Torgan Wine Ch. 55

"Lowering the boxes is difficult enough when you don't have to destroy the frames and climb down by hand afterward. The half Torgan men who chose to stay made certain the ropes were removed and they were given the horses as payment.

"After loading everything into the carts below, we came straight here." He rubbed his neck and closed his eyes for a moment. "I knew you would bring her this way and I needed to speak to you. I thought you might need to know what was happening in Torga."

"Yes, I thank you Hesh-Caeridith. You've done more than redeem yourself." Daga Liadith tilted his head slightly.

"But?" Hesh's lips twisted.

"I would ask a little more. When we leave here I would have you travel with us. I will not command it, but I would see it as a personal favor if you would escort the daughter of Liadith to her father's home in Ara and bring her home to me when she wishes to come."

"You think her father will keep her from you?" The green of Hesh's eyes flickered.

"No. Lord Eliorith knows better, but she has a large family and some of them may wish to keep her close."

"My family won't keep me against my will, my Daga." Isonei gave him an annoyed look and he arched a brow. "At most, they would try to charm or chide me into staying. I'm not defenseless against charm, and they might regret it if they attempted to chide me."

"If you give them that look I think they might," Hesh murmured. "Arans are reputed to be gentle if," he hesitated, giving her an apologetic glance, "overly preoccupied with sensual pleasures. It shouldn't be a hardship to accompany her."

It was difficult not to laugh and she covered her face for a moment. Lifting her head from her hands she met Hesh's amused gaze, "Something I learned from Ximesra might interest you, the Sons of Mun wear a stripe of dirt across their faces to keep Aran women at bay when they make port."

Hesh and the Daga began trying to stifle their laughter. Even though she didn't think the jest was that funny, Hesh had tears of mirth streaming from his eyes as he kept his hand clamped over his mouth making odd strangled sounds.

Calming somewhat, he managed to whisper, "The Torgans were amazed at your fidelity, perhaps they should have tried bathing."

She fixed him with her best impression of Draeseth's flat glower and he doubled over, heaving with silent breathless laughter. "My Daga, do you have anything I can throw at Hesh-Caeridith? Or can I kick him?"

"Neither," the grinning Daga reached out to take her hand. "Perhaps you'll remember how to return a jest back in Ara."

Isonei made a face at him. "I'll be sure to spend enough time with my cousin, Oberath, to make sure I can win our game again."

"I thought you said you wouldn't be gone for years this time?" He tilted his head and his green eyes were lit with mischief.

Fluttering her lashes, she answered innocently, "Oberath is much cleverer than you are, my Daga. It shouldn't take him long. I can learn quickly when I have a skilled teacher."

"One thing you should always remember about Arans, Hesh," Daga Liadith squeezed her hand. "They're never quite as sweet as they seem."

"Everyone complains we're too sweet but if we try to be accommodating they get so upset." She put on a baffled expression and tilted her head.

Daga Liadith sucked his lips against his teeth and released her hand to push her head back with his thumb on her forehead.

Turning to smile at Hesh she saw him staring at her with a mystified look on his face. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, Lady Isonei, I just... for a moment I thought..." He rubbed his eyes and a yawn wrenched itself out of him. "The green must have been a trick of the light. I'm tired."

She tried to suppress her own answering yawn, "You can sleep in the carriage with me. It seems I can never stay awake while we travel."

"Go find the kitchen, Isonei, and ask the Sons of Mun for some thorn leaf tea. That should help you both stay awake. I'll be riding with you in the carriage and it might be pleasant if you were awake."

Rising to obey, she glanced at the Daga with a slight frown, something about the way he was looking at Hesh seemed odd. He made a gesture of dismissal without looking at her and she started toward the kitchen. Somehow, arguing didn't seem wise.

Isonei slipped through the doorway she'd seen Xagorath and Ximesra go into and followed the sound of their voices to the kitchen. The pair were speaking the language of Mun and she understood that they were concerned about having enough money to get themselves home. They stopped speaking as she entered.

"Do you need me to braid your hair, Isonei?" Ximesra offered a wry smile as she lifted her flour-covered hands. "You'll have to wait."

"I do, but that wasn't why I came. My Daga sent me to ask for thorn leaf tea."

