Aunty Hurga had quite a few rules about the Master Tho-Shiko's compound. He wasn't to leave the premises without permission for any reason. He wasn't to try and talk to the master without Aunty Hurga there to translate for him. He wasn't to go into the warehouse by the southern wall or the little library and shrine shed at the middle of the western wall, nor was he to go anywhere near the greenhouse. Unless he was working, he shouldn't go into the gardens or among the fruit trees. And he shouldn't touch any of the peculiar little pillars that decorated the gardens, no matter how curious he was about them and the strange markings and carvings all over them. He wasn't to speak of the temple or Trochaya or Counselor Yubrin or Dursus. When he prayed, he was supposed to speak to the Protector. If a guest came to visit the master, Jallin was not to speak to him, or even stare at him, no matter who it was, even if it was the Lord Emperor Sarkelosh himself. And he wasn't to answer the door either, if someone rang the bell.
But whether or not he could leave the little shed to get his sister water from the well was not a rule...yet. It still felt like he should sneak around, like he'd get in trouble if he got caught.
The night was, for a change, a little warm. He was glad. It was also quiet. What time was it? Shouldn't he hear people in nearby inns or taverns singing? Shouldn't he hear bells from the slave bay? He would have to be even quieter now.
He came to one of the strange pillars with all the markings. He couldn't resist stopping and looking at it. He put his hand out as though offering it something to eat, and felt...something. Wind. A small breeze moved along past the little column. First it moved one way, then another, and seemed to do it regularly, like someone was breathing on his hand. Jallin shook his hand as though he had stuck it into manure. Something wasn't right about it. When he came to the next one, he found the breeze moving past it as well, in just the same way as the first, but going in a different direction, this one east and west, while the first was going north and south.
He decided he didn't want to know more about these devices and moved on. His toe brushed a shoot in the garden and he stopped. He had to be careful not to step on the growing things. Had he stepped on anything already? He looked back the way he'd come. Like tiny tombstones in a miniature cemetery, the stalks of budding flowers ignored him.
The only sound was the soft crunch of his feet on the lukewarm dirt. He heard Eja cough some more and reminded himself why he was out here anyway. He looked at the little metal cup he'd been given by the master.
The pavilion was coming up on his right, the greenhouse on his left. The well was just there in front of him. He wished he didn't feel so much like a thief just now. He wished he knew whether what he was doing would get him in trouble or not.
Now that he was halfway across the garden, he noticed a dim light beyond the paper walls of the big house. He noticed it because he heard laughter. Not human laughter, but the sharp squeaking noises of kinto-shah laughter. Two kinto-shah were laughing inside the house. If he could hear them, how much could they hear? Were they laughing at him?
If he was going to steal water, the worst thing he could do would be to stand out in the middle of the open garden and wait to get caught. He ran.
When he reached the eastern wall, he stopped and ducked down behind the well.
Almost the moment he was ducked down and looking back at the house, the door of one of the rooms opened and two figures stepped out onto the porch. It was the master and Shi-Feo. They leaned against one another and laughed. Were they drunk? Jallin had seen a few drunk kinto-shah before.
They held hands. Shi-Feo had some large object in her free hand. It looked like a musical instrument, maybe a guitar or another stringed instrument. The master also had something: a jug. They stopped at the doorway to another room of the house and Shi-Feo opened it. For a moment, she stood in that open door, and she whispered something to the master. Then, she licked him under the chin and stepped into the darkness of the room. The master bowed at her briefly and Shi-Feo shut the door.
For a moment, he stood there, looking to the north. Could he see Jallin? Jallin held his breath. For a moment, the master seemed to sniff the air, and his ears were noticeably up. Jallin could see them from where he crouched. The jug in the master's hand didn't move.
What would he say? What would happen to Jallin if he got caught? Should he just stand up and act like he was doing something normal? He didn't want to ruin their situation for Eja. If he was in trouble, he'd confess it and take the responsibility himself.
As if to save him, Eja went into another coughing fit. The master turned his nose to the west, in the direction of the little shed where Eja tried to sleep. Saying and doing nothing to indicate he saw, smelled, or heard Jallin at the well, the master turned around and walked back to the dimly lit room from which he had originally emerged. The door made a gentle whisper as it opened and closed, and he was gone.
Jallin quietly lowered the bucket and fetched it back again as fast as possible. He dipped his cup and made his way quickly back to Eja.
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