Ship of Magic

by Robin Hobb

  A distant gong rang from somewhere across the field. Her mother rose hastily, to make a final check of everything. The lights in the room had long been dimmed, but now she added to the candles the leaf hoods to disperse their light even more. “Make fresh tea,” she said quietly. “Caolwn likes tea. ” Then her mother did a rather peculiar thing. She went to the interior door of the kitchen, and opened it suddenly. She stepped out quickly, to peer up and down the hall, as if she expected to surprise someone.

  When she came back into the room, Keffria asked her, “Is Selden out of bed again? He is such a little night owl. ”

  “No, no one was there,” her mother said distractedly. Then she shut the door firmly and came back to the table. “You recall the greeting ritual?” she suddenly asked Keffria.

  “Of course. Don't worry, I won't shame you. ”

  “You have never shamed me,” her mother replied absently. Keffria could not say why her words made her heart leap so strangely.

  Then the tap came on the door and Ronica stepped forward to open it. Keffria came to her shoulder. Outside the door stood two cloaked and hooded shapes. One wore a scattering of red flame jewels on her face veil. It was an effect both eerie and beautiful. Jani Khuprus. A feeling of dread swept up from her belly. The dream-box. For an instant dismay dizzied her. Keffria waited desperately for her mother to speak, to rescue them all somehow. Her mother stood still and silent, shocked. She offered no greeting. Keffria took a breath and prayed she would get it all right. “I bid you welcome to our home. Enter, and be at home also. ”

  They both stepped back to allow the Rain Wild Traders to enter. Keffria braced herself as they removed their gloves, hoods and veils. The one woman's violet eyes were almost hidden by the wobbly growths on her eyelids. It was difficult for Keffria to meet her gaze and smile in a welcoming way, but she did. Yet Jani Khuprus, she of the flame jewels, was surprisingly smooth-faced for a Rain Wild Trader. She could almost have walked down a Bingtown street by daylight and not been stared at. Her markings were subtle. A pebbly outline traced the edges of her lips and eyelids. The whites of her eyes glowed bluish in the dim room, as did her hair, teeth and nails. It was not unattractive, in a shivery way. Ronica was still silent, as in a dream Keffria spoke the words. “We have prepared refreshment for you, after your long journey. Will you be seated at our table?”

  “Most gratefully,” they replied, almost as one.

  All the women curtseyed to one another. Again, Keffria had to speak to break her mother's silence. “I, Keffria Vestrit, of the Vestrit Family of the Bingtown Traders, make you welcome to our table and our home. We recall all our most ancient pledges to one another, Bingtown to Rain Wilds, and also our private agreement regarding the liveship Vivacia, the product of both our families. ”

  “I, Caolwn Festrew, of the Festrew Family of the Rain Wild Traders, accept your hospitality of home and table. I recall all our most ancient pledges to one another, Rain Wilds to Bingtown, and also our private agreement regarding the liveship Vivacia, the product of both our families. ” The one woman paused, and suddenly indicated the woman at her side. “I bring to your table and your home my guest who after this shall be your guest. Can you extend your welcome to Jani Khuprus, our kinswoman?” Her gaze was fixed on Keffria's face. It was up to her to respond.

  “I do not know the formal reply to such a request,” she admitted frankly. “So I shall simply say that any guest of our long-time friend Caolwn is more than welcome in our home. Allow me but a moment to set out another plate and silver. ” She desperately hoped that so august a personage as the head of the Khuprus clan would not be offended by her informality.

  Jani smiled, and glanced at Caolwn as if seeking permission to speak. Caolwn gave her a small smile. “I, for one, am just as glad to set aside formality as well. Let me say that this unexpected visit is more my doing than Caolwn's. I begged her to arrange it and to allow me to accompany her, that she might introduce me to your home. If it has presented any difficulty for you, I wish to apologize now. ”

  “None at all,” Keffria replied quietly. “Please, let us be at ease with one another, as neighbors, friends and family ought to be. ” Her words included her mother as well as the other two. As if by accident, she let her hand brush her mother's in a silent plea for her to end her shocked stillness.

