Noah

by Tim Chaffey

  “Did you just get into town?” Ara asked.

  “We did. We rode on two of your boats,” Noah said. “Farna said many nice things about you.”

  “Farna?” Ara leaned back and put his hands behind his head. “He’s quite the character. I trust the boat was nice and sturdy.”

  “It was,” Noah said.

  “Farna. We go way back.” He chuckled and then stood up. “Noah, about that apprenticeship. I trust my cousin when he says you are qualified, but I already have an apprentice.”

  Noah’s heart sank, and he struggled to hide his disappointment.

  “But let me see what I can work out.” Ara pointed toward the ship under construction. “We have enough men working on this project already, but if another order comes in soon, I could definitely use your help.”

  Noah nodded slowly. “I understand. I guess I should pray that you get another order soon.”

  Ara’s gravelly laugh lightened Noah’s mood a bit. “I need to get back to work. You should go explore Iri Geshem a little. I think you’ll like it here.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Aterre said. “I’m sorry to keep you from your work, but can I ask you one quick question?”

  “By all means.”

  “Do you know any farmers looking for help?”

  Ara pursed his lips and his gaze drifted upward. After a few moments, he said, “As a matter of fact, I think I do. Follow me.”

  They walked outside and Ara pointed back in the direction of the Hiddekel. “There are plenty of farms on the other side of the river. Go to the end of this road, and you’ll find a man who’ll ferry you across for a copper pik. Ask him for directions to Cada’s farm. Cada is a good friend of mine, so tell him I sent you. I’m sure he’ll find some work for you.”

  Aterre bowed. “Thank you.”

  Noah bowed slightly as well. “I look forward to seeing you tonight.”

  “Likewise,” Ara said. “Give greetings to Cada for me too.”

  Aterre nodded. “We will.”

  Noah reached for Taht’s tether.

  “You can leave everything here if you’d like,” Ara said. “We’ll keep an eye on it. Besides, I’m not sure if the ferryman would be willing to take your animal.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that. Thanks again.” Noah scratched Taht’s neck while Ara returned to the boat frame. “We’ll be back in a little while, girl.” He reached under one of the packs, withdrew the monetary gift from the Zakari, and tied the bag of piks and pikkas inside his robe.

  “You ready then?” Aterre asked.

  “I suppose. Hopefully, one of us will get to do what we love.”

  Chapter 16

  Emzara fingered the cloth carefully, enjoying the feel of the soft folds as they rippled through her hands. She pondered the possibilities of what to embroider along the trim. Unless — her eyes sparked with a new idea. No one says I have to follow the edge. I have this whole cloth as my canvas. What if — A knock sounded below, breaking through her planning.

  Setting the fabric on the low table in her room before rising from the floor where she had been sitting, she pushed past the heavy curtains blocking the doorway and pattered down the wooden steps to the main entrance below.

  “Greetings, Bakur. What brings you here from the shop?”

  “Good. You’re home.” Bakur was just as stoic while speaking as he had been while she welcomed him. “Your father sends word: Plan on guests for evenfeast.”

  “Oh wonderful! Who will it be?”

  Bakur blinked. “Two relatives. From upriver.”

  “Hmm, upriver. I wonder how far, perhaps a long ways. Will they be staying longer with us?”

  Bakur nodded.

  “Then I’ll get their rooms ready while Adira and Nmir prepare the meal. Thank you.”

  He raised his hand in farewell before traveling on the pathway back through the rows of trees that would usher him onto the road to the shipyard.

  “Adira! Nmir!” She called the two servants — though perhaps servant was the wrong word. Nmir, her mother’s old nurse and hers, had been part of the family for so long she practically was family. And Adira, well she was Emzara’s closest friend.

  The two women appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, Adira young and pretty; Nmir old and wrinkled. Vigor pulsed through Emzara at the challenge and excitement of not knowing if they’d finish before Father came home with the houseguests. “We’ve got company coming tonight.”

