Keeper (First Ordinance #2)(77)

"Yes. We'll eat and work." I held his hand as we slid off the bed.

"Would you prefer to walk?" Daragar asked.

I looked up at him—at the earnestness in his beautiful, blue face. "Yes. Perhaps I can stop shaking if my legs have a purpose."

"Very well. Send mindspeech if you need me." He disappeared.

"Someday, I want to do that," Berel breathed.

"Yes. Someday." We walked out of Berel's suite together.

*

"This is Willow." Kaldill introduced the tall man sent by Queen Lissa. His hair was a pale, flaxen color and he had bright-green eyes.

He was also old. Perhaps not as old as Kaldill, but old nonetheless. Still, he looked young, as most immortals do. He studied me before smiling, the corners of his eyes crinkling nicely as he did so.

"Your wings are magnificent," he said. "I have never seen such in all my life."

"Thank you," I said, the words automatic.

"I brought these," Willow pointed to two covered cages. "From Morningsun. Come."

Long legs carried Willow to the cages; he gripped both covers and pulled them away, revealing birds and an animal I'd never seen before. Did he know, somehow, that animals were precious to me? That any would come to my hand if I asked?

"These are fruitbirds," Willow pointed to the brightly-feathered birds hopping from perch to perch inside the cage, their tiny feet clicking happily as they settled on one post then another. Their feathers were yellow, blue and green and I thought them beautiful. Kneeling beside the cage, I had their attention immediately.

"May I open the door?" I asked.

"You may—they come to me willingly," Father Willow said. "If I offer seed." He pulled a pouch from a pocket and held it up.

"Oh, come," I opened the cage door. All six birds flew out, circled my head and then perched on the tops of my wings, chirping happily.

That's where Berel ended up feeding them—his hand held out as they sat on my feathers having their meal. Willow and Kaldill watched in fascination—Willow said that fruitbirds were difficult to tame. These he'd raised as hatchlings after animals killed their parents.

"Birds and other animals always trust me," I said, trying not to move too quickly; I had no desire to dislodge my feathered guests. "I never told anyone in Fyris about this, because I was worried they'd order me to lure the animals they hunted so they could kill them."

"What a horrific thought," Willow sounded outraged.

"I think so, too," I agreed.

"What about Pink Paws—he looks lonely," Willow smiled again.

"Will he eat birds?"

"No. He likes mice."

"Ah."

I studied the cat-like creature in the second cage—he watched me patiently, as if waiting his turn.

"Open the cage, please," I said.

Willow opened the door and Pink Paws slipped out. First, he wound his way sinuously around Willow's legs before hopping on the table and coming to my hand. Like a cat, he could purr, although he looked more like one of the weasel family to me.

"Animals develop differently to suit their environments," Willow said as Pink Paws walked beneath my outstretched hand before turning and going the opposite way, each time begging for a scratch. I obliged.

"Willow has been on too many worlds to count," Kaldill explained while fruitbirds chirped happily from my wings and Pink Paws purred affectionately. "He likely knows more about the plants and animals on those worlds than most scientists. If anyone from Kondar or Yokaru wish to know anything about Morningsun, Willow can supply that information."

"Will the same crops thrive there?" Berel asked. "After all, Kondar is quite fond of the vegetables available here."

"I've looked into that—I saw nothing that would not be suitable as far as food crops go," Willow replied. "There are a few other plants and such that might not work, but only because they would overpower what already grows on Morningsun."

"What are those?" Berel asked.

"Goldleaf Ivy," Willow said. "First and foremost. Kondar's soil is more acidic, keeping its vines small and containable. Morningsun's soil will allow it to grow rampant and cause problems for farmers."

"I think we can live without goldleaf ivy," Berel laughed. "The farmers here hate the stuff."

"There are only a few other things of the same nature—you call them weeds," Willow said. "Morningsun will be better off without those things."

"What about the animals?" I asked.

"I saw nothing that wouldn't thrive on Morningsun, including the tiny leafmunk," Willow said. "All serve a purpose, and if taking those things will make the people of Kondar and Yokaru more comfortable in their new surroundings, then there is no need to leave them behind."

"First we have to convince the people, and that means Berel and I have to write the best interview we can," I pulled my hands away from Pink Paws. He grumbled about it, so Willow lifted him and returned him to the cage.

The birds, too, weren't pleased to be removed from my wings, but Willow eventually convinced them. With the cages sitting at one end of the table so the creatures could watch me as much as they liked, our midday meal was brought and Berel and I began the task of writing our interview.