The Wise Man's Fear Part 15

Auri scampered around to the other side of the roof, then down into the courtyard through the bare limbs of the apple tree.

Elodin watched her go. When he tilted his head there was just enough moonlight that I could see a thoughtful expression on his face. I felt a sudden, sharp anxiety tie knots in my stomach. "Master Elodin?"

He turned to face me. "Hmm?"

I knew from experience it would only take her three or four minutes to fetch whatever she was bringing up from the Underthing. I needed to talk fast.

"I know this looks strange," I said. "But you have to be careful. She's very nervous. Don't try to touch her. Don't make any sudden movements. It will scare her away."

Elodin expression was hidden in shadow again. "Will it now?" he said.

"Loud noises too. Even a loud laugh. And you can't ask her anything resembling a personal question. She'll just run if you do." I drew a deep breath, my mind racing. I have a good tongue in my head, and given enough time I'm confident in my ability to persuade just about anyone of anything. But Elodin was simply too unpredictable to manipulate.

"You can't tell anyone she's here." It came out more forcefully than I'd intended, and I immediately regretted my choice of words. I was in no position to be giving orders to one of the masters, even if he was more than half mad. "What I mean," I said quickly, "is that I would take it as a great personal favor if you didn't mention her to anyone."

Elodin gave me a long, speculative look. "And why is that, Re'lar Kvothe?"

I felt myself break out in a sweat at the cool amus.e.m.e.nt in his tone. "They'll stick her in Haven," I said. "You of all people ..." I trailed off, my throat growing dry.

Elodin stared down at me, his face little more than a shadow, but I could sense him scowling. "Of all people I what, Re'lar Kvothe? Do you presume to know my feelings toward Haven?"

I felt all my elegant, half-planned persuasion fall to tatters around my feet. And I suddenly felt like I was back on the streets of Tarbean, my stomach a hard knot of hunger, my chest full of desperate hopelessness as I clutched at the sleeves of sailors and merchants, begging for pennies, halfpennies, s.h.i.+ms. Begging for anything so I could get something to eat.

"Please," I said to him. "Please, Master Elodin, if they chase her she'll hide, and I won't be able to find her. She isn't quite right in the head, but she's happy here. And I can take care of her. Not much, but a little. If they catch her that would be even worse. Haven would kill her. Please Master Elodin, I'll do whatever you like. Just don't tell anyone."

"Hush," Elodin said. "She's coming." He reached out to grip my shoulder, and moonlight fell across his face. His expression wasn't fierce and hard at all. There was nothing but puzzlement and concern. "Lord and lady, you're shaking. Take a breath and put your stage face on. You'll scare her if she sees you like this."

I took a deep breath and fought to relax. Elodin's concerned expression faded and he stepped back, letting go of my shoulder.

I turned in time to see Auri scurry across the roof toward us, her arms full. She stopped a short distance away, eyeing us both, before coming the rest of the way, stepping carefully as a dancer until she was back where she originally stood. Then she sat down lightly on the roof, crossing her legs beneath herself. Elodin and I sat as well, though not nearly as gracefully.

Auri unfolded a cloth, lay it carefully between the three of us, then set a large, smooth wooden platter in the middle. She brought out the cinnas fruit and sniffed it, her eyes peering over the top of it. "What is in this?" she asked Elodin.

"Suns.h.i.+ne," he said easily, as if he'd expected the question. "And early morning suns.h.i.+ne at that."

They knew each other. Of course. That was why she hadn't run away at the outset. I felt the solid bar of tension between my shoulder blades ease slightly.

Auri sniffed the fruit again and looked thoughtful for a moment. "It is lovely," she declared. "But Kvothe's things are lovelier still."

"That stands to reason," Elodin said. "I expect Kvothe is a nicer person than I am."

"That goes without saying," Auri said primly.

Auri served up dinner, sharing out the bread and fish to each of us. She also produced a squat clay jar of brined olives. It made me glad to see she could provide for herself when I wasn't around.

Auri poured beer into my familiar porcelain teacup. Elodin got a small gla.s.s jar of the sort you would use to store jam. She filled his cup for the first round but not the second. I was left wondering if he was simply out of easy reach, or if it was a subtle sign of her displeasure.

