Page 4 of The Seventh Swan
The last item he found on his way back to the manor, flowing over the side of a charming blue fence as a woman worked in the vegetable garden occupying the other side of the yard.She looked up as she heard the horse, inhaling sharply at the sight of him, standing up to awkwardly brush dirt from her hands."Can I help you, my lord?"
"These geraniums… I have need of six of them, blooms in perfect condition.Would you trade them, mistress, for a packet of sweet pepper seeds?"
"Yes," she said immediately."For that you may take all the flowers you need and want.They grow in abundance, and grow back in greater abundance."
"My thanks."He took nine of them, six for his current use and three to dry for future use, and handed over the promised seeds."Blessings on your garden, mistress, and be well."
Back at the manor, the fleece had already arrived, waiting in the hall, admired and discussed by Lady Celina and a woman who looked much like Lord Althaus.Like Lady Celina, she had hands that were badly gnarled and scarred, red and slightly swollen from always being sore and made worse by use.
They looked up as they heard him, and Lady Celina smiled in greeting as Lady Agathe gaped before recovering herself."Welcome back, my lord.We were just fawning over this beautiful wool you had delivered.Fit for a princess, it is."
"I know of one who would certainly agree with you," Saveli said dryly."She's not getting it, though.I require it for weaving and knitting a spell."He held up a hand against the inevitable."Not for Lord Oskar, his spell will require quite different materials, should he ever wish for me to make it.Lady Agathe, I presume?"
"Yes, Sorcerer."
"Will you be here for breakfast?"
"I…" she shared a look with Lady Celina and then said, "My husband and I could linger another day, if that is your wish."
"I would be grateful if you did.Now if you will forgive me, I must to work, for it will take me all the day and night to craft this spell."Two spells, actually, though more accurately one spell done twice."I will see you both at breakfast."
He gathered the wool, soft and warm to the touch, and returned to his room.He put away most of his clothes, until he only wore his shirt and breeches and a pair of worn slippers he favored for this work.He called for a cup of coffee and light meal, and once that was consumed, he lit all the lamps so he would not have to stop to do it later and finally bent to his work.
The first step was preparing the gathered flowers, stripping the petals and then reducing them to still smaller pieces that were worked into the wool during the final step before he sat at his wheel to spin it into yarn.
He stopped when his body ached from holding one position for so long and sunlight had long given away to moonlight.Leaving the finished yarn on a table, he drew on his midnight cloak, tucked his feather in his hair, and headed out.
Oskar stood by the bank of the pond again, standing beneath the draping branches of a weeping willow.He looked away from the water at the sound of footsteps."You again."
"My sister and brother often say those very words in that very tone," Saveli said with genuine amusement."As a child, I liked to bring in frogs and snakes and enormous spiders.Good for gardens, not good for houses, apparently."
The barest hint of a smile flitted across Oskar's lush mouth before it settled firmly back into its usual, careful nothing.
Saveli did not trouble him further, for sometimes the greatest comfort was found in someone willing to share a silence.Moonlight danced across the water, occasionally scattered further by the movement of brazen insects or hungry birds.
"What is that feather in your hair?"Oskar asked abruptly, causing startled birds to retreat momentarily."How did you make it glow like that?"
Reaching back, Saveli removed the feather lying against his hair.It was large, not quite as long as his forearm and hand together, fanning out wide at the base, the barbs fading from deep red at the top of the shaft to all the colors of a rising sun at the base, with a series of concentric diamonds in the middle of the wide fan base.The ends were downy like the afterfeathers, and once upon a time, it would have sat pride of place in a great, long tail as beautiful and glowing as a bonfire on a winter night.
"It is the primary tail feather from a phoenix, gently plucked just moments before the phoenix's head was cut off.It glows entirely on its own.Phoenix are prized for many things, mostly their song, but also for the way they glow at night and provide guidance to those who most need it."
"Why would somebody kill a creature like that?"
"That is a long story, perhaps for another night.Would you like to hold it?This feather is my most prized possession, given to me by my beloved uncle."He offered it and, after a moment, Oskar gently took it to examine more closely, running his fingers over it with the gentlest touch.
"It's nearly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he said, and slowly handed it back."My swan feathers do not look nearly so glamorous."He curled his right hand around his metal arm, then dropped it and seemed to withdraw."Goodnight, sorcerer."
"Goodnight," Saveli replied softly, watching him go as he returned his feather to his hair.
Nearlythe most beautiful thing, and Saveli had to agree, for the forlorn, aching man standing beneath a tree of melancholy and lost love was more beautiful by far, and he would be lovelier still when sadness was no longer tearing him apart.
Alas, that beauty was meant for fathomless lakes and endless skies, and not for a sorcerer tied to the earth.
Sighing softly, he returned to the manor and obtained another quick, light meal from the kind kitchen staff before heading for his room.Once he had eaten, he settled into a comfortable chair by the fire and set to his knitting, not stopping until all four gloves were done, and his own hands ached from being worked for so many hours.
He washed and bathed and dressed for breakfast, then gathered up the gloves and headed off.
In the dining room, the two women stood at the windows talking quietly, clearly too curious to sit and eat.Althaus did not struggle so, happily eating his porridge and a plate heaped with eggs and meat and toasted bread slathered in more jam.
