Come To Tea

[Vera Silvertooth]

Vera felt oddly hollow as she looked over the freed slaves and liberated Waverunners. They laughed and celebrated on the docks, but all she could think of was her last sight of Plink as she paddled out to join the ships from Blade?s fleet.

I shouldn?t have gotten so angry at Plink. She didn?t intentionally set me up. Mayhaps she would have stayed had I been more calm. Now she?s back among those killers who?ll throw her away as soon as she?s outlived her usefulness.

She spotted Hylan, once more wearing the ridiculous pirate hat he?d picked up for his disguise. As she made her way across the dock, he threw back his head and laughed at something the hare next to him had said. That sight made her pause and smile. She hadn?t realized until that moment just how much she?d missed that laugh of his.

Then he spotted her. ?Vera! Just the vixen I want to see! Where?d you go??

She shrugged, guilt weighing like lead in her stomach. ?Nowhere important. Why??

?Come with me. Rob wanted to see you.? He grabbed her by her good paw and began pulling her up the Phantom?s gangplank. He led her across the deck and to a cabin at the stern. Inside were Chak and Robert, with the tailless squirrel, and Crue, who was tending to a badly injured, old weasel.

?...cain?t attack Blade wi? the weapons we?ve got,? Chak was saying as they walked in. ?What?s t? stop ?im from blowin? us out o? the water wi? ?is cannons??

Robert turned to the weasel, who was somberly gazing at a familiar patched cap that he held in his paws. ?Rindclaw, did Blade leave any o? those cannons here??

The weasel nodded, but his gaze remained on the hat. "Aye. Doesn't matter, though. They won't work."

?Why not?? Reedox demanded.

Rindclaw glanced up from the hat finally, his eyes sunken and listless. ?No black powder. Without it th' cannons aren't more than useless hunks o' iron."

"And there's none Blade left?" Robert asked.

Rindclaw shook his head. "Nay. He made sure o' that."

Hylan stepped forward. ?But we?ve been mining and gathering all the ingredients for seasons now. Surely we can make more??

Rindclaw winced as Crue dabbed a wet, strong-smelling cloth on a cut in his neck. "Th' ingredients aren't any good on their own, an' I wouldn't know what t' do with 'em. No one did. Blade kept his black powder a close secret, and only he knew all th' tricks t' mixin' it. Mix it wrong an' you could blow up th' whole mountain."

Chak grumbled and leaned against the wall of the cabin. ?So we still be weaponless.?

Robert paced back and forth in the narrow confines of the room. ?There?s got to be somethin? we can use.?

The fur on the back of Vera?s neck suddenly stood on end. She swallowed and said, ?Do you need sulfur, charcoal and something called saltpeter to make black powder??

Every eye turned to stare at her and Rindclaw nodded slowly. ?Aye.?

?I... may know how to do it...?

Everybeast present stared at her for several long moments. Hylan let out a weak chuckle. ?Vers, I know you got a head for recipes and all that, but how in the seasons would you know a thing about mixing black powder??

?When Blade went to get Torin, he locked me in a room in his quarters. I was looking for an escape, and found this little book. It had drawings for those cannons, sketches of the chain contraption for the harbor, and a recipe that called for sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter.?

?Can you remember wha? the recipe was?? Robert asked, leaning forward.

She nodded, then Hylan began laughing.

?Oh, no no no,? he said in between laughs. ?Please don?t tell me Vera knows how to make black powder.?

?Why? What be wrong wi? that?? Chak asked.

?Ever heard of a flambe? Was always very entertainin? when Vera decided to make one of those!? He snickered. ?Vera likes setting things on fire, if she can.?

Vera squared her shoulders and looked down her nose at him. ?I do not like setting things on fire.?

?Just like watchin? them burn, then!? He hugged his arms over his ribs. ?Vera... knowing how to make Blade?s fire powder... I?m terrified for the rest of the world.?

Robert raised an eyebrow at the hysterical pine marten, but said, ?Vera, could you make the black powder if we get you the materials??

