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.When Noki left, he returned to watch Arman walk very slowly and hesitantly on thecrutches. So, do you plan to let him use them this evening?Arman turned to Kei and used his eyes shamelessly. Please? I don t want to becarried.Worse than a three-year-old, Kei thought in exasperation. You can practice a littlemore this afternoon, and with the soldiers help you can walk but you re to sit throughoutthe rest of it.If there s any sudden pain, or you fall that s it until Darshek, do you hear? Yes, I hear. But there was no hiding his glee.Arman s days of being carried werealmost certainly over.This of course presented them with a different problem clothes.Arman had beenwearing a night shirt and his cloak since Darbin, which was fine if all he did was sit butthey were a bit of a hazard for a man on crutches.Unfortunately, Arman was taller than anyDarshianese Kei knew, and heavier than himself who was closest in height.He d have tomake himself rather unpopular with people who were busy getting ready for a wedding.One man in the village sewed as well as Meis or Sira, but he was working, not at home.Kei left Arman practicing under Tiko s supervision, and walked out to the fields whereRin s brother, Lev, was picking urko beans. Young Kei! Glad to see you. And I you too, Lev.I m afraid I need a favour, and that quickly.Lev straightened, stretched and cricked his back. I d like a break what do youneed? Two pairs of trousers for man of my height and half again as broad. Gods, you don t mean that damn Prij bastard, do you? Lev said, frowning. I m afraid so.I wouldn t ask but.you know how well I stitch material.Make it athigh muscle any day, he joked.Lev was still frowning, but then he sighed. All right.If it wasn t you asking, I d tellhim to whistle for it.But, lad, there s no time to make them from scratch. No, but if I can beg some worn out pairs from some of our heavier men, can youadjust them? It won t matter if the legs are too short, but the seat will need to becomfortable.He has a leg splint too we need to find some way he can pull the things onand off. Don t want much, do you? Kei shrugged. Oh well, you go find me some oldtrousers to work with and I ll come measure up your damn prisoner.Don t blame me if apin gets left in the crotch by mistake.Kei grinned, but privately reminded himself to check the trousers very carefully beforeArman was allowed to pull them on.The begging took a little longer than he would have liked because everyone wanted totalk to him.Finally he had a suitable sample and brought Lev to the house to meet Arman,who was once again assiduously courteous to his visitor.Lev was a little unnerved by thereality of the man he d only previously seen as a faceless suit of armour, but quickly set totrying and measuring the trousers Kei had garnered.The solution to the problem was easierthan expected, since there were at least three pairs that would do, and which would not needany sewing at all they only needed to be split to mid-thigh on the right side to allow forthe splint.Lev chose the two least worn pairs and quickly snipped the stitching on the sideseam. I ll stitch laces on this pair so you can tie it shut, stop it flapping so he doesn t tripand fall on his arse.You can do the same on the others on the trail.I don t have time to doit now.Kei watched Lev s deft fingers stitch cord to the sides of the opening. I ll botch that, Iknow I will, he said mournfully.His mother had insisted he learn to sew as part of histraining but somehow cloth always slipped away from him in ways that flesh did not. It s all right, Kei.I can do it.Kei and Lev stared at Arman in astonishment at this simple statement. You can sew? Of course I can sew.Who do you think mends my uniforms? Little stitchingdemons? I d have thought you d be too fancy to touch a menial task, my lord, Lev saidsarcastically.Arman had maintained scrupulous politeness with all the Darshianese he d met to now,even Tiko, so he caught Kei by surprise when he answered rather tartly,  Then you werewrong, sir.I can sew, I cook well, I can mend my own armour, and physick a sick urs beast.I know the basics of carpentry, and I assure you that left to myself, I d rather clean my ownquarters than ask another soul to do so.We might be cruel, vicious bastards, but I m not alazy one.Lev sat back on his heels and gaped. Aren t you some kind of lord? I heard youwere. Yes, but that doesn t mean I was waited on hand and foot.I prefer not to be in anyevent, and in the Prijian army, any officer who behaved that way would lose the respect oftheir men as quickly as they would in your own [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]