The Space Between Read Online Free Page A

cloth, she collected a brush to remove the
tangles from her hair.
    "Making things?"
    "Indeed." She enjoyed the way he looked at
her but was pleased to know he was listening as well. "A chest, a
table and chairs, a mallet. All half complete."
    "How good were these items?"
    "The quality of workmanship appeared first
rate. The craftsman merely possessed no perseverance, apparently.
What is being done?"
    "Not a great deal. He does not seem
dangerous."
    "I would still like to be certain."
    Palsamon shrugged. "You might want to get
dressed before you take it up with Delfrana. I believe I'll just
stay here and watch your dinner and your bath water." With the
fruit salad finished, he sat down by the table. "Of course, if we
are going to all this effort of making you a bath, we could get you
really sweaty to make sure it is worth while."
    "Palsamon!" Meledrin gaped at him for a
moment before remembering herself.
    "Yes?" he asked innocently. "I was merely
thinking that we require more fire wood. I am sure you are aware of
the location of the axe."
    Why is it that he can play
the child and I cannot? Is it a thing of men? Or of age? Or
something else entirely? Meledrin was not
certain, but she tried to join in the spirit. In a moment of
audaciousness, she crossed the room to take a seat on the
Palsamon's lap.
    He kissed her softly, running a hand along
her thigh, over her hip, and up to her breast. Though the sun was
still visible outside, Meledrin returned the kiss.
     
    * * *
     
    Meledrin awoke to the sound of banging. Dawn
had just started to spill through the window at the far end of the
room, painting vivid stripes across Palsamon's muscled chest. She
disentangled herself from his arms and sat up. The sound continued
— a slow, rhythmic knocking.
    "Wake up." She nudged his shoulder. "Wake
up."
    His eyes slowly opened and he smiled as he
looked at her body. "Not again. I'm exhausted."
    "Listen, you fool." Meledrin climbed over
Palsamon and slipped into a long white dress that emphasized her
hair. Then she quickly pulled on a pair of soft shoes and tied her
hair back with a ribbon — it really needed to be brushed, but she
did not have the time. She had her bow and was out the door while
Palsamon was still lacing his boots. The sound was coming from the
old smoking shed, out near where Faldorin's Path began. Meledrin
quickly made her way in that direction.
    There was nobody ahead of her, but she was
pleased to see that others were stirring in the buildings
behind.
    A few moments later she saw a man kneeling
in front of the shed. He was extremely short, but broader than any
elf, and solid. He wore only stained, cloth breeches and large,
heavy, leather boots. He worked methodically, hammering a long nail
into a loose board on the wall. His broad, bare back was to her,
muscles flexing with each powerful, precise stroke.
    Bang. Bang. Bang.
    "Hello," Meledrin said softly.
    The hammer paused, then descended one final
time. The man turned to look at her. A beard, curly and unkempt,
covered his face. Short dark hair was plastered down with sweat, on
both his chest and head. He was younger than she had first thought
— he had seen perhaps 25 summers — but his dark, brown eyes seemed
like those of a child. A strange contraption of gears and metal had
been strapped to his arm in place of his left hand.
    The stranger stared for a moment, looking
Meledrin up and down. Four nails were clenched between his teeth.
"Whistler," he mumbled, "you're the tallest dwarf I've ever seen."
Then, "Sorry, did I wake you?" He smiled crookedly.
    "Yes. I believe you have
woken everyone." Meledrin glanced over her shoulder and saw a dozen
more elves almost upon them. "Pardon? Dwarf?" She turned back to
the stranger and lowered her bow. She had suspected he was a dwarf,
but she had never seen one up close and would never have assumed.
But he thought she was a dwarf?
    "Work starts at dawn. That's the rule. Every
dwarf knows that. And you dwives should know it