  * * * * *

  Early in the evening, Emzara surveyed herself in the polished copper disk that hung in her room, large enough to reflect not only her face, but most of her torso as well. She checked to make sure none of her frenzied tasks from that afternoon would be evident in her appearance. She twisted and pushed one loose chunky curl back into its rightful place in the tiered bun she usually wore. Satisfied with the results, she replaced her coarse outer work garment with a finer threaded fabric, folding the pleats carefully before rolling down the top edge so that it was tightly situated just under her arms. Gathering what was left of the long cloth, she placed it over one shoulder and allowed it to flow down her back.

  Adding two bangles to the four already adorning her wrist, she adjusted them and then held out her arm, pleased at the effect. She glanced critically at her reflection one last time, trying to still the nervous fluttering in her midsection.

  You’re a fraud. Her inner voice accused her. You’re play-acting hostess. They’ll see it in the food or in a detail you’ve overlooked. There will be an awkward pause in the conversation and you won’t get it flowing again, and it’ll be your fault. Her fingers trembled as she twined delicate earrings around her ears.

  Without warning, Emzara’s mind skipped back to a memory of childhood. Her father had come from the shipyard to find her in tears.

  “What’s wrong, Emz?” Concern showed in his face as he bent over her.

  “Does Nmir love me, Baba?” Emzara barely choked the words out between her sobs.

  “Why, of course she does.” He picked her up and just held her close. “Tell me what happened.”

  Calmed in her father’s embrace, Emzara said, “I was making a house out of the table. I had used some cloths for walls and I invited her to play with me. And she told me that it would be better for me to learn how to keep a real house than to waste my time on silliness. Then she took down the cloths, folded them, and put them away.” She looked up at her father, watching him, waiting for him to make things in her world good again.

  “My dear, Nmir is a woman who loves very few people, but those whom she loves, she loves with a very big heart. You’re one of those special people.”

  “But my playhouse! She ruined it. How does that make me special?”

  “She would prepare you for life, my love. She would see you grow to be a strong and capable young woman.” He brushed a lock of hair from her face. “I understand why you hurt. But some people don’t show how much they love a person by tenderness. Nmir is one of those people. You can see her love for you in how she takes care of you and teaches you. Look in her eyes. Trust me, you’ll see love there when you least expect it.”

  She took a deep breath to focus her thoughts, and relaxed her brow. Nmir has trained me well and loves me; I can do this. She straightened her shoulders and marched downstairs. Why so nervous? These guests are probably making one last pilgrimage to see family before they die. They probably won’t even be able to see the food, much less taste it. She skipped down the remaining steps and headed into the kitchen.

  “Alright, Nmir, what’s left to be done?”

  “You just leave it to me. We don’t need more bodies in here anyways.”

  “We have ample space. Tell me what I can do.”

  “It’s almost done.” Nmir turned, her exasperation palpable, but when she saw Emzara, her expression softened. Only briefly — the next moment she had moved away to check the contents of the oven — but Emzara thought again of her father’s words, and her confidence rose.

>   “Good, I’m just in time to help then,” Emzara said. “Let me lift the heavy things and you can take a break.”

  “Are you calling me old?”

  Emzara grinned before taking the earthenware platter that the trusty housemaid held out to her.

  Nmir was just as much a habit of the home as Emzara and her father were. She had been the nursemaid for Emzara’s mother and had traveled with her when she married Ara and moved to Iri Geshem. Nmir had loved her first charge, and when Emzara entered the world shortly before her mother exited, Nmir extended her affections to her mistress’s baby as well.

  “Hold on. I’ll take that.” Adira relieved Emzara of the platter, interrupting her thoughts.

  “How are things on your end of the preparation?”

  “Just fine. After helping Nmir, I tidied some areas, made the cushions fluffier, things of that sort. But if you’re going to do so much of the cleaning, why do you pay me to hang around?” Adira set the tray on the table.

  “Ha. As if I could get along without you.” Emzara followed her back into the kitchen. “You’re the one who keeps me sane. Now that I spend half my time at the shipyard, someone has to be here for Nmir to boss around.” She bent down and kissed the old woman.

