Confidence

“Don’t mind her, she doesn’t know you or me. Don’t let her get you down” Mary said quietly, but not quiet enough.

“Oh, does the little bumkin think she knows better than me?” the woman said in a provoking manner. “The thing you outback people don’t understand” she started, looking over Mary with distain in her eyes. “is that you need connections. Otherwise, you will be stuck in some low position your whole life, even if you do manage to become an aari”

“Do you think that is true?” Firlea whispered to Mary.

“I don’t know. But it shouldn’t matter what position you have. Being an aari is about helping people, to make life better for others. You can do that even from the lower positions I assume” Mary whispered back. Firlea nodded.

They continued to talk, trying to ignore the other woman as best they could. After a while Mildy walked over to the tables together with a group of trainees. The trainees spread out two to each table.

“Please grab your cloaks and follow the trainees designated to your table” Mildy told them. They all obeyed as quickly as they could and were soon being lead in different directions.

Mary’s and Firlea’s group started to climb some stone stairs. They seemed to go on for ever, until they reached a door. The trainee in front of them opened the door and Mary realised they were up on the roof.

The roof on the sanctum was flat with a wall that ran around the outer edge, about shoulder high. All over the roof there were garden beds scattered and barrels of water. Amongst it all there were stations set up with tables and tools.

An aari came up to them and showed them how to plant seeds into long wooden troughs. Then they were asked to group up four by each table and start planting. Mary and Firlea joined the married couple and started working.

This was familiar work to Mary. Bettina and Mary had been doing this for their own garden and it felt nice to get a task that she knew how to perform. It gave Mary some much needed confidence.

Unfortunately, the woman from lunch was also in their group, as they had been sitting at the same table. She continued to talk about how important her grandfather was and how she, herself, was almost royalty. She had gathered a small band of followers and they all seemed to enjoy making everyone else feel inferior.

Usually, Mary would have been terrified of the group, she would have let them get to her. But for some reason, she could just ignore them and continue to plant the seeds and talk to the group at her table.

The sun was shining and the wall surrounding the roof was protecting them from most of the wind. Mary found it relaxing to be working with her hands and talking to Firlea and the couple. They were talking about the marketplace. The married couple, Stealp and Tarnini, had been there yesterday for the first time and were more than enthusiastic about it.

Firlea hadn’t been, but she said it was one of the things she wanted to do on her days off. Mary told her that it really was worth going and suggested that she would stop by the perfumery. They stopped talking as the aari that was supervising them stopped at their table.

She inspected their work and complemented and told them that they worked fast and efficient. Then she turned to Mary.

“Mary Teeran?” sha asked.

“Yes, that is me” Mary said smiling even though she got nervous.

“Please tell Bettina that I’m grateful for the seeds and advise she gave me last year. The gloom ranks have never been as beautiful” the aari told Mary.

“I will aari Cectell. I’m sure she will be happy to hear that” Mary said.

“Thank you, Mary, now please continue”

They continued working on, but Mary could feel the looks she got from the other three working with her.

“My mother is an herbalist” she told them as if it would explain everything.

“And she knows aari?” Firlea asked.

“Both my father and mother does, it’s not a big deal. I don’t get advantages from it” Mary shrugged.

“That’s not what she’s been saying” Stealp said, indicating the boastful woman a couple of tables over.

“Don’t listen to her, I don’t think it works like that. I don’t think you can get into the training just by being well connected” Mary said. “At least I know that the aari I know would never allow that.”

The other three nodded. The aari had a reputation of being fair and unbiased, that didn’t fit with what the other woman was saying. Therefor they accepted what Mary told them.

After planting seeds for almost two hours, they were given the task of re-plant seedlings into bigger pots. This was something new to Mary, Bettina’s and her plants hadn’t become big enough for this. But she found it to be just as enjoyable as the previous task, although it was a bit fiddlier, and you needed to concentrate on not damaging the frail seedlings.

As the call finally came to stop working, Mary actually found that she was happy with her day. She didn’t think she had done terribly at any of the task that they had been given.

The were lead down the stairs and out onto the docks and were reminded to wait at either of the river fields by eight o’clock the next morning. Mary stepped out on the docks and heard her name being called. She looked over and saw Tenac standing by a boat. She waved at him, letting him know she had seen him.

“Come on” she told Firlea.

“Do you know all the handsome riders?” Firlea asked Mary as she looked at Tenac.

“This is the last one” Mary smiled as they walked towards Tenac.

“Hi Tenac, are you here to help us across?” Mary said to him.

“Hi Mary, I came by to see how your day had been and thought I would make myself useful” he told her and reached for her hand to help her into the boat.

“Tenac, this is Firlea my new friend. Firlea this is Tenac” Mary introduced them as Tenac helped her friend into the boat.

“Nice to meet you” Tenac said.

“The same” Firlea replied.

“Is there room for me and my friends?” they heard a voice say and Mary saw that it was the councilman’s granddaughter and Mary sighed to herself.

“We have room for two more” Tenac said.

“But we are three, could you not let one of the others out? My grandfather, councilman Gregic, would be grateful to hear that I would have my friends with me” she said, and Mary could almost see her batting her eyelashes toward Tenac.

Firlea looked at Mary and rolled her eyes in annoyance. Mary had to look away not to laugh.

“Sorry, I can only take two more. Mary and Firlea will go with me” Tenac said without any emotion. Mary was grateful towards him.

She had been used to be shoved to the side when people like the woman, standing on the docks pouting, had been around. It was nice to be considered important enough not to be left behind.

“Oh well, I guess one of my friends can take another boat” the woman said, reaching out her hand so that Tenac could help her into the boat.

“I’m Limia, by the way. And you are?” she said sweetly.

“Tenac” Tenac told her as he helped one of her friends to sit next to her.

The boat ride was uncomfortable for all except for Limia it seemed. She continued flirting with Tenac, which made Mary feel worse than when Limia had belittled her earlier. Her mind kept making connections to Zerden and lady Sarah.

Mary couldn’t understand that. She didn’t have feeling for Tenac, so why would she care? But Tenac seemed just as uncomfortable with the flirting. Maybe it was because he looked so pained that Mary was so uneasy, she thought.

“I will let my grandfather know how thoughtful you have been Tenac” Limia said as they docked and Tenac was helping them out of the boat.

“That won’t be necessary” he told her as he stepped onto the dock.

“Oh, I think it is. Now I have to walk all the way home, alone. I hope nothing happens” she said, sounding weak and uncertain.

To Mary this was clearly an act. Did anyone buy it?

“It’s a safe city” Tenac said coldly, standing next to Mary, putting as much distance between him and Limia as he could while still being somewhat polite.

“I don’t know, I have had a long day, I’m afraid I won’t make it all the way home” Limia said.

“Let me get one of the riders to follow you home then” Tenac said.