She ignored the guffaws from her friend. ?I can try.?

"Tryin's not good enough," Rindclaw said, affixing a hard stare upon her. "I'll help you as best I can, but I need t' know--can y' do it?"

In spite of the dire warnings and the potential danger, Vera felt a little trill of excitement. ?Yes,? she said.

Rindclaw slowly began to nod, and his grip tightened around Tooley's hat. "Then we do it."

?We ain?t goin? to have a lot o? time. We?ll see if there?s a way you can mix an? experiment safely once we get under sail.? Robert looked to Rindclaw. ?Do you know where the ingredients are stored??

?Aye.?

?Hylan?? Robert?s tone sobered the marten up. ?Get a few o? your mates together an? get directions from Rindclaw. I want the black powder ingredients moved aboard as soon as possible.?

Hylan nodded, still grinning. ?Leave it to me. Vera, you know about how much of everything you?ll need??

?Equal amounts of charcoal and sulfur, but about five times as much saltpeter. What is saltpeter anyway??

"Privy waste, mos'ly," Rindclaw said bluntly.

Vera blinked, then cleared her throat. ?Now I?m sorry I asked.? Hylan snickered again.

As Hylan got directions from Rindclaw about the location of the black powder ingredients, Robert spoke to Vera, ?You know where food stores are around here??

?Of course.?

?Can you get a crew o? your own together an? gather up food for our voyage? An? maybe get a quick meal together so we can eat something before we sail??

She grinned. ?I can definitely handle that.?

***

This is more like it!

?Dice all those carrots up fine. They?ll cook quicker that way. Don?t skimp on those onions, either. No, don?t add the fresh herbs until the very last, once it?s all cooked up. Overcooking will dull the flavor.?

Vera paced around Dead Rock?s kitchen, supervising the half dozen beasts she?d picked as kitchen crew. Another dozen or so worked on moving a selection of the mountain?s food stores down to the Phantom. At Crue?s insistence, the former slaves had all bathed quickly in the harbor and clean clothes had been rounded up before they set to work. Now they chattered and laughed together while Vera kept an eye on everything. Her paw had been freshly bandaged by the squirrel healer and though she had to keep it clean and dry, there was no lack of willing paws to help her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the mousemaid who was chopping carrots pop a piece in her mouth. The beast?s eartips went red when she realized she?d been seen, but Vera simply reached across the table, speared a carrot piece with a claw, and popped it in her own mouth.

?Had an old boss,? she said as she crunched the carrot, ?that always said a cook that didn?t sample their work at all stages wasn?t fit to wear the apron. Just make sure most of them end up in the soup.?

The mouse nodded with a hesitant smile, and took another bite of carrot as she continued the chopping. Besides, Vera thought as she checked on the hedgehog cutting up fruit for a salad, when was the last time anybeast let you have something better than scraps to eat. She would not begrudge the former slaves a single bite taken.

A short while later, she used a corner of her clean, cream-colored apron to pull a sheet of nut cookies from the oven. As she was moving them to a wooden rack to cool, her ear flicked towards the doorway. Somebeast was coming up the tunnel, whistling.

She braced one paw against the table as she briefly went weak-kneed. A few tears slipped free.

The whistling became song as it came closer.

?I've traveled the world but all I long to do
is to eat all your cookies and listen
as you tell me the gossip you heard in the store-
can't say that I know any more than before
but I'll share every story I've heard and then more!?

She glanced at the door as Hylan poked his head, topped with that ridiculous hat, around the doorjam with a grin.

?May I please come to tea?
May I please-oh-please come to tea??

His eyes went wide when he saw the streaks her tears had made on her fur. ?Vera! Are you okay?? He hurried across the kitchen to her.

An awkward sobbing laugh slipped out. ?I never thought I?d hear you sing that again.? She noticed that her helpers made a point to not look at her, which almost made her more embarrassed.

?Aw, Vers, I?m sorry! I couldn?t resist.? He hugged her tightly, and a couple more sobs broke free before she could stop them.

