“Where?”
“Out in the woods, along streambeds where it’s dark and moist. I’ll have to get up on the hills and out of the cleared areas.”
“Out in the woods?” she asked dubiously, surprise evident on her face.
“Yeah,” Herzer replied, raising an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Well… people don’t go in the woods much these days. You know there are wild animals out there?”
“Yes.”
“There are tigers and leopards and mountain lions?”
Herzer thought about it for a moment and shrugged.
“Haven’t been eaten yet.”
“Oh.” Pause. “Well when are you planning on going?”
“I don’t have anything better to do. I’ll probably go now.”
“Well, if you wait until we’re done with the breakfast dishes, I could come along.”
“Aren’t you afraid of being eaten?” Herzer asked, then hastily added: “By a tiger?”
“Not if I’m with you,” she replied.
“Well… I’ll be back in a little bit.”
She smiled and picked up his tray, carrying it back over to the serving area with a decided sway to her hips.
Okay, Herzer thought. What is it about the end of the world?
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
When Herzer walked back into town in the late afternoon his basket was half filled with slightly damp fur rug; the other half was filled with spring greens. He had found a large patch of asparagus as well as enough sweet leaf greens for a large salad. He had also found a patch of kudzi that had colonized a rock slip, and by the pool of water at the base of the rock slip they had invented numerous fascinating things that you could do with kudzi juice.
When they got back to town they could see that much of the town was deserted. Most of the people had gathered around the former Faire area near the line of hills north of town.
“Come on,” Morgen said, taking his hand. “They’ve started the dancing.”
“Oh.” Pause. “Good.”
“Oh, don’t be a baby,” she said with a laugh. “All you have to do is move your feet!”
One end of the field had been roped off and a stage set up. On it a group of minstrels, including the redheaded minstrel Herzer had seen the night before, were now belting out a fast jig. There was a large group of people dancing but most of the people in the area were gathered in small groups watching and talking. There were some logs left from clearing the area and a few trestle tables. But most of the people sat on the ground or the occasional uncleared stump. Herzer and Morgen, hand in hand, wandered into the crowd looking for a place to sit or, for that matter, anyone they knew. Morgen, not too surprisingly, was the first to spot an acquaintance. She waved to two women who were standing side by side, their arms folded, and dragged Herzer over to meet them.
The slightly older looking one was sharp featured, short and well rounded with more womanly curves than had been fashionable. Her long dark hair was heavily curled and in the slightly humid atmosphere had started to frizz at the ends. She glanced at Morgen and Herzer with the calculating eye of a raptor looking over a likely meadow. The younger woman was a shade over normal height for a female but had the standard fashionable look: no hips, no breast, no butt. She looked at Herzer and Morgen without expression and then looked away.
“Hi,” Morgen said with another wave. “Crystal,” she said to the older woman, “this is Herzer Herrick. Herzer, Crystal Looney.”
Herzer stuck his hand out and the woman just nodded at him, her arms still crossed. To the degree that there was any expression on her face it was disdain. Herzer took his hand and ostentatiously clasped it behind his back, nodding at the woman with a smile.
“A pleasure to meet you, Crystal was it?” he said.
“Shelly?” Morgen said after a moment, turning to the other woman. “This is Herzer. Herzer, Shelly Coleman.”
Herzer didn’t bother to stick out his hand that time. He just nodded his head at the woman who nodded briefly and then turned to watch the dancing again.
Morgen flushed at the apparent rebuff then smiled brittlely.
“So what are you guys doing?” she asked.
Crystal looked at her as if she couldn’t believe the question.
“Watching The Dancing,” the woman replied, slowly and distinctly.
Morgen flushed again as Herzer nodded his head. He took her by the arm and drew her against him.
“It has been a pleasure to meet you ladies,” he said with patently false insincerity. “I hope we get to do this again real soon.” He stuck his arm though Morgen’s and walked away, at which Morgen was forced to follow.
“Bye,” she said, waving. “I don’t know what is with them,” she continued when they were out of earshot. “They’re normally friendly.”
Herzer put his arm around Morgen’s shoulders and gave her a half hug.
“Ah, I think the problem might be that you were with a guy,” he said, carefully.
“What?”
“Never mind,” Herzer said, rolling his eyes at the sky. “Let’s go find some friends of mine. They’re at least somewhat more likely to be friendly.”
They walked along through the crowd until Herzer spotted first Shilan and then, sitting next to her, Cruz. They were parked along the stream at the edge of the crowd, leaning against some balks of timber.
“Hey, guys,” Herzer said, wandering over with his arm around Morgen’s waist. “How’s it going?”
“To the dogs, Herzer, it’s going to the dogs,” Cruz replied. “Who’s your friend?”
“Morgen, Cruz Foscue and Hsu Shilan, Shilan is like her first name. Cruz, Shilan, Morgen.”
Herzer set the basket down and first lifted out the greens, which were bundled in some of the outer leaves, then took out the blanket and shook it out on the ground, hoping there wouldn’t be any evident stains.
“Man, dude, you are always prepared,” Cruz said. “Where’d you get the rabbit food?”
“We went for a walk in the woods,” Morgen said and then blushed bright red.
“Bast showed me some of the stuff that’s edible in the spring,” Herzer replied. “You can eat all of this stuff raw, but some of it is better cooked.” He pulled out a stick of asparagus and nibbled on it. “Umm… tasty. Just like the deer eat.”
“It is good,” Morgen said, finishing off another stalk of asparagus. “Am so’gif,” she added, munching on a fern head.
“Oooo! Plums,” Cruz said, snatching up the fruit.
“Nah, kudzi,” Herzer corrected as Cruz’s face twisted in surprise.
“It’s good,” Cruz said, taking another bite then handing the rest over to Shilan.
“Yeah, but you gotta watch that juice,” Herzer said, straight-faced. But the comment still elicited a hysterical giggle from Morgen.
“I need to visit the little girl’s room,” Shilan suddenly said. “Care to come with me, Morgen?”
“Sounds like a fine idea,” Morgen replied, dusting off her hands.
The two men watched the women leave and then Cruz shook his head.
“They do that just to make us nervous, you know that don’t you?”
“Yeah,” Herzer said. “But do they know that we know?”
“They’re going to dissect us in the bathroom, you know that.”
“Hey, they’re latrines,” Herzer pointed out. “Unless they smell much better than ours they’re not going to stand in the latrine and dissect us.”