Dragonsinger (26 page)

The next moment, the air was full of shrieking, clawing, fighting fire lizards. Piemur was screaming that Benis better not hit the Harper’s apprentice, or there’d be real trouble; Camo was howling that his pretty ones were afraid, and he waded in, thick arms flailing, hitting indiscriminately at friend and foe. Menolly got a clout across the ear as she tried to restrain the misguided Camo.

‘Shells! It’s the Hall’s dummy!’ ‘Scatter!’ ‘Get her!’
‘Knock
him down!’ ‘Got her, Menolly!’

The fire lizards were not hampered by Camo’s inability to distinguish friend and foe. They went for Pona, Briala, Amania, Benis and the other lads. Menolly, trying to catch her breath, realized that things were completely out of hand and desperately tried to call off the fire lizards. The girls were scattering, screaming, vainly trying to cover their heads, hair and eyes. Attacked from above, so did the fosterlings.

‘
Be still! Everyone!
’ The bellow was stentorian enough to penetrate shriek, howl and battle cries, and stern enough to command instant obedience. ‘You there, hang on to Camo! Douse him with that skin of water! You, tanner, help them with Camo. Sit on him, knock his feet out from under him if necessary. Menolly, control your fire lizards! This is a gather, not a brawl!’

The Harper strode into the midst of the melee, yanking a fosterling to his feet, spinning one of the girls to the arms of the folk who had converged on the scene, giving a bloody-nosed Piemur a hand up from the dust. The Masterharper’s actions were somewhat hampered by the distressed squeals of the little bronze fire lizard clinging tightly to his left arm, but there was little doubt of the Master’s fury. A silence broken by the gulping sobs of Pona and Briala held attackers, attacked and witnesses alike.

‘Now,’ said the Harper, his voice controlled although his eyes were flashing with anger, ‘just what has been going on here?’

‘It was her!’ Pona staggered a step towards Master Robinton, jabbing her finger at Menolly and struggling to control her sobs. Long scratches marred her cheeks, her head scarf was torn and her hair pulled from its plaits. ‘She’s always causing trouble—’

‘Sir, we were minding our own business,’ said Piemur indignantly, ‘which was buying a belt that you said Menolly ought to have, when Pona here—’

‘That little sneak tripped me as we were passing, and then her hideous beasts attacked all of us. They’ve done it before. I have witnesses!’

She stopped mid-gulp, arrested by the look on the Harper’s face.

‘Lady Pona,’ he said in an all too gentle voice, ‘you are overwrought. Briala, take the child back to Dunca. The excitement of a gather appears to be too much for such a fragile spirit. Amania, I think you ought to help Briala.’ Though his voice expressed concern for their well-being, it was obvious that the Harper was disciplining the three girls who bore evidence of the unfriendly attentions of the fire lizards.

Now he turned to the Hold fosterlings. Benis, his left eye already bruising, his lip cut, his hair tousled and forehead bearing fire lizard marks, was straightening his tunic and brushing dust from his sleeves and trousers. The other youths who had been escorting the now banished girls maintained the rigid stance they had adopted as soon as they recognized the Masterharper.

‘Lord Benis?’

‘Masterharper?’ Benis continued to adjust his garments, awarding the briefest of glances to the Harper.

‘I’m glad you know my rank,’ said Robinton, smiling slightly.

Menolly had been soothing Beauty and Rocky who had refused to leave when she sent the others away. At his tone, she looked at the Harper, amazed that he could express so profound a reprimand with a brief phrase and a smile.

One of the other fosterlings jabbed Benis in the ribs, and the young man looked angrily about.

‘I expect you have business elsewhere … now!’ said the Masterharper.

‘Business? This is a gather day … sir.’

‘For others, indeed, it is, but not, I think, for you,’ and the Masterharper indicated with his hand that Benis had better retire. ‘Or you, and you, and you,’ he added, indicating the other fosterlings who displayed claw marks. ‘Will you occupy yourselves quietly in your quarters or will I have to mention this to Lord Groghe?’ He accepted the frantic shakings of their heads.

Then he turned his back on them and pleasantly indicated to those who were avidly observing his summary justice that they should now continue their interrupted pursuits. He walked to where Camo was still being restrained by three large journeymen, blubbering noisily about his pretties being hurt and struggling to free himself.

‘The pretties are not hurt, Camo. Not hurt. See? Menolly has the pretties.’ The Harper’s voice soothed the wretched man as he gestured for Menolly to come forward into Camo’s line of sight.

‘Pretties not hurt?’

