The Huntsman's Hope Book 4 (draft )

the whispering woods

Once they arrived at his new shop, Rieth began to build a fire.

"Have you found her, my lord?" Paulos asked quietly in Xelusian.

Rieth wrote in Xelusian, 'We were sitting with her, but she doesn't know me or of her past.'

"She looks so different. What do you require of us?" Paulos' eyes were intense with his loyalty. To a Xelusian of the old kingdom, a blood debt was a lifelong commitment and Rieth had spent decades among the Xelusians and old Kingdom Aetherians rekindling alliances.

′Her appearance and her memories were altered by magic. The Princess is going to try to come here when the portals open to see if she can be healed. If not, I may bring her with me to Olympia or Dauntless and spend the rest of my life as this glamor.′

Paulos read the words, bowed his head, "Your talent would not be wasted. My brother and our guild brothers are at your service, my lord."

Rieth nodded then whispered, "Paulos, you must never call me my lord, I am just Rieth the woodsmith, now. We are acting against the King's own wishes by seeking the Blind Oracle."

The lanky lumberman grinned at him, "So, we're traitors to the crowns again for following our own hearts. When has that ever stopped you, huntsman?"

Rieth laughed silently, shaking his head. "Not often," murmuring as he crumpled the paper and threw it into the fire.

Paulos pulled a flagon of Xelusian distilled spirits out and Rieth got them each a cup. The Xelusians had taken to producing the alcohol of the humans with a natural talent born from generations of potion making.

"A toast, to the Blind Oracle, may she be restored... and to my great-great-great grandnieces and grandnephews, may they have long lives as free citizens." They both gulped a burning swallow then Paulos added, "If you hadn't saved our sister on the Tear, Holtos and I wouldn't have the family we have now. Our blood and our loyalty are yours, my..." He paused at Rieth's stern look, then finished, "My friend."

*^*^*^*^*^

Fleur arrived early with Nevin and Bolton carrying a bed-frame, new mattress, and box of dishes to supplement the few Rieth had been given. Vela had sent a hearty breakfast for Rieth. The innkeeper and butcher left to visit another shopkeeper, leaving Rieth and Fleur to deal with the cleaning and unpacking. Rieth would never have believed a blind woman could clean a room to perfection. After Fleur polished the front window, Rieth fitted thin shelves into the frame to display his small carvings.

Banth and another old timer had shown up and were sitting on the porch in the sun, talking about the coming harvest and the weather. Yuli and Nick came by with a message for Fleur and lunch for them all from Vela. Her meeting with the mayor's council about the school was put off a week. She had muttered a few words of profanity in one of the human languages, then had gone back to polishing the second front window with such vehemence Rieth was afraid the glass would break. Yuli stayed after Nick left.

Rieth caught her hand and took the cloth, on her inner wrist he tapped, 'You're going to scrub the glass off the window.' It made her laugh. 'Here, put these out. Carvings in the window, samples on the table.' He gave her one of the boxes of his samples and knickknacks.

Yuli came downstairs. "I finished cleaning out the cabinets and putting up the kitchen stuff. Whomever lived here before liked feeding the mice."

As she started putting different carved shapes on the narrow shelves, Fleur turned her head in Rieth's direction, "Do you want to keep Fishlover over for a few days?" He had woke with Fish on his feet this morning.