The Conqueror by Louis Shalako Page B

listened to Lowren’s footsteps
going up the old oaken treads and then it went quiet again when he
came to the first upper floor level.
    “ Mother?
Mother?”
    They heard him moving around up
above.
    “ You have to admire that,
eh, gentlemen. Lowren’s never been afraid to be seen hugging his
mother.” Garvin bit his lip. “I suppose we could have found
worse.”
    Thoma’s eyes were drooping.
He’d had the night shift as watchman on the forepeak of the ship.
With land looming off somewhere in the darkness ahead, he’d been
tense with the expectation of running aground. There was no way
in Hades that he
could have ever fallen asleep. Far better to stay awake and suffer,
knowing there was a reward ultimately in sight. As it happened,
he’d spotted land in plenty of time and the helm had steered for
port with little or no fanfare. They’d only been a few degrees
off.
    His lean and lugubrious face broke into
an uncontrollable yawn just as the pair of swinging doors from the
kitchen to the great room opened and a small procession emerged. It
was strange to have to fight your own face like that, or so thought
Thoma.
    He’d fought everything else over the
years.
    “ Ah.”
    There were two young girls in the lead,
bearing flat trays with mugs and larger steins for those that would
use them. The next girl carried two carafes, presumably with ale
aplenty inside of them. Behind that came the cook, rather unusually
for her. Perhaps she was bored and wanted the news, thought
Thoma.
    He grinned as the first girl, Senia or
whatever, (he thought that was right) made a beeline right for
him.
    “ You know me too well, my
dear.” She shyly plonked a stein down in front of him, and handed over a
small piece of linen from a stack held under her left arm,
hand-embroidered in the arms of Lowren and all of those Lemnian
kings before him.
    “ Enjoy, sir.” She curtsied
and side-stepped, seeking out Garvin, who sure looked like he could
use a drink about now.
    Kannn had somehow contrived to be
served first and he sipped appreciatively.
    “ Well. That
helps.”
    The next maiden was a bit more buxom.
Thoma had always appreciated the view of a nice cleavage. This one
was worth keeping an eye on. She leaned over, pouring out the cool,
foamy amber fluid. She may have been aware of his scrutiny, and he
studied the reaction closely. While it was her everyday costume,
she seemed to present with a certain flair when he was
around.
    A man could always dream, after
all.
    “ Enjoy, Thoma.” Her eyes
were downcast, demure, and yet there was something in her
voice.
    He raised the cool mug.
    Not a superstitious man, still, there
were times.
    “ To Neptune, and thanks for
the fair weather.”
    Her eyes came up and she
smiled.
    The head of foam rolled down the sides.
In a moment, his beard and mustache would smell like that. It was
the sort of smell you could go to bed with, as he had always
said.
    “ Thank you, thank you
kindly.”
    The other girls and boys put the
platters down along with some knives, some salt. There was a loaf
of the sweet, dark Lemnian bread, some butter and some cheese, and
this and that and the other thing.
     
    ***
     
    “ Hello, Mother.”
    “ Lowren.” She had been
standing in front of the hall mirror, just at the top of the stairs
and a prized household possession.
    “ Mirror, mirror, on the
wall, who is the fairest of them all.” He stood there
grinning.
    Her eyes lit up and she turned her
face. Lowren bent in close and gave her a kiss on each cheek. She
pushed him back and took a long look. He could call upon ten
thousand warriors and yet he would always be her little boy. There
was just no shaking her.
    He was surprised by how thin she was
becoming. They’d been gone a little over two weeks and perhaps that
was the difference. She was all new to him, after the jumbled
impressions of the sea, and lands far and wide. He hadn’t seen her
this clearly in a while.
    “ So. Is it true that
Vaeomon will come in with