The Rings of Salammis

Mala - Part 4

     An hour later, Thomas pushed the empty dinnerplate away with a sigh of contentment. Bakklin was still chasing a few peas and slices of carrot with the last slice of beef, mashing it all onto the back of his fork in what appeared to be the Agglemonian fashion, and Matthew and Stone were sipping golden wine from carved crystal goblets such as only nobility could afford in their own time.

     The other two tables in the small dining room were empty, the house's other guests having eaten some time ago. A lovely painting of a cherry orchard in full bloom hung on the wall, a real work of art that they'd been surprised to find in such a modest establishment, and the room was lit by the porcelain statuette of a skimpily dressed young woman standing in an alcove. An alcove normally occupied by an oil lamp, as testified by the streak of brown soot running up the wall to form a large patch on the ceiling. The landlady was delighted with it, as well she might be considering the effort it had taken Thomas to cast the spell. Theoretically, it might continue to glow for centuries, while its structure was gradually eroded to feed the spell. It was even possible that a tiny sliver of glowing porcelain might survive to his own time, lost somewhere amidst the monster haunted, weed entangled ruins of the ancient city.

     The landlady's daughter glided in to clear away the dishes, smiling invitingly at the wizard as she reached over his shoulder to take his plate, and it was probably just an accident that her soft, fragrant hair fell across his face in a way that might have sent another man's passions racing. Her intentions were plain enough, suggesting that the establishment had a second source of income, and Thomas felt his body responding to the warm glow of her skin, the exotic scent of her perfume. The others all received the same unspoken invitation, however, which took away some of the allure. Also, all four of them were married, although Stone looked for a moment as though this were a minor consideration that could be set aside for the evening.

     In the end, though, the young lady had no takers and her disappointment was obvious as she stacked the plates precariously on one bare arm and swayed alluringly out of the room. Thomas watched her as she left, thinking about the life that lay ahead of her. The life that had come to an end a thousand years before he'd been born. Maybe she'd get married, have children, grandchildren. How many descendants might she have left in his own time? Was it possible that he was one of them? The possibility intrigued him. And even if she wasn't his ancestor, there must be ancestors of his living somewhere in the world. Wouldn't it be wonderful if he could find them, meet them! Hi, you don't know me, but I'm your descendant from the distant future...

     The landlady herself swept in, glancing adoringly at the glowing statuette as she crossed the floor to their table. With wizardry more common in the world in this time, such magical artifacts had to be more common as well, but even so it still had to be rare and precious and would undoubtedly increase the prestige of her establishment enormously. She would probably make a feature of it, advertising the fact that her house was good enough for wizards. She'd be able to raise her prices considerably.

     "I hope you enjoyed you meal, my Lord," she beamed happily.

     "Indeed we did," declared Matthew, rubbing his stomach with great satisfaction. "Best bit of beef I've had since my last home leave."

     She stared at him in horror, glancing fearfully at Thomas to see how he would react, and her fear puzzled them for a moment. Oh, of course! Thomas was the wizard, so he had to be the leader of their party, the others his hired retainers. But Matthew had taken it upon himself to speak first, as though he were the wizard's equal. Would the wizard be angry? What form would that anger be likely to take?

     "Yes, indeed," said Thomas hurriedly. "Absolutely delicious. We'll be sure to recommend you to all our friends."

     She relaxed, smiling again a little nervously but looking more puzzled than ever. Thomas could imagine her confusion. Who were these people, dressed in the most outrageous costumes and speaking with funny accents? A wizard who acted like a common man, walking the streets when he could be flying or teleporting. Underlings who treated their master as their equal. Thomas decided to engage her in conversation before she became too unnerved.