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  Caolwn had turned to regard Ronica oddly. “My old friend, you are silent tonight. Are you comfortable with the guest I bring?”

  “How could I be otherwise?” Ronica said faintly. In a stronger voice, she added, “I but defer to my daughter tonight. She has come into her inheritance. It is more fitting that she welcome you now, rather than I, and that she speak for the Vestrits. ”

  “And she has done so eloquently,” Jani Khuprus said with genuine warmth in her voice. She smiled at them all. “Oh, I fear I have not done this well. I had thought that coming myself might be the most comfortable way to begin this, but perhaps a letter would have been better. ”

  “It is quite all right, I assure you,” Keffria spoke as she set an extra glass in place and then drew up another chair to the table. “Let us all be seated and enjoy food and tea and wine together. Or I have coffee, if anyone would prefer it. ” She had a sudden odd desire to know Jani Khuprus better before the reason for her visit was broached. Slowly. Slowly. If this riddle must be unfolded, she wanted it to be slowly, to be sure she understood it fully.

  “You have set a lovely table,” Jani Khuprus observed as she took her place at it. It did not escape Keffria that she seated herself first, nor that Caolwn deferred to her. She was suddenly glad that the olives were the finest, that her mother had insisted the almond paste be prepared fresh tonight, that only the very best of what they had cooked be set out upon the table. It was a lovely table of rich and dainty food such as Keffria had not seen in months. Whatever their financial limits might be, Ronica had not allowed it to affect this feast, and Keffria was glad of it.

  For a time, table talk was all there was. Slowly Ronica recovered both poise and charm. She led the conversation into safe channels. Compliments on the food, the wine, the coffee and other generalities accompanied the meal. But Keffria noticed that whenever Jani took over the conversation, which was often, the little stories and anecdotes she told served to illustrate the wealth and power of her family. They were not told braggingly; there was no intent to humble the Vestrits or their table. In each case, she compared the food or the company favorably to some grander occasion or personage. She was, Keffria decided, deliberately trying to share information about her family. Her husband was still alive, she had three live sons and two live daughters, an immense family by Rain Wild standards. The new wealth from the discovery of the flame jewels was allowing them more time to travel and entertain, to bring into her home objects of beauty and the knowledge of scholarship. Was not that truly the greatest benefit of wealth, that it allowed one to treat family and friends to what they deserved? If they cared to journey up the river, they would be most welcome in her home.

  It was like the courting dance of a bird, Keffria reflected. Her heart turned over in her chest again. Jani Khuprus suddenly turned to look at her, as if Keffria had made some small sound that had attracted her eyes. With no warning, she smiled dazzlingly and said, “I did receive your message the other day, my dear. But I confess, I did not understand it. That was one of the reasons I begged Caolwn to arrange this visit, you know. ”

  “So I surmised,” Keffria said faintly. She glanced at her mother. Ronica met her eyes and gave her a tiny nod. She drew strength from her restored calm. “Truly, I found myself in a most embarrassing position. I thought it best simply to write and be honest about what had happened. I assure you, if the dream-box is found, it will be swiftly returned. ”

  That was not quite as graciously phrased as it could have been. Keffria bit her lower lip. Jani cocked her head sideways.

  “That, of course,
was what confused me. I called my son to me and questioned him. Such an impulsive and passionate act could only have been the doing of my youngest. Reyn stammered a bit, and blushed a great deal, for prior to this, he has shown no interest in courting. But he admitted the dream-box. And the scarf and flame jewel as well. ” She shook her head with maternal fondness. “I have scolded him for this, but I fear he is quite unrepentant. He is very taken with your Malta. He did not, of course, discuss the dream they shared. That would be quite, uh, indelicate of a gentleman. But he did tell me he was certain she looked with favor on his suit. ” She smiled round at them again. “So I shall presume the box was found and enjoyed by the young lady. ”

  “So we should all presume, I am sure,” Ronica said suddenly before Keffria could speak. The two Vestrit women exchanged a glance whose meaning could not have been concealed from anyone.

