Selden furrowed his brow. ‘But you are a young woman. Surely you shall outlive your father by many years.’
‘My father’s daughter might have a long lifespan, but not Ellik’s wife, I think. His last wife gave him heir sons for his own fortune and name. That was all he needed of her, and when he was finished with her, her life was finished, too. He needs but one son from me to establish a regency the other nobles will not challenge. I am sure that is why the mother of his sons died so suddenly; to make space for me.’ She looked at him. ‘I did not know her but I mourn her. His last woman has scarcely begun to rot in her grave, and Ellik is ready to begin on me. No. I will be consumed just as you are. But not, I am told, until I have restored you to health. So. To hasten our ends, you should eat.’ Her tone became falsely light, a mockery of the tragedy in her eyes.
She rose and brought a little table to his bedside. On it was a tray with a large covered dish set beside two smaller ones. She lifted the lid on the large dish. Selden stared at a mound of raw meat cut into chunks. An inadvertent sound of disgust welled from his throat. She stared at him. ‘Are you not hungry?’
‘If it were cooked,’ he said faintly. At the prospect of food, his mouth had begun to water, but the bloody red chunks of flesh only reminded him of his ultimate fate. He turned away, swallowing. His wakened hunger was making him nauseous.
‘I can remedy that,’ she said, and for the first time, her voice seemed free of bitterness. ‘I can toast it over the hearth here, and will welcome whatever you leave. My father does not think it fitting that women consume flesh. This is my provender.’ She uncovered the two smaller dishes. One held grain porridge with a generous pat of butter still melting in the centre of it, and the other a heap of boiled vegetables in an orange, yellow and green heap. At the sight of them, Selden’s stomach growled loudly. The homely smell of stewed turnips, carrots and cabbage almost brought tears to his eyes.
Chassim was silent for a moment. ‘If we share all, there is enough for both of us to dine well.’ Her voice was hesitant, her eyes downcast.
‘Please,’ he begged, and something in that simple word woke the first shadow of a smile he had seen on her face.
‘Please,’ she said softly to herself, as if the word were foreign to her. ‘Yes. And with thanks.’
Day the 28th of the Fish Moon
Year the 7th of the Independent Alliance of Traders
From Sealia Finbok, wife of Trader Finbok
To Hest Finbok, beloved Son
A message to be held for him at the Trehaug Traders’ Concourse.
My dear boy, you left Bingtown with scarcely a word to us! I do not even know where you lodge in Trehaug. Still, I need you to know that your father is quite angry to learn that Trader Redding’s son accompanied you. He says that he expressly forbade you to take a companion with you, something that I regard as quite ridiculous. How could anyone tolerate an extended journey to a place as backward as the Rain Wilds without a cultured and witty fellow to help pass the tedium? To calm his wrath, I told him a bit of a story, that is, that I insisted you take Redding with you as I was concerned for your safety, travelling alone in such an uncivilized place. So, when you return, you must agree with my story when your father asks you.
Most Important! Lissy Sebastipan has broken her engagement to Trader Porty’s son Ismus! She discovered that he had a bastard daughter with a girl from a Three Ships family. The whole town has been buzzing, for their wedding was to have been the social event of the year. I am in an agony of sympathy for Lissy’s mother, yet at the same time, I confess that I do see a wonderful opportunity here for you! I am sure you take my meaning!
Please do not waste too much time on what I perceive as a useless mission. Come home, annul your contract for abandonment, forget that eccentric and ungrateful woman and let me find you a faithful and appropriate wife.
Should you have time to do any trading, I have heard that some absolutely amazing deep-purple flame jewels have recently been unearthed. Do look into this rumour, and feel free to use the family credit if they prove worthy of purchase.
With all affection, and the desire that you use your travel time to revive your poor broken spirit and renew your enjoyment of life,
Your loving Mother
CHAPTER EIGHT
City of Elderlings
‘Alise! Alise, are you in there?’ Alise straightened up slowly. She had been hunched over a table-top inlaid with very detailed illustrations of dragon anatomy. She now realized she had been hearing shouts in the distance for some time, but had blocked them from her mind, assuming they were only the city’s memories trying to invade her. Most often the city’s whispers were a distraction. Today, cleaning and studying the diagrams, the whispers had been informative. She prayed she might never need to know how to remove a broken tooth from a dragon’s jaw, but valued the knowledge all the same.