Ezak rapped gently, careful to keep his knuckles well clear of the ash.
“Who is it?” Dorna’s voice called.
“Ezak of Ethshar.”
“Just a moment.”
Kel wished that Ezak had mentioned that he was there, too; he didn’t want to startle anyone. He didn’t want to call out himself, though, so he waited silently.
When Dorna opened the door she didn’t seem surprised to see him there behind his friend. “Good morning! Come in, both of you,” she said, swinging the door wide and moving aside to make room.
Ezak smiled and stepped into the house, with Kel following a step or two behind, but then he stopped so abruptly that Kel bumped into him, knocking him another step forward. Kel looked up at Ezak, startled. Ezak was staring at the room they had just entered. Kel looked around to see what had surprised him.
The room was large, taking up perhaps half the ground floor of the house, large enough that it needed two pillars to help support the ceiling, but Kel didn’t think that was so very remarkable. There were two couches, and four armchairs, all upholstered in dark red; there were a few tables of various heights and sizes. The plank floor was mostly covered with an assortment of rugs, and the windows all had dark red drapes, which Kel supposed must be somewhat unusual out here in the country. The walls were largely hidden by shelves full of…full of things.
That must be what Ezak was staring at, Kel realized-the things on the shelves. And standing in the corners. And hanging from the ceiling on wires. Kel had no idea what the things were, though. They were a variety of colors, and came in thousand different shapes and sizes-the ones in the corners were there because they were too big to fit on any shelf, while others were so tiny they were stored in jars. Most of them were shiny, to one degree or another. Some were completely featureless, while others were covered with peculiar decorations and protrusions. None of them were familiar. The room smelled of oil, metal, and some spice Kel could not identify.
“Nabal…Nabal did well for himself, I see,” Ezak said, a little hoarsely.
“Yes, he did,” Dorna said, glancing around at the mysterious objects. “There are rather a lot of them, aren’t there?”
Kel wanted to ask what they were talking about, but he resisted. That was the sort of question that could get him in trouble. He did not want to ruin Ezak’s scheme, whatever it was.
“Yes,” Ezak said.
“What brings you here this morning?” Dorna asked.
It took a moment for Ezak to tear his gaze from the shelves and reply, a delay long enough that Kel almost said something himself. He was deterred, though, by not knowing what to say-why had they come?
“Oh, we just wanted to offer our condolences, and to ask once more whether there is anything we can do to aid you in your time of sorrow.”
“Ah,” Dorna said. “As a matter of fact, I’ve been thinking about your offer.”
Ezak swallowed. “Oh?”
“I don’t think I need any advice; I can make up my own mind on most matters. If you really just want to be helpful, though-well, as you can see, my husband had a good many talismans. With Nabal gone, I don’t think I want to stay here in the village; this was always more his home than mine, it isn’t where I grew up, and everything here reminds me of him. I don’t see any point in returning to my home village, either-my family there has all died or moved away, and after more than thirty years I doubt anyone else there even remembers me. I thought I might go to Ethshar of the Sands, instead, and buy myself a little tea shop there to keep myself busy. I’m very fond of tea. I can sell some of Nabal’s magic to other sorcerers there to pay for it-there really isn’t anyone around here who could buy them, but in Ethshar there are dozens of sorcerers. The thing is, all these talismans are a lot to move, and a woman traveling alone with valuables is at risk. If you really want to be helpful, perhaps you could assist me in transporting them, and accompany me to the city?” She smiled, and Kel reconsidered his opinion of her appearance-when she smiled, she was much prettier than he had realized.
“We’d be delighted to give you a hand,” Ezak said, smiling back at her.
Kel didn’t say anything. Carrying all that stuff looked like a lot of work, but at least it wasn’t something that would get him in trouble. He wished Ezak would ask about maybe getting paid for it, though.
“How were you planning to move it all?” Ezak asked.
“Oh, I’ll be buying a wagon,” Dorna said.
“Ah,” Ezak said, looking around.
“A large wagon,” Dorna added.
“Indeed. I wonder whether perhaps dear Nabal had any sorcerous devices that might assist us in the task of moving-magical transport of some sort, or lifting devices? Perhaps I could take a look…?”
Dorna shook her head. “I think we’ll do fine with our hands and an ordinary wagon.”
Ezak bowed. “As you please.” He smiled. “When will the wagon be available?”
She smiled again. “You seem very eager to get started.”
“Ah, no! I am in no hurry, my dear. I merely wish to know how soon we must bid the delightful Irien farewell.”
The smile vanished. “You know, she’s the one thing here I think I’ll miss. To the other villagers I was always the sorcerer’s wife, someone to be honored and feared, someone you spent as little time with as possible. Irien, though…” She sighed. “Irien was my friend.”
“Maybe she could come with you,” Kel suggested.
Dorna blinked, startled, though Kel wasn’t sure whether she was startled by the idea of Irien accompanying her, or the fact that Kel had spoken for the first time that morning.
“I’m sure she’d rather stay here,” Ezak said, throwing Kel a dirty look. “After all, what would an innkeeper do without her inn? She can hardly bring it with her!”
“Maybe there’s some magic that would let her bring it?” Kel ventured.
Dorna laughed. “Not that I know,” she said.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Kel,” Ezak said. “Poor Nabal was the sorcerer here, and he’s gone. There aren’t any magicians left.”
“Well, you’re here,” Dorna pointed out, aiming a thumb at Ezak.
“Yes, of course,” Ezak said hastily. “I meant any other magicians. I’m afraid my modest skills are completely inadequate to the task of moving an inn. Besides, where would she put it? The streets of Ethshar of the Sands are full!”
Kel had no answer to that. Ezak was obviously right; in fact, the more Kel thought about it, the more foolish his suggestion seemed. Dorna was smiling at him, but at least she wasn’t laughing outright. He ducked his head and looked around the room rather than meeting her eyes.
There really were a lot of things on the shelves, Kel thought. Were they all magic? If they were, that was a lot of sorcery. Even if Ezak did steal some of it, Dorna would still have plenty left, Kel told himself.
“I don’t think Irien would want to bring her inn,” Dorna said thoughtfully, “but she might want to come along all the same, if only to visit the city for a few days.”
“Can she really afford to abandon her livelihood for that long?” Ezak asked.
“Oh, I’m sure something can be arranged.” The sorcerer’s widow considered for a moment, then said, “If you would excuse me, I believe I’ll go speak to her right now. I hope you’ll forgive me if I cut your visit short?”
“Oh, of course, of course!” Ezak forced a grin. “We’ll get out of your way. Just let us know when we can be of service.”
“You can walk with me to the inn, if you like.”
Ezak bowed. “We would be honored.”