Piers Anthony - 3 - With a Tangled Skein

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With A Tangled Skein -- Piers Anthony
(Version 1.0 -- 12/12/2001)
THEBONNEEBOY
Niobe was the most beautiful young woman of her gen -- eration, with hair like buckwheat
honey and eyes like the sky on a misty summer morning and a figure that was better imagined than
described. But she had her trifling faults, such as an imperious nature fostered by the ability to
use her beauty to get her own way, and she was of only average intellect. Also, though she did not
know it, she had been marked for a more difficult destiny than she had any right to dream of.
"But, Father!" Niobe protested prettily. "Cedric Kaf -- tan is but sixteen years old,
while I am twenty-one! I couldn't possibly marry him!"
Old Sean raised a pacifying hand. "Some rivers are harder to cross than others, and some
boats smaller. These are not easy times, my daughter, for Ireland or the world. He belongs to an
excellent family, farmers and scholars, and they take care of their own. His age is im --
material."
2 With a Tangled Skein
"Immaterial!" she snorted. "He is but a child! Father, you do me wrong to marry me to one
who is so young!"
The man's jaw tightened. He had the power of the pa -- triarch, but he preferred to have
harmony. "Daughter, I did not do you wrong. It is true he is young, but he's growing. He will be a
match for you when I am dead and gone."
"Let him be a match for some little snippet his own age! I absolutely refuse to put up
with this indignity!" Her eyes seemed to brighten with her anger, becoming as intense as the
midday welkin.
Sean shook his head ruefully, not immune to the luster of his child. "Niobe, you are the
bonniest lass in the county, and nicely talented on the loom, but perhaps the most headstrong,
too! Twice you have balked at excellent matches, and I was weak enough to let you. Now you are
becoming embarrassingly old for a maiden."
That shook her, but she fought back. "Oh, pooh! A fat old moneybags and an ugly
aristocrat! You call those matches?"
"Wealth is not to be sneered at, and neither is aristoc -- racy. You could have had a very
easy life, or a very noble one. Such marriages are not easy to come by."
"Why can't I have a handsome, virile man of twenty -- five or so?" Niobe demanded. "Why
burden me with a child who probably doesn't know his nose from his -- "
Her father's glance stopped her before she went too far. She could only balk him to a
certain extent, however softly he might speak. "Because the war has drawn away such men, so that
none remain here who are worthy of you. I will not give you to a peasant! You will not marry
beneath your station. Cedric is qualified and financially comfortable, thanks to an inheritance,
and -- "
"And he's growing," Niobe finished with disgust. "And I'm growing -- sick of the very
notion! I won't marry such a child, and that's all there is to it."
Piers Anthony 3
But that wasn't all there was to it. This time Sean's foot was firm. Niobe raged and
pleaded and cried, to no avail. She was very good at crying, for her name meant "tears,'1 but her
father was impervious. He was determined that this match be consummated.
And so it was. The banns were duly published, and the wedding was held in early summer,
when the groom got out of school. Everything was accomplished according to form, but Niobe hardly
noticed; she was too chagrined at being married to such a youth. She wouldn't even look directly
at him. As the ceremony concluded, he at least had the wit not to try to kiss her.
Thus they found themselves alone in a cottage, which was his inheritance. It was in a
glade near a swamp -- pleasant enough by day for those who liked that sort of thing, but sinister
by night. That was perhaps part of the idea: a couple was supposed to be bolted inside during
darkness, huddled together for warmth and comfort. There were great romantic possibilities; the
locale was conducive.
Niobe had no trouble resisting conduction. She wrapped her lovely self up in a voluminous
quilt -- a wed -- ding gift -- and slept on the bed. Young Cedric lay beside the hearth, where
there was dwindling radiation from the embers. As the quiet chill of the night intensified,
neither stirred.
So they spent their nuptial night, the woman and the boy, in silent isolation. In the
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morning Cedric got up, stoked the ashes in the fireplace, and went out to relieve himself and
fetch more wood. Niobe woke to the sound of an axe splitting billets of wood. It was a good sound,
for the morning air was chill indeed; soon there would be physical warmth.
Or would there? She remembered that a fireplace was an ineffective way to heat a house. A
good stove put six times as much heat into the surrounding air for the same
4 With a Tangled Skein
amount of wood burned. There was a stove here; she would see to it. She might not be a
genius, but she was practical when it suited her purpose. For one thing, she needed warm hands to
operate her loom properly.
