The Tourney

by Juliet Sem

  She noted that the nobles and Dunnes freely mixed, taking any table that was open, and she served any table that needed it; there was no segregation here.

  After two hours of serving drinks, Linson pulled her into the kitchen, calling to the staff for a quick meeting away from the patrons outside. "This is Rue," he told them in Unity and again in Phaet, "She's on the run from Fernuin and only speaks Unity, so don't ask her any questions or give verbal directions in Phaet, just point to the table that she's going to serve next. She's off once all the dinner is served, all paid up for her room and board, okay?"

  A chorus of nods was returned. Keestu was handed her first tray and sniffed it appreciatively. It held plates with generous portions of a glazed roasted fowl and steamed vegetables. As there was no other dinner selection offered, it was easy her to decide to hand out meals in a clockwise manner. She received two pendants as she worked, one a pretty spray of freshwater pearls surrounding a polished white and gray stone hooked into a lovely silver wire setting that made her gasp in appreciation. Feeling her eyes water, she could only reach out and briefly squeeze the hand of the noble woman who had given it to her before she retreated to the kitchen.

  She served two more tables, and then dinner was done. Keestu was given an overflowing plate and pointed to a table near the kitchen, where the other servers were gathered to eat. A tall wooden mug was given to her, and she smelled ale in it. Shrugging, she sipped it with her meal, finding it to be very light in alcohol content, though it did help relax the spasming muscles in her back and right forearm.

  She was surprised when a dessert course was served, and started to get up to help serve that, but was waved back to her seat and gratefully sank back down. Her feet and legs were throbbing now and her back was sore from all the lifting and carrying despite the mug of ale she'd had with dinner.

  Dessert was pudding, sweet, with a hint of spice that reminded her of sereska, but without the cooked grain.

  She was finishing eating when a hush went through the tavern. Looking up in alarm, she saw a man enter the tavern. He was about thirty-five years old, with shoulder-length black hair and dark brown eyes. In his arms was a sleeping baby. Beside him was a beautiful black-haired woman carrying a small child, and behind them walked two more older children.

  "Éfand! Zúfem! Ako non," Linson said with a broad grin on his face as polite applause broke out. The baby woke up and began crying and was quickly comforted by Éfand. At Linson's gesture, Zúfem took the child she carried and the other young children upstairs. A waitress bearing a fresh tray from the kitchen closely followed her.

  Éfand rocked the baby, who quieted as the crowd did. Keestu realized they were waiting expectantly. It wasn't long before Zúfem came back down the stairs for the baby and took it upstairs as well.

  Éfand leaned on the bar, drinking a mug of ale and eating an appetizer of raw vegetable sticks while chatting with a variety of nobles and Dunnes while an area was cleared of tables. The chairs were lined up in several neat rows in the cleared space. Keestu noted that everyone eagerly assisted in moving the tables and had no qualms about sitting crowded together, waiting impatiently for Éfand to finish eating.

  Zúfem came back down the stairs a few minutes later, catching Éfand's eye and nodding. At her signal, Éfand walked to the cleared area, vocalizing to warm up his voice. He looked at the crowd, his eyes sparkling with anticipation as he eyed the hushed and eagerly expectant crowd. He pointed to a noble woman sitting up front, who called something to him, and Éfand grinned back at her before launched into a song that took Keestu's breath away. He had an incredibly pure sweet tenor, the likes of which she had never heard in her life. It didn't warble like many singers' voices did--it held the notes steady. Keestu stared at him, stunned. She understood enough of the words to realize he was singing about loving a Praté, an Autocracy queen.

  "Praté, vi ro stayse ee yar taspen..." He held the last note, letting it fade away into a triumphant silence that lasted only for a moment. The tavern crowd was on its feet, cheering him, and Keestu found herself cheering with them.

