Chapter 240 — A Message for the Road

Nia woke to the sound of Kael speaking near the entrance.

She stayed beneath the covers, listening to the low murmur of his voice. Someone answered from the corridor, and she caught Tarek's name before Kael gave an instruction about the eastern crossing.

By the time she came into the main chamber, the runner had gone.

Kael was fastening his outer wrap. Shen stood in the kitchen serving breakfast, and Nia followed the smell of warm broth toward him.

“You're both awake before me again.”

“You were sleeping comfortably,” Shen said.

“I was until someone started talking at the door.”

“The runner was already here,” Kael told her. “Tarek needs to inspect the lower crossing before another loaded cart uses it.”

Nia looked at his fastened wrap.

“You haven't eaten yet.”

“I was coming to the table.”

She caught his hand before he could pass and drew him down for a kiss.

“Good. I don't want to hear that you spent the morning working on an empty stomach.”

Kael touched her cheek.

“I know better.”

“You usually do. That doesn't mean I can't remind you.”

Shen set the last bowl on the table while they were speaking. By the time Nia released Kael, he'd already taken his seat.

The broth contained tender bird meat, greens, and softened root. Shen had brought out the remaining root cakes from the previous evening, along with a small dish of preserved fruit.

Nia settled beside Kael and took a grateful spoonful.

“I woke once during the night,” she said. “I thought someone was moving around in the kitchen.”

“That was me,” Kael answered. “I came out for water.”

“I wondered why the bed felt empty.”

“I wasn't gone long.”

“You're rather difficult not to notice.”

Kael rested a hand on her knee beneath the table.

Shen smiled and passed her another root cake.

They ate while Kael mentioned his plans for the morning. Selvan was expecting him near the lower storage access after the crossing inspection. Shen had supplies to take to the care station.

Nia considered her own day while she finished her broth.

“I think I'll go out this morning. I've spent enough time inside lately.”

“Did you have somewhere in mind?” Shen asked.

“Not yet. I might visit Sera.”

“That would please her.”

“She'll probably wonder why I didn't come sooner.”

“She may ask,” Shen said. “I doubt she'll be unhappy to see you.”

Nia reached for her cup, then remembered the letter she'd written the previous evening.

“Shen, you still have my message for Ren?”

“Beside my medicine pouch. I'll take it to Soren before I go to the care station.”

“Thank you.”

She had kept the message short. Ren already knew she wanted him home again; she'd written about the small things that had happened after he left, and she'd told him she missed him.

“I hope it catches up with him before he starts back.”

“Soren will find out where the carriers are going,” Shen said. “He won't send it blindly.”

Nia nodded and returned to her breakfast.

Through the mating bond, she could still sense Ren somewhere to the east. The distance had increased since his departure, but she felt no distress from him.

She wondered what he'd eaten that morning.

The thought made her smile.

Kael noticed.

“What?”

“I was thinking about Ren. I wonder whether he's found anything good to eat.”

“He'll have asked the sellers plenty of questions by now,” Kael said.

“About prices, certainly.”

“And quality.”

“He'll probably tell me which seller gave him the best bargain before he tells me whether he enjoyed the food.”

Shen laughed.

“He might tell you both at once. He's quite capable of eating while negotiating.”

“I've noticed.”

Nia returned to her broth, imagining Ren talking his way through a meal with people he'd only just met.

When they finished eating, Kael gathered his things. Shen checked the fastening on Nia's letter and slipped it into his medicine pouch.

Nia caught Kael near the entrance.

“Try to come home before evening.”

“I intend to.”

“That's not a promise.”

“I know.”

She smiled and kissed him. He drew her closer for another moment before leaving.

After the dishes were washed, Nia took her outer wrap from its hook. She and Shen left together, walking through the interior passages as Hearthfang's morning work gathered pace around them.

At the junction leading toward Sera's household, Shen took her hand.

“I'll see you at home later.”

“Tell Soren I appreciate the help.”

“I will.”

Nia kissed him and turned into the residential passage.

Soren had several people waiting at the receiving counter when Shen arrived.

A trader was complaining about a bundle of carrying straps. Another wanted confirmation that his goods had been counted, and a receiving worker stood nearby with a note in his hand.