She wrapped her coat about her nightrobe and went out to use the outhouse. There was an
old catalog beside the wooden seat, half-used, and a bucket of ashes. It was an efficient system,
she reflected, for this was the classic place for reflection; one could read each page of the cat -
- alog before using it, or simply stare at the pictures. The mind was edified while the body was
cleaned. The ashes were to sprinkle over the refuse, cutting down on the smell, and of course
there was a ready supply of them at the house. The refuse was periodically toted to the garden for
compost. It was an old-fashioned system, but a good one; nothing, really, was wasted. Still, she
would have preferred a modern city toilet.
She emerged in due course, shivering in the cold, but she paused to watch Cedric at work.
He was not cold at all; the effort of splitting heated him. She had to admit he was good at it; he
set each billet of wood on the chopping block and halved it cleanly with a single blow of the axe,
so that the pieces toppled to either side. He was a boy -- but a big boy, with a fine ripple of
muscle as he swung the axe. His blond hair jumped as the axe struck, and a muscle in his cheek
tightened momentarily. A bonnie boy, indeed!
He saw her and paused. "You're cold. Miss Niobe," he said with a rich backwoods accent
that, like Niobe's form, is better imagined than rendered. "Here, take my jacket till I get the
wood in. I'm too hot anyway."
"Don't call me miss," she protested. "I am, after all, your wife." It grieved her to say
it, but it was a truth she could not deny, and honesty required that she not attempt to. A
marriage, however ill-conceived, was a marriage.
Piers Anthony 5
He paused, half-startled. "Uh, sure, I guess so. But you know, ma'am, it was none o' my
notion to get married like this; I'm not even through school."
She might have guessed! "It wasn't my idea either," she said. "At least not -- "
"Not to an ignorant kid!" he finished with a rueful grin, "Come on, now, take the jacket
before you freeze your toes off, miss -- uh, ma'am." He approached her, jacket extended.
"Just a moment," she said, constrained to assert her independence even from this. "You
look a lot more com -- fortable than I am. Give me that axe."
"Oh, that's not no woman's work, ma'am! I'll do it."
"That isn't woman's work," she said, annoyed by the double negative.
"That's what I said!" Then he paused, embarrassed. "Oh -- you mean the way I said it. I'm
sorry. I'm just a backwoods boy, ma'am, and sorry you had to get stuck with -- "
"What's done is done, Cedric," she said firmly. She wrested the axe from his grip, knowing
he could offer no effective resistance to her because she was an adult. She set up a billet and
swung at it -- and caught the very edge of it. The blade caromed off and plunged into the ground
beside her right foot.
"Uh, ma'am, please -- " Cedric said, worried.
"No, I can do it!" she said, hauling the axe up again in a wobbly trajectory.
He jumped to intercept her. "Let me help you, ma'am, nooffense."
"You're afraid I'll break the axe!" she accused him.
"No ma'am! I'm afraid you'll chop off a toe, and I'd sure hate to have anything like that
happen to a foot as dainty as that."
She relaxed. His diplomacy was effective because it was unschooled. "So would I! I did
come close, didn't
6 With a Tangled Skein
I? All my incidental studies about trees, and I never split a single blivet of -- "
"Billet, ma'am," he said quickly.
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She had to laugh. "Of course! I don't use the language as well as I supposed!"
"Oh, no, you talk real fine, ma'am," he said. "Now you take the handle like this, see, and
-- " He reached around her to put his hands over hers, setting hers prop -- erly on the handle.
His hands were larger than hers, cal -- lused and strong, seeming too big for his body. She won --
dered whether boys, like puppies, had outsized paws if they were still growing into them. If so,
Cedric would in due course be a young giant.
"How is it your hands are so rough, when your family is scholarly?" she asked
thoughtlessly.
He snatched his hands away. "Oh, you know, fight -- ing," he said, embarrassed.
Fighting. Well, boys would be boys. "There shouldn't be cause for that here," she informed
him gently.
"No, 'course not," he muttered, scuffling his feet.
"You were showing me how to chop," she said, taking
pity on him.
He got her grip right and her stance right, then guided her through a swing at the billet.
She felt the strength in his arms and body as he moved in contact with her; it was amazing how
strong he was for his age. This time the blade came down cleanly, perfectly centered, and cleaved
the wood asunder. The halves did not fly apart, as this had not been a fully powered blow, but
they offered no further resistance.
Niobe tried the next one alone, following the procedure he had shown her. Her strike was
not sufficient to split the billet, but it was remarkably close to the center. It was a victory of
sorts. She owed that, perhaps, to her coordination with the loom; she could generally place an
Piers Anthony 7
object where she wanted to, when not struggling with too much weight.
But now the axe was stuck in the wood. She tried to draw it free, but it wouldn't budge.
"Just turn it over, heave it up, and hit it backside, ma'am," Cedric advised.
