“The same.” Mistress Sirka rubbed more ointment on her bumps.
“Too bad we don’t have a real physician.” Ludda-bee went to the corner where the tabletop and trestles were stowed. “Someone, help me.”
It was best to do Ludda-bee’s bidding. Goodman Dror, Ursa-bee, and the bees who were searching the great hall hurried to her. They began to assemble the table in its usual spot, not far from where the high brunka lay and near Master Uwald and Master Robbie, who had just dropped their arms from their hug.
“Son . . .” Master Uwald coughed wetly, a tearful cough. “It’s right that I go. Tuomo suffers from not knowing his sons’ fate. Our laborers need me. Nockess Farm needs me.”
“Master Uwald’s the proper one to go.” Ludda-bee set a trestle in place. “But he should eat something first. Johan, put down those weapons. You look ridiculous. You can help with the table if you don’t trip over yourself.”
Johan-bee smiled or bared his teeth, Elodie wasn’t sure which. In one smooth movement, he nocked his longbow and aimed it at Ludda-bee.
Lambs and calves!
In a mock frightened voice Ludda-bee cried, “Oh, don’t shoot me.” She shook the trestle and made it rattle. “See how afraid I am.”
He’ll kill her! Elodie thought. “Don’t do—”
Ursa-bee cried, “Johan, you—”
“Johan-bee,” Master Uwald said silkily, “remember? We talked about this. Ludda-bee speaks harshly sometimes, but you rise—”
“I tell the truth!” Ludda-bee said. “Everyone needs to hear the truth.”
Johan-bee lowered the bow.
“Now help me.” Ludda-bee picked up one end of another trestle. “Stop playing the fool.”
“I’m guarding to keep people from leaving.”
Ludda-bee opened her mouth for a rejoinder, which might have gotten her shot, but Master Robbie spoke first.
“Master Uwald”—he’d reverted to the term he found more congenial—“if you leave, I won’t go with you when you return. High Brunka Marya told me I could live here.”
Master Uwald shook his head as if unsure of what he’d heard. “Who . . . what?”
“If you stay now, I’ll go with you later.”
“Son, Marya wants to imprison me, all of us.”
Ah. That’s the crux of it, Elodie thought. He isn’t a thief. He just can’t bear losing his freedom.
The bees finished setting up the table and placing the benches. Deeter-bee lumbered to the end of a bench and sat. Ludda-bee stumped into the kitchen.
Elodie thought, I’m not nearly as brilliant as IT, but maybe the others would deduce along with me. “Er . . . Master Uwald . . .”
“Yes?”
“Everyone . . .” This would be the end of appearing dull witted, but she hadn’t made much of a show of that anyway. “Masteress Meenore flew off in search of information, leaving me to continue unraveling the mystery, with Master Robbie’s help.”
He nodded. “Mistress Elodie is ITs assistant. IT pays her.”
“The dragon thought you might help?” Master Uwald asked, sounding proud.
“IT said I have an ‘original mind.’”
“I’ll wager you do.”
“They’re children!” Master Tuomo cried.
In the voice of a mansioner narrator, Albin intoned, “‘The foolishness of age, the wisdom of youth.’”
“Nonsense!”
Elodie went on as if Master Tuomo hadn’t spoken. “IT may have been delayed.” Injured or killed! “In the meanwhile, ITs method is to deduce and induce and—”
“Use common sense!”
Elodie nodded at Master Robbie. “Yes. But IT asks for others’ opinions, too, especially when IT’s thinking hard. IT liked Master Robbie’s idea. That’s why—”
“What idea, son?”
“That the thief might have made a replica of the Replica, and the actual Replica might have been stolen before High Brunka Marya showed it to us the first time.”
“Ingenious!” Master Uwald clapped his hands.
“But then,” Master Tuomo said, “Zertrum could have done its worst while we were still on it, or days ago.”
Elodie didn’t want Master Uwald to lose his enthusiasm. “Correct or not, it was clever. Masteress Meenore explained ITs thinking thus far to both of us. If we tell you, maybe all of us can determine what happened.”
“Please stay, Grand.”
Ludda-bee returned with a loaded tray. “I’m not laying out a full meal in the middle of the night.” She put the tray down. “You’ll have to make do with this.”
No one moved.