Мерседес Лэки - Passages

“Thank you,” Maja said. “Not that the crows aren’t perfectly self-sufficient, but I’m not sure I want a trail of them grabbing anything shiny as an introduction to our new neighbors.”

“Don’t worry. I included the ‘crow toys’ in the mental picture I sent.”

Just then they rounded a bend in the road, and the new Temple came into view. Maja was relieved to find that it looked remarkably like the Temple in Haven. Despite Lena’s best efforts, the Temple and Priory of Thenoth was among the poorest of the many temples in Haven. The walls and buildings were sturdy, of course, because they had to contain animals, but the wood to build and repair them came from wherever they could find—or scavenge—it, so the planks were often different colors until they faded to match the older sections. The robes worn by novices and priests alike were simply made from inexpensive cloth, and the inevitable stains were something everyone lived with. Nobody got a new robe until the fabric was so far gone that it couldn’t be patched any more. The Prior did have a second robe to be worn when he was not working with animals and needed to impress someone rich or influential enough to donate to the Temple, but donations did not go for jeweled shrines or an impressive altar. The first priority was always food for the animals, followed by food for the people, and then the never-ending repairs.

“I think my people did a good job,” Lena was saying happily. “We used the same layout and floor plans for the buildings, so you will all know your way around. Everything is in the same place as in Haven, although the complex is larger. Keven and I thought you might want to bring down some of the bigger animals, given the way the hoof stock is all crowded together in Haven.”

“You’re not fooling me,” Maja teased. “You miss your trip of goats.”

Lena made a face. “Only the fact that they belong to the god stopped me from suggesting goat stew for dinner after what they did to Guildmaster Jurgen’s courtyard.”

“He did send the surviving evergreens to the temple so the goats could finish eating them.”

“‘Finish’ is definitely the right word. You weren’t there when they were knocking his servants down in the slush to get at them.” Lena grimaced. “The good thing about putting a daughter house here is that Keven and I are the only highborn in the area, and we’re not going to get upset by the presence of animals like some of the highborn in Haven do.”

“I’m glad of that.” Maja sighed. “I still can’t understand why the Prior put me in charge here. There are so many of the Brethren who are more qualified.”

They rode through the open gate, which looked exactly like a newer, cleaner version of the one in Haven, and everyone dismounted in the dirt courtyard.

Stina looked around. “Where do we sleep?” she asked. “Do we get better rooms than we had in Haven? We should—after all, we volunteered to come here.”

Lord Thenoth, I’d so much rather deal with animals . “It’s late and almost full dark. Lady Magdalena tells me she duplicated the Temple in Haven, so take the same rooms you had there. For now, dump your packs at the entrance to your dormitories, take the horses to the stables and the other animals to wherever they belong, and make sure they all are comfortable and have food, clean water, and bedding.”

“But—” Stina started to protest, and one of the younger male novices moved to her side.

She doesn’t need allies . Maja quickly cut her off. “Who’s in charge of making supper tonight?”

Brother Magnus lifted a hand. Maja nodded to him and asked, “How long will you need to prepare it?”

“I stocked the pantry,” Lena said helpfully. “You should have everything you need.”

“About a candlemark, then,” he said. He looked at the novice standing next to Stina. “Karl, you’re on the roster with me.”

“But I have to groom and stable my horse,” Karl protested.

“I’ll take him,” one of the girls said. “I’d rather groom an extra horse and sleep on a full stomach.” She smiled, but Karl was still looking at Stina.

“Thank you, Britta,” Maja said pointedly. Karl muttered something she hoped was a thank you and followed Brother Magnus to the kitchen.

“That’s supper sorted,” Maja announced. “Everyone get the animals settled, wash up for supper, and meet in the refectory a candlemark from now.”

As most of the group scattered to their tasks in at least a semblance of obedience, Maja noticed that while Britta had two horses to herself, and the other girls were handling their own, two of the boys were vying to help Stina with her one horse. The shoving and jostling made her realize something.

There was one major difference between the Temple here and the one in Haven.

“Lena, you can feel the Peace of the God in the Temple at Haven, can’t you?”

“So can I, and it isn’t here,” Sven-August interrupted her. He wasn’t moving to care for his horse, but at least he wasn’t a novice sworn to obey her. “This feels like my mother’s house.”

“It does not!” Lena said indignantly. “I’ve been there, and so has Maja. Your mother actually hates animals. This is a newly built temple, and it’s up to all of us to bring the Peace of the God to it. And speaking of your mother, Sven-August, why are you here? I wouldn’t have expected her to permit it.” Sven-August was only sixteen, and his mother still had a legal right to decide what he was allowed to do.

“She was making me crazy, so I told her the Prior was sending a group to your estate, and I wanted to come along and visit you.”

Lena looked at him suspiciously. “Doesn’t she know I’m married now?”

Sven-August looked sheepish. “Uh, no? It’s not as if you had a big wedding with half of Haven invited to it. She’s not interested in what goes on at the Temple—and it’s been years since Father was part of the Council.”

It’s also been years since your father was alive, so Mistress Efanya probably doesn’t hear the Council gossip either. As Lena and Keven had married very quietly at the Temple the morning after they met, notified the King, and promptly left Haven, Maja realized it was quite possible that most people didn’t know Lena was married. Everyone at the Temple, the King and Queen, and the members of his Council; that’s really not a lot of people. I’m sure her rejected suitors are keeping quiet about it—especially Keven’s brother and his father.

“Your mother still hasn’t realized that I love you like the little brother I never had?”

“She keeps hoping you’ll change your mind as I get older. The gap between sixteen and eighteen doesn’t seem as large as the one between thirteen and fifteen. And once we’re both adults . . .”

Lena sighed. “Sven-August, you can explain this to Keven. And go stable your horse. Weren’t you listening to Maja?”

“Uh, right,” Sven-August said. “Sorry, Maja, I’ll do it now. And I’ll take your horse too.” He took both sets of reins and followed the others to the stables.

Lena looked after him and murmured, “Really, Maja?”

Maja shrugged. “The Prior said to bring him, so I brought him.”

“Who else did you bring?” Lena asked.

“I think you know most of them,” Maja said. “Brother Thomas is on loan and will go back to Haven in three moons, but we have Brother Magnus, so we have a priest. The rest are novices: Britta, Mathilda, Nalini, Stina, Anders, Edvin, Hugo, and Karl.”

Lena was obviously running over the list in her mind. “You, Britta, and Nalini—did the Prior send us everyone with Animal Mindspeech?”

“Not everyone,” Maja said. “He still has Arvid, as well as any of the Brethren who have it—though I don’t know if any of the others do have it.”