Chapter 1
It was happening at last.
Elissa was to enter the Woodcrafter Hall as a half-trained apprentice!
She thanked Melth, the dragon of Journeyman Woodcrafter Bronze Rider H'llon, as she slithered down his shimmering bronze flank and trotted to follow the long stride of the Journeyman who had trained her. He led her quickly to Master Woodcrafter Bendarek's room for introduction.
The Woodcrafter Hall consisted of a complex of stone buildings, interconnected by covered passages, some above ground, others semi or wholly submerged, only the slate roofs visible. The whole was in a scrupulously green free yard, but close – many holders would have said perilously close – were the trees that fed the craft with its raw materials. Hardwoods were still few; likewise the fruit trees. Softwoods, rapid growing, crawled far up the foothills of the mountain against which the Crafthall was set. But dominating everything were the huge, soaring skybrooms. Flat topped, they sread a great canopy, its upper surface adapted against Thread, exuding a resin that resisted it, and that had numerous other uses. And though the Crafthall was only as old as the current pass, the numerous woods that could be used, local or imported, had been used to decorate it. Internal beams had patterns running down them; and the door posts around the Mastercraftsman's room was covered in carvings, cheerful caricatures showing the man himself engaged in various woodcrafting activities! Elissa grinned at the comical expression of pain on the face of one figure which had apparently dropped a chip carving mallet on his foot – Master Bendarek evidently had a good sense of humour to laugh at himself!
Nervously, Elissa entered behind H'llon. the master Woodcrafter smiled kindly at the big-eyed young girl.
"I have good reports of your progress, Elissa" he told her; "And the pieces you have presented are certainly well up to standard. You will be able to cover a wider range of skills here than H'llon can provide, but I think you will find yourself well ahead in both papermaking and turning."
H'llon had specialised in papermaking before going to High Reaches Weyr; and Elissa's own experimental work had impressed and pleased the Master. The turned legs on her 'prentice piece were good too; and marked her out from many apprentices trained out of the Crafthall, few of whose journeyman-teachers had lathes, even of the old fashioned bow-driven kind. It was, of course, typical of H'llon that he should have enlisted the aid of resident weyr inventors T'lana and L'gani to build his own treadle lathe!
Master Bendarek did not intend to mention the trouble he had had in persuading Lathemaster Gerney to accept a girl into his lessons. At first the Lathemaster had exploded, asseverating that girls could not be trusted near such dangerous machinery, and were all bound to get their long hair caught. Bendarek had pointed out that the girl had experience; but Gerney had been unwilling to even listen! In the end, Bendarek turned the subject; then casually, almost as an afterthought, showed the irascible Lathemaster the legs of Elissa's prentice piece chair. Gerney was impressed.
"These are good – very good. Very close to identical, and intricate work. I'd like to take the lad who did this work as a Special."
Bendarek had smiled blandly.
"So you will accept her, then?"
Gerney changed colour several times; but could scarcely change his mind on his view of the workmanship! He examined the piece closer; Bendarek wondered if he were looking for flaws, though in fact the Master was just dumbstruck that the work was that of a girl! Muttering, he conceded. When he discovered that Elissa was H'llon's apprentice, his dark aspect cleared somewhat.
"Good lad Hallon – H'llon." he grunted. "Purposeful. Applies himself. If he took her, she's talented; and if he's prepared her and approves her she'll do all right. H'llon's not one of these silly young fools to be conned by a pretty face or figure."
Master Bendarek smiled to himself as he recalled the conversation. Gerney would probably approve of Elissa's appearance too. There was no way she could be described as 'pretty' at least in the conventional way. Tall for her age she was skinny with long limbs that seemed not to know quite where to put themselves. Bendarek privately thought she probably had as many scabs on her knees and elbows as the boys generally did (he was correct!). Her skin, hair and eyes were all brown, the last seeming huge in her thin face. Her chin was pointed but determined; and her mouth was overlarge for beauty; and the angles of her face were emphasised by the fact that her shoulder length hair was scraped back into a queue held with several twists of binder twine, practical and out of the way rather than stylish! That the hair shone with rich colours and that the eyes shone with intelligence and humour in their golden flecked depths, few would notice. Bendarek smiled at her.
"Well, Elissa, let me show you around." He said. "H'llon is related to a number of Crafters here, many of whom have Craftcots attached to the Hall. I understand you'll be eating with many of them tonight to help you settle in."
"Elissa murmered thanks: and followed Master Bendarek, cheered on by a cheerful wink and thumbs-up sign from H'llon!
It was to the Lathehall that Master Bendarek led Elissa first. Here she found herself surveyed by th dark haired, dark browed master; his face, naturally stern, made him look older than Elissa guessed him to be. Something about him reminded her of H'llon and she smiled tentatively.
Master Gerney greeted her neutrally.
"H'llon taught you, I hear. I didn't know he had a lathe."
Elissa gave him a confiding, boyish grin.
"Oh, yes, sir, he built himself one. He's working on a gear that attaches to the water wheel so he can knock it on or off with ease by throwing a lever." She volunteered.
Gerney smiled a thin smile.
"Yes, H'llon always had a good understanding of the technologies involved. He's the only boy I've ever let service the lathes when he was still an apprentice. You'll turn me a piece to show me your techniques. Then if you've picked up any bad habits we can break them." He did not say that he felt it unlikely that H'llon would permit an apprentice to pick up bad habits; but she should not be over encouraged. It could make her cocky.
Elissa understood the comment to be an order not a question. Amid the curious eyes of the half dozen or so boys in the Lathehall, Elissa approached one of the free lathes and ran a brief check, as H'llon had taught her to do as a matter of course, noting the tension in the belt, and the set up of the head and tail stocks. She selected a short length of hardwood from the sample rack, and looked for measuring tools to centre it.
