Constrained by Rain

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Disclaimer:

The original characters and plot of this story are the property of the author. No infringement of pre-existing copyright is intended.
This story is copyright © 2019 - 2020 Julia Phillips. All rights reserved.

It uses some of the associated characters and situations that arise from the world called ‘Anmar’ created by Penny Lane, whose stories
are also copyright © 2010 - 2020 Penny Lane. All rights reserved.

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“Well, I’m told it does ease slightly during the night, but I have never been awake enough to test that theory.” Milsy grinned at us. “Mayhap we should ask someone who knows? Commander Feteran?”

I whirled round and saw Jenet’s husband grinning at us. He started towards us as Jenet moved naturally to his side, kissed him tenderly and took his hand. He had obviously disrobed from his rain clothes at the front door, for we had not seen him come in through this courtyard at the back. We were standing under the angled roof that covered the raised footway at the back of the kitchens, looking at the little lake the courtyard had become. What we could see of it that was, through the curtains of water cascading down, and given the very disturbed surface.

“Ask me what, Mistresses?” he replied after murmuring things to his wife and fondly returning her kiss.

“I wondered if the rain ever eased off and asked Milsy. She referred the question to ‘someone who would know’ and named yourself Commander,” I replied with a smile.

I had formed the habit of taking a little outside air for, despite the rain, the air was still pleasantly warm of an evening. We made this excursion after our dinner each night over at the House and before the laborious business of donning the wet weather wear for our trip back to the Hotel, where we would have the equally laborious task of shedding it all again. We had discussed whether the weather made it more sensible to cater for the Hotel guests and staff, and guards, from the Hotel kitchens. Indeed, I was keen so to do for that way I felt I could pay back some of the generosity that had been showered upon us. It would take a few days to test the ovens and ranges and to stock up on adequate supplies.

However, I appear to be drifting off the topic I wished to report.

I say I had formed that habit and ’twas true even though this particular evening was merely the fourth after the rains had commenced. Prevet and Molleena were usually the maids that came outside with us – us being Jenet, Senidet, Milsy, Waxerwet, Gullbrand and myself. Gyth generally stayed with Davvy so they could exchange news of what had happened during the courses of each other’s days, but sometimes she swapped with Waxerwet. That first night we had ALL gone to the House leaving Toria to stay with Davvy, but that was not a success, as we discovered the next day when Davvy told us privately that Toria was a very capable maid, but she ’lacked a little quickness of mind’.

But to get back to the conversation with the Commander…

“Indeed I am, as you, nay, they say, in the know. Many an uncomfortable night duty has given me an almost intimate knowledge. Yes, the rains DO ease on almost every night, but they never seem to relent totally. At least not on all the nights that I have had to observe. And when I say ease, the difference is usually only very slight. I have heard rumours of the occasional clear few bells on very rare nights.”

“Is it so very awkward travelling in such weather?”

“Indeed it is, Mistress Julina. We tend to keep our journeys as short as possible and try to avoid any longer ones. Of course, longer ones are unavoidable eventually – and you should be aware that by longer ones, I mean across town or to the outlying areas, areas that we should now describe as ‘industrial’. The main roads outside of towns or villages are all but impassable. Although well founded and well marked, with such restricted visibility, it is far too easy to wander off the road surface and end in one of the deep ditches which you shall remember run alongside.”

“I find that very strange, Commander. Surely the markstones can guide you?”

“Mistress, the markstones as you call them, are a full mark apart. With dimmed daylight and torrential rain reducing visibility, anyone is lucky to be able to see as far away as a cast. Out in the countryside, with few visible features, a traveller would find it nigh on impossible to hold to a straight course.”

“Surely the water pouring off the roadway and into the drainage ditches would be visible? That event would be much closer than a cast.”

The Commander turned to his wife and raised his eyebrows in an obvious silent question. Jenet thought briefly and then nodded her acceptance.

“Very well, Mistress, I shall take you out for a ride tomorrow so you can see for yourself. I have three days off, as it happens – well not entirely off to be fair, for I must remain on call – but we shall take a three bell excursion on the morrow.”

“Ah! You will recall, Commander, that our riding frayen are stabled in the castle at Dekarran? I should need to hire a beast from somewhere. And a saddle.” I believe that I kept the excitement and trepidation from my voice but I was suddenly looking forward to learning so much more about this downpour. And I was already feeling restless with being cooped up all day. Imagine how poor Davvy must feel, confined as she was to her room, rarely even getting out of her bed. For her future, she must remain as still as possible; patience now would be rewarded by a full recovery.

“I’ll come too,” said Waxerwet, with a definite tone that told all present she would brook no argument.

Feteran raised his hand in a commanding fashion. “Yes, I concur, for the sake of having a female companion, but I tell you now I can take no others, no maids, no-one. Any more bodies in the party and the chances of someone getting lost become too high for any form of comfort whatsoever.”

