Khaavren Romances - 02 Five Hundred Years After by Steven Brust

Author:Steven Brust [Brust, Steven]
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Vlad Taltos, Khaavren Romances
ISBN: 9780812515220
Publisher: New York : TOR, 1995, c1994.
Published: 1995-02-27T09:00:00+00:00

Chapter the Nineteenth

Which Treats of a General and a Gentleman,

Or a Dragon and a Lyorn,

And the Interaction Between Them;

Comparing and Contrasting It

To the Interaction Between

Two Less Savory Characters.

« ^ »

SINCE KHAAVREN IS, JUST AT the moment, unavailable, and it will be some

time before any of those looking for our brave Captain manage to find him, we will

take the opportunity to look in on Aerich and Adron, at the Duke's encampment

outside of Dragaera. Following the departure of the messenger, whose errand Adron

knew perfectly well and Aerich guessed, time had passed very slowly, though neither

of these gentlemen gave any indication of impatience. Adron busied himself with

dispatches and the seemingly endless paperwork of his battalion, occasionally

breaking off to study his mosaic of purple stones, while Aerich worked with his

crochet hook, creating a stylized Lyorn which he intended to put on a table in his

library.

After some hours, a fine meal arrived in Adron's tent—a meal which combined

the most advanced studies of the culinary arts as practiced by the military with the

sensibilities of Lord Adron, who had always believed in keeping a proud table. They

were served by a young subaltern, who herself selected the wine and brought forth

the dishes as they were required by her general and his guest, yet contrived to remain

out of their way, and nearly out of their sight.

The two gentlemen set to work on the comestibles in their particular fashions:

Adron attacked his food as if it were the enemy, and disposed his knife and his teeth

as if they were the forces with which he intended to rout the roasted duck, drive

back the hard-crusted bread, scatter the long-bean and rice, and force the confection

of apple, cream, and plum wine to surrender unconditionally. Aerich, meanwhile,

treated these same dishes as if each were an honored guest, and he did not so much

devour them as hold conversation with them, treating each with the courtesy and

respect he thought it deserved. It is difficult to say which of them enjoyed his meal

the more, yet certainly Adron enjoyed his more quickly—he was sipping strong wine

and wandering contentedly about the tent (if we may be permitted such unfortunate

euphony) while the Lyorn was contemplating the whipped, frothy confection we

have already mentioned, and wondering at the best way to address it with the sweet

biscuits at hand.

"A most laudable repast," he remarked and looked upon the dishes, full and

empty, and recalled their contents.

Adron bowed, and gave the subaltern an approving look that she would in due

course take back to the chief of Adron's kitchen. When she had at last gathered up

the dishes, napkins, and wine bottles, Aerich sat back contentedly, sighed, and said,

"Will Your Highness entertain a question?"

"Gladly, my dear Lyorn," said Adron, looking up from the patterns of purple

stones upon which he had, perhaps as an aid to digestion, begun working once

more.

"I must apologize that this question is not related to the duck who has given his

life for our palates, nor, indeed, to the elegant and thoroughly mysterious manner in

which Your Highness's chef has managed to season and prepare it over the spit with

only the tools of a traveling army at his disposal.

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