  After bowing, Éfand immediately began singing another song. Keestu fumbled for her cuff, finding to her surprise that it turned on. It was dented in several places, but still functioned despite its prolonged immersion in the river, so she watched the translation as she listened to Éfand's expressive voice as his face took on a mischievous look that got the audience laughing as he started singing, "I steal from the palace." Keestu listened as Éfand sang of a Dunne man who broke into the palace to rescue his love, a deposed Praté who was being held there against her will for the crime of loving a Dunne. They were captured, but managed to escape through a secret passage known only to the Praté, and then Éfand sang of nobles and Dunnes drinking at a tavern seeing the Dunne and his love together, but letting them go, sending the crowd into paroxysms of laughter and applause.

  His wife joined him for the next song, and Keestu had a sudden jolt of recognition. The black haired woman had to be Fernuin's sister. Her face, like his, was narrow, but her features were much more delicate, and with a pleasant expression, she looked quite different from Fernuin. This then, was the sister mentioned as being still alive but not in contention for rule of the planet. Now Keestu understood why. Like Dex, she had married a Dunne. She had either abdicated or been overthrown when that fact was found out. And now, she was on the run from Fernuin and his loyal contingent for the crime of loving a commoner, but was freely mixing with nobles and Dunnes in this simple tavern not twenty kilometers from where her brother ruled with an iron fist--Éfand's song was documentary! Keestu found herself laughing with the rest of the audience.

  She sat, eagerly listening to his songs for the next two hours, enchanting the crowd again and again, making certain to make eye contact with everyone at least once, and then, his room and board paid for, Éfand finished with a rousing song that had nearly everyone singing along and tossing trade items into a hat Zúfem passed around, then took his leave and went upstairs with Zúfem to a final round of enthusiastic applause. When the hat came to her, Keestu donated an item she thought matched those that were being given in payment for Éfand's performance.

  Linson motioned to Keestu to follow, and she nodded, wearily making her way to her room. Éfand and Zúfem looked at her as they reached their door, smiling and nodding, which she returned before going in and settling down for the night. However, it was some time before she could rest. The chorus of the first song Éfand sang kept echoing through her head. Pleased that something beautiful was haunting her thoughts for once, Keestu finally drifted into a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter seventeen

  Linson's knock on her door woke her a little after dawn, and she went downstairs, yawning and stretching. She was still sore from her previous day's trek and evening's work, but she noted that her back and jaw felt much better today. She went to one of the tavern's privvies. It had a mirror, and she surveyed the damage to her face with dismay. The bruise had had a couple of days to heal, but was still a livid black, blue, and purple mark. She wondered if being immersed in the cold water of the river had prevented it from swelling. She ran her fingers through her hair, pinning the front back, and went in to breakfast.

  To her delight, Linson liked to drink javene, and he poured her a cup when he saw her face light up. She sipped it black, for Linson didn't have any cream or sugar, but she sighed with contentment as the drink revived her.

  One of the cooks was there, already working on the day's meals. He bustled out with two plates heaped with scrambled eggs, cooked sausages, and tubers. Keestu ate with relish, knowing she had a long hard trek ahead of her today. When she was almost finished, the cook brought out a wrapped bundle and set it down next to her with a pat and a smile. Looking inside it, Keestu saw two large pieces of dried sausage and half a dozen large fresh biscuits.

  "Food for midday and for tonight as well," Linson explained the large amount of food his cook had packed for her, "Since we have
many ships going daily to Vulo II, but only several per week going to Phaet or Laringo, you may have to wait overnight for your ship."

  "For your ticket, you should give your name as Simi of Gyan. Simi is a common name, and Gyan is far enough away no one will be expected to know you."

  Keestu repeated the name several times until she could say it with the correct accent. She then listened to Linson as he asked her several different ways in Phaet, "Where are you going?" until Keestu answered, "Phaet," with enough confidence at the right interval.

  Linson then taught her several variations of, "What happened to your face," smiling when Keestu answered with enough nonchalance, "I won."

