Megan Lindholm - The Windsingers

‘Vandien, my friend, the ill will of the Windsingers could follow us anywhere we might choose to go. It would not be a simple mistake, an “excuse me, please” and backing out of their territory. There are no limits to their influence. Once they had marked us we would never know a day of fair weather again. No one would hire me, nor buy goods from me.’

Vandien had finally turned to face her, his eyes meeting hers. But the damn tinker was making so much noise that Ki had to raise her voice to be heard. Around her, T’cheria were beginning to scuttle from the room. They considered it an insult to be disturbed while they were feeding. Ki didn’t care what they thought. She would make Vandien understand her. It annoyed her that he was obviously half-listening to the noisy tinker. She took both his hands, raising her voice yet again. But the tinker’s voice still overrode hers.

‘And I say, burn them! Burn your crops in the field and scatter the sheared wool of your flocks. Let them whistle for a share! They want the best that your sweat and blood can bring them, and what do they give you? Only the rain and the gentle winds that are the right of any creature that walks the face of the world! Burn them in the fields, and let them sniff smoke and weave ash for their share! Keep only what you need for your own families. Let them suffer a winter of privation, such as the many you have known. Maybe then…’

Vandien seemed awed by the man’s hysterical cant. Ki squeezed his hands and half-rose, shouting to make herself heard. ‘Only a fool would oppose the Windsingers! And I’m not a fool. Let someone else be a hero. I just want for us to go our quiet way, unnoticed by them. Vandien, there’s you and me and the team, and not much else I care for. But, dammit, I care for that a lot, and I’ll go a long way to protect it. Leave the Windsingers alone,’ she shouted at him, ‘and they’ll leave us to live in peace.’

To her sudden chagrin, Ki found herself bellowing into a silenced common room. The T’cherian diners were gone. Angry faces, Human, Olo and Kerugi, clustered in the low doorway, staring at her. Her raised voice had not only reclaimed Vandien’s attention, but captured that of everyone else in the inn. The tinker was glaring at her, pale eyes peering around a hank of greasy hair. His wet mouth worked as he sputtered for words. Ki’s stomach fell away. He, and everyone else in the room, thought that she had risen in body and voice to oppose him. An Olo draped on its Kerugi’s shoulders twittered into the silence.

A T’cherian in the corner dropped her serving tray and scuttled out a low door into the kitchen. Ki glanced after her, wondering at her haste. Vandien was struggling to his feet beside her. He jostled her roughly as he stooped and seized the edge of the sand table. With a heave he upended it, spilling sand and food in a cascade across the floor. His strong fingers closed on the shoulder of her blouse, tearing it, as he jerked her to the floor behind the table. The first missile hit the table with a solid thunk . Bits of broken pottery and splats of stew flew over the top.

Vandien’s hand went to his hip and came up empty. Even if his rapier had been there instead of on its hook in Ki’s wagon, it would have been little protection against flying pottery. Their short belt knives were useful for bread and cheese but little else. As three mugs and a serving dish hit the table, she and Vandien ducked at the same moment, rapping their heads together.

‘Damn,’ muttered Ki, rocking back on her heels as she saw sparks of light. Several low cries of triumph came from the entryway. Whoever had thrown the mugs felt they had scored. Ki peered around the corner of the table. No one had ventured into the T’cherian room yet. They all preferred to throw from the shelter of the doorway. A metal pitcher arched toward her. Ki ducked back as it clanged against the front of the table. Her eyes flew to Vandien’s. ‘What are we going to do?’ she demanded angrily as she saw his grin. ‘They’ve gone crazy!’

It was just like him to be merry at a moment like this. ‘I don’t know, but I promise never to stir with a knife again. What did you have planned, when you so aptly stirred them up?’

‘I was talking to you!’ In spite of herself, she felt her mouth twisting up into a wry grin to match his. ‘If you had been listening properly, I wouldn’t have had to shout.’

‘The tinker caught my ear.’ Vandien reached quickly around the end of the table, managed to snag his food dish. He sent it spinning across the room. It shattered against the door frame, and their opponents momentarily vanished. ‘It seemed to me that what he was saying was just as applicable to us as farmers and weavers. But…’ he cut in swiftly as Ki’s face darkened and she lowered her brows. ‘Now is not the time to renew that discussion.’ Ki groped around her end of the table and came up with her glass. She took hasty aim and hurled it. From the other room came the scuffling of feet as more ammunition was gathered. Vandien went on speaking calmly. ‘Your words were the perfect catalyst for the situation. Not one of them wanted to agree aloud with the tinker, for in their hearts they knew the foolishness of opposing the Windsingers. But he made them feel guilty and cowardly for such thoughts. Just when they would have had to agree with him, or slink off with their tails between their legs, here comes Ki to stand up and voice their craven opinion for them. Thus making it possible for them to take out all their frustrations on us, instead of turning it on themselves or the Windsingers.’

As he spoke, Vandien tried his strength against each table leg in turn. The short stout legs were firmly affixed to the sand table, possibly in foresight against situations like this one.

‘I don’t consider it a craven opinion,’ Ki hissed. ‘It’s common sense!’

‘Whatever!’ Vandien shrugged and ducked at the same time. A mug clipped the upper edge of the table and bounced from the wall to fall harmlessly beside him. He returned it quickly. ‘Shall we argue about it before or after they get up enough courage to rush us?’

‘All journeys begin from where you are!’ Ki grunted out the old Romni saying as she popped up, grabbed two jugs from the shelf behind them, and crouched down again.

‘Meaning all solutions start in the now, not by looking for someone to blame,’ Vandien said loftily as he snatched down ammunition of his own. ‘Ki, this is decent drink, a rare thing in Dyal. I know, for I’ve sampled around. You don’t mean to throw full jugs?’

‘Watch me!’ Ki retorted, and dared to stand to let one fly. She had the satisfaction of seeing it shatter on the door frame, drenching at least two of their attackers and sending flying shards of pottery across the room. Ki laughed as they cringed. The stinging odor of splashed Burgoon rose.

Vandien pulled her down barely in time; the basin that hit the wall behind her spattered them both with the brown slime of fermented Kessler beans. They gasped in the stench. Vandien’s reluctance for throwing full jugs vanished. Grabbing both of his, he rose and heaved them with a windmilling motion. Ki took advantage of his cover to seize two more jugs on the shelf. As they ducked together behind the table, several cries rose from the outer room. ‘We got one!’ Ki smiled savagely. As her eyes met Vandien’s, a spark jumped between them. This was dangerous, reckless, and above all a waste of good drink, but, damn, it was fun! The tension between them evaporated. The scar up Vandien’s face rippled with his shout of laughter as his flung jug took the tinker in the paunch and cleared him from the doorway.

Ki heard an ululation of dismay. From the low T’cherian door that led to the kitchen, a dark set of stalked eyes peered at them. The shrilling rose and fell. Other eyes ventured around the frame to peer in. The tavern keeper. Ki sent a bottle to smash against the kitchen door, and the T’cheria darted back to shelter. Maybe now that her stock was being destroyed, instead of metal cups and mugs bouncing about, she would take action.