Now the set brought her face to face with Dom Garris again. He smiled at her and pressed her hand too, and she blushed, holding her own hands cold and stiff against his, just touching as the dance required. She was relieved when the set brought them back to their original places, with Alderic facing her. The musicians swung into a couple-dance, and she saw Dom Garris start toward her purposefully; she grabbed at Alderic’s sleeve and whispered, “Will you ask me to dance, Dom Alderic?”
“To be sure,” he said, smiling, and led her out. She said after a moment, returning his smile as they left Garris staring after them, “You are not a clodhopper at all.”
“No?” He laughed. “It has been long since I danced, save with the monks.”
“You dance in the monastery?”
“Sometimes. To keep warm. And there is a sacred dance at some of the services. And some of the students who are not to be of the brethren go into the village and dance at Festival, though I-” it seemed to her that he hesitated a moment, “I had small leisure for that”
“They keep you so hard at your studies? Domna Luciella said that Darren looks thin and pale – do they give you enough to eat, and warm clothes?”
He nodded. “I am used enough to hardships,” he said, and fell silent, while Romilly enjoyed the dance, the music. He said, as they separated at the end of the music, “You wear my flowers – I hope they pleased you?”
“Very much,” she said, then felt shy again; had he put the dorilys into her basket as the invitation Mallina said it was, or was it simply a stranger’s unfamiliarity with the countryside? She would have liked to ask, but was too bashful. But again it was as if he read her thoughts; he said abruptly, “Darren told me – I meant nothing improper, believe me, Mistress Romilly. In my country – I am a lowlander – the starflower, dorilys, it is the gift of the lord Hastur to the Blessed Cassilda, and I meant a courteous compliment in honor of the day, no more.”
She said, smiling up at him, “I do not think anyone would believe you capable of any improper innuendo, Dom Alderic.”
“I am your brother’s friend; you need not say Dom to me,” said Alderic. “After all, we have hunted and flown hawks together.”
“Nor need you call me damisela,” she said, “My brothers and sister call me Romy.”
“Good; we shall be even as kinfolk, as I am to Darren,” said Alderic. “Will you have some wine?” They had moved close to the refreshment-table. She shook her head and said ingenuously, “I am not allowed to drink wine in company.”
“Shallan, then?” He dipped her up some of the sweet fruit-drink. She sipped it thirstily. After the romping dance she knew that her hair was beginning to come down, but she did not want to withdraw to the giggling girls in the corner and pin it up.
“You are fond of hawking?” she asked him.
“I am; the women of our family train sentry-birds. Have you ever flown one, dcani – Romy?”
She shook her head. She had seen the great fierce birds, but said, “I knew not that they could be tamed! Why, they can bring down a rabbithorn! I should think they were no great sport.”
“They are not flown for sport,” Alderic said, “but trained for war, or for fire-watch; it is done with laran. A sentry-bird in flight can spy out intruders into a peaceful countryside, or bandits, or a forest-fire. But it is no task for sport, and in truth the birds are fierce, and not easy to handle. Yet I think you could do it, Romilly, if your laran was trained.”
“It is not, nor likely to be,” she said, “and doubtless you know why, if Darren has told you so much. Sentry-birds!” She felt a little shiver, half pleasant, trickle down her spine at the thought of handling the great fierce birds of prey. “I think it would be no harder to train a banshee!”
Alderic chuckled. “I have even heard of that in the far hills,” he said, “And banshee-birds are very stupid; it takes little craft to handle them, only to rear them from hatchlings and feed them on warm food; and they will do what you will, spying out game-tracks with the warmth left in the ground, and they make fine watch-birds, for they will scream terribly at any strange smell.”
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