with fascination as Khomar completed the harness. To ensure that it would not break, Khomar lifted Tallo off of the ground using the rope. Tallo giggled joyfully as he kicked his dangling feet. Khomar grinned and playfully swung him back and forth a few times before setting him back down.
Iddo stepped forward then with his arms upraised. “Kho, Kho, lift me! Lift me!” he cried plaintively.
Khomar chuckled and lifted Iddo, tossing him gently into the air before catching him. Iddo giggled, and Khomar tossed him two more times before setting him down again. Iddo toddled off toward Jessa apparently satisfied and looking for another adventure.
“See, Tallo won’t fall,” Khomar reassured Neta. “I’ll tie him to the roof while we’re up there.”
Neta frowned but shrugged. “I guess that will do. At least he won’t be able to run off.”
***
Aya had sensed something was not right with Neta all day. The day before, Neta had been friendly, and they had enjoyed talking together. Today, however, she had withdrawn almost completely, and Aya could sense that Neta was preoccupied with her thoughts. Aya could only assume that it had to do with the incident with Dorro.
Since Khomar had taken Tallo under his wing, she had begun to sense a growing resolve in Neta even as her actions became increasingly alarming. She had disappeared upstairs on multiple occasions throughout the morning, and Aya had spotted her gathering odds and ends when Neta thought she was not looking. Neta sent Jessa to work in the shop that afternoon and was keeping Iddo close. She also seemed overly eager to teach Aya how to do various household tasks, especially related to cooking. In fact, Aya had nearly prepared supper by herself with Neta’s instruction. Concerned that there was something seriously wrong, Aya decided it was time to use her gift.
Reaching out toward Neta, she opened a narrow link with her mind and sensed the mixed emotions of fear and determination. Allowing the link to expand, the emotions began to take shape as a kaleidescope of images. Rondo’s weary but angry eyes as he left her behind in their room. Tallo being swung by Khomar’s harness. Neta packing her belongings into a bag. Hands reaching down to pick mushrooms in the forest. Rondo laughing with Dorro over a shared joke. Aya cooking dinner alone. Iddo playing in an old ramshackle house on the edge of town. Walking out the side door with Iddo in hand. Rondo happy and smiling dressed in nice clothes as he worked in the shop.
The more Aya saw, the clearer the picture became: Neta was planning to leave. And soon. Her determination was growing quickly as her fears were being pushed aside. As Aya closed the link, she felt a wave of weariness sweep over her even as she was gripped with a sudden urgency. She knew that she needed to tell somebody, and the first person she thought of was Palo.
“Neta, can you stir this pot please?” Aya asked kindly. “I need to check on something.” She also needed to give Neta a job to buy some time. She did not know how soon her plan would be enacted.
Neta nodded absently and took her place. Aya started toward the hall and, on impulse, took Iddo’s hand gently in her own, having seen in Neta’s mind that she would never leave without him. They slipped silently into the hall to the shop together. Iddo followed her trustingly as if sensing another adventure in the making.
The moment Aya touched the nob of the door to the shop, she realized that she had never actually set foot in their store before. She paused for a moment wondering what the reaction would be to her barging in unannounced. She prayed that there were no customers, or at least none nearby. Taking a deep breath, she quietly opened the door and peeked her head inside, keeping Iddo hidden in the hallway behind her.
The tailor’s shop was a single open room save for the small office on the right. There were bolts of cloth lining the back wall, and a few Fleggish outfits hung on a rack in the far corner. She saw that Marta was waiting on a Fleggish woman, holding up brightly colored cloth for inspection. She did not see Rondo, but Palo was sitting in a chair nearby with a pair of half finished linen trousers in his lap. Jessa, Kena, and Trena were sitting quietly beside him, their small fingers skillfully sewing various garments.
Palo met her gaze with a look of surprise. Setting down the trousers and glancing quickly around the room, he made his way toward the door with a concerned expression. He stepped into the hallway and spotted Iddo behind her. He quickly closed the door behind him before he spoke in a soft whisper. “Aya, is the baby coming?” he asked with urgency.
It took Aya a moment to realize what he was thinking, and she quickly shook her head. “No, it’s not the baby.”
“Then what is it? Why do you have Iddo? What’s wrong?”
Hearing his name, Iddo stepped forward then and reached up for his uncle. Palo absently lifted him into his arms and held him as he waited for Aya’s explanation.
“It’s Neta,” Aya answered earnestly, matching Palo’s volume. “She’s planning to leave soon. Her resolve is growing very strong.” She glanced at Iddo and prayed he would not understand what she was saying.
“How do you know this?” Palo asked her sharply, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Aya paused under his scrutiny, suddenly uncertain. “I… used my gift to read her thoughts,” she admitted.