  “Humph.” Nmir shook her head.

  “So tell me, do you know anything about these visitors? Any handsome young men in the bunch?”

  “I doubt it. Just a couple of relatives from upriver. Father must know them. I’m not sure how long they’re staying.”

  “Bakur didn’t chat about all the details?” Adira asked in mock surprise.

  Emzara laughed. “Not so much.”

  “Well, you have to tell me everything. That’s part of my contract as your friend.”

  “Oh, I will. You’ll hear every detail about their aches and pains and how hard their journey was. You’ll get all the stories. If I have to listen to them, so do you.”

  “Deal. I. ”

  “Emzara.” Ara’s voice came from the front of the house. “Come and meet our guests.”

  “Here we go.”

  “Well you look lovely and you’ll do fine,” Adira said. “Whether they’re 50 or 500, they’ll be enthralled.”

  “Stop.” Emzara made a face and pushed her grinning friend away. Turning to the doorway, she smoothed her clothing and went to join her father.

  “Noah, Aterre, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Emzara.”

  Emzara stopped when she saw the men, and she fought to hide her surprise. A slight smile crept across her lips. This just got a lot more interesting. Adira’s going to like this.

  She stepped forward, extending her neck to touch cheeks with each man in the customary greeting among family. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

  The taller man, Noah, smiled and glanced at her father before his deep brown eyes focused on her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too.”

  A confusing whirl of thoughts swept over Emzara, and she barely had the presence of mind to look away. “Um. Please come to the table. You’re both welcome in our home.” Emzara glimpsed Noah once more as she spun around before leading them past the entryway to the well-lit banqueting room beyond. Don’t trip, Em. She focused on her steps and took a deep breath. What am I supposed to say next? With a graceful gesture, she indicated the cushions around the table. “Please make yourselves comfortable.” She leaned to kiss her father and then stepped into the kitchen.

  “They’re here. Let’s get the warm dishes out.” She leaned over a large clay container, which warmed over a firepot, and sampled the contents. She added several pinches of spice and stirred.

  “So what were they like?” Adira asked.

  Emzara shrugged. “Can you take the beverages out?” When her friend left with the tray of drinks, Emzara chuckled to herself, anticipating Adira’s reaction.

  Nmir, having already gone out with the bread, re-entered the kitchen and let out a low whistle. “Just a couple relatives from upriver, hmm? More like two handsome young men.”

  “Hmm?” Emzara focused on her preparations, feigning disinterest. “What did you say?”

  The older woman put her hands on her hips. “I know you heard me. I said they were two handsome men from upriver.”

  Emzara faced her and raised her eyebrows. “Oh, I guess I didn’t notice.”

  Nmir stared at her until Emzara could no longer suppress a laugh.

  “Well, I. ”

  Adira burst through the door and rushed to Emzara’s side. “Why didn’t you warn me they were good looking?”

  Emzara raised her palms in mock innocence. “What? And ruin the surprise?”

  Nmir reached for the soup. Keeping her voice down, she nudged Emzara and flashed Adira a rare smile. “Looks like one for each of you girls.”

  Adira giggled. “I like the sound of that.” She took Emzara’s hand. “Let me guess. You like the taller one.”

  Emzara rolled her eyes and shook her head, but a flush crept up her neck. “How could I? I don’t even know him.” Though she downplayed the moment, Emzara found herself hurrying to see the men again. Using a thick cloth to place two dishes on woven-grass serving plates, Emzara finished gathering the last items and followed Nmir to the table.

  “Ah, there she is.” Ara gestured for his daughter to sit.

  As Ara stood to pray, Emzara pushed aside thoughts about the food, the presentation, and performing her role. Help me, Most High.

  When the prayer ended, she opened her eyes and found Noah looking at her. She blinked and he glanced away. Taking a deep breath, she passed each dish first to their guests and then to her father as the men continued their previous conversation.