She did so, struggling to haul up the heavy billet, and brought the head of the axe down
on the block. The wood split itself on the blade and fell apart. "Oh, it worked!" she exclaimed,
pleased.
"Sure thing, ma'am," Cedric agreed. "You got a knack for it."
"I have a knack -- " But she realized that she did not want to be lecturing him about
language; it was not the wifely way. "No I don't, either! I'm just a duffer. But it is fun!"
She split wood for several minutes, and soon was warm enough to remove her coat. "If I had
known how satis -- fying it is to split wood, I would have done it long ago," she gasped.
"You sure look good doin' it," Cedric said.
"No I don't!" she protested, pleased.
"Yes you do, ma'am. You're one pretty woman."
"And you're one bonnie boy. But I'm getting tired; let's go in and get some breakfast."
"No, I mean it, ma'am. You're the prettiest woman I've ever seen, specially when you move
like that."
She looked down at herself. She was glowing from the exertion, breathing hard, and her
nightwear was plastered to her bosom. This was not her notion of feminine beauty, but she was
flattered all the same. "And I mean it too, Cedric. You're a young Adonis. When you get your
growth, you'll be attracting all the girls." Then she paused, flustered, realizing what she had
said. Attract girls? He was already married -- to her. She felt the flush climbing her face.
With a Tangled Skein
8
He did not reply. He stopped to gather an armful of wood, then carried it into the cabin.
But she could tell by the flush on his neck that he felt just as embarrassed as she did. He was
young and socially inexperienced, but he was a good young man, meaning well. It was as awkward
for him as it was for her.
"Cedric, I -- " But what could she say that would not exacerbate the situation? Better to
let it drop.
Inside, she explained about the stove. "Sure, ma'am," he said agreeably. "We use a stove
in winter." He showed his expertise in getting it going, making sure the ashes were not clogging
the air vents, adjusting the damper in the stovepipe, and carefully building a structure of paper,
kindling and wood in the firebox. "Got to start a cold stove slow," he explained. "Don't want it
to crack." But soon enough it was producing comforting heat, and Niobe was making pancakes on its
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surface.
"You sure know how to cook, ma'am!" Cedric said as he wolfed down his share. He had a huge
appetite, as befitted a growing boy.
"I'm a woman," Niobe said wryly.
"You sure are!" he agreed enthusiastically.
She changed the subject. "I gather that you did not
want to -- to get married?"
"Pshaw, ma'am, I'm not ready for nothing like that!" he agreed. "I don't know nothing
about women. And I wanted to finish school, and get into the track program, so I could maybe make
something of myself, you know. But you know how it is when the family decides."
"I know," she agreed. "I suppose it's no secret that I objected to this -- I mean, I
didn't even know you, Cedric, just your name and age and that you came from a good family. It's
nothing personal -- "
"It's a good family, all right," he agreed. "And so's yours, which is why -- you know." He
shrugged. "I just wasn't, well, quite ready."
Piers Anthony 9
She found herself liking this honest, unassuming boy. She had an idea. "Look, Cedric --
why don't you go to school anyway? We can afford it, and if you really want to get an education --
"
His face brightened. "Say, you mean it, ma'am? You'd let me go?"
"I would encourage it, Cedric."
"But you'd be alone here, ma'am, and -- "
"I'll be safe enough. There are no dragons in these for -- ests." She smiled.
He paused, as if slightly stunned. Her smile had been known to have that effect on men.
Then he frowned. "There is magic, though," he said darkly. "Those trees cast spells -- "
"Not against those who understand them," Niobe said. "I have been studying the magic of
the wetlands forest. Those trees and plants only want to live and let live. But when you come
marching in with an axe -- "
He was startled. "Say, I never thought of that! If I was a tree, I wouldn't like it none
neither!" Then he paused. "Say -- I know I didn't say that right. Ma'am, would you -- "
"If I were a tree, I would not like it any, either," Niobe said carefully. "Eliminate the
double negative."
"Were, ma'am?"
"That's the subjunctive mood, used to show supposi -- tion. I'm not a tree and never could
be, but I'm trying to put myself in the tree's place, so I signal this by saying 'If I were a
tree.' To say 'If I was a tree' would be to suggest I might have been a tree^ in the past, and
that would be a misrepresentation."
"It sure would!" He caught himself. "Certainly would. It certainly makes sense the way you
tell it, ma'am."
"Cedric, you really don't need to call me 'ma'am,'" she said gently.
With a Tangled Skein
10
"Well, it's a term of respect for an older -- " He broke
off.
