Gainor gave a coy little sigh. "You are so brave to risk your life to protect us."

Deasa turned to Adesina and rolled her eyes, and Rina giggled softly. Nordin, not noticing these reactions, puffed out his chest a little and grinned. "Well, I am not risking my life right now. My little brother forgot his lunch and my mother asked me to deliver it to him." He held up the pail.

As if summoned, Norshel appeared and jogged up to his brother. They spoke in low voices for a few minutes, occasionally casting glances at Adesina and her companions. Gainor made a show of smoothing her skirt and placing her hands on her lap.

Deasa made an impatient noise and began gathering her things. "Shall we take a stroll around the school yard?"

Gainor was obviously against this plan, but had no choice but to follow her friends when they all got to their feet. As they walked, Adesina watched the games of the children. Their play seemed rather strange to her eyes. All games played by the Shi children had some sort of training application. The games played by these High City children didn't seem to have any sort of purpose. They laughed and yelled and ran around, but there was no structure.

Her attention was diverted when a young man b.u.mped into her as he ran past. She kept her balance easily, but he stopped to steady her anyway.

"I am so sorry!"

Adesina turned to face him and saw his eyes widen in surprise. His age was hard to guess, due to his rather boyish features, but Adesina estimated he was perhaps a year older than she. He had curly brown hair and a striking smile. His nose was a bit long, but there was something rather pleasing in his countenance. Adesina felt a bit uneasy looking into his expressive brown eyes.

"No harm done," she said dismissively.

He nodded, still staring in wonder. After a moment he realized that he was still holding on to her and quickly dropped his hands. He made an attempt to hitch his smile back up and jogged off.

The bell rang for them to return to cla.s.s and Adesina hastened her step to keep up with the other girls.

"Who was that?"

Gainor, whose eyes were still directed towards the fence, gave her an exasperated look. "Nordin, of course!"

"No. The boy who b.u.mped into me."

Gainor shrugged. "I was not paying attention."

Deasa sighed at her friend's absentmindedness. "His name is Aleron. He is an apprentice to his mother, Mistress Breena. She is one of our most prominent healers."

Adesina considered this information for a moment and then put it out of her mind. Her cla.s.smates were already motioning for her to hurry up. She did her best to endure the remainder of the school day. It was a great trial of her patience, but she reminded herself that such trials would benefit her in the long run.

Ravi gazed lazily around the room and out the window, not bothered by the tedium that agonized the young woman. The ending bell finally rang, and Adesina suppressed a sigh that was half relieved and half exasperated. She gathered her things quietly and followed her friends out of the monotonous little school.

In the schoolyard they were met by several people. Fia was waiting with a girl that looked perhaps a year her junior. The small girl was the exact image of Deasa, only ten years younger. She had the same dusky complexion, the same curly dark hair, and the same intelligent expression. Behind the girl stood two young men who obviously belonged to the same family. Adesina had never seen identical twins before, and therefore studied them with interest. They both had mischievous eyes and rather rakish smiles. They both wore green sashes, marking them as merchant apprentices.

Deasa gave her brothers a suspicious look. "What are you two doing here?"

The one closest to the little girl placed a hand on her shoulder. "We came to walk Aletta home."

Deasa raised an eyebrow. "Very well, then walk Aletta home."

The other brother hedged around Deasa's comment. "Where are your manners, little sister? Are you not going to introduce us to your friends?"

"You know my friends."

"Not all of them." His eyes flickered to Adesina.

Adesina muttered so quietly that only Ravi's sharp hearing caught her words, "You would think that no one in this city has ever seen an Outsider."

Ravi chuckled. "Most of them have not."

Deasa heaved an irritated sigh and turned to Adesina. "This is Adrie of the Northern Tribes. Adrie, these are my older brothers, Felman and Matias."

The little girl gently tugged on Deasa's ap.r.o.n. She smiled. "And this is my little sister, Aletta."

Adesina nodded to each of them. Fia walked over to her side and hesitantly took her hand. She was surprised by this, but did not pull away. Fia's smile widened, "Would you like to go see Papa's shop?"

This seemed to be as good a plan as any, so Adesina nodded. She bid the others goodbye and allowed Fia to lead her away.

Chapter Ten: Enmity.

They walked along a new path that Adesina had not yet seen. Ravi followed silently, keeping slightly back. The dignified bustle of the city seemed to be at its height during this time of day. Fia led Adesina to the far end of the Square, further than Jelana had taken her the day before.

Ha.s.s's shop was tucked in between some sort of healer's clinic and a lumber shop. Fia walked through the open door without hesitation, as did Ravi, to Adesina's surprise. The shop was filled with the evidence of Ha.s.s's trade: cabinets, tables and chairs, bed posts, and so forth. The pleasant smell of freshly carved wood met her nose as she stepped through the door. The back of the room held a workbench that was covered with tools and shavings. It looked as though Ha.s.s had been in the midst of making a rocking chair.