Soren checked the first man's order and explained that the shorter bindings were what the seller had agreed to supply. The trader wanted longer ones included in the next delivery.

“I can ask,” Soren told him. “I can't promise goods the seller hasn't confirmed.”

The trader studied his note again before accepting the answer.

Soren dealt with the next question, then noticed Shen waiting.

“Good morning. Did you need supplies?”

“No. I brought something for Ren.”

Soren glanced at Shen's medicine pouch.

“From Nia?”

Shen handed him the folded letter.

“She wrote it yesterday.”

Soren accepted it without disturbing the cloth fastening.

“She didn't waste much time.”

“She wanted him to hear from home.”

“That'll please him.”

A worker approached, but Soren asked him to wait while he put the letter away. He carried it behind the counter and placed it inside a closed case, separate from the trade documents being handled that morning.

When he returned, the worker passed him a receiving note.

Soren examined it, pointed out the space where the next load should be placed, and handed it back.

Shen waited until the man had gone.

“Ren left you plenty to manage.”

“He did. And some of his buyers are convinced I'll change an agreement if they ask often enough.”

“Have any succeeded?”

“No.”

The receiving worker, still within earshot, laughed.

Soren looked toward him.

“Don't encourage them.”

“I didn't say anything.”

“I heard you.”

The man grinned and went to see about the next load.

Shen glanced toward the documents Soren had arranged on the counter.

“Has there been any word about the missing supplier bundles?”

“Not yet. The loading witness's record is still outstanding. Those three bundles remain separate from the confirmed accounts.”

Shen nodded.

Soren set aside the note he'd been examining.

“There's a carrier expected after the next receiving count. I'll confirm how far east he's going before I give him Nia's letter.”

“If he doesn't reach Ren's route?”

“Then I'll keep it until someone does.”

“Thank you.”

Soren glanced toward the traders waiting near the entrance.

“Tell Nia I have it. Ren will get it when I can send it safely.”

Shen left him to his work and continued toward the care station.

Sera was sitting near the open side of her main chamber when Nia arrived.

She held a cup of warm berry drink and was watching Cassiel search through a storage basket.

“You looked there before breakfast,” she told him.

“I didn't move everything.”

Darius was seated nearby, repairing a leather strap.

“If you're looking for the marked cord, I borrowed it.”

Cassiel stopped rummaging.

“You could have said something.”

“I just did.”

“Before I emptied half the basket.”

Darius pointed toward the side shelf.

“I put it back.”

Cassiel retrieved the cord, then began returning the other things he'd disturbed.

Sera noticed Nia in the entrance.

“Nia! Come in.”

She rose to embrace her and kissed her cheek.

“I was beginning to wonder when you'd visit.”

“It's only been a few days.”

“That's plenty of time for me to wonder.”

Nia laughed and followed her toward an empty seat.

“I've already eaten,” she said before Sera could ask.

“Good. You can still have a drink.”

Sera poured another cup of warm berry drink and handed it to her.

Selvan and Auren occupied the far side of the chamber, comparing several small trade samples. Cassiel put away the last of the things he'd moved and tucked the marked cord into his pouch.

“I'm going to see the throwing practice later,” he told Darius.

“The hunters are doing that today?”

“They're setting up near the lower open area.”

Nia looked up.

“What are they throwing?”

“Stones. They set marked rings on the ground and see who can land the most inside them.”

Darius put aside his repaired strap.

“It's entertaining when someone boasts that he can hit every target.”

Cassiel grinned.

“Especially when he misses the largest one.”

“That sounds fun,” Nia said.

“It is. You should come.”

Nia looked toward Sera, then shook her head.

“Another time. I came to visit.”

“Then I'll tell you who made a fool of himself when I get back.”

Darius gave a quiet laugh.

“Don't be too certain it won't be you.”

Cassiel ignored him and went to ask Auren something about the afternoon's gathering.

Sera leaned back in her seat.

“Now, tell me what you've been doing. And don't start with a cooking experiment.”

“I wasn't going to.”

Sera waited.

“All right,” Nia admitted. “I thought about mentioning breakfast.”

“I knew it.”

Nia laughed and took another drink.