Niobe smiled again. "Now we're even, Cedric. I mis -- spoke myself outside, and perhaps
you did the same, now. We are in a difficult situation, but we must make the best of it. In time
we shall not notice the five-year differ -- ence in our ages; it is little enough, really. Were it
re -- versed -- "
"Yeah, the men figure sixteen is prime for a girl," he agreed. "Funny, isn't it!"
"Perhaps it is a prime age -- if a person is not interested in getting a genuine
education."
He turned serious again. "You know, all my family have been smart in -- you sure about the
school?" "I am if you are, Cedric." "I certainly am! I want to get smart." "Lots of luck," she
murmured.
He winked at her, and she realized he had caught the | irony. She blushed, suddenly and
hard; he was smart enough to know what she thought of him. "I did it again," she said through her
burning face. "I owe you one."
"No, you already paid me when you told me the sub -- junctive, ma'am. Oops!"
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She started to laugh, halfway hysterically. He joined her. They both knew it wasn't funny,
but it cleared the air somewhat. They finished their breakfast in silence.
The day warmed rapidly. Niobe dressed and finished with the dishes and straightened up the
cabin, for she believed in order. Cedric carried more split wood inside so that there would be no
problem the following morning. Then it became awkward again, for they had nothing else to do. This
was not normally a problem for the newly married, Niobe knew, so no provision had been made.
"I can set up my loom," she said. But it didn't seem appropriate, this first day.
"I can go scout a trail to run on," he said.
Piers Anthony
That was right; he had mentioned being interested in track. If he returned to school, he
would have the op -- portunity, so training would be in order. But he, too, was doubtful, knowing
that this was not what honeymooners were supposed to be doing.
"Let me help you," she said. "We can take a walk through the forest, exploring it. I'm
eager to verify the local magic."
He smiled. To take a walk together: that was a suitable occupation. "And leave the axe
behind," he said.
"So as not to frighten the trees," she agreed.
They walked, and it was beautiful. The foliage had not yet been jaded by the heat of
summer, and the bright sun -- light kept the mosquitoes at bay. They discovered a path that led
down into the swamp, where the bases of the trees became swollen and the green moss climbed high.
Now Niobe's expertise in wild magic came into play. She showed him how the huge water oaks of the
swamp ex -- tended protective spells for the little fish who lived among their roots and helped
fertilize them with their droppings, and how the hamadryad, or tree nymph, could be glimpsed if
one had the patience to be still and really look for her. "She dies when her tree dies," she
explained. "That's why she's so sensitive to the sight of an -- " She paused, then spelled it, "A-
X-E."
"She's real pretty," he agreed. "Almost as pretty as you. From now on, I'm not cutting no -
- not cutting any live wood."
Niobe felt a warm wash of pleasure. It was foolish, she knew, but she liked being reminded
she was beautiful, and nymphs were the standard against which mortals were measured. Nymphs were
eternally youthful and supple -- as long as their trees were healthy. A woodlands specialist could
diagnose the ills of a tree merely by looking at its nymph.
12 With a Tangled Skein
They went on, getting their feet muddy in the slushy sections of the path. "Maybe we could
drain this bog and
farm this rich soil," Cedric said.
"Drain the bog!" Niobe repeated, shocked. "But it's vital to the forest! It's a recharge
region for water. It stores excess rainfall and sustains the plants when there's a drought.
Without the wetlands, the land would lose many of its best trees, and not just those that grow in
it. The water table extends everywhere, and the roots find it -- but the wetlands keep the level
right."
Then, in her enthusiasm for the wetlands, Niobe burst
into song:
"I want to waltz in the wetlands, The swamps, the marshes and bogs (oh, the bogs). Yes, I
want to waltz in the wetlands With the birds and the fish and the frogs."
Cedric watched and listened, openmouthed, until her conclusion:
"I want to waltz in the wetlands, a place where na -- ture gets by And I...will cry...will
cry when the wetlands
are dry. Yes I...will cry...will cry when the wetlands
are dry."
She was so moved herself that the tears were streaming
down her face. Cedric seemed awed. "Niobe, I don't want you to cry!
I'll never drain the wetlands. Never!"
She smiled at him, then accepted his handkerchief to wipe away her tears. "It's only a
song, Cedric."
"It's only a song," he agreed. "But you -- you're spe -- cial."
"Thank you," she said, touched. She knew she was
not any great singer. The fit had come on her unexpect --
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摘要：

file:///F|/rah/Piers%20Anthony/Anthony,%20Piers%20-%20Incarnations%203%2-%20With%20A%20Tangled%20Skein.txtWithATangledSkein--PiersAnthony(Version1.0--12/12/2001)THEBONNEEBOYNiobewasthemostbeautifulyoungwomanofhergen--eration,withhairlikebuckwheathoneyandeyesliketheskyonamistysummermorningandafigu...

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