That statement was a very powerful forewarning. We already knew a little, of course, for we walked in the rains from the Hotel to the House and back. ’Twas ever uncomfortable since the sheer weight of water crashing down made each of us hunch our shoulders and keep our heads bent forward. But the buildings and their walls kept us on track, and we took advantage of all of the many roof protuberances that provided some little, but nevertheless noticeable, respite. Sometimes, I was forced to concede, the unaccustomed volume of the water made it impossible for us to see to the other side of the road. Why even now, the stable block here across the courtyard was difficult to define.

… … …

“Kallisthena!”

The Commander simply grinned at my expletive.

Waxerwet said (forcefully for her): “For once, I deem that such language is appropriate, and shall not frown at you for employing it.”

We were in the allocated disrobing room at the back of Blackstone Hotel where already, this early in the rainy season, ’twas smelling exceeding damp. We two women were shaking off the drops that still clung to our wet weather protective clothing, trying not to splash the assisting maids too much. The poor frayen we had dragged through the downpour had already expressed somehow a little delight in being once more under cover in the stabling block. I for one was fully in agreement with their sentiments. It had taken us maybe five moments to strip off their own protective coverings and I noticed that the eye protectors supplied were of very limited effectiveness.

Even after stripping them of their protections, and receiving their grateful thanks which I could somehow sense, I worried further about the poor beasts, for there were no others stabled there, all the others’ riding frayen being around the corner at the House. Just our two rented beasts were in what seemed to be the vast and cavernous stables. At least some animal fodder had been stored in the stables before the rains commenced, so we were able to feed them. There were also some small piles of supplies for the Hotel, not just fodder for us humans, but also household requisites. But really not very much at all. We would have to replenish somehow, despite the downpour.

The Commander stood in the doorway of the disrobing room, still protectively clad for he had yet to return to Blackstone House with his own animal. “Now I deem you understand a little more about the impossibility of long distance travel without a fully protective coach, and clearly defined roadway edges. But even coach travel is burdensome for the poor sagmaters, who have what is after all very limited protection ...”

“Excuse me, Commander. What is, are, saggy matters, did you say?”

“Ah, forgive me! ’Tis a word we use in the military which, I am led to believe, comes down to us from the Chivans. It simply means any and all beasts that pull wagons, coaches, carts and now, I suppose, your wenders and bacs. It is also applied to those that drag some barges along and again to those...”

I missed the last part of his sentence as that idea which had been bubbling in my head for a few days now leapt into my mind finally fully formed. I looked somewhat frantically around for my clothing so I could cross immediately to the House, my idea was to walk next to the Commander. I would go on foot this time, thus leaving the poor frayen in relative comfort. Not to say that the five minutes it would take to equip the frayen was more than it was worth for what was simply a less than five minutes walk.

“What do you now, Mistress? Do I recognise the dawning of one of your ideas?” asked the Commander with what I interpreted as being an almost shocked reaction.

“Indeed so, Commander. I must speak over it with Mistress Senidet as soon as I may.”

“Alas Mistress, that must needs wait. For I know that she has accompanied Mistress Milsy to the Palace today. With your permission, I shall inform her as soon as she gets back and perchance will be able to visit you before she disrobes.”

“Oh! I had not thought that through properly, had I? Very well, Commander, I thank you for that, and indeed for the discomfort you suffered today on our behalves in our recent, very informative, demonstration. Let me see, now. … Ah! … I shall go and discuss my ideas now with Davvy. ’Twill keep her mind off her woes for a while.”

“Then I shall take my leave, Mistresses!” He bowed somewhat stiffly, the said stiffness due entirely to the protective layers he was carrying on his body, and sketched a wave to us before ducking out of the door once more, back into the torrents falling from above.

… … ...

“I recognise that voice from somewhere!” I said to Waxerwet as we climbed the stairs to Davvy’s room from which came the unexpected rumble of a male voice – no, TWO male voices! My mind flashed suddenly to the disrobing room – there were more clothes hanging up in there than normal. My idea had driven that subconscious observation completely from my awareness. Although, upon more mature reflection, maybe that observation of mine might not have been so obvious for we were, in those early days, still establishing our routine here in the Hotel. We had us four Blackstone women, the two maids with us, four house servants and six armsmen. The last two ‘groups’ were changed twice a week to prevent any feelings of isolation. A move for which I was already recognising as being beneficial for us all since there was in that way some changes to relieve the sameness of enforced staying at home.

And today I was to start producing meals here after the successful conclusions of our kitchen tests. Another antidote to feelings of frustration.

And I have to report that the young girls who lived in the House and who frequently scampered over here made me, nay us, feel like old women with their carefree attitude, as if they were saying: “’Tis but a bit of rain.”

Today’s excursion had banished any positive feelings from my mind. We had travelled maybe three marks in all, but half a mark outside of the town had been nearly enough for me. And I had been acutely aware that every stride we took away from the city boundaries would have to be repeated as we made our way back. And indeed the roadway edges lost definition as we struggled to keep hunched against the weather and yet were still required to attempt more distant vision. A very sobering experience that gave us great insight into the extremes of the weather.

But back to the unexpected male voices I could hear as Waxerwet and I climbed the stairs.

