Dreamspinner by Lynn Kurland Read Free Book Online Page A

rather skilled with a map. At least she was in theory, and theory told her that even if she managed to sneak aboard a ship that would take her in a direct line across the strait to Bere, it was still a se’nnight’s journey on foot to Gobhann. That was time she didn’t have. Sgioba was where she would have to go.
    She looked at the man. “I have no choice.”
    He considered. “You’ve no gear, I see,” he noted. “Nothing to be done about that, I suppose. Perhaps you would welcome a wee wash, though. Then we’ll see what a bit of pretty speech does for your passage.”
    Aisling could hardly believe she’d found a friendly face in a sea of faces that didn’t look particularly friendly. She took a deep breath, then coughed out what she’d ingested. “Thank you,” she wheezed.
    The man winked at her. “My good deed for the day. What’s your name?”
    “Aisling.”
    “Interesting name,” he said. “Where’re you from?”
    The peddler’s warnings were uppermost in her mind at present, which left her even more unwilling than she usually was to divulge details. “Too obscure to mention,” she said, gesturing vaguely behind her. “My village is, I mean.”
    “Many are, my lad,” the man said with a smile. “Let’s be off, shall we?”
    Aisling nodded and followed him, trying to ignore her smell and pay attention instead to her surroundings. A sentence of death hung over her, true, but still she couldn’t help but marvel that she was walking down a street half a world away from where she’d recently been, as freely as if she were simply out for an afternoon stroll. She was aware of the undesirables her companion pushed out of their way as they walked down a long, worn dock, but for the most part she simply walked and breathed air that was full of things she’d never smelled before.
    “In a bit of a hurry, are you?” the man asked, taking a rather persistent lad and tossing him into the water without apology.
    “Aye,” she said, hearing the words come out of her mouth with less haste than desperation.
    “Then you will certainly need a very fast ship.”
    “Is there such a thing?” she managed.
    He glanced at her. “If you don’t mind a bit of something added to the sails, as it were, aye, there is a particular ship fast enough to see you where you are going.”
    She had no idea what that extra bit of something might be, but as long as it didn’t consist of her flapping her arms, she was all for it. “I don’t mind, sir.”
    “Then we’ll see what we can find. Clean up a bit here, lad, and we’ll carry on.”
    Aisling paused in front of a wooden barrel and didn’t dare ask where the water had come from. It was cold and mostly clean, something for which she was very grateful. She was happy to use it to wash the grime from her skin, but not her clothing. It was cold, so she thought it best to smell rather than freeze to death. She dried her face on the inside of her cloak, then looked up at her rescuer.
    “Thank you.”
    “No need to, little one.” He pointed toward the end of the dock. “Keep going until you can’t go any farther. Ask for Captain Burke. Tell him Paien of Allerdale sent you. I’ve a bit of business back in town—buying pretties for my lady wife, you see—else I would come with you. Tell him I’m sorry to forgo the pleasures of his ship, but I’ve sent you instead.” He laughed a little. “I’m sure he’ll thank me.”
    Aisling had no idea why he found the thought so amusing, but she wasn’t going to ask. That might have been because there was a sudden and quite annoying lump in her throat at the sight of the gold coin Master Paien was holding out toward her. She met his eyes quickly.
    “I couldn’t—”
    “Of course you can.” He smiled, a warm smile that left her unaccountably comforted. “Do a good turn for someone else when you’re able. I’ve had more than my share done to me of late. And some passing fine victuals at places I thought only existed