Ha.s.s, however, was standing in the center of the room talking to a tall lean man dressed in an olive green uniform with a dull yellow sash. The man had bushy, bright red hair and an equally bushy beard. His complexion was more than faira"he had a pale, wasted look to his face. Although he was well-muscled, his figure still bordered on thin.

The man turned slightly at their entrance. Adesina met his light brown eyes and was arrested by what she saw. There was a vigilant and highly intelligent expression that was both shrewd and deceptively benign. Adesina instinctively felt that she would need to be wary when near this man, but she seemed to be the only one who felt anything was amiss. Ravi looked merely thoughtful as he studied the shop and the people in it. Ha.s.s's body language spoke of complete ease and Fia waved to him with a friendly smile on her face. The man smiled back at Fia, and Ha.s.s motioned for them to come closer.

"Adrie, I am glad that you came to the shop today. This is Master Termell. He is the a.s.sistant to Master Chatham, the man from whom I purchase all of my lumber."

Adesina gave him a polite nod and tried to ignore the fact that he was studying her with interest. The introductions were interrupted by the entrance of a middle-aged man dressed in the same uniform as Termell. He was bald, except for a fringe of brownish hair, and had a long grizzled beard. Ha.s.s hailed him as a friend.

"Ah, Chatham! We were just talking about you. This is Adrie, my new apprentice. Adrie, this is Master Chatham."

When Chatham clapped his eyes on Adesina, he froze in place. A look of distrust and something that bordered anger shone on his face. The tension in the room was palpable and Chatham seemed to be the only one who knew the reason why. Termell cleared his throat and Chatham started from whatever abstraction of thought he had been in. He gave Adesina a curt acknowledging nod and turned to his a.s.sistant.

"The boy is back. I need your help at once."

Chatham had the presence of mind to raise his hand in farewell to Ha.s.s before hurrying out of the shop. Termell nodded in response to these instructions, bid Ha.s.s goodbye and followed Chatham.

Ha.s.s frowned in confusion at this strange behavior, then gave a slight shrug. He proceeded to show Adesina around the shop. She was told what days she was to come in and work, where all tools and supplies could be found, what kind of work would be expected of her, and so forth.

This recital only ended when they were abruptly joined by Gainor. She was fairly bouncing on the b.a.l.l.s of her feet from excitement.

"Mother has given me permission to invite you to dinner tonight, Adrie! May she come, Master Ha.s.s?"

Ha.s.s looked strangely reluctant at this request. At some length he answered, "I suppose that is fine. I will send her along when we are finished here."

Gainor thanked him profusely and darted out the door. Ha.s.s closed up the shop and instructed Fia to go home.

"Tell your mother that I will be walking Adrie over to Governor Ralis's house."

Fia did as she was told, and Ha.s.s motioned for Adesina to follow him through the Square. The sun was setting and everyone was heading home for the day. Ravi walked sedately by Adesina's side, and she found herself reaching over to rest a hand on his back. She felt a strange sort of comfort from the contact. Ravi hummed softly as they pa.s.sed through the buildings and parks that led back home.

Gainor's house was just down the street from Ha.s.s's home. Its roof was pink, as were the curtains in the windows. Adesina detected a flurry of movement just beyond the curtains and the door opened to reveal Gainor and a woman who must have been her mother.

The young woman stepped forward in a rather formal manner. "Mother, this is my new friend, Adrie of the Northern Tribes. Adrie, this is my mother, Mistress Donia."

Mistress Donia and her daughter looked very much alike. Even though Mistress Donia looked older, she did not look old enough to have a daughter Gainor's age. The biggest difference was that the laughter in Gainor's eyes had turned to a steely glint in her mother's. Mistress Donia had the distinct look of a woman accustomed to being in control.

She gave Adesina a condescending nod and welcomed her into her home with a flourish of her hand. "Please, come in, Adrie. Master Ha.s.s, thank you for bringing your young charge."

Ha.s.s nodded with the same reluctant look on his face. "Is it just a family gathering?"

Donia gave a controlled smile. "And a few friends. Please give my regards to Mistress Jelana."

Ha.s.s took the hint and began to turn away. He briefly touched Adesina's elbow. "Do not stay out too late. You have school in the morning."

She was then herded into the house to meet the ominous group of people that ruined Ha.s.s's peace of mind. Ravi kept close to her side, but did not respond to anything going on around them. He acted as if he were oblivious to the dinner party.

Adesina was instantly met with a number of new faces. There were two girls with features strikingly similar to Gainor's, one of which was hanging on the arm of a disgruntled-looking young man and holding a baby that was perhaps a year old. Behind them were two elderly couples seated across from each other. A short, thin man hovered between them anxiously.

Mistress Donia began introductions with the obviously uneasy small man. "Adrie, my dear, that is my husband, Governor Ralis."

A sickly smile appeared on his face. "Welcome, young lady, welcome."

Next were the two couples sitting by Governor Ralis. "This is Governor Wadell and his wife, Mistress Caryl. And here is Governor Odinan and his wife, Mistress Hulda."