‘No, Camo. Brudegan, who else is about?’ the Harper asked his journeyman. Several other harpers obediently moved against the tide of the dispersing crowd. ‘Camo had better go back to the hall. Here,’ and the Harper reached into his pouch and passed Brudegan a mark piece. ‘Buy him a lot of those bubbly pies on your way back. That’ll help settle him.’

The crowd had melted away. The Masterharper, stroking his gradually quieting fire lizard, turned back to the small group still clustered together. He gestured them to the unoccupied space between the nearest stalls.

‘Now, let me hear the sequence of events, please,’ he
said
, but his voice no longer held that chilling note of displeasure.

‘It wasn’t Menolly’s fault!’ said Piemur, batting at Audiva’s hands as she tried to staunch the flow from his nose with the berry-stained cloth used earlier on Camo. ‘We were looking at belts …’ He turned to the tanner for confirmation.

‘I don’t know about belts, Master Robinton, but they weren’t causing any trouble when the blonde girl, Lady Pona, started pulling rank on your apprentice. Made a nasty accusation about the girl having money she oughtn’t to have.’

A look of dismay crossed the Harper’s face. ‘You didn’t lose the mark in the fuss, did you, Menolly?’ He scuffed around the trampled area with his boot toe. ‘I don’t have many two-mark pieces, you know.’

The tanner stifled a bark of laughter, and the Harper sighed with almost comic relief as Menolly solemnly displayed the cause of the trouble.

‘That’s a mercy,’ Master Robinton said with a smile of approval for Menolly. ‘Go on,’ he added to the tanner.

‘Then this lass,’ and the tanner gestured towards Audiva, ‘took Menolly’s part. So did the young seaholder. I think all would have come to nothing if Camo hadn’t got upset, and the next thing I know the air’s full of fire lizards. Are they all hers?’ He jerked his thumb at Menolly.

‘Yes,’ said the Harper, ‘a fact that ought to be borne in mind since they do seem able to recognize Menolly’s … ammm …’

‘Sir, I didn’t call them …’ Menolly said, finding her voice.

‘I’m sure you didn’t need to.’ He closed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder.

‘Master Robinton, Pona bears a grudge against
Menolly
,’ said Audiva in a rush as if she had to make the admission before she could change her mind. ‘And she’s got no real cause at all.’

‘Thank you, Audiva, I’ve been aware of the prejudice.’ The Harper made a slight bow, acknowledging the tall girl’s loyalty. ‘The Lady Pona will not trouble you further, Menolly, nor you, Audiva,’ he continued, that hint of implacability tinging an otherwise pleasant tone. ‘Good of you, Lord Viderian, to support another seaholder, though it is a loyalty I would prefer to render unnecessary.’

‘My father, Master Robinton, is very much of your mind, which is why I am fostered in a landbound Hold,’ said Viderian with a respectful bow. He stiffened, his eyes widening at some disturbing sight. He swallowed hard, anxiety plainly written on his face.

‘Ah,’ said the Harper, having followed the direction of Viderian’s gaze. ‘I wondered how long it would take Lord Groghe to respond to promptings …’ He grinned, highly amused at some inner reflection. ‘Viderian, do make off with Audiva. Now! And enjoy yourselves!’

Audiva needed no urging and grabbed the young seaholder’s arm, hastening down the aisle until they were lost in the crowd.

‘It’s Lord Groghe!’ said Piemur in a croak, pulling at Menolly’s sleeve.

The Harper caught the boy by the shoulder. ‘You’ll stay by me, young Piemur, so we may have an end of this affair now!’ Then he turned to the tanner. ‘Which belt tempted Menolly?’

‘The one with the fire lizard on the buckle,’ said Piemur in an undertone to the Harper and then edged himself carefully so that the Harper was between him and the on-coming Lord Holder.

‘Robinton, my queen’s doing it again … Ah,
Menolly
, just the person!’ said Lord Groghe, his florid face lighting with a smile. ‘Merga’s been … humph! She’s stopped!’ The Holder regarded his queen accusingly. ‘She’s been fussing! Right up until I reached the square …’

‘That’s rather easily explained,’ said Robinton in an off-handed manner.

‘Is it? Both of ’em are at it now.’

Menolly had been aware of it first, because Beauty was chirping and squeaking at Merga through Lord Groghe’s conversation. She felt colour rising in her cheeks. The discourse finished as quickly as it had begun. The two little queens flipped their wings closed on their backs and became totally disinterested in each other.

‘What was that all about?’ Lord Groghe demanded.