She told Sera about the traders she'd noticed near the lower market. The passages had grown busier as more people traveled again, and some of the faces were unfamiliar even to those who worked there regularly.

“There's an older female near one of the lower turns who's getting thoroughly tired of the traffic,” Sera said.

“Why?”

“People keep stopping outside her doorway to talk. She doesn't mind visitors, but she wants them to come inside or move along. Apparently she's heard the same argument about a trader's prices three mornings in a row.”

Nia laughed.

“I might complain too.”

“She finally opened the door and told them what she thought the goods were worth. They didn't appreciate her opinion.”

“Was she right?”

“I wasn't there to judge. She seemed satisfied with herself when she told me.”

Nia smiled into her cup.

“I think I'd like to meet her.”

“You might. She'll tell you when she's had enough company, though.”

“That could be useful. Sometimes I don't know how to end a conversation without sounding rude.”

Sera considered that.

“People won't always appreciate being told you want to leave. That doesn't mean you must stay all afternoon.”

Nia nodded.

“I've become better at it.”

“I've noticed.”

From the far side of the chamber, Selvan asked Auren to fetch another sample. Auren passed behind the women, exchanged a greeting with Nia, and continued toward the storage shelves.

Sera asked whether she'd seen Ayari recently.

“Not properly. I keep meaning to visit her.”

“She'll have plenty to tell you. Someone's husband has been trying to improve one of the dishes his wife learned from you.”

Nia groaned.

“Which dish?”

“I didn't hear. Ayari was more interested in the argument afterward.”

“Of course she was.”

“Apparently he claims his way takes less work.”

“It might. That doesn't mean it tastes the same.”

Sera smiled.

“That's what I thought you'd say.”

Nia shook her head, amused despite herself.

Their conversation drifted toward other households, visiting relatives, and plans people were making now that the weather had improved.

Sera mentioned the women who sometimes gathered near the lower pond.

“They bring food or something to occupy themselves if they feel like it, but often they just sit together. It's pleasant when the weather's warm.”

“I'd like to see that.”

“Come with me one afternoon.”

“I'd like that. We could ask Ayari too.”

Sera smiled over her cup.

“She won't need much persuading.”

They remained together while the household carried on around them.

Auren came over to ask Sera about one of the samples Selvan was considering. She answered him, and he returned to the far side of the chamber.

Darius eventually finished his strap and left to watch the throwing practice. Cassiel followed him after a brief argument with Auren about whether he'd remembered to return the borrowed cord.

When they'd gone, the chamber grew quieter.

Sera looked toward the entrance.

“They've been talking about those targets since yesterday.”

“I nearly went with them.”

“There's still time.”

“I know. I'd rather stay here.”

Sera's expression warmed, and she reached for her drink.

They sat together for a while without needing to fill every moment with conversation.

Eventually, Sera asked about Ren.

“Has anyone come back with word from him?”

“Not yet. I wrote him a letter, though. Shen's taking it to Soren.”

“What did you say?”

“Mostly ordinary things. That we're all well, that I hope he's eating properly.”

Sera gave her a knowing look.

“And that I miss him.”

“Of course.”

Nia smiled, though she felt her cheeks warm.

“I didn't know what else to write.”

“He'll enjoy hearing about whatever you've been doing.”

“You think so?”

“Selvan comes home with enough road stories to occupy an entire meal. I don't see why I should have nothing to tell him.”

Selvan looked up from the samples.

“You send me plenty of messages while I'm gone.”

“Half of them are answers to your questions.”

“I ask because I want to bring what you need.”

“And then you give me three kinds of storage baskets to choose between when I only wanted one.”

Selvan set down the sample in his hand.

“Would you rather I chose the wrong one?”

“I'd rather you wrote clearly enough that I knew which basket I was choosing.”

Nia laughed.

Selvan looked toward her.

“She reads my trade records without trouble.”

“Your trade records are neat,” Sera told him. “Your letters look as though you wrote them while someone was shaking your arm.”

Auren bent his head over the samples, but Nia caught his smile.

Selvan shook his head and returned to work.

Nia leaned toward Sera.

“Ren would have an opinion about that.”

“He probably would. I expect he'd explain how Selvan should have handled the whole thing.”

“Then tell me how he ought to write his next letter.”

Sera laughed.

