Colors of Chaos Read Online Free PDF Page B

this is my father, Layel."
    "So ... you're one of the young mages?" Layel stepped around the polished dark wood of the desk and offered a polite head bow.
    "A very junior mage among many." Cerryl bowed in return.
    "He's got a sense of place, Daughter! Maybe too modest for the Halls, from all I've seen."
    "He is modest."
    "We should be eating. Meridis will be letting me know for days that I let the food suffer." Layel gestured and then let Leyladin lead the way out of the study and through the archway she and Cerryl had not taken on the way to the study.
    "What are we having?" asked the blonde as they entered a small dining hall.
    The dining hall was small only comparatively, thought Cerryl. While three places were set at one end, the long white golden table could have easily seated twenty. Each chair around the table was of the white golden oak, and each was upholstered in the dark green velvet. The pale white china sat upon place mats of light green linen, and matching linen napkins were set in holders beside the silver utensils flanking the china. Fluted crystal goblets were set by each plate.
    "Your favorite," answered Layel, "the orange beef with the pearapple noodles."
    Orange beef? Pearapple noodles? Pearapples had been scarce enough in Cerryl's childhood, and to be savored on those few occasions when Uncle Syodor or Aunt Nail had produced one. Now Cerryl was about to have noodles made from them-as if they were as common as flour!
    "I broke out some of the white wine from Linspros." Layel glanced at his daughter. "I needed some excuse for something that good. Couldn't very well drink it by myself."
    The trader sat at the head, with Cerryl and Leyladin at each side, facing each other across the end of the table. No sooner had the three seated themselves than a gray-haired woman in the same type of blue overtunic that Soaris was wearing appeared with two large platters of the same fine white china, then scurried out and returned with two more.
    Cerryl glanced across the offerings-thin cuts of beef interspersed with thinly sliced oranges and green leaves and covered with an orange glaze; fine white noodles; long green beans with nuts and butter; and dark bread.
    Layel served himself the beef and noodles. After he had finished, Leyladin nodded at Cerryl. "Please."
    "Can't say that, outside of the white, I'd be taking you for a mage." Layel took the big glass bottle and poured the clear wine into the three crystal goblets one after another.
    Wine from glass bottles-another luxury Cerryl had heard about but never seen. "I know. I look more like a scrivener. I was once, an apprentice scrivener."
    "Now that's something I don't know much about." Layel laughed. "Books, you can't buy 'em cheap. So I don't. Means I don't sell them, either. Don't have time to read them." He lifted his goblet. "To friends, daughters, and companions."
    Cerryl followed their example but took only the smallest sip of the wine. Even with that sip, with the hint of bubbliness and the lemon-nut freshness, he could feel that it was far stronger than anything he'd ever tasted and far, far better.
    "Ah ... better than I remembered," said Layel.
    "It is good." Leyladin lifted the porcelain platter that held the still-steaming dark bread and offered it to her father. Layel broke off a chunk, and the blonde offered the platter to Cerryl.
    Cerryl took a chunk of the warm bread and glanced toward the older factor.
    Layel smiled, as if waiting for Cerryl to speak.
    "All of this ... it's different from the Halls," Cerryl said slowly. "We don't see that much outside ... I haven't anyway, even before I came to Fairhaven." He paused. "There's so much I've read about, but... Leyladin has told me you're a trader, and I don't know much about trading. What do you trade in?"
    "Anything that sells, young mage. Anything that sells. You trade in grain, and if the harvest is bad, you lose everything. You trade in copper, and when someone opens or closes a mine, you lose. I trade