THREE SISTERS Chapter 5
Guengerthlon Nadesti looked much the same as she had six years earlier. More lined, perhaps - and a little more bent over, but her eyes were alert as ever, and she had all her wits about her.
The woman beside her was in her late 20s or early 30s, if I had to guess. She had dark brown hair, and light blue eyes. Her face was broad. At some point, her nose had been badly broken, and had not set correctly.
I didn't know her, but she was the first attractive woman I had seen in six years, so I may have stared a moment longer than I should have, before returning my attention to the mother of the men I had killed.
- "Veran Hammerfist." she said, softly.
I shook my head. "No longer. It's Veran One-Eye, now."
- "So I see."
She fell silent. As for me, I had nothing to say. Nothing useful, that is.
'May we hide here? There are bad men pursuing us.'
That was hardly likely to win her over.
I'm sorry I killed your sons.
Not the best opener, either - especially because it wasn't true. Lanko deserved his fate. Dengel chose to fight me. My only regret about their deaths was that they led to the disaster which engulfed
my
family as well as theirs.
- "Where did you go, these past years?" she said. "Why are you here, now?"
- "We've been north of the Three Sisters." I said. "We lived with Moruith and her son, Inisian. But a few days ago, a band of warriors came into the area."
"They were led by Kestutis. Bacho's son."
- "Ah."
That word hung between us for a time. I didn't know how to answer it. This conversation - this silence, rather - had the feel of a twig floating downstream. It was slipping away from me.
- "May
we
have a word, Mother Nadesti?" said Tanguiste.
The old lady raised an already-high eyebrow. It was not customary - or polite - for a 14 year-old to interrupt her elders. In my daughter's defence, I suppose, those elders weren't doing much talking.
Guen Nadesti must have come to the same conclusion. She studied Tan's face for a moment, and then nodded.
- "Why not? These
are
unusual circumstances. Unusual times. Go ahead, girl."
- "Could we speak
without
our father present?" asked Tanguiste.
I turned my head to look at her. What was this? I frowned at her, but Tan ignored me.
- "Hmm." said the old lady. She looked at me once more. I'm quite sure she could tell, from the expression on my face, that this hadn't been rehearsed between us.
"Do you have anything else to say, Veran?" she asked.
- "No - not at the moment." I said.
- "Then ... if you will ... your daughters wish to speak with me. You can wait outside."
There was nothing for it, but to get up and leave.
A dozen people were there, waiting outside the house. Most quickly found something to do, to show that they hadn't been simply waiting to see what would happen.
Most of them were women. There was an old man, and two adolescents. Only one of the women held a baby.
Moruith and Inisian were there, too. Someone had provided them with food and drink. I walked over to stand beside them.
- "What happened?" asked Moruith.
- "I don't rightly know." I said. "Tanguiste asked to speak with the old woman."
- "Ah." she said.
At that point, the young redhead - the male - approached.
- "Are you hungry? Thirsty?" he asked.
- "I am." I admitted.
He brought me a bowl of stew - mutton, from the look of it - and a cup of water from a bucket next to their well. I wasn't sure how the water would taste, after the mountain springs I had become accustomed to at Moruith's place. If these people drank water so close to a swamp, and to the river, they must be prone to fluxes.
- "Thank you, ..."
- "Weyl." said the young man.
- "My name is Veran." I said, automatically.
- "I know." he said. Then he walked away.
- "Your name isn't exactly opening doors here, One-Eye." said Moruith.
- "You know why." I said.
- "I know, too." said Inisian. "But ... surely they could use our help."
- "
Our
help?" said his mother.
- "There aren't many men about. If those reivers find this place ... "
- "That's a good point, lad." I said. And if I had been thinking properly, I could have said as much to Guen Nadesti when I had the chance. Would that have swayed her?
If she had her heart set on vengeance, or if she had sworn an oath ... then there was nothing I could say or do to change her mind - just as I couldn't imagine a world in which I would give up my vengeance against Bacho and his son.
- "I'll stand with you, Veran." said Inisian. "No matter what the old woman decides."
I put my good hand on the lad's shoulder, and squeezed. I would have been proud if my son Iarn had turned out like this young man - but I couldn't tell Inisian now, because it would only make him feel even more obligated. That was not my intent.
We waited for quite a while. Moruith had the good sense to keep her peace, and leave me to my thoughts.
Yevna and Guenna came out of the house, followed by Tanguiste. They came over to join us. I was too impatient - and when they didn't immediately say anything, I had to ask.
- "Well?"
- "Well what?" said Guenna.
- "What happened? What did you say to her? What did
she
say?"