Bastion

off as an accident.
    Mags decided that a closed mouth was the better part of valor, and just said, politely, “May I?”
    “Be my guest,” Lita replied, staying where she was. He eased Dallen up to the side of the caravan, and copied Jakyr’s moves—without the near kick—and climbed into the wagon. Lita shut the door behind him, and a moment later the caravan lurched on its way.
    This was the first time Mags had been in the vehicle while it was moving, and it did sway, quite a bit. He clung to an overhead rail, while Jakyr rolled himself in a cocoon in blankets on one of the narrow beds, pulled a corner over his head, and turned to put his back to the rest of the caravan.
    The little doors leading into the two cupboard beds were closed. Amily must be in the lower one alone, and probably asleep already again. She’d had a lot of practice by now in sleeping in a moving van. Despite the fact that he would dearly love to have cuddled up with her, Mags decided not to disturb the occupants, and instead took the other narrow bed. It was surprisingly comfortable. There was a featherbed in the box, and it was thicker than it looked. He nestled down into it and closed his eyes, and decided that he liked the swaying of the wagon. Of course, he had never been a baby that had had a cradle—at least, he didn’t think so—but he imagined that was very much what it felt like. As soon as he got cozy-warm, he fell right back asleep.
    When he woke again, he turned over to see that the other bed was empty, and he heard someone softly practicing scales. He realized he must have been hearing that for some time, and he sat up.
    “Want to help me make food for everyone?” Amily asked from somewhere about the level of his feet. “It’s about luncheon time, and there are no inns on this road, but the Cook loaded us with enough food to give everyone something to eat. I thought I’d just put packets together; we can pass them out the windows here at the back.”
    “Always happy to give you a hand,” he said, turning to see her peeking out of the bottom cupboard bed. She came out and sat next to him, and together they put up something people could eat in the saddle. Rolls split and buttered, with a thick slice of cheese, a couple of small leeks, and a bit of bacon in the middle. Then they opened the rear windows and stuck their heads out.
    “I’ve got food!” Amily called, and handed the packets out as the half-dozen Guardsmen rode up and reached over their horses’ heads to take them. There was enough in the supplies for everyone to have two, which seemed to satisfy all of them.
    He helped Amily clean things up and tidy everything away, shaking the basket the rolls had been in out the window. It was clear that in a space this small, you had to tidy up everything as soon as you were finished with it, or you’d soon have no room to move.
    :Need me out there?: he asked Dallen.
    :Not in the least. Jakyr is sulking, and he and Milles are exchanging stories about insufferably rude women, and how it’s impossible to understand females in the first place. I think you would only get in the way of their fun.:
    Having, in the course of his duties to Nikolas down in Haven or at the Palace, been forced to listen to far too many such conversations, Mags was inclined to agree. If there was one tune that got harped on over and over, it was how unreasonable women were (among men) and how unreasonable men were (among women). He was inclined to think that everybody just got burrs under their saddles from time to time and got unreasonable in general.
    “All I can say,” Mags said to Amily, “is that it is a very good thing that Jakyr and I are going to be out of The Bastion as much as in. I just hope we don’t get snowed in together too much.”
    “If we do, we have several options,” Amily said thoughtfully. “We could move to another cave. We could tell them to move to another cave. Or we could tie them together and make them work out whatever it is that they’ve been quarreling about.”
    Mags shuddered. “With the third?” he said. “I think there’d be blood afore it was over. Lita, I know she’s got a tongue like a sword, and Jakyr ain’t far behind. They’d flay each other alive with words afore any making up happened.”
    Amily grimaced. “Then we make them move to other caves. Maybe they’ll go into hibernation like grumpy bears and spare us all.”
    •   •   •
    Jakyr seemed to have worked off his