[Continued from here]
Inside,
Derra was waiting with an impatient look on her face.
"Come
on. You've wasted so much time already. Get it taken apart so I can fit
these."
On
the side there was a small pile of plates of various sizes. Beranwen suddenly
realised, in startling detail, what was
about to happen. It wasn't just a plate for his waist or his arms. There were
enough there for every joint in his body. And Quinton was about to see his
friend be taken apart bit by bit.
"Actually,
do you mind if we wait outside while you work?" Beranwen said quickly. Her
pleading look at Mendel communicated her reasons, and he nodded curtly.
"I'll
stay here, then, and call you when we're done."
"I
want to wait with Stan." Quinton complained as Beranwen ushered him back
out of the house.
"I
know. But he'll be okay. Mendel will keep an eye on him. And we'd just be in
the way. Just think, Quinton. It won't be long before Stan will be up and going
again, and he won't fall apart so much. That's what they're going to fix.
That's worth waiting out here for a bit, isn't it?"
"Of
course. But..."
"And
this has been a better day than I thought it would be. Having Stan along really
helped. I can have you back at home by evening, and you can have another quest
under your belt. We'll see if Mendel will let us take one of Stan's old plates
or something for your trophy. How about that?"
"That'd
be nice." Quinton, unable to keep focus on his worry with Beranwen
nattering away, began to relax. "And will you stay with us this time?
Master Nereus has to admit you're a good advisor now."
"He
doesn't have to do anything. But we'll see. I'd still like to go to the city
and get properly trained. You'd have you do without me while I do that."
"I
could come to the city with you. I've never been away from home before. Except
for yesterday and today, and that doesn't count, because we didn't go
far."
"You'll
have to talk that through with your father and Master Nereus." Beranwen
deflected.
"Stop
standing so close, Mendel." They heard Derra's voice drift out of the open
door. Beranwen chuckled. Whether Derra was mad or not - really mad - Mendel was still basically an advisor to her. She had
a lot more sympathy for him now than when she thought he was just a heartless
mechanic living alone in the woods.
"The
horses are coming to us." Quinton said suddenly. Beranwen looked. There,
indeed, were their two horses walking down the track. Beranwen was instantly on
edge. The beasts looked worried, flicking their ears back and forth and
whinnying softly. Not yet spooked enough to bolt, but something was frightening
them, and the slightest change could see them galloping away with their packs.
"Quinton,
can you carefully walk over to them
with me. Go slow, we don't want to scare them."
"They
know us. Why would we scare them?"
"Because
they're frightened. Look at them. Just walk up to them slowly, and don't make
any sudden movements or loud noises. We'll get them tied up out here where we
can keep an eye on them. Come on."
The
pair of them led the horses over to the house and tied their reins to a post of
the porch. They were just in time. Moments later, Quinton's mare Brown rode
began rolling her eyes and trying to turn on the spot. The horse Stan had rode
began to paw at the ground in agitation. Beranwen looked around.
"Why
are they frightened?" Quinton asked.
"I
don't know. I can't see anything. There could be wolves in this wood, but I
wouldn't have thought they'd trouble us."
"Wolves?"
"Wolves
are only a problem in the middle of winter, Quinton, when there's nothing for
them to eat. Or if you threaten one, I guess. They're more than willing to
steer clear of people. But if the horses have caught their scent..."
There
wasn't much light that managed to filter down to them, even in that clearing,
but what light there was suddenly flickered as though something had flown
across the sun. Beranwen looked up, but saw nothing but leaves and sky.
"This
is frightening, Master Win." Quinton looked almost as spooked as the
horses. Beranwen considered getting him inside, but decided it wouldn't help
him to see Stan in pieces in the kitchen. And besides, there was nothing out
here but them. They were jumping at shadows.
It's funny how
fear spreads,
she thought. And I'm feeling it now, too.
Horses spook, they can be flighty creatures. No reason to spook as well.
"We'll
sit on the porch." She decided. "The horses will calm down in a bit,
once whatever has spooked them passes by." The light flickered again, and
the horses pulled at the reins.
"Is
there something in the sky?"
"It'll
be birds flying over. You know how some birds fly in huge flocks? If they pass
across the sun, it can seem like the sky has clouded over." Although I can't hear any birds...
The
leaves rustled in a breeze that didn't make it into the clearing. Then
everything went still once more. The horses snickered unhappily, but stopped
pawing and pulling at the rein. Just beyond the edge of a clearing, a wood
pigeon began to call. The world breathed again.
[Part 34]
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