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We'll see them again soon."
We passed several minutes embracing and kissing before climbing into bed.
Agyar had provided us with a wonder fully comfortable bed, which was exactly
what we needed to end an exhausting day.
Gaar, being the friendly fellow that he was, spent a good portion of the next
day chatting with some of Agyar's servants. I noticed that there didn't seem
to be too many around maybe some stable workers, and of course the people who
prepared our food. I really wondered if those people ate enough themselves;
not a chunky or fat person within miles of us, it seemed, but they certainly
pulled out the stops to feedus . Agyar's orders, no doubt.
Meanwhile I took to aimlessly wandering about the house. It was quite richly
decorated. Every room had an entire wall painted, statues, vase collections,
or some other fine work of art within, and I noticed a few busts and paintings
of Agyar himself scattered throughout the house. And I caught myself staring
not a few times at these, as well.What am I staring at?l wondered.There's
nothing so wonderful about him, is there? I must stop this; Gaar is right. He
doesn't deserve this from me, after he's been so wonderful to me all these
years .. .
I went back to our room before lunchtime. Gaar was off, still talking with
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Agyar's people, I surmised. And I was tired and not a little bored trying to
pass the time away all day long. And then I looked on our bed, and there
laythe finest suit and finest dress I'd ever seen.How did these get here ? I
thought.Whose are these ? and then I noticed there was a note on the dress,
and it said in Latin: "Gifts for the magistrate and his wife. Your humble
host, Agyar." I was enthralled. He had had his servants lay these clothes out
for us as a surprise. Immediately I swept up the dress into my arms and held
it in front of me before our mirror.I can't possibly accept this , I thought.
I become so embarrassed when I'm given gifts.And Gaar will probably be furious
to know that Agyar is giving me gifts now. But wait  he gave Gaar a fine suit,
too. He's just being generous, that's all. But I couldn't accept this; or I
could at least try it on quickly, just to see if it fits. I'm certain it
doesn't fit&
It fit perfectly. He either knew my size before I even arrived there, or he
was an excellent estimator. I opted to believe the latter explanation. The
dress was green, with blue-and-red trim, and it emphasized my modest hips
perfectly while deemphasizing my broad shoulders. I didn't really want to
admit it, but it looked lovely on me, and I decided that Gaar had to see me in
it, if only for a little while. Just during lunch, at least.
Gaar had tried his suit on and liked it. He was angry, but also pleased that
Agyar was giving us gifts, especially such expensive ones. Gaar was always
generous to his own guests, but not to the point of excess. I commented that
he was probably just being extra nice to us because our trip there was an
inconvenience, and Gaar agreed that I was probably right. And besides I saw
that look in Gaar's eyes when he first saw me in the dress; he was definitely
pleased.
Agyar joined us after we had already started dinner. He mentioned that his
business in town had been tedious, as usual, but then announced that it was
not going as well as he wished, and he would have to leave us for the day
tomorrow, as well. Gaar was naturally not very pleased with this news, but
there wasn't much he could do about the situation. Then Agyar complimented us
profusely on how our gifts looked on us and thanked us for accepting them.
Again I noticed him lingering his gaze on me, and I felt more uncomfortable
than before, not so much for the idea of being stared at as for Gaar's
potential reaction to it. But Gaar kept calm about the whole thing, commenting
later that he was more interested in getting the trade set up quickly so we
could leave than starting any diplomatic incidents.
And despite their short times together, Gaar and Agyar seemed to be getting
along well enough in the negotiations, even by only the second night. But once
they got started on that topic, I knew it was time for me to leave them alone
in their business and go elsewhere. At first I meant to just go straight for
our room, but then I decided to just wander around a little more. I ended up
on the third floor, where there were mostly storerooms and such, but just
above that was the roof, and I decided to look around up there.
There was nothing particularly special about the roof. It was flat and
spacious perfect for just walking back and forth in the night air if one so
chose. I made my way toward a wall and leaned forward to see the grounds
below. I could see nothing, as it was practically pitch-black now. It was just
one day away from the full moon, however, and the light from this made some
shadows visible every now and then. Mostly I just sat and listened listened to
the sounds below, and some even coming from the small forest nearby. Again, I
became so lost in my thoughts that I scarcely noticed the cold, until I heard
some strange noises. They came from below, toward the stables a little bit,
and I assumed it was the animals skittering around a bit. But then, I know the
sounds of horses, and pigs, and cows and sheep and goats, and these sounds
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didn't seem like they were coming from any of those animals. I actually
thought rather little of what it might be, when I heard another sound,
directly behind me. It was my name; someone had whispered my name, I was sure
of it, and I whirled around immediately, startled.
I could see nothing. The roof suddenly seemed blacker than before; I could
barely even see my own hands before me. And I was afraid, that much I knew,
but as Gaar had taught me, I was no longer letting my fear rule me. "Who said
that?" I whispered harshly. "Who's there?" No answer. Not even the sound of
the wind. "Gaar?" I continued. "Did you call me? Gaar?" Dead silence. Now I
was becoming worried for myself; I seemed to be hearing things. Then I
remembered that it was almost the full moon, and that it can make people hear
and do strange things. I needed to get inside, then, away from its influence,
and I especially shouldn't go out the next night, either.
Almost the same activities ensued the next day while waiting for Agyar, only
Gaar was a little chummier with Agyar's people this time. He talked a few of
the friendlier ones into playing card games with him after that night's
negotiations. They were too busy to join him during the day, they had told
him. Gaar asked if I wanted to join, but I had never really been interested in
gambling games, and I declined his offer. This, and I was still a little
frightened by my experience on the roof, not to mention what happened as we
slept that night, as well. You see, I was awakened later on that night by the
same feeling I had experienced on the roof; I thought I had heard no, not
heard,felt  my name being called, and when I sat up in bed, I saw no one. At
least I think there was no one there; I saw nothing, but then I definitely had
the sensation that someone was watching me, someone who was either too
cowardly to show him or herself, or too devious. It took me some time after
that incident, but I eventually fell asleep again and was undisturbed the rest
of the night. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]