  "I'm Simi of Gyan, and I'm going to Phaet to serve a term in the palace," Keestu practiced saying it and the other phrases Linson taught her as she got her burden baskets from her room and prepared to leave.

  She was still in the dining area when Éfand and Zúfem came down for breakfast with their two older children, smiling and nodding at Keestu again. "Orta," they said, which she replied in kind.

  Then they turned to Linson and began speaking in Unity. "We're headed towards Palace City. Éfand is going to help with harvesting and planting winter crops again," Zúfem said, "And several nobles want me to train them or their children in fighting techniques over the winter months, so they will put us up for the cold season. Have you seen or heard of any searchers on the trail going to the Outskirts of Palace City?"

  "Ask her," Linson said, pointing to Keestu, "She came from there yesterday."

  They turned to her, and Keestu smiled. "No," she said, "I saw no one on the trail yesterday, and I came from the woods outside the Outskirts."

  "Oh, you are going to Spaceport City to tithe, then?" Éfand's eyes were quick to take in Keestu's burden.

  "Yes, that's one reason," Keestu said, knowing these people were no friends of Fernuin's. "I hope to catch a ship to Phaet after I'm done delivering the tithe."

  "Your accent," Zúfem said, "You are Union, aren't you?" Keestu experienced a moment of fright, and then she smiled back at the woman.

  "Yes, Praté, I am," Keestu answered, seeing first wary surprise, then respect on Zúfem's face.

  "You've come this far without word of anyone chasing you, so I think you have a good chance of making it, Union woman. We will tell no one we have seen you."

  "And I will tell no one I've seen you, Praté."

  Keestu turned to Éfand. "I hope I'm not being too forward when I tell you I think you have the most beautiful voice I've ever heard. If you ever leave the Autocracy, you should tour the Union, or at least, tour my planet, which is called Sandar. I think you could fill the stadiums every night you cared to sing. Please at least consider selling recordings of your music in the Union."

  Éfand smiled a delighted and boyish smile that warmed Keestu's heart, as did his heartfelt, "Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed my music."

  "Linson, thank you for sheltering me last night. I won't forget your name, or that of Anthan and Dex, for helping me. If there is ever a way I can repay you, I'll try and find it."

  Her goodbyes said, Keestu reluctantly left the tavern. She retraced her steps to the trail and resumed her journey, greatly heartened to know that no one was openly searching for her, that the hardest part of the journey was over, and she had only thirteen kilometers to walk today.

  She was walking through a clearing two hours later when she heard the sharp whine of a flitter engine overhead. Craning her neck, she saw it slow to circle over her, once, twice, and her heart began pounding in her chest, but she resolutely dropped her head, adjusted her burden baskets so there could be no mistake that she was carrying a load of tithe goods, and continued plodding along like she hadn't a care in the world. It worked. The flitter zoomed away.

  It was some time before Keestu stopped to drink at a stream. Her heart was still pounding, and her hands were shaking when she dipped her mug into the water. She forced herself to take several deep breaths to steady her nerves before she continued.

  She made better time on the now hard packed trail and stopped for lunch at the edge of the clearing that held Spaceport City as there was a stream that provided water to wash down a few bites of a dried sausage and a biscuit. She took the left fork and hiked along through the forest until she saw "rump rock". She smiled to herself. Yes, it did resemble the tan-colored rear of a horned odek. She checked the position of the sun, estimating where it would set, then moved in that direction, seeing immediately the copse of trees Dex had described. Pushing her way into it, she saw a large shaded area in the center that remained perpetually damp, and in that shaded area a dozen large mushrooms with tops bigger around than her palm.

