Jes gave a puzzled frown. It might have been that he found Lehr's explanation too complex - or something else had distracted him.
It was ironic that Jes, who looked as Rederni as any village son, would be the one to pay the highest price for his mother's Traveler blood. The lesser part of that price was the slow thoughts and slower speech that set him apart as a simpleton - though he wasn't, quite.
"It doesn't look right," said Jes after a moment.
"What doesn't?" asked Tier. Jes's conversations sometimes were as difficult to follow as a hummingbird's flight.
"The buildings." Jes stopped abruptly and stared ahead.
Tier stopped Skew and tried to see what might have attracted Jes's attention.
"There's no smoke from the smithy," said Lehr.
"That's it," said Jes, nodding with his usual exaggerated motion. "Smithies have smoke."
"Maybe the smith isn't working today," Tier said. "We'll be there soon enough." Urging Skew forward, he squeezed a little too enthusiastically with his legs and couldn't bite back a yelp.
Shadow take these knees, the wizards who broke them, and the Traveler healer who can't fix them any faster.
That last wasn't fair, and he knew it. Brewydd had told him that riding Skew rather than one of the carts was making his knees take longer to heal than necessary. But it was bad enough to have to ride while most everyone else proceeded by their shoe leather - he was not going to sit in a cart.
"Are you all right?" asked Jes, his hand hovering just over Tier's leg. "Mother told me to watch out for you."
"Just my knees." Tier gave his son a smile despite the way his right knee was throbbing. "They're taking a long time to heal up - I must be getting old."
"Mother says you push too hard," said Jes frowning. Obviously Tier's smile hadn't been as convincing as he'd intended.
They had all taken to fussing over him, which Tier found both touching and annoying. He'd rather nurse his hurts in private if he could.
"Brewydd says that your mother is fretting too much," replied Tier.
"And Mother says to leave healing to the Lark," added Lehr, though he was looking concerned as well. "Brewydd knows what she's doing."
Jes frowned.
"I'm all right," Tier said again.
Lehr, he could have just told to leave it alone, but once Jes got something on his mind he could be amazingly stubborn. So Tier caught Jes's dark eyes with his own, and said firmly, "Even your mother agreed that I was fit for a visit to a village to negotiate for supplies - that's what we Bards are supposed to do. We owe this Traveler clan more than we can repay, but I can get them good prices on the things they need and ensure that they'll have a welcome here next time they pass through. My knees still bother me, and will for a month or two more, but they are a fair bit on their way to normal." It helped that he told the truth. Jes would hear it in his voice.
"I don't like those wizards," said Jes, and for a moment there was something dark, something alien in his voice.
"Nor I," agreed Tier, having no trouble making the connection between his knees and the wizards who'd caused them to be broken, because he'd just been thinking the same thing. "But they are gone for good and can do no more harm to anyone."
"We rescued you," said Jes in sudden satisfaction. "And you will be fine, and we are going home. Rinnie will be happy to see us. I wouldn't have wanted to stay with Aunt Alinath."
"Your aunt's a good person," admonished Tier. His sister was uncomfortable around Jes's oddities, and because of that, she mishandled his oldest. Nevertheless, she was his sister, and he loved her.
Jes set his chin stubbornly. "She is bossy and rude."
"Like Mother," said Lehr, with the quick sunny smile that he used all too seldom.
"Mother is Raven," said Jes, as if that explained and excused those faults, which, Tier thought, was largely correct. "And she is only rude to fools."
Lehr laughed. "And that's most of the people she meets."
Tier shook his head. "She's not usually rude, just intimidating."
"If you say so," said Lehr. "Weren't we going to negotiate with someone to buy some grain? Or are we going to stand here all day gossiping like old women?"
Jes grinned shyly and ducked his head. "Papa will negotiate, and you and I can watch. I like