e&tg 40

[rone]

"I need a red clay poultice," i said.  "Er, please."

He waved my request away.  "No, no, nobody uses red clay anymore!  It's too hard to find, and it doesn't do nearly as good a job as the black marsh clay!  I happen to have—"

"Sir," i interrupted, "i really need a red clay poultice."

"I assure you, sir, that the black clay—"

"Look," i bit off, "i wasn't asked for black clay.  I was asked for red clay.  A red clay poultice."  I looked intently at him and tried to keep my temper.

He pressed his lips and snorted.  "Oooh!  You're probably some other witch's errand boy, i'll wager!"

"N—"

"Bah!  Stop wasting my time."  He crossed his arms.  "It's the witch you want to see, i'm sure.  Go on, then!"  He pointed and said, "Go through the poplar grove at the end of town and go around the hill.  You'll find the witch's hut.  Now go and don't come back!"  He stomped to the back of the store and closed the door.

"Freak," i muttered.

---

The sun barely made the sky glow behind us as we flew eastwards around the indicated hill.  I saw a mine entrance that looked abandoned, and a short distance from that was a dilapidated house.  I could see smoke coming out of the chimney and an oil lamp through a window.  Kohasadi banked around and landed in the front yard.  I dismounted, patted his neck and walked up to the door, half-expecting a crazed woman with wild hair to burst out of the house and screech at me to go away.  I knocked on the door and brushed aside my disappointement when nothing happened.  I was about to knock again when the door was opened by a woman in a leather apron with a brick-red face and hair to match, tied back in a ponytail.

"Greetings," i said, "i am looking for Dakel."

"You are looking," she retorted, "for Yeniri."  She tilted her head inside.  "Come in, then."