She drew several deep breaths and pulled away, though loathe to leave the comfort of her best friend. She dabbed at her eyes and straightened her shoulders. ?I?m fine. It?s just been a long day.?

He shrugged. ?Can?t argue there. Can I help??

She motioned to the other beasts in the kitchen. ?We?ve got it handled. Don?t you have something else you need to be doing??

He shrugged. ?Not really. Got your new ingredients all loaded on the ship and then that squirrel friend of yours insisted on me getting cleaned up. Oh, what do you think?? He held his paws out to his sides and turned, giving her a full view of the clean white shirt, pants, and long red vest. ?Pilfered it from a captain?s quarters. A mite big around the middle, I?m afraid, but that?s what a belt?s for.?

She nodded her approval. His fur still lacked luster and he looked much thinner than she remembered, but at least he was clean. ?Better, but do you have to keep the hat??

?Why? I like the hat!? He swept the voluminous thing off and sketched an elegant bow. A couple of her helpers giggled.

?It almost got you killed.?

?Only when I wasn?t wearing it anymore.? He plopped it back on his head. ?Maybe it?s a lucky hat, eh??

She rolled her eyes and turned back to her cookies. They were cool enough, so she picked one up and tossed it to him.

He caught the cookie with a grin that would have fit the face of any Dibbun. ?That?s more like it. You can throw cookies at me any day.? He took a bite and closed his eyes in ecstasy as he chewed. He swallowed and gave her a wink. ?Sure beats a spoon.?

Vera pointed a claw at him. ?You deserved that, you scoundrel!?

The mousemaid laughed. ?What?s this about a spoon, Hylan??

Hylan grinned at Vera, who tried to scowl but there was a glimmer of a smile on her face. ?Well, it all happened back in my hometown. Vera worked at a little place called The Staff and Flask. I was about to head out on a little month long trip and decided to pop in and take a little snack for the road...?

?A little snack!? Vera scoffed. ?A whole one hundred cookies this rogue made off with. Only crumbs left in the jar.?

?And a tea cup, so she?d know it was me and not take it out on the rest of the staff. Anyway, a month or so later, I come rollin? back into town. I?d always start singing Vera?s song as soon as I rounded the block. Sing the ol? ?May I please come to tea?? line as soon as I walk in the door, just as I did here.?

Vera jerked a thumb his direction, ?Full of theatrics, that one.?

?Aye, coulda been a traveling player, eh? Well, I shove open the door, belt out my line then, WHAM!? He slammed a paw on the table. ?Nailed right in the forehead by a wooden spoon. Sailed clear across the common room and pegged me. An? Vers shouts out from the kitchen doorway, ?That?s for the cookies!? then turned tail and flounced back into the kitchen.?

Vera picked up a wooden spoon and twirled it between her claws. ?Of course, after that, it became a joke. He changed a line in the song to eating all the cookies and I?d throw a spoon at him when he walked in the door.?

?Every time...? he said with a mock groan.

?Then the regular patrons began taking bets on whether or not I?d hit him.?

Hylan winked. ?I got faster.?

Vera raised the spoon as if to chuck it at him.

?Ack! No!? he laughed, hiding under his arms. Everybeast in the kitchen laughed with him.

Later, Vera stood in a corner of the canteen with her arms crossed over her chest. She smiled as liberated slaves, Waverunners, and mongooses served themselves from the small buffet laid out before them. They dished up hot vegetable soup of finely diced potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and peas and flaky biscuits that melted in the mouth. Plates were heaped high with salads, both one of leafy greens and a fruit salad made from the bounty of the island. Of course, the small hill of nut-studded cookies was not neglected and many of the cookies grabbed were eaten before they ever made it to the tables.

She watched for a time, listening to the chatter and the simple, happy sounds of beasts enjoying delicious food and good company. Then she pushed away from the wall and took a couple cookies from the diminished stack. One went in the pocket of her apron. She munched on the other as she strolled back to the kitchen, a little bounce in her step as she went.