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.* * *I found Doria with the dwarf and my younger daughter over in the blacksmith's shop, next to thebathhouse."Daddy!" My baby daughter's face lit up and she ran for me; a father is always a hero to his daughter,even if he doesn't deserve it.I swept Dorann up in my arms."Whatcha doin', kiddo?""Aunt Doria and Uncle 'hira are showing me how to smith," she said, suddenly becoming serious as sheraised a finger.They're very serious at three and a half."Now don't you touch the metal.It'shot.""Okay, Dorann," I said, giving her a quick kiss on the top of her head."I'll be careful." My daughters arealways watching out for me.It's nice.I ran my fingers through her hair."Isn't it about your nap time?""Don't need a nap," she said.Which settled that.Both my daughters run to stubbornness, once they get their minds made up.Kirah used to claim that itcame from me, and I used to claim that it came from her, and we used to argue about it constantly, ifnever angrily, until she finally gave up; so I guess I was always right, and the stubbornnessdoes comefrom Kirah's side of the family."What's that in your ear, sweetie?" I palmed a piece of rock sugar from my pouch as I set her down.Itwas wrapped in a twist of paper, so it was easy to trap it with the back of my forefinger and middlefinger as I clapped my hands to show that they were empty, then pretended to pull it from her ear."Youhiding candy again?"Sleight of hand is related to pickpocketry, and the latter is one of my talents.It's never gotten me a jewelbrighter than Dorann's white smile and squeal of delight as she popped it into her mouth.Ahira had chased the smith out or more likely, given him the day off and was bent over the forge,doing some minor repairs to a mail shirt.Tricky work you want to be sure to weld each ring tightly shutwithout welding any ring to the other.During the time we were working for King Maherralen over inEndell, he had picked up some of the art.So had I, actually, although not as much as he had, which isn't fair, given my head start back on theOther Side, before all this started, I spent a summer apprenticing at Sturbridge Village.It would saysomething about genetics versus environment, but with Ahira, it was pretty hard to decide what waswhat.I'm not sure whether Doria was legitimately interested, or just being sociable.Dorann, on the other hand,was interested in everything.I remember when Doria used to wear her Hand cloak: a big, bulky dull white thing that made her lookold and shapeless.I hadn't seen her wear it since Melawei; she probably put it away with all of her otherHand memorabilia, and maybe memories.Today, Doria had tucked the hem of a white cotton pullover shirt into her tight pair of Home jeans, andwas looking fresh and immaculate as she held Doria Andrea's hand."Looking cute today, Dore," I said.Doria and Ahira looked too young.He had stripped to the waist for the work, and the muscles beneaththe skin of his hairy, barreled chest were like rope beneath the scars.One weal on his right shoulder stillstood out, red and angry, and it looked like somebody clumsy had played tic-tac-toe with the point of aknife just under his left nipple.Which was pretty close to what had happened, so I understand.He didn'ttalk about it much.If you ignored the scars, though, Ahira hadn't changed one whit in the years we had been on this side:while the top of his head barely came to the middle of my chest, the shock of thick brown hair thickboth ways held no trace of gray.It probably wouldn't for a while; dwarves live long lives.The fingers that held the tongs in the forge were thick and strong, the joints like walnuts.His face wasflushed almost crimson from the heat, and sweat poured down his forehead and dripped down hischeeks; with his free hand he took a dipper of water from the cooling trough and dumped it on his head,to an accompaniment of giggles from Dorann.Save for the eyes, Doria still looked like she was in her early twenties: her skin was still creamy smooth,her short blond hair shiny with youth.Beneath the mannish shirt, firm breasts bobbed invitingly [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]