Page 64 of Tiger's Trek
Eldar grinned and lifted his hand to take the cards from Nik, but then the deck lifted away from both of them, and a chair was yanked away from the table. The cards landed in front of the empty chair, and they heard a voice say, “I think tonight it’s my turn to cut, don’t you agree?”
A gleaming knife with a sharp blade sank into the wooden table, and the invisible specter laughed. The cards flew around the table as if controlled by unseen forces, whirling incredibly fast. The two men screamed and tried to run, but something pushed them back down in their seats. The laughter suddenly cut off.
“I said we’re going to play, and tonight I think I’ll be in charge of the stakes.”
Sweat and tears began rolling down the faces of the other men, but Nik remained still and calm, at least on the surface. “Hello, Yuri,” he said, plucking his hand of hovering cards from the air. “I’ve been waiting for you to make an appearance.”
Chapter17
A SILK DRESS DOES NOT MEAN CLEAN UNDERGARMENTS
“All of you good people have come seeking aid. I’m here to tell you today that I’ve heard your wishes and judged your hearts and found all of you worthy. That is why I’ve chosen to break with tradition. My decision is not to help one of you today, but all of you.”
There were gasps of amazement from the crowd, along with claps, shouts of joy, and even scoffs coming from those filled with skepticism. Veru had expected that and prepared for it. Holding up her hands, she waited for them to quiet. “I’ll admit, I am not Yu—my mother. My magic is weak compared to hers. But I will offer you what I can. In my hand, I hold a vial of the first draw from the well. My companion, Danik, will mix it with our own water from the pump and give all of you an equal share to drink or use as you see fit.
“Perhaps the magic will be diluted this way. Perhaps not. We have already distributed food and the flowers that sprung from the well. I see this as a sign. My hope is that all of you will benefit from it and have a blessing from the Flower of the Well come your way. But know this: If what you seek does not come to pass, return here, and I promise to do my best to render what aid I can.”
As Danik mixed the water and those who remained formed a line to accept their offering, Veru placed her hand on his shoulder and said, “Can you summon them and provide them with water in the following groups? First, I’d like to see the man who wanted his cattle to prosper and the one who needed his grain to grow hale and hardy. After that, I’d like to see the young woman looking for a husband and the three lonely widows whose sons are wandering.”
Rubbing the stubble on his face, Danik grinned and nodded, listening closely as Veru introduced the first people called and spoke of how they might help one another. The man with cattle might offer fertilizer to the man with the grain, who in turn might provide feed and hay to the cattle. They walked off talking of a new partnership, both toasting the future possibilities with their jugs of water. Danik marveled that Veru never forced them together in any way. She just spoke to them of how she’d seen things successfully done in other villages, cleverly making it seem as if it their new partnership was their idea all along.
Then, with the next group, she somehow got the three widows to all offer up their homes to the beautiful girl, hoping she might entice their wayward sons to return home to settle down. The young lady was quite enthusiastic about the prospect of three eligible bachelors, especially with mothers-in-law all vying for her attention.
The man with a sick daughter was introduced to a medical student who needed a place to begin a practice. There were no guarantees that he could save her, but he was bright and energetic, and he wouldn’t give up hope. His youthful enthusiasm would be infectious, and he’d lend that optimism to the parents and give them a reason to keep trying. In turn, they would give him a place to stay.
Again and again, Veru skillfully arranged partnerships among those who needed help, usually without them recognizing her efforts. The only one she couldn’t seem to find a solution for was her silver-armored white knight, who had mysteriously disappeared for the duration of the day. No matter how she considered his problem—or her own, for that matter—there didn’t appear to be a way to free him or her and Danik from the old woman’s clutches.
When everyone was satisfied and gone, Danik and Veru toasted their success by downing a mug of the water themselves.
“What do you wish for?” Danik asked her.
“Do you mean other than a good night’s sleep that isn’t in a hard wooden chair?”
He chuckled. “You’re welcome to bunk on the floor with me.”
She gave him a quick, piercing look but saw no hidden agenda behind his words. It almost made her feel melancholy, especially as she remembered his rejection of her before. It was puzzling. No man had ever been uninterested in her. To be fair, it had been some time since she’d bathed or brushed her hair. In fact, she probably looked a mess.
“What doyouwish for?” she asked, avoiding answering his question.
“Hmm, would it be wrong to say I’d really like a bath?” he asked, echoing her thoughts.
Veru laughed. “I was going to say the same thing.”
“Then wish granted.” Danik stood up suddenly and looked around. “It will be much warmer out here than inside the house. Not to mention there’ll be privacy. Let me see what I can scare up.”
“Privacy?” she scoffed as he disappeared inside the little house. “Did you forget all the people who were just here? I’d say this porch is anything but private.”
“You just leave it to me, Tsarevna,” he called out.
Veru began unknotting her braided hair, wincing at the tangles and the sticks and weeds she found twisted in them, and sincerely hoped she wasn’t going to find any bugs. As she worked, she heard the movement of large pieces of furniture inside the house.
“What are you doing in there?” she called out.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said.
There was a hiss and a meow, and Max ran outside and sat at her feet, licking a paw furiously, obviously irritated.
“Did he step on you?” she asked, stroking the cat’s head. “Poor kotenok.”