The loudest one of the two, by now I could detect there were two, was hauntingly familiar. But annoyingly reticent as to its owner’s identity. I just could NOT place it. Some vague notion of hearing it almost buried amongst many other voices was pressing forward, obscuring any other trains of thought.

Still the puzzle would be solved in just a few steps, so I loudly observed that much to Waxerwet in order to give the people up there some advanced notice of our approach. We turned the last corner of the stairway and I naturally looked ahead to see who was there. I stopped in my tracks, one foot raised to the next stair tread. My mouth fell open. My wits were briefly scattered.

I was shocked so much I just blurted out somewhat impolitely: “Maker! What are YOU doing here?”

The voice I had heard and half-recognised belonged to that Varran man. A Sarjant, I believe, in the Jothan forces. And the chief assistant or whatever to Tenant Maralin.

To whom, it was now revealed, belonged the second voice I had heard.

And who now (grinningly) said: “And I too am pleased to see YOU, Mistresses!”

Waxerwet, the meany, left it up to me to get the conversation back to normal and I was just about to say something when Davvy squealed in obvious delight: “Oh thank the Maker you are returned, ’Lina! These two men refuse to tell me why they are here and not in Joth until all are gathered and then they needs recount their tale but the once.”

Maralin caught my eye and winked. “But Mistress Davabet, there should be others present such as Mistresses Milsy, Senidet and Jenet.”

“Oh no!” she wailed. “That is unfair in the extreme. The first two I know are at the Palace today and will probably only return after you have departed. And Mistress Jenet is over in Blackstone House.”

She looked as though she were about to burst into tears, so Maralin relented: “Actually Mistresses, they already know, for I have now told the tale no less than five times to various people in the Palace. The King and Queen have graciously offered me accommodation in the Palace for the duration of the rains and for however long it takes after them to restore the ferry services between Terban and the slip they call Beress East.

“So we are comfortably settled in a small suite of rooms there and I am handy for meetings with His Majesty and his advisors. Let me make it plain, I shall have to return to Joth at the very earliest opportunity for I have several things to arrange there, both business-wise and personal.

“As I said, I have informed Mistresses Milsy and Senidet already of all the circumstances. The Commander too knows so I must assume his wife does. It was the first two who suggested we come here today, not only to inform you and your group but also to arrange some sort of plan and/or schedule for the times that Mistress Julina and I can get together to progress our own requirements for working with one another.

“That should be a good way to relieve some of the boredom and enforced seclusion during the coming weeks maybe months, as well as advance our way towards our targets several weeks ahead of the original plans. It is somewhat uncomfortable to travel in this weather ...” I snorted at that statement which made him glance more acutely at me, “… but the relatively short distance from the Palace to here would not be too much of a trial on an occasional basis.”

“In that case, Mistresses, Sarjant, Tenant, everyone, may I suggest we descend to the kitchens, for I have to start the catering for the establishment this day, which will require but half or so of the facilities down there. I can then listen whilst carrying out one or two of my tasks. And pel will be more readily to hand.

“And maybe some beer?” I added slyly whilst looking at the Sarjant, who nodded back appreciatively.

“And I can tell you all of another idea I had this morning, one that has been building up for a few days and popped out only this morning. I need to discuss it with Senidet first, but ’tis sound, I deem.”

They were polite enough to at least pretend some interest, so it was that we all changed location, yes, even Davvy with an over-protective Toria permanently hovering around her, and I bustled about whilst the Tenant recounted his fascinating tale. At a few places, without breaking his narrative, he saw what I would need (almost before I knew it myself!) and handed me tools or pans or just a steadying hand. The time passed most swiftly and very efficiently.

“So let me start with the departure from Palarand City after that splendid dinner round the corner.”

The Sarjant broke in at that point: “’Twere the best meal I ever done eat in my life, Mistress. I will never be able to thank ’ee properly,” he rumbled.

I smiled even as I blushed at the compliment.

The Tenant restarted: “So we formed up our large party, The Duke and his family, the armsmen, and our little Jothan group of four. With carriages and wagons and the like, we could not progress as rapidly as we had expected. Nevertheless, we had an early start and crossed the old bridge over the Crescent Lake not that long after noon. The Duke and Duchess asked if we wanted to stop there at the roadhouse, the Moxgo Junction, but their twin daughters persuaded us all to continue as far as we could get before the sun set.

“They did say the next roadhouse might not be quite so well appointed, and so it proved, but that was, in its way, an advantage. For we did not delay in the morning, the basic facilities of that one encouraged us to leave early. And the Duke was pleased that he could stay somewhere different so that he was seen to be distributing his favours more widely.

“I must add a question here - are those twins ever a force to be reckoned with?” This question, more an observation really, made most of us smile.

“We arrived, still in the morning, at the Duke’s citadel, if that’s the right word – it is more than a mansion, more than a fort, and yet castle seems inappropriate somehow, making it sound a little forbidding. Maybe a fortified palace?” He shrugged his idle thought away. “Anyway, the twins had persuaded their parents that THEY should be the responsible people for setting up your Consociation, so, there and then, they dragged us off to see the old mill to the south and east of Brikant, leaving the Duke and Duchess to arrange the details of their return to their home.