We ate without speaking. Auri delicately, taking tiny bites, her back straight. Elodin cautiously, occasionally darting a glance at me as if he were unsure how to behave. I guessed from this that he'd never shared a meal with Auri before.

When we were finished with everything else, Auri brought out a small, bright knife and divided the cinnas fruit into three parts. As soon as she broke the skin of it, I could smell it on the air, sweet and sharp. It made my mouth water. Cinnas fruit came from a long way off and was simply too expensive for people like me.

She held out my piece and I took it from her gently. "Thank you kindly, Auri."

"You are welcome kindly, Kvothe."

Elodin looked back and forth between the two of us. "Auri?"

I waited for him to finish his question, but that seemed to be all of it.

Auri understood before I did. "It's my name," she said, grinning proudly.

"Is it now?" Elodin said curiously.

Auri nodded. "Kvothe gave it to me." She beamed in my direction. "Isn't it marvelous?"

Elodin nodded. "It is a lovely name," he said politely. "And it suits you."

"It does," she agreed. "It is like having a flower in my heart." She gave Elodin a serious look. "If your name is getting too heavy, you should have Kvothe give you a new one."

Elodin nodded again and took a bite of his cinnas. As he chewed, he turned to look at me. By the light of the moon, I saw his eyes. They were cool, thoughtful, and perfectly, utterly sane.

After we finished our dinner, I sang a few songs, and we said our good-byes. Elodin and I walked away together. I knew at least a half-dozen ways to climb down from the roof of Mains, but I let him take the lead.

We made our way past a round stone observatory that stuck up from the roof and moved onto a long stretch of reasonably flat lead sheeting.

"How long have you been coming to see her?" Elodin asked.

I thought about it. "Half a year? It depends on when you start counting. It took a couple span of playing before I caught a glimpse of her, more before she trusted me enough to talk."

"You've had better luck than I have," he said. "It's been years. This is the first time she's come within ten paces of me. We barely speak a dozen words on a good day."

We climbed over a wide, low chimney and back onto a gentle slope of thick timber sealed with layers of tar. As we walked I grew more anxious. Why had he been trying to get close to her?

I thought about the time I had gone to Haven with Elodin to visit his giller, Alder Whin. I thought about Auri there. Tiny Auri, strapped to a bed with thick leather belts so she couldn't hurt herself or thrash around while she was being fed.

I stopped walking. Elodin took a few more steps before turning to look at me.

"She's my friend," I said slowly.

He nodded. "That much is obvious."

"And I don't have enough friends that I could bear to lose one," I said. "Not her. Promise me you won't tell anyone about her or bundle her off to Haven. It's not the right place for her." I swallowed against the dryness in my throat. "I need you to promise me."

Elodin tilted his head to one side. "I'm hearing an or else or else," he said, amus.e.m.e.nt in his voice. "Even though you're not actually saying it. I need to promise you or else or else... ." One corner of his mouth quirked up in a wry little smile.

When he smiled, I felt a flash of anger mingled with anxiety and fear. It was followed by the sudden, hot taste of plum and nutmeg in my mouth, and I became very conscious of the knife I had strapped to my thigh underneath my pants. I felt my hand slowly sliding into my pocket.

Then I saw the edge of the roof a half-dozen feet behind Elodin, and I felt my feet s.h.i.+ft slightly, getting ready to sprint and tackle him, bearing us both off the roof and down to the hard cobblestones below.

I felt a sudden, cold sweat sweep over my body and closed my eyes. I took a deep, slow breath and the taste in my mouth faded.

I opened my eyes again. "I need you to promise me," I said. "Or else I'll probably do something stupid beyond all mortal ken." I swallowed. "And both of us will end up the worse for it."

Elodin looked at me. "What a remarkably honest threat," he said. "Normally they're much more growlish and gristly than that."

"Gristly?" I asked, emphasizing the 't.' "Don't you mean grisly?"

"Both," he said. "Usually there's a lot of, I'll break your knees. I'll break your neck. I'll break your knees. I'll break your neck." He shrugged. "Makes me think of gristle, like when you're boning a chicken."

"Ah," I said. "I see."

We stared at each other for a moment.

"I'm not going to send anyone to take her in," he said at last. "Haven is the proper place for some folk. It's the only place for a lot of them. But I wouldn't wish a mad dog locked there if there were a better option."

