Hatter (2 page)

“If ye move, she falls!” Graybear was yelling, though a whisper could have been heard. He held his sword toward Chism.

Saya noticed something below her and looked down at the drop of more than twenty-five paces. Luckily all of Graybear’s attention was on Chism.

Don’t give it away too soon, silly girl.

Chism planted the spear tip on the floor and started whittling the other end with his knife. “It’s a shame I had to leave my uniform in camp, or you’d see by the Circle and the Sword that I represent King Antion. Unfortunately, negotiation isn’t my specialty.”

His knife made a scraping sound on the hard wood of the spear handle.

Swihp, swihp, swihp.

“I’ll free the girl if ye promise safe passage to the Domain.”

Chism shook his head. “Here’s my offer: the girl goes free and you die on this spear.”

“If I die, she dies! And what will yeer Elite Captain say when ye tell him the girl could not be saved?”

This was why Chism hated negotiating. It never led anywhere.

Swihp, swihp, swihp.

The foolish girl continued to peek at the ground, but Graybear had forgotten about her. If she moved carefully she could easily inch back to the tower and dive to safety. But the stress of the ordeal held her frozen in place.

Not much longer, Child.
The
child
was only five years younger than him.

Chism yearned to pierce Graybear’s heart, but focused on carving as an outlet. Blood from the patch of missing hair trickled in front of his ear and onto his bare chest, but he paid it no mind. Anger was all he felt.

When a rough likeness of the Circle and the Sword emerged from the grain of the wood at the round end of the spear, Chism felt enough time had passed.

“This is the last time.”

He walked toward Graybear, who stepped off the plank, sending Saya plummeting. The girl’s shriek was joined by a woman’s horrified squeal from below.

Graybear attacked. Chism blocked two sloppy strokes then ran him through. He held onto the end of the spear and felt his anger bleed out along with Graybear’s lifeblood.

Released from his rage, Chism peered over the parapet wall. Saya and her parents clung to each other at the top of a large pile of straw and quilts. The duke and duchess had built an impressive mattress in the short time.

Careful of the people below, Chism broke the rough-carved Circle and Sword off the end of the spear and dropped it over the parapet. The boy anxiously retrieved it, then smiled and waved up at Chism.

A rare smile softened Chism’s face.

Chapter 2

Purpleful

Hatta walked into the town of Shey’s Orchard at the time in the morning when it’s impossible to tell the difference between what the eyes see and what the mind perceives. For him, it was little different than any other time of day.

Change was uncomfortable, agonizing sometimes, but he couldn’t stay in Frenala. And T’lai wasn’t an option after his brother left.

The rhythmic sound of gravel distracted him from what lay ahead in the new town.

Crunch, crunch. Crunch, crunch.

A merchant startled him with a casual ‘good morning’. Hatta smiled genially, nodded, and pulled the brim of his traveling hat down. By the time it returned to its natural position he was past the store.

The inn was easy to find. Even an illiterate could recognize the sign with a bed and dinner bowl.

A stocky man was dusting an oak shelf in the front room and whistling when Hatta slipped in. The tune was
Dipping Dipping Caterwauler,
and Hatta sang along softly. The man didn’t notice until Hatta broke into a pleasant harmony.

“Well hello then. I didn’t hear you come in.”

“And thanks be for that,” said Hatta, “or you may have stopped the whistle sooner.”

“I’m Tellef.”

“Hatta, Sir, and pleased to be meeting you.” He smiled briefly. “I’ll be in need of a room and some boarding please.”

“You won’t find finer lodging anywhere in Shey’s Orchard.” The stocky man chuckled and smiled warmly. “Of course, this being the only inn, you’re unlikely to find poorer lodging either.”

What a delightful man to meet as his first friend in a new town!

A young man entered carrying firewood under both arms.
Eighteen?
wondered Hatta.
Nineteen?
A couple years younger than Hatta, in any case. With a strong underbite he had a surly look, like a bulldog with the countenance to match.

“Brune, make sure the first room upstairs is ready for our guest before you bring in the rest of the tinder.”

Brune nodded, then oomphed as he dropped the wood into a rack. He looked over Hatta with open derision.

“How do?” Hatta asked. He started to extend his hand but drew it back. Brune’s scrutiny made his feet want to squirm and he stared at them so they’d remain still.

His purple boots always made him smile. What was more wonderful than purple leather? The color complemented his double-thick, blue cotton pants. Not many people wore blue clothes, or purple for that matter. Hatta’s garish clothing usually put people in an easy mood. The extra attention it drew was offset by the positive response. And he was always dressed well enough for occasions of any formality.

But he had no idea how to charm people who despised him from the first glance. Luckily, when he looked up from his boots the boor was gone.

“How long will you be staying?” asked the innkeep.

“Longer than a short visit and shorter than a long time.” His smile came more naturally now that it was just him and his friend. From a pocket inside his maroon coat he took out approximately half his coins. “Will this cover until I find a more permanent domicile?” The coins were mostly coppers, but there were a few silvers as well.

“With coin to spare. I’ll see that what’s left over is returned when you leave.”

“And perchance would you know of work to be had? I’m an assiduous worker. It means I work hard.” Another smile so the innkeep didn’t think him supercilious.

“If that’s the case you’ve arrived at a fortunate time. Aker’s daughter is to be married tomorrow and he’ll need someone to replace her in the mirror shop.” The innkeep told him where to find the mirror maker.

“I’m obliged for the advice. By your leave I’ll get settled then.”

Before returning to his dusting, Tellef said, “It’s a pleasure having such a fine lad in Shey’s Orchard. I’m at your order.”