"This is when I miss having kitchen staff." Xagorath flashed a smile. "When was the last time you were sent to the kitchen on an errand? Do you know how to make tea?"

"It's been months and the servants always made the tea but it looked simple enough."

"Find the kettle and put the water on to boil."

She glanced around and he helpfully pointed to the hanging pots and pans. Standing beneath them and looking up curiously she didn't see anything that looked like the familiar kettle at home. As she tried to decide which of them might be the right choice she heard Ximesra start to laugh.

"I'm sorry, I just," Ximesra laughed again and shook her head. "You look like a child trying to decide what a kettle is."

"I don't see anything that looks like the kettle at home!"

"Come here," Xagorath grinned, "I'll put the water on."

She moved to where he gestured and he put a peculiar metal stick in her hand, one end of which was flattened.

"Stand here and don't let those burn." He pointed to the round sweet batter cakes on the hot stove top.

Before she could ask how she would know if they were in danger of burning he hurried away, grabbing a very large pot as he went. Isonei stared at the cakes nervously, holding the metal stick in both hands. "Ximesra? How do I know if they're going to burn? And what do I do with this if-"

The Munian woman's sobs of laughter lasted until her brother returned. "She-she doesn't know how to use the spatula!"

"Don't let the batter cakes burn!" Xagorath set the large pot on the wooden counter and rushed over to snatch away the spatula flipping them over deftly one after the other. "They're a little dark on one side but not badly burned." He shot Ximesra an annoyed look. "You could have helped her."

"I haven't seen anyone look so helpless. She can herd Torgans through a conversation and stand up to Prince Draeseth, but if you ask her to keep an eye on the batter cakes she looks like a-a lost calf." Ximesra wiped her eyes with the back of her wrist. "You really were born to a life of luxury, weren't you Isonei?"

"I was. I think I may learn to do a few things for myself now, learning to braid might be-" Isonei stopped and folded her arms as the Munian woman began to laugh again.

"As awful as your hair looks when you twist it, I want to see you braid it."

"I think I'll wait until father has given you both your rewards and you've gone home. Amay could teach me and she probably wouldn't laugh herself sick." Isonei made a face at her.

"What's going on in here?" Gwathe came into the kitchen with a woman in tow.

"We rose early and my Daga suggested an early breakfast. It seemed unkind to wake anyone else." Isonei smiled at him warmly. "My Daga did also ask for some thorn leaf tea-" She blinked as the woman darted forward to look into the pot.

"This isn't for tea!"

"I told them I didn't see anything that looked like a kettle!" Isonei tried not to be smug as she turned back to Xagorath, "That isn't for tea!"

"They shouldn't be in the kitchen, Lady Isonei." Gwathe frowned at the batter cakes that Xagorath was putting on a plate. "They're guests, not servants."

She almost protested that they hadn't been pressed into it, but before the words came out of her mouth she realized that it was his hospitality in question. Inclining her head she apologized, "Forgive me, Master Gwathe, I didn't think allowing them to cook would cause you any trouble. I wanted to be considerate."

"Are you being chided?" Ximesra looked from Isonei to the Lerian innkeeper. "We volunteered to make breakfast."

"You're guests as much as I am. It reflects poorly on his hospitality if you're pressed into work while you're here."

Gwathe lifted his hand, "They don't speak Lerian?"

"No, but they do speak Aran and Torgan if you know those languages."

He said something to them in Torgan and Xagorath began speaking hurriedly offering him the plate. Ximesra added something gesturing to the dough she was working. Gwathe offered a bemused smile and tried one of the offered batter cakes before saying something else and both Munians seemed to relax.

"I didn't mean to chide you, Lady Isonei. They enjoy cooking together and didn't expect it to be poorly received. The tea and breakfast will be brought out to you."

Isonei allowed herself to be shooed from the kitchen, going back out to where the men in the breakfast room seemed to be beginning to stir. She was greeted by a speculative look from Hesh.

"No tea?"

"Tea will be coming out shortly if they don't laugh themselves sick telling the story to Master Gwathe." She put on a mock-pout and sat as if she were sulking, folding her arms and hunching her shoulders.

Daga Liadith's eyes sparkled, "Entertain us with the story until it arrives, daughter of Liadith."