“A thought then occurred to me in that it seemed unnecessary for the four of us all to go and inspect what we had assumed to be ruins, so I split our group into two pairs, keeping Varran and sending the other two ahead of us, hoping they could cross the river that very evening, which they just managed to do. Apparently they made it onto the very last ferry with a scant five minutes to spare, or so we were told by the ferry master the next morning.

“I must say that I think the Twins idea to be good, and, despite it having been abandoned for some time now, the building is still fairly well protected from the elements. Varran and I duly inspected the proposed site, but confess we did not do so in fine detail. We gave our opinions, and our farewells, and then made it to Terban, reaching there just after darkness had fallen. I was grateful once again to you, Mistress Julina, this time for the Beam Lantern. I was frustrated that we hadn’t managed the crossing ourselves, but nevertheless, we knew that just two more nights after this one would see us home. We were informed of the hour of the scheduled departure of the first ferry in the morning, so we arranged to be woken with time to spare.

“Well, we awoke the next day and could immediately feel a difference in the air. The local experts told us that the rains would likely begin in 2 or 3 days time, which dismayed us. That would make a very tight schedule for reaching the sanctuary of Joth City. Were we going to be stuck somewhere when we were so close to getting home?

“We arrived at the slip still some half a bell in advance of the scheduled time and were astounded to see the ferry already half a mark or more out from the shore. The slip was crowded to a certain extent with disgruntled customers. I sought out the ferry master and asked him why there was no ferry for us to board. He told us that they had had to dispatch the ferry to rescue a ship that was being borne by the currents. There were indications of some damage and no sign of anyone able to control it. With all the rowers the ferry had, they could soon catch up with the problem ship.

“Of course we fully understood that it was necessary to send a rescue mission, but the closer nature of the air and the confident predictions regarding the start of the rains made me even more nervous about the time we had left. My heart dropped further when we saw the rescued ship was being towed to the ferry slip on the OPPOSITE bank. We would then have a further wait for the ferry to return to us.

“But that didn’t happen for a long, long while.

“A long while in which several semaphores were sent forwards and backwards and the picture was made ever clearer. The ferry itself had successfully rescued the other craft and the people aboard it. However, in the close work, one of the hulls of the ferry was damaged. It seemed to be holding up but for safety’s sake, the ferry company wanted to inspect the damage more closely before venturing out on the waters with a full load. All this cost us the entire morning.

“I myself sent several semaphore messages, one across the river to our waiting companions telling them to make for Joth in all haste as it seemed the rains would crash upon us a day or two earlier than formerly expected. I also sent messages about our delay ahead to Joth and back to the Palace in Palarand as I had promised to keep His Majesty informed of my whereabouts at all times.

“I received several replies, amongst which was one from King Robanar himself who urged me not to get stuck for all the weeks of the rains in some remote village where any usefulness I could provide would be nullified. He suggested that we either return to the Palace where he would provide accommodation, or to continue to Joth as rapidly as we might where I could also be useful. Both Varran and I discussed the matters. With this enforced delay, it would mean three more night stops to get to Joth, assuming that was still possible, but only one to get back to Palarand City. The experts were saying the rains might well come in two days’ time, so even getting back to Palarand’s Palace might be too much. This was eventually the course we chose, in order to minimise any risks.

“As it happened, we got to Robanar’s Palace late in the evening only just before the skies opened.

“I had not truly believed the stories they all told me beforehand. This is my first experience down here in the Great Valley during its rainy season. I regret I ever thought of scoffing at those reporters.”

“We too are shocked at the severity of it all. We imagined, living as we did up in the mountains, that all these downvalleyers were just exaggerating and couldn’t cope with OUR tough life if they had to. My how we were wrong!”

Now it has taken me some small amount of time to write this all down, but of course the tale itself took far longer as he was relating it, what with the ‘Ooooh’s and ‘Aaaah’s from his audience, and interruptions for clarification requests and all the rest of normal conversational habits. So by the time it was finished, then ’twas time to call everyone to table to eat the simple meal I had prepared, helped by a few deft touches from the Tenant too.

… … …

“You mentioned you had had an idea, Mistress?”

I turned from feeding Davvy her latest spoonful of the dessert with which we were all finishing our meals. “Tenant, I did indeed say something to that effect!” I grinned at him before launching into my explanation which I had been thinking about in the back of my head ever since we all seated ourselves at the huge table there. “Let me first give you some background, some factors if you like.”

I paused briefly to reassure myself that my thoughts covered all that was required.

“I suppose the first thing, maybe the fundamental thing, was a journey we once undertook from Blackstone. It was still dark for we had far to go that day - on a wagon, rather than on the faster frayen. Frankly, we were not so proficient at riding in those days, some of us had never even mounted by then.

