Read Online Finder: First Ordinance, Book One by Connie Suttle - Free Book Online
Authors: Connie Suttle
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imagined that in better times, the woman might have carried a bit of plumpness, but the wrongness in Fyris was taking a toll on all its inhabitants. I hadn't seen anyone with excess weight since leaving Lironis. Carefully I laid aside the wooden spoon I'd been handed with my meal and swallowed the bit of food I'd mostly chewed. Standing, I beckoned for the woman to follow.
The necklace was behind a narrow bed covered in a patchwork quilt. A small piece of the rough wood wall had been carefully worked away, leaving a tiny space behind it. The necklace lay there, hidden inside a piece of soft cloth. The woman wept when I handed it to her.
Waving off her thanks, I went back to my stew. Working my way through the rest of it, although it had gone cold and congealed, I handed my bowl back to the woman when I was done and went to prepare Amlis' bed for the evening.
I slept in Amlis' room that night, curled up on a straw mattress provided by the innkeeper. My discomfort at sleeping in the same room with another person may not have gone unnoticed—I slept fitfully and turned often, although my spot beside the fire was comfortable enough.
I had no memory of ever sleeping in the presence of another, and with Amlis being the first one, my uneasiness only increased. What if I spoke in my sleep, as others had? The results of that revelation could be disastrous. Rodrik slept by the door inside Amlis' suite as well, plus, his men switched places regularly to stand guard outside the Prince's room.
Waking at my usual time (which was quite early), I made up the fire and tidied things quietly while Amlis and Rodrik slept. Amlis, I must confess, snored a little, but Rodrik was as silent as a cat.
Both men wanted breakfast in the room when they woke, so I trailed one of Rodrik's men and carried back a pot of hot tea and cups while the man carried the heavy tray. I set out plates of food and fresh bread, but Amlis sighed at the absence of eggs on his plate.
Tamblin had been correct about that, at least—the hens had stopped laying. And with no eggs, there would be no chicks, and likely the poultry living now would sicken and die. Even sleeping on the second floor of an inn, the soil of Fyris had groaned in my dreams.
The leftover bread, butter and a tiny bit of honey were offered to me after Amlis and Rodrik ate, so I nibbled as I packed Amlis' saddlebag while he shaved and dressed. As we were leaving, however, the innkeeper's wife approached me and handed over a small bag. Looking inside, I discovered that she'd gifted me with a small chunk of carefully wrapped cheese and a tiny loaf of bread.
She'd also given me something I greatly needed—a new smallbrush and a tiny pouch of the powder one could use to clean teeth. I nearly wept as I embraced her—none had ever thought to offer a gift to me before. Not like this, anyway. My old brush had few bristles left in it and I worried about finding a replacement. That one had been left behind by a minor noble's wife when I was ten, and I'd taken it before the maids thought to claim it.
"She found this for me," the woman touched the necklace at her throat at Rodrik's questioning glance. It was a pretty necklace, made of small gold links with a blue stone hanging down. I could only imagine that her daughter and her mother before her had treasured the thing.
"I knew when you called her name," the woman said immediately, when Amlis asked how she'd known of my talent. "Someone riding through mentioned a kitchen girl who could find things. It is only fitting that she serve a Prince, with that sort of gift."
"Here." Amlis tossed a gold piece to the woman, who caught it expertly, her eyes wide. "And do not mention Finder to any other, if you please."
"Of course not, my Prince." The woman curtsied deeply to Amlis and backed inside the inn quickly.
* * *
The next eleven days went much the same, except I was not called upon to find anything by innkeepers. The weather turned unpredictable, as it
The necklace was behind a narrow bed covered in a patchwork quilt. A small piece of the rough wood wall had been carefully worked away, leaving a tiny space behind it. The necklace lay there, hidden inside a piece of soft cloth. The woman wept when I handed it to her.
Waving off her thanks, I went back to my stew. Working my way through the rest of it, although it had gone cold and congealed, I handed my bowl back to the woman when I was done and went to prepare Amlis' bed for the evening.
I slept in Amlis' room that night, curled up on a straw mattress provided by the innkeeper. My discomfort at sleeping in the same room with another person may not have gone unnoticed—I slept fitfully and turned often, although my spot beside the fire was comfortable enough.
I had no memory of ever sleeping in the presence of another, and with Amlis being the first one, my uneasiness only increased. What if I spoke in my sleep, as others had? The results of that revelation could be disastrous. Rodrik slept by the door inside Amlis' suite as well, plus, his men switched places regularly to stand guard outside the Prince's room.
Waking at my usual time (which was quite early), I made up the fire and tidied things quietly while Amlis and Rodrik slept. Amlis, I must confess, snored a little, but Rodrik was as silent as a cat.
Both men wanted breakfast in the room when they woke, so I trailed one of Rodrik's men and carried back a pot of hot tea and cups while the man carried the heavy tray. I set out plates of food and fresh bread, but Amlis sighed at the absence of eggs on his plate.
Tamblin had been correct about that, at least—the hens had stopped laying. And with no eggs, there would be no chicks, and likely the poultry living now would sicken and die. Even sleeping on the second floor of an inn, the soil of Fyris had groaned in my dreams.
The leftover bread, butter and a tiny bit of honey were offered to me after Amlis and Rodrik ate, so I nibbled as I packed Amlis' saddlebag while he shaved and dressed. As we were leaving, however, the innkeeper's wife approached me and handed over a small bag. Looking inside, I discovered that she'd gifted me with a small chunk of carefully wrapped cheese and a tiny loaf of bread.
She'd also given me something I greatly needed—a new smallbrush and a tiny pouch of the powder one could use to clean teeth. I nearly wept as I embraced her—none had ever thought to offer a gift to me before. Not like this, anyway. My old brush had few bristles left in it and I worried about finding a replacement. That one had been left behind by a minor noble's wife when I was ten, and I'd taken it before the maids thought to claim it.
"She found this for me," the woman touched the necklace at her throat at Rodrik's questioning glance. It was a pretty necklace, made of small gold links with a blue stone hanging down. I could only imagine that her daughter and her mother before her had treasured the thing.
"I knew when you called her name," the woman said immediately, when Amlis asked how she'd known of my talent. "Someone riding through mentioned a kitchen girl who could find things. It is only fitting that she serve a Prince, with that sort of gift."
"Here." Amlis tossed a gold piece to the woman, who caught it expertly, her eyes wide. "And do not mention Finder to any other, if you please."
"Of course not, my Prince." The woman curtsied deeply to Amlis and backed inside the inn quickly.
* * *
The next eleven days went much the same, except I was not called upon to find anything by innkeepers. The weather turned unpredictable, as it
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