Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey

Author:Jacqueline Carey
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fantasy
ISBN: 9780446610148
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2008-05-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Four

The Day of Misrule was a riotous affair, and tired though I was, I enjoyed it. I was young and I'd gotten used to going short of sleep in Lucca. My body hadn't lost the knack of it.

And too, it gave Dorelei and me reason not to dwell on the unspoken.

Lots were drawn among the most junior members of the household to determine who would be the Lord or Lady of Misrule, and the honor fell to a scullery lad, a lowly cook's apprentice named Hoel. He was crowned with a wreath of dead oak leaves and given a wooden spoon for a scepter, and for the course of the day his word was law. His first act was to order the Cruarch's last cask of uisghe breached, which met with great approval. His second was to declare that all the men should dress in women's attire, and the women in men's.

To be sure, this provoked hilarity; and rightfully so. Dorelei stared at me, clad in her green kirtle, and burst into helpless laughter. It fell to my knees and left my shins bare, and even with the stays unlaced, it strained tight across my shoulders.

"Oh, Imri!" She gasped. "You'll split the seams." "I'll buy you a new gown," I promised. "A dozen." One of my shirts fit over her belly easily enough, but we had to scout around to borrow a pair of drawstring breeches from a stout fellow named Lonn, one of the members of the original garrison. The pants had to be rolled at the ankle many times to keep her from tripping, and pinned to keep them in place.

"You look like a little girl dressed in her father's clothes," I observed. "A very fat little girl.”

Dorelei swatted at me. "You carry the babe, then! You're dressed for it.”

Throughout the day, the peers of Clunderry waited hand and foot on the commonfolk; or at least pretended to. In truth, all the actual preparations had been completed the day before, and Hoel issued outrageous demands, which were met with pranks.

"You!" He snapped his fingers at me. "Scullery lad! I have heard of this drink you call joie. Bring me a cup!”

I bowed. "At once, my lord.”

In the kitchen, Alais and Kerys rummaged through the pantry cupboards, unstoppering bottles and smelling the contents between giggles. They were both clad in clothes borrowed from Kinadius and looked quite charming, although they were making a fearsome mess.

"Ooh!" Kerys jerked her head back. "Here, my lord. Bitter verjuice.”

"Perfect," I said.

I served it to Hoel, who took a sip and spat it out. "You call this joie?”

"Oh, yes, my lord," I said solemnly. "Distilled in the Camaeline Mountains, as cold as ice and burning like fire. Is it not sweet to the tongue?”

So it went throughout the Day of Misrule, culminating at last in a long, drunken feast. After pretending to serve scorched cuts of meat and an uncooked mess of pottage, we relented and brought forth the meal of salt beef

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