  “That was one of the most awe-inspiring moments of my life, being so close to a dagger-tooth,” Noah said.

  Ara leaned back. “I’ve never seen one of those beasts myself, but I’ve heard some of the boatmen talk about them.”

  “Look at this, sir.” Aterre’s impressive upper arm muscles became more defined as he set a knife made from what looked like a giant tooth on the table.

  Ara’s eyes grew wide. “You should thank the Creator that this was all you came away with in that encounter.”

  “We definitely did and do.” Noah said. “I think that’s the first time I’ve been truly scared.”

  Adira entered the room carrying a pitcher to refill their drinks. She bent low and filled the guests’ cups first.

  Ara looked at Emzara. “They’ll be staying with us until they can find a place of their own. Aterre will be working on Cada’s farm.”

  “For Cada?” She looked at Aterre. “That’s wonderful. He’ll probably send you home with fresh food every day.”

  Filling Emzara’s cup, Adira said in a voice meant for her ears only, “It’s time for me to go home. Tell me everything.”

  Emzara nodded and had to suppress a smile when Adira winked.

  “Noah came all the way from beyond the rapids to work for me,” her father said. “Apparently, he’s pretty good at construction.”

  “Oh.” She smiled at Noah, but her smile quickly faded, and she furrowed her brow. “Do we have a spot for him at the yard?”

  “Not at the moment, but we might tomorrow. A potential customer stopped in today. I have to go into town to meet with him tomorrow morning. If he gives us his business, we’d have a few more ships to build, and we’d certainly need him then. Just in case, can you show Noah around in the morning? Introduce him to the men and give him a feel for the place?”

  Emzara nodded.

  Noah wiped his mouth with the small cloth set beside his plate. “I’m looking forward to the tour.”

  “My daughter is quite the wonder. I couldn’t do without her. She was the only one that kept me going when her mother died. She’s always helped our housemaid, and in the last few years, she’s helped me with the administrative duties at work.” Ara leaned back. “Emzara will be able to answer just about any question you have — maybe even better than I could.”

  �
��I believe it. This meal is a wonder.” Aterre indicated his nearly empty plate.

  Emzara bowed her head in acknowledgement of the compliment.

  “Yeah,” Noah agreed. “You don’t know what I’ve had to suffer these last few weeks trying to work down whatever Aterre’s scrounged up for us whenever it was his turn to cook. This is truly a treat.”

  “Sure, I wasn’t the one who decided to try that new vegetable from that marketplace,” Aterre said. “We boiled it overnight, but it never changed consistency.”

  “Guess I should’ve found out a little more about it.” Noah laughed easily at his own expense, and Emzara found herself thinking it was a pleasant sound.

  “Well, we’re glad to welcome you. Emz has made up a room for each of you, and I’d be honored if you both considered this your home until you get your bearings and settle in.”

  “Thank you,” Aterre said.

  “If you would like to follow my father to the comfort of our sitting room, I’ll fetch the leaf-brew.”

  Noah raised a brow. “What’s leaf brew?”

  “You haven’t had leaf brew?” Ara asked as he rose from the table. “Then you’re in for a treat. Thank you, Emz. Boys, let’s continue our conversation out here.”

  As Emzara cleared the table, she heard Noah ask her father about his opinions on animals like the dagger tooth being given such frightening teeth if they were created to be vegetarian. She moved into the kitchen and grabbed the kettle from above the fire. Intrigued by the topic, she tried to eavesdrop as she poured the scalding hot water through the silver sieve attached to the kettle’s mouth but couldn’t make out her father’s response.

  She set the four drinks on a tray, stepped into the sitting room, and served the small rounded bowls, filled with a translucent, honey-colored liquid.

  The men each took a sip of the steaming contents. Noah looked up. “This is delicious.”

  “Agreed.” Aterre took a second sip. “What do you make it with?”

  Emzara sat beside her father. “Well, I grow certain plants in the garden and dry their leaves. For others, Adira and I go outside of the city to the forest and gather. I blend them to get different flavors.”