His cajolery made her smile and sniff, and brash away her tears.
"But I can't do anything to help…"
"That's all right.I'm fine.I just don't know what I'm doing." He imbued the complaint with as much humour as he could.Then he left her with more soup, and took his and the klah up to the cockpit.
The night was clear and very cold.But the wind picked up, blowing almost steadily from the south, and that, he felt, was to their advantage.Surely, if they got close enough to Tillek, there'd be fishing ships out on a night like this.Or maybe even someone looking for them?
"No, you two got yourself into this.You can get yourself out of this," he told himself firmly and dragged the bad-weather gear more tightly about his body, trying to keep warm."Got yourself in, get yourself out." He turned the cadence into a chant, rocking from side to side, which eased the numbness in his buttocks.The chant went to his feet, and he stamped them in turn.And he sang and stamped and rocked and thumped the tiller bar with his hands, inventing new rhythms, and altogether enjoying the activity when he suddenly realized that something was coming out of the darkness ahead of him, large and white, and someone was yelling.
"Sloop ahoy!"
"Shards, what do I do now?Steer starboard, right, starboard!" he yelled at the white shape bearing down on him.As hard as he could, he pushed the tiller over and nearly clouted himself in the head as the boom swung past.
They were rescued by the schooner Wave Rider.Two sturdy fish-men lifted Kasia aboard to other willing hands.Robinton managed to climb the rope ladder, awkward with fatigue and stiff joints.
With the little sloop tied on behind, Wave Rider swung round and headed back to Tillek Hold, her mission complete.A glowbasket was hung from the top of the mast to let other ships know that the lost had been found.
The second mate, Lissala, who was also Captain Idarolan's wife, tended to Kasia while Idarolan did similar services for Robinton, remarking on how a mere harper had managed so well.
"Kasia told me what to do," he protested between spoonfuls of a hearty fish stew, bobbing with root vegetables which had never tasted so good, and bread which had been fresh the day before when the search parties were organized to locate the missing and long-overdue sloop.
"Aye, Harper, but it was you doing it."
"She'll be fine now," Lissala said, returning and slipping into a seat opposite Robinton."Wise of you to be sure she drank so much.
No frostbite, but…" She sharply looked at his discolored fingers.
Startled, because without his hands he was nothing, he held them both out to her and felt the pinch she gave the tips."No, they're all right, but another coupla hours out in that? ' she nodded her head to indicate the cold night "? and it might've been different.But we've got you safe and snug aboard." She reached round for a cup and poured klah, holding the pot up and looking enquiringly at Robinton, who shook his head.
"Where were we when you found us?" Robinton asked.
Idarolan chuckled, rubbing his chin."Halfway up the coast from Fort.You'd've done better to go to port.You weren't that far from a fish-hold."
Robinton groaned, but then reminded himself that they'd had no idea at all where the storm had blown them.
"Kasia told me right, starboard," he said, gesturing with the appropriate arm.
"Not to worry.We have you now." Then, as Robinton could not suppress an immense yawn, one part relief, one part being warm, and the other total fatigue, Idarolan added, "Come, man, I'll bed you down."
"Where's Kasia?" Robinton asked, looking up and down the passageway.
"In there," the captain said, indicating a door they were passing by."You're in here." He opened another door across the way and slid the little glowbasket open."Take the lower bunk.Ellic's on this watch."
Robinton wondered how long "this watch' was before he'd have to leave the bunk, but as soon as he laid himself down, he lost hold of the question and never heard the answer.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Clostan went over both of them thoroughly.Kasia had recovered some of her normal colour and strength by the time they docked at Tillek, where relieved folk helped them on to the wharf and up to the Hold.Lissala supported Kasia on one side and Robinton on the other, though Robinton wanted to carry Kasia and spare her the walk.
"You can barely carry yourself yet, man," said Idarolan.
Robinton had to admit that he was shaky on his feet.He was only too glad to follow Clostan, who met them at the Hold door and swooped Kasia up in his arms to carry her down to the infirmary.
By then the Lord and Lady Holder had learned of their safe return and hurried to the infirmary too.Juvana hovered anxiously over her sister and Melongel frowned, having clearly been very worried.
"You've both had quite an ordeal," Clostan said with a deep sigh.
Kasia coughed politely into her hand, and the healer scowled."I'll fix a soothing draught to ease that right smart.But neither of you is to do anything for the next three days.I'll go over you again then."
Juvana insisted they stay in one of the low-level guest apartments.
Their own level was cold, being too far from the source of heat with which the Ancients had warmed the Hold, and they needed the warmth of hearth-heated rooms.Indeed, Robinton couldn't seem to heat the cold out of his bones and was drawn to
the fire like a forest insect.Following Clostan's orders they rested in bed a full day, Juvana keeping hot water-bottles in a row under the furs, causing Robinton to complain that his feet were fine, it was the rest of him that wasn't warm.
Mostly Kasia slept, not even rousing when she coughed.Rob dosed fitfully, waking briefly every time she coughed.He woke once to find himself beating out the cadence of "Got in, get out…" And another time from a nightmare where he couldn't hear her or see her in the mist which blanketed him.He knew she was calling and he kept trying to answer, but his jaws were frozen stuck.
Captain Gostol came in, apologetic that he had left a search almost too long.
"Kasia's knowledgeable about the sea and little ships.And you two finally having a chance to be alone for the first time…That storm only reached us late the other night, which is when we began to get concerned with you being overdue back in the harbour." He kept turning his sea cap in his hands, working round and round on the brim.
"I did what Kasia told me," Robinton murmured, refusing to take much credit."You should have seen her handling the sloop in that storm, though.You' d' ve been proud of her.As I am." He patted her leg under the furs, and she smiled wanly up at him.
"You got us home," she said, just the hint of a sparkle back in her eyes.
Then she coughed, a funny dry hack that Clostan's potion didn't seem to ease.
If the healer was concerned about the way the cough hung on, he made no mention of it to Robinton.And soon they were well enough to go back to their own quarters.Juvana had put braziers in both rooms, to take the chill off.The black rock burned hotly, but with a smell and an acrid smoke which sometimes irritated Kasia's cough.Rob suggested returning to the warmer, lower level, but she said she wanted to be in the place they had fixed for themselves, with all their own things.And anyway, she added, they would both be spending much of their time in the warmer schoolrooms when they resumed their duties the following seven-day.
Clostan became very busy as the unnaturally cold weather brought him many coughs and colds, running noses and fevers.He continued to check up on Kasia, but she kept insisting that she felt fine.
"Except for the cough," Robinton added, chiding her for not mentioning it.
"It's only now and then, Rob," she said. Her listlessness still worried him.She seemed so tired by evening that she would fall asleep in his arms.He didn't mind; she felt so good against him, and he felt so protective of his lovely green-eyed spouse.