  “Oh, dear,” Jani sighed apologetically. “I take it you do not share your young woman's enthusiasm for my son's courtship. ”

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  Keffria's mouth had gone dry. She sipped at her wine, but it did not seem to help. Instead she coughed awkwardly, and then choked. She was just getting her breath when her mother spoke for her.

  “I am afraid our Malta is a mischievous little thing. Full of pranks and tricks is our girl. ” Ronica's tone was light, but the look on her face was sympathetic. “No, Jani, it is not your son's courtship that we look on with disfavor. It is Malta's age and her childish behavior. When Malta is old enough to have suitors, he will most certainly be welcomed by us. And if he gains her favor, we could only feel honored by such a joining. But Malta, although she may have the appearance of a young woman, has only a child's years, and I fear, a child's love of pretense and mischief. She is barely thirteen. She has not yet been presented. He must have seen her in her Trader robe, at the gathering you called. I am sure that if he had seen her as she usually dresses, in a little girl's frocks, he would have realized his . . . error. ”

  A silence descended. Jani looked from one woman to the other. “I see,” she said finally. She seemed to feel uncomfortable now. “This, then, is why the young woman is not present tonight. ”

  Ronica smiled at her. “She is long abed, as most children her age are. ” Her mother took a sip of her wine.

  “I find myself in an awkward position,” she said slowly.

  “I fear ours is much more ungainly,” Keffria cut in smoothly. “I wish to be completely honest. We were both shocked, just now, at the mention of a scarf and flame jewel. I assure you we had no knowledge of such a gift. And if the dream-box has been opened . . . no, I am sure it has been, for your son has shared the dream . . . well, Malta is the culprit there also. ” She sighed heavily. “I must apologize most humbly for her ill manners. ” Despite her efforts at control, Keffria found her throat tightening. “I am distressed. ” She heard her voice begin to shake. “I did not believe her capable of such deception. ”

  “My son will certainly be discomfited,” Jani Khuprus said quietly. “I fear he is too naive. He is close to twenty, but never before has he evinced any interest in courting a bride. And now, I fear, he has been precipitate. Oh, dear. ” She shook her head. “This puts a different face on many things. ” She exchanged a glance with Caolwn and the other woman met it with an uncomfortable smile.

  Caolwn explained softly. “The Festrew family has ceded to the Khuprus family the contract for the liveship Vivacia. All rights and debt have been transferred to them. ”

  Keffria felt she staggered and fell out into the white silence. She scarcely needed the words that followed from Jani. “My son negotiated this with the Festrews. I came tonight to speak for him. But clearly what I was to say is inappropriate now. ”

  No one needed to explain. The debt would have been offered back as a bridal gift. An extravagantly expensive bridal gift, a typical Rain Wild gesture, but on a scale Keffria had never before imagined. A liveship debt canceled for one woman's marriage consent? It was preposterous.

  “Such a dream as it must have been,” her mother murmured drily.

  It was inappropriate, almost coarse in its implications. Keffria would always wonder if her mother had guessed what would happen next. As all the women burst into sudden laughter at the susceptibility of men, the awkwardness dispersed. They were all suddenly mothers caught up in the clumsiness of their offspring's rumbling courtship.

  Jani Khuprus took a breath. “It seems to me,” she said ruefully, “That our problem is not so great a one as time cannot solve it. So my son must wait. It will not harm him. ” She smiled with motherly tolerance from Ronica to Keffria. “I will speak to him most seriously. I shall tell him that his courtship cannot commence until your Malta has presented herself as a woman. ” She paused, mentally calculating. “If that is this spring, then the wedding can be in summer. ”

  “Wedding? She will barely be fourteen!” Keffria cried out incredulously.

  “She would be young,” Caolwn agreed. “And adaptable. For a Bingtown woman marrying into a Rain Wild family, that is advantageous. ” She smiled and the fleshy protruberances on her face wobbled hideously at Keffria. “I was fifteen. ”

  Keffria drew a deep breath; she was not sure if she would shriek at them, or simply order them from the house. Her mother's hand fell on her arm and squeezed it. She managed to close her mouth.