“Anyway, ’twas a drear morning with rain pouring down. Pouring? Hah! THIS is pouring I now realise - not the gentle by comparison shower we experienced that day! So we were huddled in the belly of the wagon. There was an arrangement they called a ‘crosstrees’ at the tail supporting a long pole, the other end of which was lodged somehow on the back of the driver's chair. Across this pole was draped a large tarpaulin the sides of which were attached to the walls of the wagon bed. We passengers huddled together to keep dry. But poor Jaffy, the driver, was stuck up there in the weather. And the beast, dear Josten, was uncomfortable even though dranakh can swim and everything. Miserable rain is, after all, miserable rain to everyone and everything.

“Various other journeyings reinforced my impressions as time marched by. I deem there is no requirement for me to enumerate each and every one of these. Suffice it to say that NOTHING prepared me for this downpour. But my brain has been chewing on this all for some time now.

“We walk often from here to the House and back again. For which we spend seemingly bells, or should I say hours?, putting on our wet weather clothing, walking a mere 5 mom… minutes, then a few more bells disrobing again.

“Only to do it all over again to return here.

“So it occurred to me that we could have a sort of stand on wheels, two of them actually, with a long pole between them, supported above head height. Then add a wide roof to that pole so that all six of us can huddle beneath the roofing and keep dry. We can then push this strange wagon along the streets and take our protection with us.

“Then I thought, wait a moment! Something similar could be used for getting deliveries from wagons to the house without getting too wet too much.

“And then I extended the principle to having a roof on simple wagons. Passengers and goods carried could be protected.

“But what about the poor driver? And the poor … what was it you said? … sagmater?

“And when going along, how to protect from the weather being blown in from the front?”

The Tenant stood and started clapping, which made me blush yet again. He said: “I congratulate you on thinking of this. And yes, some of it is indeed quite workable.”

He stopped to think just then, and I could read his face when he started talking again. He was NOT telling us everything when he said: “Where I come from, we actually have something similar and we use a sheet of glass to keep the rain from entering the enclosed area and yet still afford some vision.”

“Maker! I had not thought of that.” That refinement of my idea really appealed to me. I should have thought of that having seen for myself the glass sliding windows in the coach we took from South Slip to Palarand City.

At this point, I should say that it was not until MUCH later that I more fully analysed his words and realised a lot of what he must have known and didn’t say.

… … …

Older Julina: When I look back on that period of my life, then boredom is the overwhelming memory, and yet, when I come now to tidy up all the notes I then made, I realise that actually we achieved rather a lot in those days of being mostly cooped up in a large building that was virtually unoccupied!

And so it was that a routine settled upon us. I catered for the staff and the occupants of the Hotel, Gyth and Waxerwet worked on various other houses during the day (they got more and more commissions as their reputation grew, but the weather made everything slow down dreadfully), Senidet and Milsy came to us for some evenings, we went to their House on others. Davvy was a handful to start with, the healers came weekly to check on her and to change her plaster and so on.

But more specifically, after discussing my idea with Senidet, we (that is Senidet and I), with the help of a pair of young men she recruited from somewhere, spent many bells, first in the stables at the Hotel where we established a workshop for creating my movable rooves. This activity was then planned to be relocated into the large barn-like real workshop within the grounds, once we had our first crude movable cover to protect ourselves when we wanted to get there. Access to the stables was easy as there was a covering sloping roof above the walkway so we could get there without undue exposure to the elements. Access to the workshop would become so much easier once we had a basic but working example of my idea; but we still required our rain clothing to do so – just in case.

Also interspersed with all this were visits for a complete day from Tenant Maralin, usually along with Sarjant Varran. This pair arrived roughly every third day, but ’twas much more irregular than that statement implies. Much of what we learnt (we being Davvy, I, Prevet and sometimes the Sarjant) from him would be so boring to describe in detail that I fear you would be sent to sleep before reaching the end of the first paragraph.

I cannot, despite all good intentions, relate events that occurred from day to day in some sort of chronological order. There were a few continuous threads that wove in and out of our days and weeks, indeed much more than a month of the rains, so I will tell you them from the events’ perspectives rather than try to do it all in some sort of strict time sequence.

I will mention here one conversation from which we gathered a disturbing fact. We had been trying to get a feel for the normal life in Palarand. Amongst much else, Jenet had said: “The rains last year lasted six weeks, and that was a shorter period than normal. The longest I can remember was a day or two over nine weeks.”

The Tenant said: “So long! When they told me weeks, I imagined three or four!”

His words caused my heart to sink, and later discussions made it clear those of my companions had also done so at the same time.

Older Julina: I have noticed something as I prepare these notes, that mayhap I must point out. In those days, the Tenant was still relatively new to the Great Valley and his speech patterns were slightly, and yet noticeably, different to ours. I have tried to imply this difference with my reports of his words, but I confess that sometimes I have been too lazy and have spoken in his ‘voice’ but with my accent and words!

But the first thread I feel I must deal with is Davvy’s arm repairs.

/// /// /// /// /// ///

As I reported a little earlier, the healers were right.

