Previously:
Sharing results.Inn of the Foxes, Silver Trailings, outside the Realm Below the Mountain
The next morning, Jyslyn lingered in her bed, her covers pulled up over her head. The dawning sunlight streamed in, brightening the room. The dark elf could hear Wren walking around, humming to herself. The young elf had been out of her own bed the moment the sun began to rise. Jyslyn turned under her blanket to face Wren. "Good morning."
"Good morning," Wren sang. "I didn't know you were awake."
"The sun is bright. I couldn't stay asleep."
"Do you want me to close the shutters?"
"Shutters?"
Wren stopped humming. "I guess you wouldn't know what shutters are. We use them to keep bad weather out and the heat in during wintertime. They block the sun, so we don't close the shutters unless we need to."
Jyslyn pushed the covers away from her head. She squinted with the morning sun lighting the room. "No, keep these shutters open. I need to get used to sunlight, right?"
"I guess." Wren twittered. "You're a bit like me. You don't really fit in, but you're trying to."
"I never really thought about that." Jyslyn tried to push herself up, but succumbed to the weight of her covers.
"No one does. There is much people take for granted. No one really knows how much they'll miss something or someone."
Jyslyn's second try at sitting up was a success. "You're full of philosophy this morning."
"Don't you think we're alike, Jyslyn? We've both lost everything we had."
The dark elf set her feet on the floor. "I'm not sure, Wren. I had a choice about leaving my home. You never had that."
"Kazimier talks about choices when he leads services. How it looks like we have many choices, but in reality, we don't. What may look like a choice isn't one because of what we believe."
Jyslyn stared at Wren. "Kazimier said this?"
The young elf nodded, her long blonde braid bouncing with the movement. "He did."
"When did he talk about choices?"
"The past few years. Sometimes, there's only one path, even though you see three or five or a dozen. It's not so much what you choose but why you made that choice."
Jyslyn laughed. "Kazimier talked to me about choices when I first met him. He saw right through me, and I didn't know. Until now."
"Kazimier understands people a lot more than anyone realizes. I've seen him just watching people, even they didn't know he was."
"And he's good at getting people to come around to his view." Jyslyn yawned. "Sorry. Still tired."
"I could go get us some tea."
"I don't want to trouble you."
Wren beamed. "It's no trouble. Mornings start far too early. You just stay there." The young elf dashed out the door.
Jyslyn reached for her cloak, wrapping it around her to cover her bare skin. She stood. Avoiding the window and the sunbeam crossing the floor, the dark elf dressed, putting on her trousers and tunic. She whispered her cleaning incantation. Dirt fell from her clothes. Feeling somewhat refeshed, Jyslyn glanced out the window, shielding her eyes from the sun's direct rays. A pair of town guards continued their rounds as a few horse-drawn carts made early deliveries to inns and shops along the street.
Wren returned with a tray holding a steaming pot, two cups, and a ceramic jar. "I asked to have breakfast sent up," she said as set the pot down on the room's table. The young elf opened the jar and spooned an amber substance into a cup. "Do you take honey in your tea? Or do you not know what honey is?"
"I've never had the pleasure." Jyslyn walked over to the table. "What is it?"
"It's made by bees and it's sweet." Wren dipped the spoon into the honey again. "Here, try it."
Jyslyn took the spoon. She dabbed her index finger in the honey, then brought the small taste to her mouth. The dark elf let the honey linger on her tongue before swallowing. "It is sweet." She looked at her finger and the remains of the dollop of honey left on it. "And sticky."
"Did you want some in your tea?"
"Maybe just half of what you put in your cup."
Wren did as asked. "They're making omelettes today. It smells so wonderful down there, all the spices they use. I wish I knew how to cook like that." She poured the tea into the cups.
"Once we're back in Wildwood, we can look for someone to teach us both." Jyslyn sipped her tea, the honey's sweetness offsetting the bitterness of the tea. "And I wish someone had told me about this honey before."
"Isn't it wonderful? And there's a drink made from it, too, called mead. They have it in the common room downstairs. Just be careful when drinking it. It's like the spirits I had our first day here. You don't feel it until you do."
Jyslyn laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."
"What are you going to do today?"
"I'm still adjusting the dress. It's not quite fitting right. I also want to see what it looks like in the daylight. If you want, I can be the one here at the inn this morning, in case the dwarves' message arrives. You go look around the market."
Crestfallen, Wren pouted. "It doesn't seem fair to you."
""I'll be fine here, Wren. Once the dress fits, I can work on my magic. I'll have to recreate my spell books, so this will be good practice."
"Are you sure?"
"I am sure, Wren. We can have lunch together when you get back."
Wren's mood picked up. "Sure!" She sipped her sweetened tea. "Jyslyn, how are you tailoring your dress? We don't have the proper thread and I don't see any needles out."
"Magic." Jyslyn winked at Wren. "It's a simple spell, but it is very useful. Cleans clothes, mends rips, even adjusts sizes. I've been cleaning your clothes each night."
"I'd love to see you cast the spell. What happens to all the dirt?"
"I have another spell that blows it out the window. It's a lot better than animating a broom."
Wren giggled. "Can you animate a broom?"
"No." Jyslyn took a sip of her tea. "I've heard that brooms can get minds of their own and hate cleaning."
"You're joking, right? I've never heard that before."
"It's more complicated than that. Some of the wizards I watched bound spirits to the brooms. The problem was, the wizards never treated the spirits well. Angry spirits lead to brooms attacking. The wizards deserved it."
Wren's eyes widened. "Did anyone die?"
"No one. The spirits were angry, but they were bound to brooms. The wizards took a beating, but were able to dismiss the spirits before they were too badly hurt."
"Can you bind spirits?"
Jyslyn shrugged. "I never tried. Spirits are dangerous, and if I make a mistake, the spirit could go free and cause all sorts of problems, from pranks to trying to kill me. I'd like to learn, in case I need to know, but not right away. Maybe after we learn to cook."
"You don't mind if I go out and leave you alone?"
"Go and have fun, Wren. Don't worry about me. It's safer for me to be here than out there."
Next Week:
Meeting the Nicean ambassador.
No comments:
Post a Comment