The Will of the Empress - By Tamora Pierce Page 0,74

a miller's wife, or a miller's onetime wife, but that doesn't make it right to mock me, Viymese," she said with injured dignity.

Daja rolled her eyes. "I don't mock, not when it comes to magic," she retorted. "Sandry is a mage with weaving, spinning, sewing. Even her pins have magic in them. You don't know what they'll do if you use them. Make sure your children understand it, too. Briar thought once he could give his hands a little tattoo with vegetable dyes — he has plant magic — and Sandry's needles. Now he has plants made of ink that grow and move under his skin."

Gudruny's lips moved in a silent prayer. Feeling she had made her point, Daja asked, "You have two children?"

"Yes," Gudruny admitted. "My boy is seven, my daughter ten. I'll be certain they know — they are good children, and they mind me. But I have never heard of a mage whose kit is a sewing basket."

"You've heard of stitch witches, though. Where do you think they keep their mage kits?" Daja opened the shutters, letting the morning breeze into the room. "Did you see the redhead?"

"Her hair was sparkling," whispered Gudruny. "Actually, it looked like..." She hesitated, as if afraid to name what she had seen.

"Lightning," Daja said for her. "That's because it was. Tris's mage kit is her hair — her braids. She keeps different magics in each and every braid, but the lightning is hard to keep in one place, particularly when she's out of sorts."

The sitting room door opened, and Sandry returned. "Well, that's that. Apparently there are other rooms off these for the maid the housekeeper expected me to have. I don't believe I've ever been made to feel so, so ramshackle in my life by someone who was so terribly polite. She even managed to scold me for not making her come up here. I wasn't aware I had to answer to my own housekeeper!"

"You're frightening your new maid," Daja said gently. Sandry ought to be throwing off lightnings right now, she thought.

Sandry looked at Gudruny. "Oh, cat dirt," she said wearily. "Gudruny, don't mind me. I'm cross, but it's nothing to do with you. I'm glad you've met Daja. And Cousin Ambros says the men-at-arms are ready whenever you are. You can go get your children and your belongings when you wish."

The woman looked from Daja to Sandry and back again. "I have a thousand things to say, and none of them make sense. You will never regret this day, Clehame." She grabbed Sandry's hand, kissed it, and fled.

Sandry looked at Daja. "What did you talk about?"

"I just started to tell her the less complicated things. You did say you didn't want a maid, you know," Daja remarked, leaning against the wall.

Sandry wrinkled her nose. "What else could I do? He looked like the vindictive sort. And maybe now servants will stop carping at me over my lack of a maid."

Daja came over and kissed her cheek. "Ah. You did it just to silence the servants," she said. Inside, through her magic, she added, But you still have a heart bigger than all Emelan.

Sandry smiled, her lips trembling. If this morning's work brought one of my sisters back into my heart, then this whole trip was worth it, she replied through their now open magical connection.

Aloud, Daja teased, "At least until the next time Chime gets into your workbasket." She heard brisk footsteps and Rizu's and Caidy's voices outside. "Some of us are going riding," she told Sandry. "Want to come?"

Sandry grimaced. "Ealaga wants to give me the inner-castle tour, then Ambros will show me the outer castle. I get to spend my afternoon looking at maps and account books." She sighed and slumped into a chair. "I shouldn't complain. I've been reaping the benefits of these estates like mad for years. It's only right that I learn the state they are in. And maybe I should have seen to it before this."

"Another day," Daja promised, feeling sorry for her. "I leave you to your tours."

Skipping breakfast, Daja dressed quickly and hurried out to the stableyard. Rizu and Caidy were already in the saddle and nibbling on sweet rolls. An hostler came forward with Daja's saddled and bridled gelding. She mounted and steadied the animal, wishing she had thought to wheedle a snack from the cook on her way out.

Rizu offered her a steaming roll. She had a pouch full of them. "One thing about riding with the empress,"