Palo took in a breath. “Do you do this often?”
Aya shook her head wearily. “No, I don’t. I know that it makes people nervous, but Neta has been acting strangely all day. I was concerned for her, and she wasn’t talking to me.”
Palo frowned but nodded. “Alright, Neta’s planning to leave. Do you know why?”
The image of Rondo dressed in nice clothing working in his shop rose up in her mind. “I think she feels like Rondo will be better off without her,” she replied pensively.
Palo grimaced and started to mutter in Fleggish before glancing down at Iddo. His scowl deepened as he switched to Jyrye. “Yes, she’s probably listening to Dorro’s lies.” He nodded as he met Aya’s gaze. “It was good of you to tell me. I’ll take Iddo to Jessa, and I’ll talk to Rondo at once. Do what you can to keep her here.”
Aya nodded, and after Palo left the hallway, she quietly stole back into the kitchen. She breathed a sigh of relief to see Neta still absently stirring the pot. Realizing Neta was not aware of her presence, Aya silently stepped out of the doorway and leaned against the wall, keeping her eyes on Neta as she waited. She hoped that the task of stirring would keep Neta occupied until Rondo arrived, but Aya was ready to act if it was needed.
It was only a few minutes later when the door beside Aya opened and Rondo emerged, his gaze falling instantly upon Neta. He stepped toward her slowly and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. Neta turned toward Rondo, her eyes focusing on him with confusion. “What do you want?” she asked sharply.
He smiled with remorse as he took her free hand in his and caressed her cheek softly with his other hand. “Neta, we need to talk.”
Neta jerked her head back, dropping the ladle, and tried to pull her hand free. Rondo’s grip remained unyielding, and he gently yet firmly took hold of her other hand as well. Aya did not dare to breath even though she felt like an interloper. She did not want to interrupt them.
“Don’t you have work to do?” Neta asked testily.
“This is much more important than work,” Rondo said earnestly, his eyes searching hers. “You are much more important than work. Neta… I love you. I want to talk to you. Please.”
Neta bit her lip as tears formed in her eyes. “What do you want from me?” she asked suspiciously, but her tone lacked the earlier venom.
“I just want to talk to you,” Rondo said softly, “somewhere where we won’t be interrupted.”
Neta lowered her gaze as a tear fell down her cheek. She nodded wordlessly and allowed him to wipe the tear away. He wrapped his arms around her gently and held her for several moments.
Aya did not dare to even relax her tense muscles and risk spoiling the moment. She wished she could leave and let them be alone, but it was too late to slide out now without attracting attention. Rondo turned Neta and gently guided her toward the stairs. As they disappeared from view, Aya heaved a relieved sigh and leaned heavily back against the wall. Lifting a silent prayer for Neta, Aya moved to the stove and resumed preparing the evening meal.
Chapter 21
Khomar noted that the tension that had seemed so prevalent on Skyday had dissipated by the following morning. Rondo had apologized to Palo when he came down and proceeded to sit with Khomar, Marta, and Palo as they nursed their cups of khava. Then Rondo had lingered for breakfast, sitting close to Neta with Iddo in his lap, sharing glances of affection with his wife throughout the meal. Palo and Aya shared knowing looks as they watched the couple, and Khomar wondered what they had been up to.
Khomar continued to work on the roof of the addition, making good progress. Surprisingly, Tallo turned out to be a good helper. Khomar taught him to count out the nails, and they soon worked out a system with Tallo getting the next group of nails ready while Khomar pounded in the current board.
Tallo was fascinated by Khomar’s ability to drive in the nails with a single stroke. He tried several times unsuccessfully to pound his own nail into a scrap piece of board until he struck his thumb with the hammer. He uttered a couple Fleggish words he had mostly likely heard from his older brother and decided then it was best to just count nails.
By Hensday afternoon, they had completed nailing on the wooden shingles, and on Finsday, Khomar began work on finishing the outer walls. It felt good to be using his muscles again, and while it had been cold, the days had been surprisingly dry.
Taking the opportunity given with Tallo being looked after by Khomar, Neta and Aya had taken Iddo with them to do some shopping for food. Khomar had slipped Aya a couple silver coins to help pay for the additional provisions. Aya had been so stunned that he carried that kind of money around with him, that Khomar had not dared to tell her about the four gold coins that still remained in his pouch.
The suns came out briefly on Finsday afternoon as Khomar and Tallo continued to work on the house. Tallo, no longer tied down to the roof, began to wander about the construction site, and Khomar had to keep his senses alert to his activity. It had become a game to the young boy to see how far he could get before Khomar would call him back. By the end of that evening, Khomar was weary from the work and added surveillance. He retired to bed early, leaving Aya to talk with Palo and Neta.