When Hatta reached the top of the stairs, Brune was closing the door to the first room. “So are you supposed to be some kind of minstrel or traveling jester?” Brune demanded, looking over his attire with obvious disdain.

“No,” answered Hatta, feeling tense. If there was an introduction he could give that might befriend Brune, Hatta didn’t know it.

Brune didn’t speak, just continued to stare, so Hatta added, “I care for colors quite a bit.”

Hatta stepped aside as Brune stalked past muttering under his breath, “This tweedle has coin to travel the kingdom while I’m stuck here…”

Finally in his room, Hatta was able to relax. The innkeep’s confrontational helper would make his stay uncomfortable, but there weren’t any other options in Shey’s Orchard. He situated his bag at the foot of the cot then sat down on the floor with his legs crossed.

“
My fancy gave her eyes of blue,

A curly, auburn head;

I came to find the blue a green

The auburn turned to red.”

The verse cleared his road weariness and buoyed his spirits. After reciting a few others, Hatta sprang to his feet and retrieved his green-checkered town hat. As opposed to his purple traveling hat with the turtle shell pattern, the town hat was more stable – more suited to spending some time in a single place. Setting it just right, Hatta ventured into the awakening town.

As with other small towns, people greeted him warmly enough. Most either raised an eyebrow or stared openly after he passed. No one was aggressive or demeaning and the street was a little brighter in his wake. On the second street he found a group of children playing with a kickround. Hatta joined in naturally and helped each team score points before seeking out Master Aker. Once he had some sort of income he could focus on creating again.

The mirror shop’s doors were closed, but the adjacent house was bustling. One woman, carrying dark blue flowers, passed without acknowledging him. Hatta didn’t want to interrupt, so he followed her into the house.

In the modest home the activity centered on a young lady in a white dress. The lack of color did not appeal to Hatta, but she looked absolutely radiant. In contrast to the bright red ribbon in her hair, she wore a similar, but faded, ribbon around her wrist. Women surrounded her, trying various flowers in her hair and around her neck. A man in the far corner noticed him and approached.

Before the man could speak, Hatta said, “That’s the only exquisite shade of white I’ve seen. I prefer bright colors, but the person who made that fabric is quite an artist. What would it be?”

“It’s linen. Are you a tailor?” The man inspected Hatta’s attire without openly staring.

“No, but I care for artistry in any form.”

“Yes, I see that. I don’t recognize you; are you here to help with the preparations for the wedding?”

For a moment Hatta forgot why he was in the man’s house. “No I, I just arrived in town. I’m pleased to introduce myself. Hatta.” He smiled and made a half bow.

The man appeared perplexed, which set Hatta at ease.
At least I’m not the only one.

“My name’s Aker, I’m the—”

“Yes of course! Master Aker, mirror maker. Rhyming helps me remember, but doesn’t always work.”

An almost imperceptible smile showed on Master Aker’s face.

“I’m a very hard worker and I learn quickly. I have seventeen skills, but mirror making isn’t one of them.”

“If you’re asking for work, that’s an odd way to do it.”

Hatta was sure he’d already mentioned employment. “Yes, I am. Asking for employment, that is. Not odd. The innkeep with the wooden shelf mentioned your daughter’s wedding and so forth, and so forth. Telf, or Tellef. Yes, that was his name.”

Master Aker’s smile widened. With a nervous glance at the women, he whispered, “I’ve sworn to not even talk about the shop for the next two days, but come by the day after. I’ll give you work for at least a couple days until I see what you can do.”

“I’ll be very appreciative and you’ll be undisappointed. Or delighted, I should say.”

He extended his hand and was relieved when Master Aker accepted his grasp.

Hatta spent the rest of the daylight getting to know the town. He introduced himself to the most approachable people and smiled and tipped his town hat to the rest. The bakers, Coles and Hettie—
rolls
and
bready
to remember them—provided a warm lunch and more information than he could ever remember. If he tried to recall half of what they told him it would just come out jumbled.

Other than the bakers’ names, Hatta tried to absorb three things. Tjaden jousted Jabberwocky. Talex’s tools are only for fools. And stay far away from bandersnatches; two had been seen near town over the last year or so. He shouldn’t need a trick to remember that one.

By the time Hatta returned to the inn, the sun had set and the air turned chilly. He could see his breath in the air and stood outside studying it. The ability to produce mist with something as simple as breath had always fascinated him. When he breathed on his fingers he half expected them to freeze in the frosty breath, but it was surprisingly warm. He picked up a twig and tried freezing it, but the wood remained supple. Another puzzle to figure out.

As he reached for the door a bout of laughter erupted inside the inn.
It must be a popular place on these nippy evenings.

It wasn’t just busy, it was overflowing. Hatta barely had room to enter. The handful of tables were crowded, and twice as many men stood as sat. The room was warm, though no fire was lit. In front of the empty fireplace stood two young men, a couple years younger than Hatta.

The shorter one had an arm around his stout, blushing friend and a bow over his shoulder with the string across his chest. He seemed not to notice the large weapon. The story he told about his companion’s soldier training had the attention of the whole room.

Hatta excused himself quietly through the throng, pondering on how underutilized hats were in Shey’s Orchard. He had almost reached the safety of the stairs when the innkeep with the shelf—Tellef, that was it—put his arm around him.

“Won’t you join us, Hatta? Tjaden’s the lad I said was to be married and we could use more help celebrating.”

“I’m obliged for the invitation, but if it’s no trouble I’ll just go up to my room.”