That first week, Davvy was so grumpy, so short tempered, so snappy, so … so … so … mean-spirited. All of us found it a great burden, but the healers had at least warned us that that would happen, so that made it that degree easier to just grin and bear it. But, please remember, it was a chore that indeed had to be borne; I do not wish to make light of it, nor of Davvy’s misfortune.

When the healers returned after a week, the first thing they did was to chide Davvy for not making more of an effort to try to use her withered arm to assist, even if it was just to hold the elbow out to one side a bit and to carry things under the arm and jammed into her side. As soon as she started to whine and moan about how it was impossible to pick anything up, they cut her off short, pointing out to her that her friends were supporting her already and could easily pick things up for her. They impressed upon us all that any improvement she could make would be of great benefit once her only normally good wrist had healed.

The second thing they did was to change the plaster.

Davvy didn’t need any of the knock-out drops, she simply fainted when they brought out of a heavily-laden bag a large hammer, a chisel and a saw, amongst other things. Gyth and I and Prevet, who were present when they did it, nearly fainted as well.

But with Davvy out of it, I was once again allocated the task of holding her arm still. And the two healers went into their very practiced routine to get it done as quickly as possible. At first, her arm was held upright and they scored a deep groove from hand to elbow down what became the underside once her arm was replaced onto the table.

With the large saw they scratched through the plaster at what looked to me to be a very strange angle. And almost immediately I got an answer as to why they did something when they were building up the plaster, a something I had remarked and yet never remembered to ask about. They had built in several loops of strong yarn so they stood upright from the arm. They had packed the plaster around these. What they did now was to saw through the surface of the plaster and expose the loops. I realised they served as guides to both the direction of sawing and also the depth of sawing.

Thus aided, they were swift in getting through the plaster in the first direction. Davvy had returned to consciousness just before they were completed with the first saw cut and I deem her fascination with the process and her inner inquisitiveness prevented her from fainting away again when they started the second cut which was at an angle across the first one. The intersection point of the two cuts was at one of those yarn loops.

They were swiftly done with the second cut and the two three-sided pieces of plaster they had thus excised were simply discarded by moving them to one side.

“Now, now, Mistress!” warned Shiret. “We must needs yet break away the rest of the plaster. I know how delightful it is for you to scratch the arm where it has now been exposed, but a mere two more minutes of patience shall be rewarded by unhampered access to all those itches that have built up this last week. BUT BEWARE. You must not endanger the bones that have only just joined, so you must make every effort to keep that arm still. Yes, you may use that stick you have in your mouth, but I would recommend you let your friends do the scratching. If you break the skin we may have unwanted consequences.”

Davvy screwed up her face as she tried so hard to resist the temptation. The two healers asked for me to once more hold the elbow still and then they simply strained against the cut edges of the plaster which broke along the line they had first scored on what was now the underside. The plaster was then simply slid away. Shiret gently raised her patient’s hand and, with tender yet firm fingers, she danced her fingertips across the place of the fracture. She raised her eyes to Dilvia and nodded positively.

“You may now scratch her arm – but GENTLY!” stated Dilvia before she was good-heartedly brushed aside. Then we set to, all of us, giggling away as our nails gently scratched Davvy’s skin and she squirmed in ecstasy.

Eventually, we had to stop and Shiret carefully washed the arm. Then ’twas once more encased in a plaster covering, but this time the covering was thinner and not quite so long. Davvy was promised that she would be allowed to wiggle her fingers after the next change of plaster.

“… In the meantime, here are some exercises for you to do, to maintain some muscle tone in your arms, shoulders and neck.”

And so we continued. Davvy got less grumpy as she had things to do and help by using her mind. Her dexterity of using her withered arm rapidly improved.

At first, the healers replaced her plaster after two weeks. I shall never forget the delight she took in scratching her exposed skin when that happened.

Eventually the plaster was left off and her wrist was tightly bandaged for a final week of support.

I was shocked, sufficiently so that I discussed it with the others, and we all agreed how rapidly we forgot all the nastinesses associated with Davvy’s convalescence. Before the rains eased off and ceased, Davvy was back to the woman of whom we had all been so fond.

/// /// /// /// /// ///

When considering the development of my movable roof idea, then I must report we had our fair share of problems to be solved, mostly produced by the actual practical trying of things out. We worked at these as they occurred, some causing some temper tantrums I must admit, but my overall memory of the entire process was of a lot of laughter.

We started out in a corner of the stables, for we could get there relatively easily by using the protected walkways around the edges of the rear courtyard. No need for the laborious dressing up and disrobing that way. There was of course the large special workshop in the back corner of the complex, it actually formed the corner as its walls were the boundary lines of the property, but there were no covered walkways to get to it. I wondered briefly if the neighbours could access their half of the building easily, the property line ran through the middle of it after all; a solid floor-to-ceiling internal wall under the shared roof being the legal demarcation.

But back to the development of my idea.

It all started most rapidly…

“… keep the heaviness of the downpour away from both people and animals … sagmaters as the Commander calls them.”

“Oh my! Julina, you have these ideas that seem so obvious when you explain them. ’Tis a wonder that no other has come up with them.”