‘I suspect they were catching up on the news,’ said Robinton, with a chuckle, for that was what it had sounded like: a spate of urgent gossip. ‘Which reminds me, Lord Groghe; I heard that the wineman has a keg of good, aged Benden wine.’

‘He does?’ Lord Groghe’s interest was diverted. ‘How did he get his hands on it?’

‘I think we ought to check.’

‘Humph! Yes! Now!’

‘Wouldn’t do to waste good Benden wine on people unable to appreciate it, would it?’ Robinton took Lord Groghe’s arm.

‘Not at all.’ But the Holder could not be completely diverted and turned to frown at Menolly. She steeled herself before she realized that his frown was not menacing. ‘Want a chance to talk to this girl. Didn’t seem the time or place to do so t’other day with the Hatching and all.’

‘Of course, Lord Groghe, when Menolly’s finished her bargaining …’

‘Bargaining? Humph. Well, can’t interrupt a bargain at a gather … humph!’ Lord Groghe pushed out his lower lip as he looked from Menolly to the hovering tanner. ‘Don’t be all day about it, girl. Th’afternoon’s a good time to talk. Don’t have many chances to sit and talk.’

‘Finish your dicker for that belt, Menolly,’ the Harper told her, one arm gently propelling the Lord Holder away from the apprentices, ‘and then join us at the wineman’s stall. And you,’ the Masterharper’s forefinger pointed down at Piemur, ‘wash your face, keep your mouth closed, and stay out of trouble. At least until I’ve had some Benden wine to fortify me.’ Lord Groghe humphed at the delay. ‘If it
is
Benden wine … This way, my Lord Holder.’ The two men walked off together, in step, each steadying the fire lizards they carried.

A soft whistle at her elbow broke the trance holding Menolly as she stared after the two most influential men in the Hold. Piemur was dramatically dragging a hand across his brow to signalize a close escape.

‘What do you bet, Menolly, that the subject of your cracking Benis in the face never comes up? And where’d you learn to punch like that?’

‘When I saw that big bully kicking you, I was so flaming mad, I … I …’

‘May I add my congratulations to Piemur’s?’ asked a quiet voice. The two whirled to see Sebell, leaning against the side of the tanner’s stall. The eyes of his young queen were still whirling with the red of anger.

‘Oh, no,’ said Menolly with a groan, ‘not you, too! What
am
I going to do with them?’ She was utterly discouraged and dejected. It had been bad enough to have the fire lizards diving and swooping at plain noise; outrageous of them to have flown at Master Domick because he’d only spoken angrily to her. And
now
this very public fracas with the son of the Fort Lord Holder.

‘It wasn’t
your
fault, Menolly,’ said Piemur stoutly.

‘It never is, but it
is
!’

‘How long have you been here, Sebell?’ Piemur asked, ignoring Menolly’s wail.

‘On the heels of Lord Groghe,’ said the journeyman, grinning. ‘But I caught a glimpse of young Benis making tracks out of the Hold proper, so it wasn’t hard to figure out where he got the scratches,’ he went on, glancing at the perched fire lizards and absently stroking Kimi. ‘I have only one burning question: Who had the audacity to give Benis a coloured eye?’

‘A rare sight that was,’ said the tanner who’d been keeping back, but now stepped up. ’The girl landed as sweet a punch in that young snot’s eye as ever I’ve seen, and I’ve been to many a gather that boasted a good brawl. Now, young harper girl, which belt had you in mind before the fracas started? I thought you was after boot leather.’ He eyed Piemur sharply.

‘Menolly wants the blue one with the fire lizard buckle.’

‘It’d be much too expensive,’ Menolly said hastily.

The tanner ducked back under his counter and picked the coveted belt from its hook.

‘This the one?’

Menolly looked at it wistfully. Sebell took it from the tanner’s hands, examined it, gave it a tug to see if there were flaws or if the hide was too thin to wear well.

‘Good workmanship in that belt, Journeyman,’ the tanner said. ‘Proper for the girl to have it, with her owning the fire lizards.’

‘How much were you asking for it?’ asked Piemur, settling down to the business of bargaining.

The tanner looked down at Piemur, stroked the belt,
which
Sebell had handed back to him, then glanced at Menolly.

‘It’s yours, girl. And I’ll not take a mark from you. Worth it to me to see you plant one on that young rowdy’s face. Here, wear it in good health and long life.’

Piemur gaped, mouth wide, eyes popping.

‘Oh, I couldn’t,’ and Menolly extended the two-mark piece. The tanner promptly closed her fist over the marker and laid the belt on her wrist.