The White Order

VIII

A LIGHT BUT chill spring breeze blew through the open mill door, carrying the scent of damp earth and pearapple blossoms, and the hint of the words Dylert exchanged with a crafter in brown near the mill door.

Cerryl was on his knees, a relief to be off his feet, half under the fresh pine cuts rack, half-pushing, half-sweeping sawdust clear from underneath the lowest rack, using the side of the broom. He tried to ignore the itching in his nose and across his bare forearms, an itching that was worst around the pine sawdust.

“Cerryl!” called Dylert from the center aisle. “Where are you?”

“Yes, ser?” Cerryl straightened and stood, using his left hand on the rack to keep his balance. “I was cleaning out under the pine racks.”

“Good.” Dylert nodded as though he had personally ordered Cerryl to clean there. Beside him stood a burly man in brown, black-bearded with a dour look upon his face.

“There’s a handcart in the second lumber barn. Use it to bring three dozen of the narrow rough floorboards from the second barn. The best ones we have there, mind you.”

“Yes, ser.” Cerryl set the broom carefully against the rack, watching Dylert.

The millmaster turned toward the man in brown. “What will you be needing for timber? We have. .”

Cerryl eased himself away from the rack, walking as quickly as he could toward the mill door, each step sending a knife jab up his legs.

Outside was a cart, and between the traces was a brown mule, thin and bony. The mule’s leads, and a halter rope as well, were tethered to the ring on the millrace side of the causeway.

Cerryl glanced up at the thickening clouds, then staggered and put his hand on the door frame to steady himself.

“Gee-ahh!” Brental guided the empty log cart back toward the mill, gesturing for the oxen to stop as they neared the mule cart.

With a pleasant smile plastered in place, Cerryl tried not to limp, but his toes and calves knotted with every step.

“Cerryl, what’s the matter?” asked Brental.

“Nothing. I was sweeping under the pine racks. I’m stiff.”

“Cerryl. .” said the redhead firmly. “Sit down on the wall there. Next to the hitching post. Right now.”

“Dylert said I was to use the handcart and bring him three dozen of the narrow rough floorboards from the second barn.” Cerryl stopped beside the hitching post but did not sit.

“I’ll help you if it comes to that. Sit down,” Brental insisted.

Cerryl sat.

“Off with the boots.”

The youth looked stolidly ahead, as if Brental had not spoken.

“Off. .” Brental reached down and eased off one boot and then the other.

Cerryl did not look at either his feet or boots.

“Your toes are bloody.” Brental shook his head. “Darkness. . how long you been like this?”

Cerryl looked at the stones of the causeway, his face blank.

“Your feet are too big for those boots.”

Cerryl kept looking down.

Brental sighed. “You get chaos blisters there, and you’ll not work again. You’ll not walk again.”

“Your da said I’d not go unshod, not in a lumber mill.” Cerryl managed to keep his jaw firm. “I almost have enough coppers for boots.”

Brental laughed, not harshly but ruefully. “Lad. . Cerryl. . you’d not ask for anything, would you?”

Cerryl met Brental’s gaze evenly. “I’d rather not.”

“There are times to ask, and times not to. When you cannot walk, it be time to ask.” The redhead shook his head. “I’ve got an old pair of boots. They’ll do better than these. Wait here.”

“The boards. .” Cerryl glanced toward the mill door.

“All right. You get the boards-barefoot. I’ll meet you here before you go back into the mill.” Brental stood and gestured. “Rinfur! Watch the oxen for a moment.”

Rinfur crossed the road. “Have to get the team.”

“I’ll be back in just a moment.”

“Yes, master Brental.” Rinfur shook his head.

Before Rinfur could see his feet, Cerryl stood and began to walk slowly, if more quickly than if he had worn boots, to the second lumber barn. The handcart was inside the door, and he pushed it to the right. The floorboards were on the low rack on the far right, and barefooted as he was, he was glad that he’d swept the second barn the day before.

He inspected each board, letting his eyes check it, and holding it a moment, trying to get a feel of the wood before stacking it on the handcart. Sort of a golden oak, somewhere between black oak and white, floor oak wasn’t bad. Three lengths he set aside because the knots were obvious, and two because he could sense, somehow, that the boards were weak.

Once he had the golden oak floorboards stacked in four short piles, he pushed the cart slowly back out of the barn and along the cool stones of the causeway back toward the mill.