“I too find I have difficulties understanding why nothing has been done on this,” I replied.

“May I discuss this with Milsy? I would be discreet. We wouldn’t want someone else to get the Exclusivity Licence. We need to get on with this as soon as we may. Thank the Maker we have space here to work in comfortably whilst the heavens try to drown us.”

I gasped. For I really had not thought about Exclusivity Licences. I had just thought to make our lives a little easier getting from the Hotel to the House. Suddenly an enormously wider range of options opened up and my brain started feverishly once more.

But first we had to make a start somewhere.

And that was, in its way, hilarious.

Where do you start on a project like that? It is a roof after all, so do you start with that aspect, or do you start with the bottom and build up from there, fixing first the wheels and all the stuff necessary for them?

We chose to start with the roof. Now I have to mention that we two, Senidet and I, realised from the very beginning that we could not do this all ourselves. I was surprised at Milsy’s enthusiasm for the project and soon we had a new face to feed and a new bed to provide. A young man was allocated to us and he stayed for the duration of the rains.

An association that started off on the wrong foot.

“But Wyzen, what is wrong with working with females? If you are going to help us make a success of this project, you will have to swallow your prejudices. Look at the examples you have already in the Guilds. Her Highness, Princess Garia, Milsy and Senidet might be the forerunners, but Senidet tells me there are increasing numbers of others. What is that expression that I hear more and more often nowadays – ah, yes, KO, no that’s not it...”

“OK” interjected Senidet.

I smiled at her: “Thank you.” I turned back to young Wyzen. “OK, now I myself may not be in the Guilds as such, or in the ‘Engineers’ as we now refer to them, but I do have some reputation for ideas that have proven to be useful.”

“Indeed she has!” added Senidet and Davvy at the same time. I was pleased to see a fleeting smile shoot across the boy’s face. Now I say ‘boy’ but should point out that later we discovered he was two years my senior! His little smile told me that he wasn’t as serious and staid as he had appeared all along so far.

A few days after he started, and relieved to find that he could actually voice suggestions, Wyzen called us to the stables after dinner one evening. The first working prototype was ready to be demonstrated.

All of us trooped along to see the thing. Or maybe ’twould be better written as The Thing.

It coincided with an evening during which the Jothans had dined with us, so there were almost too many to fit into the space and still move it around in a testing manner, despite the fact that the two frayen we had hired had by then been returned to their owner(s). Wyzen was as proud as any new parent, and I was also delighted to see the physical fruition of my idea.

Both of us were brought down to ground with a bit of a bump, though, when Maralin pointed out several flaws that we had not considered. Some of which we had not, in fact, even realised would be important.

Again in retrospect, his introduction that evening of the thing he called a ‘steering wheel’ was a significant change to life in the Valley for many years to come.

A week later, Wyzen and Senidet, with some little hindrances from me which I fondly thought were helps, had produced a newer version which was unveiled again after a dinner. But this time with just us there. The roof was greatly enlarged, sticking out in all directions by at least half again from the original Thing. The main part was also elongated to accommodate the steering mechanism at the front, and the supports for what Maralin had insisted we include both front and back and which he termed ‘Mudguards’.

He had also suggested that we increase the diameter of the wheels, but no-one had been impressed by his explanations. Mind you, this was the first change we did for the next version after trying it out for real! We also appreciated his foresight in getting us to mount those mudguard thingies.

This third version required several changes of course. Having discovered that the small wheels were not so good at gliding across uneven and unseen surfaces, then the mudguards had to be changed to fit the newer, larger wheels. The front canopy was extended as the rain still made its way into our ‘protected’ space, and the rear of the contraption was closed off, allowing us to have a small carry shelf there that was fully protected.

Finally, we had a workable version that we used from then on.

And we got inundated.

But not by water pouring down, oh no. By orders from others who had seen ours being used so successfully.

We also had several different sizes soon; small ones for the staff to go across to the stores and bring requisites back dry, larger ones for various sized parties to use; we got up to parties of ten people as our maximum. After that the canopies were too heavy to move so easily.

These ‘Walking Canopies’ afforded us all some coin from the Exclusivity Licence for the rest of the rains, and the next year’s ones too. By then, better things had been produced, with features only guessed at by people like Her Highness and Maralin, to mention two.

One result of the use of the Walking Canopies was that several houses, offices and workshops all added bigger or better porches over their main doors, thus allowing people to move from canopy to destination (and back again) without requiring full foul-weather finery.

However, I must report there was a far more serious consequence of having these available now.

Wyzen, Senidet, and a colleague of Wyzen’s who had been drafted in to aid with the production to cover all the orders, an equally young man named Morkem, used one to go and investigate the workshop, delighting in the ease of moving about less encumbered by bulky clothing.

They went into the workshop building and almost immediately rushed back out again. They all but ran back to our building, panting heavily when they got there, bursting into my kitchen from the rear entrance, eyes aglow and faces animated. And dripping on my floor.

They all started talking at once so it was just a little while before I realised that the roof of the workshop was damaged in some way.

