[Envinyatar]

‘Shall we wake him?’ Sakal said, sitting on the edge of the bed. His brother, Azar, rocked back in the wooden chair, his feet resting on the bed near the pillow on which the still sleeping man’s head rested. ‘He’ll be up soon enough,’ Azar chuckled, wriggling his wrinkled socks quite near Derufin’s nose.

‘What died?’ rasped Derufin, cut off in mid-snore by a whiff of some foul stench. He sat up slowly, pulling his rumpled shirt into some semblance of order. Running his hands over his stubbly chin, he yawned, making a face at the taste in his mouth. Blurry memories of last night surfaced . . . Sakal, Azar, and he in his room at the back of the stable. There had been a small keg . . . or had it been two of some potent, fiery southern spirits . . . and toasts to friends old, friends new, friends gone, and friends yet to be. Merry had been wise enough to know when he’d had enough and had gone off to his own room in the stable. But the other three had gone on drinking and telling stories.

And now it was day . . . the sun streaming in through the thin curtains made Derufin’s head ache with its brightness. He shifted in the bed and laid his head back on the pillow. ‘Just a few more hours . . .’ he muttered balling the pillow up comfortably at the back of his head.

The cold water hitting his face brought him upright once again. He shook his head looking for whoever had dumped the water on him. Sakal stood laughing, the pitcher from the night stand now empty in his hand. ‘Get up!’ said Azar, hauling him up by the arm. ‘Get up, my almost brother.’ Derufin stood, swaying a little on his feet, the realization suddenly dawning that this was his and Zimzi’s day. ‘A little help, if you please,’ he said tucking his shirt hastily into his breeches. ‘Just get me to the kitchen and get some food and drink in me. I’ll be fine . . . I think . . .’

‘Food, maybe,’ said Sakal, holding Derufin up on one side as his brother took the other. ‘And maybe a cup or two of strong tea . . . but no “drink” drink.’ Azar nodded, agreeing with his brother; then, leaned in close to Derufin, whispering. ‘But once the knot is tied, there’ll be ale all around, brother mine . . .’