Jeanne G'Fellers - No Sister of Mine by Jeanne G'Fellers Read Free Book Online

her hood until it bunched behind her ears then peered up, smiling. “At the base more than is good for my sanity, Russ. What’s for breakfast?”
    “Your usual, brown bread and tea.” Russ set a plate on the table then laughed at the crushed expression Krell offered in return. If any one thing gave him pleasure, it was teasing his lankiest customer. “Something wrong?”
    “No sweet jams?”
    “But of course!” With an exaggerated flourish, he laid a jam pot before her. “I know better than to serve a Taelach bread without sweet jams.” Russ’s eyes twinkled with merriment. “You’re obsessed with sweets, the whole lot of you.”
    “We are not.” Krell tried to appear offended while she layered the jam.
    “You never see an Aut spread jam like that.”
    “It’s not that thick,” she mumbled between bites. “And I’ve never seen an Aut spread jam at all.”
    “It’s a good three fingers deep.” Russ cringed. “Ugh! How can you eat that?” He stepped back from the table, ready to steer away from such indigestible conversation. “Now, I’ve worked here enough to know food is never your motive for being here, so what gives? Got a hot date or something?”
    Krell had grown accustomed to Russ’s teasing and often enjoyed the opportunity to reciprocate, this time sticking her finger in the jam pot and sucking the sugar-covered digit clean just to see him wince.
    “Smartass.” A snarl parted his mouth just enough to show the slight separation between his front teeth. “You know that makes me want to retch.” He snatched up the pot and placed it on a nearby table. “Who’s your date?”
    “No date, just business.” Krell waved him way. “But he won’t show if you’re hanging around.”
    “He?” Russ continued his caddish teasing. “Seeing Autlachs are we?”
    “Now I’m going to retch.” Krell reached for the jam pot.
    “All right, I’m going!” Russ thrust his fist to his chest as if stabbed. “I’m heartbroken.” He dabbed his face with his apron tail. One of the cooks witnessed his theatrics and bellowed for him to return to work. Bad enough they’d been forced into serving Taelachs, but did the staff have to call attention to the fact?
    “Pity for you, Krell, I’m already taken.”
    “Yeah, I know, to an ugly woman who can’t cook.” For once Krell could agree with the opposition. Russ was attracting far too much attention. She kept her tone low , hoping he would take the suggestion. “Go away; I have work to do.”
    “Since when?” he snipped.
    “I mean it.”
    His jovial smile faded. “Serious, aren’t you?”
    “As I can be. Don’t you have some work to do?” The cook leaned back out the window, this time launching a long line of obscenities in Russ’s direction.
    “At least someone loves me.” He gathered the dishes from Krell’s table and turned, pouting, toward the kitchen. “More tea, first officer?” Now he was overplaying being prim and solemn. So much so, Krell felt guilty for being short.
    “Please, and thank you, Russ.”
    “Ahh, no harm done.” He disappeared inside, returned briefly to refill her mug, and then left her alone.
    Krell was beginning to doubt the lead’s validity when a heavy man in a faded wrap stepped onto the plaza. He squinted around the square then slowly approached. “You Taelach Middle?”
    “See any other Taelachs about?” she replied coolly. “Who’re you?”
    The man shifted uneasily. “Starnes Bane.”
    “Well then, Starnes, you’re late.” Krell pushed the empty chair from the table. “Sit and tell me what you want with the Kinship.”
    “I gotta be quick.” Starnes pulled his wrap tighter across his shoulders and glanced around. “If I don’t get back soon they’ll come hunting.”
    “Who?”
    “The two Taelachs who are holed up at my place.”
    Krell eyed him charily. “The only Taelachs registered in this area are myself and a healer.”
    “Nah, they wouldn’t register. These two are strange,