  Removing her burden baskets, Keestu knelt next to the mushrooms and looked them over carefully before choosing the four largest that didn't look like they were ready to release spoors. Anthan had told her the mushrooms were harmless until processed, which turned them into a powerful chemotherapy medicine with fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy. However, the mushroom itself was rare and slow growing, so while they grew wild and one only stumbled upon them by accident, the rarity made up for the lack of labor involved in harvesting them. Dex explained that most people were greedy and would harvest all the mushrooms found in a given area, leaving none to replenish the supply, and Keestu appreciated his understanding that in the long term, harvesting only what he needed once a year would earn him more in the long run, and would provide a desirable barter item in case of emergency.

  She snapped the tops off the stalks as neatly as she could, for it was only in the mature tops that the medicine was found. She left the stalks to wither and help fertilize the ground for the next year's crop.

  She packed the mushrooms carefully in her front burden basket and was standing back up when she heard voices coming up the trail. She froze in place as she had been taught; if she ducked, the movement could attract attention. It was shady enough and her clothing dark enough, Keestu knew that it was unlikely that anyone on the trail would see her.

  The people came into view, and she relaxed a little. It was a group of Dunnes, several men and women, each wearing one or two burden baskets. They were chatting idly while walking swiftly, eager to pay their tithes and get back home. They passed the copse without a glance in her direction.

  Keestu waited until their voices faded, then went into the forest and paralleled the trail further away from the junction before stepping back out on the trail, hoping anyone watching would assume she had stepped off the trail to relieve herself. She hiked back to the last fork and stepped out into the clearing that surrounded Spaceport City. It was several kilometers in diameter, larger than she had thought upon her arrival here. She heard the roar of engines, and saw a spaceship take off, vanishing vertically into the sky.

  She found the cottage and went inside. Making certain it was empty, she climbed the ladder to the sleeping level and examined the interior roof. The thatching was thick and in good repair, and Keestu chose a point midway across the upper level's roof line where she parted one layer of thatching and carefully shoved the clothing into it after wrapping it around the mushroom tops and pouch holding the items she'd been given as tips. She took her time making certain the clothing wasn't visible from any angle on the upper level, then climbed back down and picked up her burden baskets, checking that the ID chit was still in the front basket. She studied the location of the tithing station on her map, as she couldn't check it once she was in the city. She counted the streets, then stored the map in her coat pocket and left the cottage. As she did so, she saw more Dunnes headed into town. "Ordo," they cheerfully called to her as they passed, good afternoon, which she returned in kind, making a show of having to adjust her burden baskets so she didn't have to follow them too closely.

  Looking further along the trail, she saw a steady stream of Dunnes headed into the city, so it was easy for her to follow them to the tithing station.

  She was surprised to see that many noble wome
n here were wearing necklaces, and some also wore earrings.

  She got to the tithing station, waiting an hour in the long line, watching as a noble examined tithing items, calling to another who entered the information onto a computer while the Dunne watched and listened. When tithing was done, the ID chit was inserted into a port on the computer, the information recorded on both the computer and ID chit, and the chit was returned to the Dunne, who then left. None of the Dunnes spoke to the nobles, and Keestu relaxed, knowing she wasn't expected to initiate casual conversation.

  Finally it was her turn. "Oohee," the noble said, waving her forward without further comment. Keestu pulled the items one by one out of her pack and presented them to the noble, who checked them over for flaws before speaking to the noble entering the data. As the Dunnes behind her didn't react during her transaction, Keestu knew that everything went smoothly. When the front basket was empty, she shrugged it off and picked up the rear, which she had removed just prior to coming to the head of the line as she had seen others do. She moved her mug and drink packets into the front basket before pulling out the rest of her tithe items. Finally, all her items were checked in, and she gave her ID chit to be scanned, smiling when it was returned without comment.

  The noble then ignored her, calling, "Oohee," while gesturing imperiously to the next Dunne in line. Keestu quietly picked up her baskets and left the station, relieved that what she thought was the hardest task was done.

  She put the empty baskets back on and joined the trickle of Dunnes traveling about the city. She had a moment of fright when she saw a group of armed nobles patrolling a street, but they ignored her, and she left the city unchallenged.