Brental was standing by the oxen by the time Cerryl and the handcart reached the mule cart beside the millrace wall.

“Da. . he’s still jawing with master Hesduff. Got some boots here, and a bucket of water. Sit back down.”

Cerryl sank onto the wall.

Brental took a soaking rag and sponged away dust and blood. His eyes widened. “Darkness. . what you did.” The redhead shook his head. “Cerryl. You have to wash your feet several times a day, no matter what. Till these heal. You understand?” Brental’s brown eyes bored into Cerryl. “And wash ’em right ’fore you go to bed.”

“Yes, Brental.”

“Cerryl?” called Dylert.

“You stay here.” Brental stood and pushed the handcart toward the mill, calling out, “Cerryl got the boards. I was coming this way, so I thought I’d bring ’em for you.”

“Good.”

“Good day, master Hesduff,” said Brental.

“Good day, young Brental. Hard to believe I’m a-looking up to you.”

As the three talked inside the mill door, Cerryl looked at the fresh blood welling across his bruised and blistered feet, then squared his shoulders.

“Good boards for rough cut. . Pick them out, Brental?”

“No, master Hesduff. Young Cerryl did. Has an eye for wood, I’d say.”

“Does indeed. . Would you load those on the cart? Now. . about the timbers, Dylert?”

Brental slipped back out of the mill, pushing the handcart.

Cerryl stood and walked over to the back of the mule cart. “I can load these.” He took the top pair of floorboards.

“We can get it done twice as fast together,” Brental said mildly.

Cerryl didn’t object. His feet still hurt, if not so much as before. Neither spoke while they stacked the boards.

“Brental! Bring that cart back.”

Brental nodded and wheeled the cart back into the mill, returning shortly with eight six-cubit timbers laid across it.

Again, Cerryl helped Brental load the timbers into the mule cart. Brental tied them in place with two lengths of hemp as Hesduff and Dylert strolled out of the mill.

“We’ll be seeing how these work out, and I’ll be back before long.” The crafter nodded to the millmaster.

“And we’ll be here, Hesduff.” Dylert smiled politely.

“Sure you will be. A pleasure, Dylert. Always a pleasure.” Hesduff untied the mule and climbed onto the cart seat, then flicked the reins.

As the cart creaked away and down the road, Brental slipped up beside Dylert and began to speak to his father in a low voice. Cerryl might have been able to hear them if he strained, but he just sat on the wall dumbly, fearing the worst. If only he’d had some coppers before he started at the mill. . if only his feet hadn’t grown so fast. . He wanted to shake his head but didn’t. What good would it have done?

Once the mule cart left, Dylert walked over to Cerryl. He shook his head. “Cerryl?”

“Yes, ser?”

“Have I been cruel to you? Have I beat you? Or failed to feed you? Or clothe you?”

Cerryl looked at the stones of the causeway. “No, ser. Never, ser.”

“Boy. . you ask for little. I know that. But there’s a time for brains and a time for pride. What if Brental hadn’t seen? How long afore you’d never walk again?”

“I’m sorry, ser. I did not think.”

“No, you didn’t. You’ve had a hard life, but I’d not make it harder. Don’t you, either. Take care of your body, boy. Be the only one you have.” Dylert nodded at Brental. “You say those old boots of yours will fit?”

“Be better if he didn’t work in the mill for a day or two. Ought to go barefoot.”

“Place be clean enough to do without for a day or two.” Dylert laughed. “Viental always be taking off.” He looked at Cerryl. “You can help Dyella round the house. No boots. Understand?”

“Yes, ser.” Cerryl looked up. “Thank you, ser.” He swallowed. “Thank you.” He had to look down, afraid Dylert would see how close to tears he was.

“That be all right, Cerryl. Just get those feet well.”

“Yes, ser.”

“Now. . up to the house and tell Dyella you’ll be doing chores for her. Darkness knows, she could use the help with all the wool coming in.” He snorted. “And Erhana could spend more time on her lessons. Always looking for a way out, that child.”

“Yes, ser.” Cerryl nodded.

“Put the boots in your cubby first,” said Brental. “You need to clean the old ones sometime. Might be someone else could use them later.”

Cerryl nodded again, forcing his eyes up to meet Dylert’s. “Thank you, ser.”

“Off with you, boy.”

Cerryl could tell that Dylert didn’t feel as gruff as he sounded, but he answered politely, “Yes, ser.”