Each of them smiled and inclined their head when named. Donia then pointed to the young family and the sister standing next to them. "My eldest daughter, Maret, her husband, Palti, and their son, Mazal. And my other daughter, Isela."

Donia gestured to Adesina with a smug expression on her face. "This is Adrie of the Northern Tribes. A good friend of my daughter, Gainor."

Adesina understood why Ha.s.s had looked apprehensive. This whole dinner seemed to be a political hothouse, and Adrie was a young and innocent girl. Adesina, however, suppressed a smile at such an opportunity being presented so soon after entering the High City. She fixed her face with her most innocent expression and gave a polite bow to her new acquaintances.

Mistress Donia seated Adesina in a chair between the two Governors' wives. Ravi sat down next to her, his expression slightly amused at the situation, but otherwise unresponsive. The elderly women both leaned in to engage her in conversation. Mistress Caryl was first to speak.

"I am so pleased to meet you, Adrie, dear. A young face such as yours is like a fresh wind to my aging heart."

Mistress Hulda broke in. "Indeed, my dear. I am so happy to see one of the Northern Tribes. I have been honored to know several tribesmen over the years. They are such an openhearted people."

The two Governors sat back and watched the scene intently, allowing their wives to take point on these artful attacks. Adesina wasn't entirely sure why, but she had become an object of interest to these powerful figures.

Governor Ralis rocked back and forth as if unable to contain his agitation. The attempts at conversation were interrupted by Mistress Donia, who had enlisted the aid of her two younger daughters to usher the guests into the dining room and then serve the first course of the meal.

As Adesina took her seat she glanced to see if Ravi had followed them from the adjoining room. He sat in the doorway, watching them from a short distance. She inclined her head, silently asking him to come closer, but he merely shook his head and smiled. It was easier for him to observe from where he was currently positioned.

Adesina was again seated between Mistress Caryl and Mistress Hulda. Gainor looked a bit disappointed at this arrangement, but said nothing.

Mistress Donia and her daughters began pa.s.sing out cups of some sort of soup. Gainor handed Adesina her cup and gave an uncertain smile. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

She took the cup and nodded mildly. "Very much."

Gainor's smile widened to a grin. "I am glad!"

Adesina sipped her soup politely, saying very little. The two women next to her continued to fence verbally, each trying to gain an advantage in the eyes of their young companion. This was carried on until the main course was served.

Adesina hardly paid attention to the food placed in front of her. The conversation around the dinner table was so unlike anything she expected that she turned all of her focus on what was being said. The three Governors spoke so openly about matters of policy, recent issues that were causing problems, ideas of city improvement, and so forth, that Adesina was astonished. The running of the Shimat fortress had always been done strictly and silently. Those matters that could not be solved by the Sharifal alone involved only those who were necessary.

Adesina did her best to follow the conversation, but she was frequently addressed by the women sitting next to her, as well as Gainor and Mistress Donia.

"I cannot see how that is pertinent to our city, Ralis. If they do not wish to have a more open line of trade with usa"

Mistress Caryl touched Adesina on the arm. "You know, my dear, I really must introduce you to my niece. She has always had a fascination with carpentry. I am sure that you would be good friends."

Adesina forced a smile. "Yes, of course."

"Would it be improper of me to ask you to dinner some night? I mean, I know we have only just met, but I feel a strange sort of kinship for you."

"Yes, indeed!" broke in Mistress Hulda, "I feel exactly the same. Would you also honor us with a visit, my dear?"

The young Shimat gave a distracted nod. "If Master Ha.s.s and Mistress Jelana do not objecta"

Both ladies effused their a.s.surances that there could not possibly be any objections, and Adesina turned her attention back to the Governors.

"abut surely not! They live so far north they could not have so great an impact on our city."

"Besides, they have always made it very clear that they are neutral. They will not do anything to risk that standinga"

Gainor, who was sitting across the table from Adesina, leaned forward. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

This was the fourth time Gainor had asked this question. Adesina was careful to keep the irritation she felt out of her voice. She gave her usual answer, "Very much."

"Do not be a fool, Wadell. It will not come to that! War is something we all want to avoid!"

Adesina's eyes darted to the end of the table, where Governor Ralis sat wide-eyed and afraid. Governor Wadell looked slightly smug at this reaction. "Only the naive think otherwise, my friend."

Mistress Hulda beckoned for Adesina to lean closer. She whispered in her ear, "I hope that such talk does not worry you, my dear. I am sure you have great concern for you native home, the north."

The beginnings of a smile played at the corner of Adesina's lips. She replied in an equally low voice. "Yes, of course. It is, after all, my home."

Mistress Caryl sat forward. "What is that you are saying, my dear?"

Mistress Hulda straightened with a satisfied look on her face. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

Mistress Caryl looked uneasy at the expression on Mistress Hulda's face. She leaned in to have her own whispered conversation with Adesina. "You must be anxious for the north, child."

Adesina gave a small shake of the head. "Actually, the northerners were not very kind to my family. That is why I chose to come here to live."