“. And everybody had to carry around a little torch to thaw out what he said before he could be heard; and this man made quite a bit of money by gathering up all the frozen speeches in a barrow, and carting them around to their owners. Only he wasn’t quite as careful as he should have been, to make sure that they were delivered to the right owners, and when the spring-thaw came, and all the words thawed out again, there was a tremendous amount of trouble. The mule-driver thawed out what he had yelled at his team, and found he had the words of an old lady talking to her pet birds; and the young mother scolding her little children got the mule-driver’s, and the children cried half the day; and the young wife telling her husband she was to bear his first son, got what the Free Amazon said to the man who-” He broke off and turned a full red as Jaelle giggled. “My apologies, cousin!”
Jaelle said dryly, “Kinsman, I heard all the jokes there are about Free Amazons, before I had turned fifteen; and most of them I heard in the Guild-house from my sisters. I would share them with you, but most of them would shock your delicate male sensibilities.” It was the turn of the others to laugh. “Finish your story, kinsman; this is one I have not heard.”
Kyril tried to take up where he had left off. “The aristocratic lady entertaining her guests was delivered the chatter of the men from the lowest tavern in the village, while the Keeper instructing her youngest novice found herself hearing what the Dry-Towner bellowed at his minion . . ..”
“Enough,” dom Gabriel said, with a glance at Lady Alida. “It seems to me this is a tale for the barracks, son, not for your mother’s breakfast table.” He glanced up to greet the newcomers, his eyebrows raising in question as he saw the women in Amazon clothing.
Jaelle said, “Uncle, with your leave, we Vwi11 ride for Thendara today; it is a long journey at this season, and my sister has duties hi the Guild-house.”
“Impossible,” Lord Gabriel said. “This is only the snow-break, my girl; tomorrow at this hour it will be snowing harder than ever. This storm will last another ten days at the least; only the guests who live within a few hours’ ride are departing today. You would be well advised to remain until the spring-thaw, at least.”
“You are more than kind, Lord Ardais,” said Peter, “but we could not so long trespass on hospitality.”
“You couldn’t possibly travel more than a day’s ride before the snow blocked you again,” dom Gabriel said. “It seems to me nonsense, to spend the rest of the blizzard in a tent or travel-shelter when you could stay here in comfort.”
Magda and Peter knew he was right. And indeed, the weather in the Hellers at this season was proverbial; from midwinter to spring-thaw, only the mad or the desperate ventured more than an hour’s ride from their own firesides.
Toward afternoon the day darkened again, and the next morning the windows were a flurry of white snow, with the wind howling around the towers of Ardais like a banshee hard on the heels of its prey. And at breakfast dom Gabriel said triumphantly, “You see? You had better stay till spring-thaw, all of you!”
Afterward, Lady Alida drew Magda aside and said, “We should arrange for your testing, mestra, -today; it should not be much longer delayed.”, Magda was seized by such panic that she felt it must be perceptible to the leronis. As soon as she could1 get away she went in search of Lady Rohana, and found her in her private sitting room, working on the accounts of the estate. At first this might have surprised Magda; now she knew that every thread in the running of Ardais was spun through Lady Rohana’s slender six-fingered hands.
“Forgive me for disturbing you, my Lady; may I speak to you alone for a moment?”
Rohana motioned her inside and dismissed the lady companion without whom, it seemed, she could not move half a dozen steps. “Certainly; this can wait till spring-thaw, if need be. What troubles you, child?”