  “It is far too early for us to speak of a marriage,” Ronica said bluntly. “I have told you that Malta is fond of childish pranks. I fear this may be one of them, that she has not considered your son's courtship with the seriousness it deserves. ” Ronica looked slowly from Caolwn to Jani. “There is no need for haste. ”

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  “You speak as a Bingtown Trader,” Jani replied. “You live long lives and bear many children. We do not have the luxury of time. My son is almost twenty. Finally, he has discovered a woman he desires, and you tell us he must wait? Over a year?” She leaned back in her chair. “It will not do,” she said quietly.

  “I will not force my child,” Keffria asserted.

  Jani smiled knowingly. “My son does not believe it is a question of forcing anyone. And I believe my son. ” She looked from one to the other. “Come, we are all women here. If she were as childish as you say, the dream-box would have revealed that to him. ” When no one spoke, she went on in a dangerously soft voice, “The offer is handsome. You cannot be hoping for more, from anyone. ”

  “The offer is more than handsome, it is staggering,” Ronica replied swiftly. “But we are all women here. As such, we know that a woman's heart cannot be bought. All we ask is that you wait until Malta is a bit older, to be sure she knows her own mind. ”

  “Surely, if she has opened the dream-box and dreamed a shared dream, we can say she knows her own mind. Especially, it would seem, if she has had to defy both her mother and grandmother to do so. ” Jani Khuprus' voice was losing its velvet courtesy.

  “The act of a willful child should not be seen as the decision of a woman. I tell you, you must wait. ” Ronica's voice was firm.

  Jani Khuprus stood. “Blood or gold, the debt is owed,” she invoked. “The payment is due soon, Ronica Vestrit. And you have already been short with it once. By our contract, we can determine the coin of its payment. ”

  Ronica stood, to match herself against Jani. “There, in the cask by the door. There is your gold. I give it to you freely, the just payment on a debt owed. ” She shook her head, wide and slow. “I will not, I will never, give you child or grandchild of mine, save that she goes by her own will. That is all I am saying to you, Jani Khuprus. And it shames us both that such a thing must be spoken aloud. ”

  “Do you say you will not honor your contract?” Jani demanded.

  “Please!” Caolwn's voice was suddenly shrill. “Please,” she went on in a softer tone when all turned to her. “Let us recall who we are. And let us recall that we do have time. It is neither
as short as some would believe it, nor as generous as others could wish, but we do have time. And we do have the hearts of two young people to consider. ” Her slitted violet eyes flitted from one countenance to another, seeking cooperation. “I propose,” she said quietly, “a compromise. One that may spare all of us much grief. Jani Khuprus must accept your gold. This time. For she is as surely bound by what I and Ronica agreed, here in this same kitchen, as Ronica is ultimately bound by the contract itself. On that we all agree, do we not?”

  Keffria held her breath, did not move, but no one seemed to be looking at her. Jani Khuprus was the first to nod, stiffly. The nod that eventually came from Ronica was more like a bowing of the head in defeat.

  Caolwn gave a sigh of relief. “This would be my compromise. I speak, Ronica, as a woman who has known Jani's Reyn for all his life. He is a most honorable and trustworthy young man. You need not fear he will take advantage of Malta, regardless of whether she be girl or woman. And that is why I believe you could let him begin his courtship now. Chaperoned, of course. And with the stipulation that there will be no more gifts such as could turn a girl's head more with greed than love. Simply allow Reyn to regularly present himself to her. If she is truly a child, he will see this promptly, and be more abashed than any of us can imagine to have made such a mistake. But if she is truly a woman, give him a chance, the first chance of any, to win her heart for himself. Is this too much to ask? That he be allowed to be her first suitor?”

  It went far to repair many things between them that Ronica looked to Keffria for a decision. Keffria licked her lips. “I think I can allow this. If they are well chaperoned. If there are no expensive gifts to turn her head. ” She sighed. “In truth, Malta has opened this door. Perhaps this should be her first lesson as a woman. That no man's affection is to be taken lightly. ”

  The circle of women nodded agreement.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE - SHIPS AND SERPENTS