Chapter 226: Sif Walks the Yard
Merren checked the binding on Sif's calf. He pressed the muscle along the shin bone, waited for her breath to hitch, and pulled his fingers away.
"One circuit," Merren said. "Staff available. Stop if the calf hardens."
Sif picked up her wooden staff. She looked at the front door. She had heard one circuit.
Elian stood beside the Arbitration Table sorting delivery slips. He heard stop.
Sif pushed the door open and stepped onto the porch. Elian put the slips down, picked up a piece of chalk he did not need, and walked out behind her.
The yard mud had frozen overnight, leaving deep ruts rigid enough to turn an ankle. Sif moved down the steps, planting the staff before her bad leg took weight. Elian took the steps two paces behind her.
Sif stopped. She looked over her shoulder.
"Why are you walking behind me?"
"I am also outside," Elian said.
Sif faced forward. She walked past the food-safe stalls.
Elian walked past the food-safe stalls.
Sif stopped again and turned completely around.
"Elian."
He looked at the chalk in his hand. He looked at the market lanes. He turned around and walked back to the freight zone.
Elian checked a merchant's wagon carrying bundled hides. He tallied the weight against the yard fee, argued over a frayed tie-down strap, pointed out a cracked rim on the rear wheel, and collected three copper pieces.
Across the yard, Sif reached the southern rope boundary. An unmarked cart carrying rusted iron tools tried to cut through the pedestrian path to avoid a frozen mud ridge. Sif planted her staff in the dirt before Heda even noticed the violation.
"Reverse the wheels."
The man looked at her shoulders and pulled his draft animal backward.
Elian moved to the next stall. He inspected a shipment of dried beans, found gravel in the bottom of the sack, fined the vendor for the cleanup, and marked the exchange in his ledger.
Sif arrived at the South Watch departure slate. She read the chalk names, adjusted one misaligned column with her thumb, and kept walking.
She passed the stable fence. Barnaby stood near the water trough. The mule took two steps toward the rail, tracking her uneven gait. He did not extend his neck or demand food. He stayed near the wood, giving her space while keeping her in his sightline.
Elian collected a stall fee from a spice seller. He watched Sif out of the corner of his eye. Her right boot dragged against a frozen rut. The delay lasted only a fraction of a second. Her shoulders tightened. She kept moving, burying the limp in a faster pace.
Vaelia sat near the edge of the Yard Exchange. She had a bowl of hot water in her lap. She watched Sif’s stride break. Vaelia did not stand up. She did not cross the frozen mud to support her daughter. She pushed a wooden bench outward with her boot. The bench scraped across the dirt and stopped directly in Sif’s path.
Sif glared at the wood. She looked at Vaelia.
Vaelia drank from her bowl.
Sif sat down. The breath left her lungs in a harsh rush. She kept her hands off her injured calf.
Vaelia handed her a tin cup of water.
Sif took it and drank.
Elian finished logging the spice vendor's fee and moved to check the hypocaust vent clearings.
Sif finished the circuit an hour later. She entered the common room and sat at the long table. Merren climbed down from the rafters. He pressed the skin around the knee. He checked the heat radiating through the canvas trousers.
"Swelling," Merren said.
Sif set her jaw. "I passed the walking distance."
"Yes."
"The leg holds."
"It holds yard dirt. You are not cleared for route patrol."
Sif’s face dropped. The hard line of her mouth cracked.
Merren tied a fresh linen bandage around the muscle.
"You asked whether you could walk the yard. You can."
Sif looked at the bandage. She accepted the words and remained in the chair.
Evening brought rain that turned the frozen ruts back into sludge. The taproom smelled of wet wool and woodsmoke. Elian closed the daily ledger. He recorded the yard fees, the damaged bean sack, the stall fines, and the cost of lamp oil.
Sif walked to the route board.
She took her carved wooden marker from the peg beneath RECOVERY.
She moved it to the peg beneath HEARTH DUTY.
She walked back to her chair and sat down.