Page 35 of Quest of Fools

Kaltin scowled."Lady Clarkson, you mean?She'll definitely wish I was, by the time this is all over with.Come sit, rest a bit, tell us about her arrival."He motioned as the woman and the other two figures, younger men who bore a strong resemblance to the woman, sat down around the fire."Everyone, this is Mistress Helia Burr and her sons Regi and Serrick.They have a farmstead on the far side of town, almost right between town and Lady Clarkson's manner."He motioned to Warf and the others, and swiftly made introductions before sharing out tea and what was left of the stew.Sitting with his own fresh cup of tea, he said quietly, "So she told everyone I'm dead?"

"Stopped briefly in town, what I heard, to hire some folk to tend the house over winter and arrange for a delivery of food and other supplies.Tetho asked where you were, according to my sister who was in the general store at the time, and Lady Clarkson made a production of crying and saying there'd been a carriage accident and you'd not survived.Yet here you are plain as day, though clearly something happened to you."

"There was a carriage accident, she didn't lie about that, and to be fair, she probably does truly believe I'm dead.She left me there to die, after all," Kaltin replied, all his hurt and anger coming to the fore.

Helia and her sons stared, eyes wide."What in the Fates do you mean?"

Drawing a deep breath and letting it out on a sigh, Kaltin told his tale, though he was careful not to mention yet the reason for the frantic journey."Lucky for me, Warf found me and was willing to help—and he and the others are helping me still, as I can't do much more than hobble around camp.Even getting on my horse is impossible without assistance."

"Says the man who made us dinner and is still serving tea," Viletti chided before turning back to their guests."I do not suppose you could give us a lift into town?"

"Happy to," Helia replied."We can rest here with you for the night and finish the journey tomorrow.Oxen won't even notice the extra weight, or the snow for that matter.I don't think they notice anything but the flies that try to bite them in the summer."

"I'll get more branches," Warf said.

Once that was done, he was plenty exhausted himself.Spreading out one blanket on his pile of branches, he used his pack for a pillow and wrapped up in his cloak and the remaining blanket.

The sky was a stretch of unbroken dark, almost impossible to see with the snow that was falling.Everything was quiet.After all these weeks of travel, he still was not used to thequietof the countryside.It was eerie in its depth, like a tension just waiting to break.Even the crackle of the fire and the rust of icy branches didn't break it up much.

He could not wait to be home again.To see his daughters.To see Marian safe and settled, and this whole horrid adventure behind them.Were his daughters all right?Had they stopped being scared about his being away so long, or were they remembering the way their mother had simply gone to sleep one day, been taken away, and never come back?Hopefully this would all be a faint memory someday, if they remembered it at all.

Were they keeping to their lessons?How far along was their reading?He could only imagine what Rath was getting up to with them.Would he be home in time for Rath's wedding?Warf huffed a soft laugh.Here he was thinking of a friend's wedding when he should be focused on his own, and whether it would even happen.

It would, though.He refused to consider any other possibility.He had not come this far, come through so much, only to fail now.Was Marian all right?Had she hurt him?Starved him?Had she already forced him into marriage?Surely that wouldn't be binding, not when he was unwilling.

Not that Warf cared.He'd stay with Marian unmarried.He'd also remove Clarkson if that was what needed to be done, no matter how much he hated the idea of killing anyone.Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

Eventually, he drifted off to sleep, until the clang of dishes and someone softly swearing stirred him.

The snow had stopped, and early morning sunlight made the world of white around him glitter in orange and pink.Across the camp, Kaltin looked angry and near to tears, and it only took a moment to see that he must have accidentally hit the heavy cooking pot with his bad arm."All right?"Warf asked softly.

Kaltin's head jerked up."Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

"Never sleep long, you know that.Though given its sunrise, guess I slept longer than usual."

"Traveling in this kind of weather will drain you faster than you realize until too late.Let me go piss and I'll get the tea going."

Warf snorted as he hobbled off and got the tea going himself before clearing a bit of ground and dragging his blanket over to it."Sit," he said when Kaltin reappeared."How's your arm?"

"Throbbing because I decided to give it a good whack," Kaltin grumbled, "but otherwise doing rather well.Still be glad when we don't have to move for awhile."

"You could have stayed—" Warf broke off with a laugh when Kaltin glared, and fixed them cups of tea."Thought more of what you want to do when this is all over?I know you said you were focusing on this for now, but…"

"Hard not to think about," Kaltin said, blowing on the tea, brow furrowed."Picks away at me when I don't have anything else to do or think about.Given Lady Clarkson's shredded reputation, all the unpleasant things I've done for her over the years, and that I obviously will not be getting a recommendation, I'm pretty sure I'm looking at hard labor or a whorehouse."He shrugged in that Low City way, a silentwe do what we have tothat High City would never understand but were more than happy to hand out judgement over.

Warf hesitated, because he didn't want Kaltin to feel like he was obligated, but it also wasn't his decision to make."You could remain with me.I know enough about my new life to know I'll need an assistant as I get more involved in things.For starters, I can't read, so I need someone I can trust to read everything for me, since I can't pester Marian or servants every time I receive so much as an invitation to tea.You don't have to say yes, though, don't feel pressured—"

"I'd love to, truly," Kaltin replied, and he did seem truly happy for the first time since Warf had met him."That's the kind of work I enjoy doing, not all the crooked things Lady Clarkson had me doing."He sighed."You don't have to help me, though.You've done more than enough for me."

"You're the one relying on me and Viletti right now, so if anyone should feel forced to agree here, it's you," Warf said with a smile."We seem to get on well, though, and you understand aspects of my life no High City person ever would, and that's something I'd like in an assistant.I've no idea what that sort of job pays, but Marian does, and he'll pay fairly."

"I'd be honored to be your assistant."

Warf offered his hand, and Kaltin shook it."You're hired then."

Kaltin laughed and poured more tea for them before setting to work on the other cups as the rest of camp began to stir.Helia and her sons groused good naturedly as they set to feeding and readying the oxen, while Vitelli took care of the horses.

Not long after, with everyone fed and warmed by tea, they packed everything into the cart, and secured the horses behind it so nobody would get separated should the weather turn against them as suddenly as it had before.

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