“I might.”

They talked a little longer, and Nia found herself looking forward to telling Ren about the visit.

Darius came back briefly before she left, searching for something he'd forgotten. The targets had attracted more spectators than expected, he said, and several people wanted the smallest ring moved farther away.

“Because no one could hit it?” Nia asked.

“Because too many could.”

She smiled.

“Now I really want to watch.”

“You should come next time.”

“I will.”

When she finally rose, Sera walked her to the entrance.

“Come again soon.”

“I will. I enjoyed today.”

“So did I.”

Sera reached toward a covered plate.

Nia gave her a look.

“I've already eaten.”

“This is for later.”

Nia accepted the root cake, kissed her cheek, and started toward the upper passages.

Shen was washing greens when Nia returned home.

She hung her outer wrap beside the entrance and went to him. He dried his hands before drawing her close.

“Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Very much.”

She kissed him and remained in his arms until he brushed his mouth against her cheek.

“Sera gave me a root cake to bring home.”

“I see she hasn't changed.”

“Not a bit.”

Nia set the cake aside.

“Did you get to Soren?”

“Yes. He has the letter. He's waiting to confirm a carrier's route.”

“Good.”

She pressed another kiss against his cheek, then washed her hands to help with dinner.

While they worked, she mentioned Sera's invitation to the lower pond.

“I thought you might like going too, sometime.”

“I would.”

“Even if there isn't anything you need to do there?”

Shen looked at her.

“I know how to visit people, Nia.”

“I know you do.”

She leaned against him briefly, smiling.

Kael returned before the meal was ready. After washing and changing out of his dusty outer wrap, he joined them in the kitchen.

“Tarek approved the lower crossing,” he said when Nia asked. “The loaded carts can use the approach again.”

“Then I'm glad you didn't spend all day arguing with anyone.”

“Neither was there much to argue about.”

“That makes a pleasant change.”

Kael gave her a small smile and accepted the cup she offered him.

At dinner, Nia told them she wanted to visit the lower pond with Sera and Ayari. Kael knew the area well and mentioned which path would be more comfortable now that the ground was drying.

Shen asked whether she'd enjoyed spending time with Sera, and Nia told him about the older female who'd interrupted the people gossiping outside her door.

“She sounds formidable,” Shen said.

“She sounds sensible,” Kael answered.

Nia laughed.

“I thought you'd both say that.”

They talked about other things as they ate. Shen mentioned someone he'd seen at the care station, and Kael had a few observations about the visitors passing through Hearthfang. Nia listened, occasionally adding something she'd heard from Sera.

After dinner, they cleared the table together.

When the last dishes were put aside to dry, Nia noticed the root cake still resting where she'd left it.

“Oh, I forgot about this.”

Shen glanced over.

“You can save it.”

“I know.”

She broke off a piece and tasted it.

“It's good.”

Kael watched her take another bite.

“Wasn't that for later?”

“It is later.”

Shen laughed, and Nia offered him a piece. He accepted it, leaving enough for Kael to take a bite when he came over.

Nia finished what remained, then wiped the crumbs from her fingers.

They settled near the hearth afterward. Nia lay against Kael's side with her legs across Shen's lap. Shen rested a hand against her ankle while Kael drew the edge of the cover over them.

For a while, they sat quietly.

Nia thought about Cassiel and Darius going to watch the throwing practice, the women who gathered near the pond, and Sera arguing with Selvan from across the room without either of them leaving what they were doing.

“Maybe I'll write Ren another letter tomorrow,” she said.

Shen glanced toward her.

“You have more to tell him?”

“I do. Although I'm not sure he'll understand why three unwanted baskets were so funny.”

Kael's mouth shifted.

“He'll understand the bargaining part.”

“He'll probably explain how Selvan could have sold all three.”

“And persuaded Sera she'd received a bargain,” Shen added.

Nia laughed.

“I can almost hear him saying it.”

She leaned more comfortably against Kael and reached for Shen's hand.

“Perhaps I'll write that part down before I forget it.”

“You can do that in the morning,” Shen said.

“I know.”

Kael kissed her hair.

Nia closed her eyes, still smiling at the thought of Ren reading a letter in which she'd somehow found room to tell him about three unwanted baskets.