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.So we used to have a secret, private letter drop at the old saddlemaker’s in the Street of the FourWinds.”Magda shrugged.“Why not? I suppose most children do that sort of thing at one time or another.”“Rafaella wasn’t a child, she was older than I—but, well, I thought it wonderful that an older girlwould play games with me.Rafi and I have always been— close.You know that.”“Indeed I do,” Magda said.The sympathy she felt was very real.As a Terran child, isolated amongDarkovans, she had always been an outsider.“But now we are not children, we are not even young girls, I am a grown woman with a child of myown, and Rafaella is older than you are! Why should she revert to this childish nonsense?”“Oh, Jaelle,” Magda said, “don’t worry so about it.Perhaps she wants to confide in you, or toassure herself that you are still close enough to her to do something silly and childish for her.A way of—re-establishing that old closeness.She doesn’t trust me not to come between you.”“And that is silly and childish,” Jaelle said, still looking pale and troubled.“We’re not children, anddoes she truly think she can come between freemates? I am ashamed of her, Magda.She can hardlywant me as a lover after all these years.But if she does not understand that I will always be her friend—then she is sillier than ever I thought her.”“Don’t worry,” Magda reassured her, “you’ll see, she simply has something she wants to tell youprivately.”“But she ought to know I always respect her confidences,” Jaelle fretted.“I am really afraid she’sgotten herself into trouble of some sort—”Magda shrugged.“I wouldn’t think so.If she felt free to leave the city and take all her horses, leavingpoor Keitha to borrow mine—”“What?”“Jaelle, didn’t you know?”“No, all day I have been recopying some old archives for Mother Lauria.The paper on which theyare written is disintegrating, because the ink they used in those days was so acid.They are only about ahundred years old, but they are falling to pieces.And I’ve nothing else to do here.So I’ve been shut upall day in the library—”Briefly, Magda told the story.“It’s really not like Rafi to be so thoughtless.What can she be thinking of?” Jaelle’s smooth foreheaddrew into lines of puzzlement.“I think I should go at once to the saddlemaker’s, Magda.”“Tonight? You’re out of your mind,” Magda said.“Listen to the rain and wind out there!” It soundedlike one of the summer gales which blow down through the pass from the Venza Mountains, strikingThendara with rain and high winds and sometimes, even in high summer, sleet or snow.Jaelle frowned,listening to the wind slamming the shutters against the windows.“Whatever it is, Rafi is out in it.” She pushed aside the untouched piece of nut-cake on her plate andwent toward the hall.Magda followed.“You can’t go out alone in this weather on some hen-brained notion of Rafaella’s—”Jaelle turned and caught her arm.“Come with me, then.I have a feeling that this may mean trouble,Magda—more trouble than Rafaella being jealous or wanting to play girl’s games.”With a sigh of resignation, Magda nodded, and caught up the cloak she had so painstakingly dried.Camilla appeared in the hallway behind them.“Going out? In this weather? Are you both quite mad?”Jaelle told her what had happened.Her face was pale and drawn.“Camilla, come with us.You are Rafi’s friend too.”“As much as she will allow,” Camilla said.Sighing, she took down a battered old cape.“Let’s go.”Wind and rain slammed into the hall as the three women went out into the night.CHAPTER SEVEN«^»The rain poured down as the three women walked swiftly toward the marketplace.Magda was angry atherself for having allowed the hostilities between them to go on for so long.Jaelle’s small triangular facewas hidden under her hood, but it seemed to Magda that she could see pale anger there.Camilla strode beside them, gaunt and silent, and the rain sloshed in puddles under their feet andflapped their capes around their faces.The marketplace was empty, pools of icy water making aminiature landscape of lakes and small rocky shores.Stalls, tightly locked and boarded, rose like islandsover those shores.“She’s not here.The saddlemaker’s stall is closed,” Camilla said.“Come home, Jaelle, there’snothing that can’t wait till tomorrow.”“I know where the saddlemaker lives.” Jaelle spun abruptly on her heel, heading toward a dark sidestreet.Camilla and Magda exchanged a single despairing glance and followed her.Magda felt she would like to shake Rafaella until her teeth rattled.She was also angry at Jaelle, whowas for catering to Rafaella by tearing off into the Old Town at this godforgotten hour.The wind was icy, even through their capes, striking hard down the back of her neck.Magda spareda thought for Keitha, riding outside the city.But Keitha would be warm inside a house, with a good firethey would build up for heating water.Magda had never had the slightest wish to be a Medic or even aRenunciate midwife, but at least tonight Keitha knew where she was going and why and what she wasgoing to do when she got there.And that was more than the others knew.Jaelle stopped before a small weatherbeaten house, spoke briefly to someone who came to answerthe bell, and after a time, a fattish old woman came to the door.“Why, it’s our little Jaelle, and all grown up, aren’t you? Yes, your partner left you a letter, and Ibrought it home here, afraid, I was, someone would put it away somewheres I couldn’t find it.Now,dear me, where’d I leave it?” The woman dug in several of her capacious pockets like an owl trimmingher feathers, hunching herself and digging about.“Ah, here we are—no, that’s an order for Lady D’Amato’s saddle.This—ah, yes, here you are, chiya , won’t you come in, and your friends too, and havesome sweet cakes and cider by my fireside, like you used to?”She held out a somewhat grimy fold of paper, sealed with a colored wafer.“No, I thank you, I must try and catch up with Rafi before she is too far out of the city,” Jaelle said,and turned away, her mouth set into a grim line.Magda could see her scanning the letter’s front, but itwas too dark to see or read.“Here.” Camilla seized Jaelle’s shoulder, steered her toward the spill of light from the open door of awineshop on the corner.The place was humming with talk, crowded with mercenary soldiers andGuardsmen, but though some greeted Camilla with a nod and a word or two, none of them attempted tohinder the tall emmasca as she led her friends to a table at the rear.A thick-bodied lamp was swingingover the table.Camilla quieted Jaelle’s attempt at protest with a word.“They know me here.No one will bother us.Sit down and read your letter, Shaya.” She jerked herhead at the round-bodied woman who hurried toward them.“Just wine punch, and privacy at this table,Chella.” Camilla flung a coin on the table, and as the woman scurried off to obey her, said deliberately toMagda, “She’s not much now, but you should have seen her ten years ago.Skin like rich cream, and thesoftest neck I ever tried to bite
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