He turned and started to walk away. When I didn't follow, he turned to look back at me.

"That's not good enough," I said. "I need you to promise."

"I swear on my mother's milk," Elodin said. "I swear on my name and my power. I swear it by the ever-moving moon."

We started walking again.

"She needs warmer clothes," I said. "And socks and shoes. And a blanket. And they need to be new. Auri won't take anything that's been worn by anyone else. I've tried."

"She won't take them from me," Elodin said. "I've left things out for her. She won't touch them." He turned to look at me. "If I give them to you, will you pa.s.s them along?"

I nodded. "In that case she also needs about twenty talents, a ruby the size of an egg, and a new set of engraving tools."

Elodin gave an honest, earthy chuckle. "Does she also need lute strings?"

I nodded. "Two pair, if you can get them."

"Why Auri?" Elodin asked.

"Because she doesn't have anyone else," I said. "And neither do I. If we don't look out for each other, who will?"

He shook his head. "No. Why did you pick that name for her?"

"Ah," I said, embarra.s.sed. "Because she's so bright and sweet. She doesn't have any reason to be, but she is. Auri Auri means sunny." means sunny."

"In what language?" he asked.

I hesitated. "Siaru, I think."

Elodin shook his head. "Sunny is leviriet leviriet in Siaru." in Siaru."

I tried to think where I'd learned the word. Had I stumbled onto it in the Archives...?

Before I could bring it to mind, Elodin spoke. "I am preparing to teach a cla.s.s," he said casually, "for those interested in the delicate and subtle art of naming." He gave me a sideways look. "It occurs to me that it might not be a complete waste of your time."

"I might be interested," I said carefully.

He nodded. "You should read Teccam's Underlying Principles Underlying Principles to prepare. Not a long book, but thick, if you follow me." to prepare. Not a long book, but thick, if you follow me."

"If you lend me a copy, I'd like nothing better than to read it," I said. "Otherwise, I'll have to muddle through without." He looked at me, uncomprehending. "I've been banned from the Archives."

"What, still?" Elodin asked, surprised.

"Still."

He seemed indignant. "It's been what? Half a year?"

"Three quarters of a year in three days' time," I said. "Master Lorren has made his feelings clear on the issue of letting me back inside."

"That," Elodin said with a strange protectiveness in his voice, "is utter horses.h.i.+t. You're my Re'lar now."

Elodin changed directions, heading over a piece of rooftop I usually avoided because it was covered in clay roofing tiles. From there we hopped a narrow alley, made our way across the sloping roof of an inn, and stepped onto a broad roof of finished stone.

Eventually we came to a wide window with the warm glow of candlelight behind it. Elodin knocked on a pane of gla.s.s as sharply as if it were a door. Looking around, I realized we were standing atop the Masters' Hall.

After a moment, I saw the tall, thin shape of Master Lorren block the candlelight behind the window. He worked the latch and the entire window swung open on a hinge.

"Elodin, what can I do for you?" Lorren asked. If he thought anything odd about the situation, I couldn't tell from looking at his face.

Elodin jerked a thumb over his shoulder at me. "The boy here says he's still banned from the Archives. Is that so?"

Lorren's impa.s.sive eyes moved to me, then back to Elodin. "It is."

"Well let him back in," Elodin said. "He needs to read things. You've made your point."

"He's reckless," Lorren said flatly. "I'd planned to keep him out for a year and a day."

Elodin sighed. "Yes yes, very traditional. Why don't you give him a second chance? I'll vouch for him."

Lorren eyed me for a long moment. I tried to look as responsible as I could, which wasn't very, considering I was standing on a rooftop in the middle of the night.

"Very well," Lorren said. "Tomes only."

"Tombs is for f.e.c.kless t.i.ts who can't chew their own food," Elodin said dismissively. "My boy's a Re'lar. He has the f.e.c.k of twenty men! He needs to explore the Stacks and discover all manner of useless things."

"I am not concerned about the boy," Lorren said with unblinking calm. "My concern is for the Archives itself."

Elodin reached out and grabbed me by the shoulder, pus.h.i.+ng me forward a bit. "How about this? If you catch him larking around again, I'll let you cut off his thumbs. That should set an example, don't you think?"

Lorren gave the two of us a slow look. Then he nodded. "Very well," he said, and closed his window.