“Yes,” I said. My heart leaped and all dark thoughts of magic were swept away.
“You,” said Rufra, grabbing a passing slave. The boy looked terrified until Rufra produced a coin. “Go to Drusl at the stables. Tell her Girton and Rufra will wait for her by the fire breathers if she wishes to visit Festival.”
As we walked through Festival towards the fire breathers I could not help noticing how popular Rufra was among the sellers and performers. In the shadows of the huge tents he became markedly more relaxed, the darting eyes and furrowed brows almost gone. It was like a huge worry had sloughed away, and his step, usually deliberate, was light. If I did not already know how hopeless he was I may have thought he would make a dancer.
“You must have spent a lot of money here, Rufra,” I said as a juggler gave him a cheery hello.
“Money? No, what makes you think that?” His dark brows met in the middle, the way they always did when he was puzzled.
“Everyone seems to know you. You are far more popular here than …” My words died away. “I do not mean to say you are unpopular, Rufra.”
“Yes, you do, Girton, and it is true.” He gave me a smile. “But not here. You do not know about the ap Vthyr and Festival?” Before I could answer he shook his head. “Of course you don’t. Foolish of me to think you should.”
“Then tell me, Rufra.”
“Oh, it is common enough knowledge, I suppose. At least it is not suppressed like—” he paused and squinted up into the dying sun “—like some other things are. It is only that the truth is not as simple as people would like to believe. The ap Vthyr were one of the guard clans of Festival.” The surprise must have been obvious on my face.
“Were you cast out?”
“Cast out? No. Come, let’s get something to drink while we wait for Drusl.”
“I think I have had enough alcohol today,” I said.
Rufra laughed.
“I thought you were easy to overpower. I was scared you know.” He looked away.
“Of me?”
“Aye. You killed five men on your own, Girton. I have never seen the like.”
“But you still did it?”
“It was right,” he said without looking up. “Follow me.” He led me around the fire breathers and we stopped at a stall selling cooled fruit juice. Rufra bought two cups. I noticed that although the stallholder would not take his money Rufra left it on the counter anyway. Then he steered me around the back of a tent and we sat on a bench with a view of the crowd
The fruit juice was cold and both bitter and sweet at the same time. I had never tasted anything like it before. “This is good,” I said.
“Aye.” He took a sip. “Usually they make it with four parts water but for me and my friends—” he nudged me with his elbow “—they make it half and half. It is better.”
“It is.” I took another sip, watching Rufra as he rubbed the cup against his lip, deep in thought.
“My grandfather was Arnlath, first blessed of the ap Vthyr,” he said quietly. “The blessed of Berrick keep insulted our family, there were deaths. Grandfather chose to leave Festival to exact his revenge.”
I waited to see if he would say any more, but he only stared at the ground, pushing the cup against his lip.
“His revenge cost a lot of lives,” I said.
“Yes,” said Rufra, and took a swig of his drink. “A price was paid for the insult in slaughter and rape by both men and their forces. I don’t doubt Arnlath ap Vthyr did terrible things,” he said sadly, “but to me he was simply Grandfather.”
“You were close?”
“Aye, very. He doted on his daughter and he doted on me. He regretted what he had done as a young man.” Rufra looked at the ground. “If he were still alive I would not be here, Girton; I would be blessed of the ap Vthyr instead of my uncle, who is every inch as cruel as Aydor. But Grandfather is not here. He fell down the stairs and broke his neck. A poor end for such a warrior.”
Arnlath ap Vthyr did not fall down the stairs. I glanced at Rufra, thinking about how my master and I were never there to see the ripples in the pond caused by the stones we threw.
“Yes,” I said, and took another sip of my drink. “A poor end for such a warrior.” We were interrupted before we could talk any more about Rufra’s grandfather, something I was very glad of.
“Girton! Rufra!”
We both turned.
“Drusl!” I said.
“I’ll get more juice,” said Rufra and vanished into the growing darkness. Drusl looked preoccupied, but before I could ask her what was wrong she threw herself into my arms and all my worries melted away.
“I cannot stay long, Girton.” She ran a finger along the line of my jaw. “With Leiss gone I have double the work, but I have allowed myself until the water clock strikes nine.” Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “Is there somewhere we can be alone,” she whispered into my ear.
“I have promised Rufra we will see Festival with him.”
“Well—” she kissed my ear “—I am sure that will be nearly as much fun.”
As night’s hold deepened, the men and women of Festival lit huge torches that made our shadows dance along the muddy ground and filled the air with fragrance. Rufra brought us juice and hot sweet confectioneries on sticks. His face acted like a ticket, and we attended the puppet and theatre shows and laughed and gasped with the crowds. Within the grounds of Festival there seemed to be no boundaries: blessed, living and free thankful were equal. There was even talk that those thankful who had ended up as slaves, if they found the right people, could vanish into Festival and find a new life.
The end of the evening came too soon. Rufra promised to escort Drusl to the stables as it was not far out of his way, while I had to return to the castle. I had hoped to steal some time alone with her, but Rufra was clearly pleased with his chivalrous offer and I did not want to spoil it for him. I kissed Drusl goodbye and could still taste the sweetness of fruit juice on her tongue as I walked through the keepyard gate.
I wished we could have stayed longer but there would be other happy days.
I was sure of it.
Chapter 23
There was no sign of my master in our rooms and as I sat there the gloom threatened to return. If not telling Rufra I was an assassin had hurt him, how would he react when he discovered I had the makings of a sorcerer?
And Drusl? What would she think?