I held up a hand and was surprised when I got instant silence and attention.

“This building has a wall down the middle of it, I understand?”

“That is so!”

“And that the other side of this wall actually belongs to the neighbouring mansion?”

They looked at each other and ’twas Senidet who murmured: “Yes. ’Tis the truth. I had forgotten, somehow.”

“Does this damage look as though their side is affected as well?”

Glances back and forth preceded another reply from Senidet: “I deem that it must be so. The roof is wide open right at the end where the roof ridge meets the outer wall high up. We can see that not all the water coming in is on our side of the dividing wall. What does do so is simply pouring in and running down the walls, internal and external. Also, the wooden floor beneath is rotted, it looks. Certainly a lot of the water is draining out of there. I wonder what that is doing to the footings!”

“Then any repairs will have to be a joint venture, I deem.” I paused as another thought flashed across my mind. “Hmm. If they already know about it and failed to inform us, then they should probably bear all the repair costs. Hmmm. Be wary when you speak with them, but one of you has to go round there now and report your findings, lest they know not and some of their belongings are being ruined. The other must dash off and find Gullbrand, failing that Milsy. The sooner the repairs, even if just temporary, are effected, the better. Senidet, as a lone woman, cannot go and convey these messages.”

Again Senidet and I exchanged glances and mental cursing at the stupidity of society’s rules. But neither of us could do anything about it.

But what she could do was to shoo them away as they hesitated yet again. They finally dashed off.

Then she started thinking aloud: “Wet work, but we must needs get a tarpaulin over the gaping hole. Better would be to erect a frame first, put the tarpaulin over that, then workmen doing the repairs shall have room to move and wield tools. There are some timbers I saw in there, some of which will be dry as they were along the wall away from the gushes. But is the roof strong enough to hold, or are we sending men into danger? And is the flooring still solid?”

The inherent dangers had not occurred to me and made me put my tools down and stare at her. I was brought back to the cookery by an angry hiss from one of the pans I was supposed to be watching.

By and by, details were worked out and an emergency tarpaulin was hastily thrown over the top with long, long ropes employed to prevent the covering from being either blown or washed away. A hectic schedule was worked over the next few days as more solid and durable supports were put in place. The neighbours were grateful for our warning and were more than happy to contribute some coin to the repairs and to leave it all in the hands of those we chose to employ.

Eventually, over one dinner, the visiting Master overseeing the project explained what must have happened to cause it. This was a man fond of the sound of his own voice and he delighted in telling everyone just how good he was, and just how high his circle of colleagues and companions was.

“That internal dividing wall is the root cause,” he started. “The builders went just a little too far. I shall have to report their shoddiness. Instead of just leaving a small gap at the very top, where the wall reached the roof beam right at the end of the ridge, before it juts out to form the eaves, they decided to make the whole thing solid. So they hammered a half brick in there,” his face darkened, “without bothering to shape it properly. They were probably too lazy to keep climbing up and down their construction ladder.”

He shook all of himself first and then just his head in disbelief at such dreadfully shoddy practices.

“So the tiles just above there cracked.” His voice shifted into that of a lecturer. “Now we Masters all know that water, when it freezes, requires a greater space than that when ’tis liquid …”

Actually I didn’t know that, at least not what I would call ‘properly’. Not the applications of such knowledge. I was wondering about the significance of this new knowledge but held my peace just then. So I didn’t miss much of his utterances.

“… water got into these cracks and could not escape. Then the winter came and the water in the cracks froze which forced the cracks slightly wider. Repeat this several times, and the tiles become fatally flawed. And thus weakened. I trust you women can follow all this?”

I laid a hand on Senidet’s shoulder to pacify her and shook my head with a frown at an indignant Gyth. I saw Gullbrand do something similar to ease Waxerwet’s discomfort. All of us were seething by this time.

Oblivious, the gasbag continued: “This season they gave way. We know they were alright early in the rains because the Commander here wisely sent out inspection parties soon after they commenced. So this has happened in the last few weeks, maybe even last few days, but I deem it must be weeks judging by the dampness and rotting of the floor. We have had to effect repairs of the floor as well as the roof. The wall itself I deem to be sufficiently sound to last the remainder of the rains.

“Now recently in the Palace,” he began once more but in a tone that seemed to doubt any of us would be able to grasp the significance of these weighty matters that groups of Masters discuss over there, “we have had some discussions as to what we shall be doing once the rains cease. I gather that there is a new fledgling department being set up to unearth anything left behind by the Chivans and those that came after them. I deem that the rush of water down through the floor of that Workshop out there has washed away some of the covering of an ancient building. So this new Master has managed to get others on his side and has prevented us from destroying anything down there, which has of course made our job so much more difficult.” His tone suggested that any investigation of ancient stuff is beneath any serious Craftmaster.

I wondered if he actually knew about the excavations at the end of the Shevesty Field.

He shrugged his shoulders dismissively: “So I cannot be held to account if this simple job takes so much longer than it really should. At least the ingress of water up aloft has been prevented...”

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