One of the boys passed her a rule, and smiled solemnly at her.
But for his darker hair, he could have been a younger H'llon; and he also had a distinct look of the Master Turner. Elissa smiled easily at him. Knowing that the young Bronze rider had many relatives here helped her to feel at home; though it was of his little sister Kisra he spoke most. Elissa knew that he had an uncle the same age as himself, that he had a brother who was, reading between the lines, less talented than H'llon and who himself had sons, H'llon's nephews, too young to enter apprenticeships. There were also numerous cousins; and this lad, about her own age, was presumably one of them.
"Don't forget to check the tools." He murmured under his breath. She smiled gratefully. H'llon made a rule that all tools were sharpened after use to keep them so; but he warned her the Lathemaster was particular about such things being checked – and she had almost forgotten!
When the test piece was centred to Elissa's satisfaction she checked the tools she had picked, a roughing gouge and a skew; the skew was only adequate. Elissa took it without asking leave to the sharpening wheel and set about the pedal as she was wont to do in H'llon's workshop.
The boys gasped; it was her first intimation that she had broken etiquette. She turned round, looking puzzled.
"Did H'llon show you how to use that?" asked the Master, sharply.
"Yes, sir, of course." She said. "He always makes us be responsible for our own tools. Then any poor work from badly cared for tools is our own fault. What craftsman would not?"
The Master grunted: and waved her to continue. Unlike some he took her query at face value, not as cheek. Irritable he might be; pompously careful of his position he was not, and he expected all his puplils to be people in their own right and to learn by asking questions. This one required no real answer being mostly rhetorical. He watched her build up good speed and put a careful edge to the skew. As she got up he asked,
"Do you have your own tools with you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Use them."
Elissa obediently opened her leather tool pouch and selected her own tools; and set to work treadling the lathe.
It did not take long to round the square section; then with the skew she worked a gentle curve, running it delicately up the spinning wood to create a bulb at one end; then placed rings for grip at the other. She sanded a smooth finish and held the block of carnauba wax against it, polishing with a soft cloth for a good finish. With the tail stock retracted and the chuck holding the piece, she first smoothed the end, then reversed the chisel handle she had made, applying a drill bit to hollow it to set a tool in.
It had taken about ten minutes.
The Lathemaster nodded.
"I see you prefer to make a plain and useful item not try to show off your virtuosity on a useless fancy piece."
"Sir, I have been taught that wood is too precious to waste. And you have seen my fancy work on my prentice piece."
Another grim smile; and a nod.
"You'll do very well. if your jointing and your tool care are of a standard to please Masters Jaben and Batol – and the latter certainly seems to be competent – then you will report to this hall during the periods in which your peer group attend their classes. I will accept you as a Special."
"Yes sir. Thank you sir!" said Elissa.
Her heart was hammering and her legs felt weak; she had made the grade and more than made the grade in her favourite woodcrafting activity! H'llon had told her that Master Gerney was a hard taskmaster, but a good man; he had compared him to R'gar. H'llon had admired the crusty master who appreciated hard work and dedication. There was only one thing left to do before she left the lathehall; and she went to restore the sharp on her tools.
When she had finished the Master admonished her.
"In future, you will ask permission before using the stone. You have demonstrated that you know how; so I will permit you to place a sharp for yourself. I will inform those Journeymen who work in here. But ask first."
"Yes sir. I'm sorry sir" her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
He added kindly, unbending to explain,
"H'llon has only a few pupils. You have to consider the safety aspect with larger numbers. This" he waved a hand "Is a small class of more able boys. There may be a dozen in here."
Elissa nodded in appreciation of the dangers that had not occurred to her. There were enough lathes in here for this class with two over; but in a large class there could be boys milling about waiting to use equipment; and some boys would horseplay! With them to watch, it would be harder to keep an eye out for general safety.
The dark boy smiled at her again as she left with Master Bendarek; and gave her a covert 'thumbs up'. He seemed nice! And unlike some of the other boys, he was not letting his eyes wander over the beginnings of female curves under a tunic that was perforce tight enough for safety!
Bendarek next took the girl to the Master Jointcrafter Jaben. The Master Woodcrafter explained,
"The masters who will teach you need to know the level of attainment you have reached, to know in which group to place you. If you have lived up to H'llon's expectations, I, like Gerney, expect that you will have gone past the need for basic classes. That will give you more time to specialise – in turning as Master Gerney has offered, or in another field if you prefer."
"I love turning!" said Elissa sincerely. "I am honoured and delighted to be picked as Master Gerney's special."
Secretly, Bendarek was delighted that Gerney had managed to see Elissa as a talented crafter, setting aside her gender! He led her now into a large workshop where a couple of dozen small boys were at work. One of them looked up; and Elissa knew at once that this lad was a girl, and her name was Kisra! The serious little face with its incongruous snub nose was unmistakeable from the carving that H'llon had lovingly made of his little sister. The child stared briefly; and returned single-mindedly to work on a dovetail joint. Elissa's mouth twitched. So like her brother! Yet the journeyman helping in here who also had a look of H'llon seemed to be doing a duty and no more; he was almost bored. By descriptions given by the Bronze Rider, this was his brother, as much older than H'llon than the young man was than Kisra. That he lacked H'llon's passionate enthusiasm would explain why he might not be as good; and Elissa felt a twinge of sympathy for the man, outshone by his younger brother, and maybe his baby sister too. H'llon had never been close to Kislan; and besides detested his sister-in-law Prelaia, whom he thought a snob.
Elissa had to stop her musings on H'llon's kin as the Masterwoodcrafter introduced her to Master Jointcrafter Jaben.
He looked her over, and sniffed.
"Well, girl, you don't look much but appearances can be deceptive. Young Hallon graduated out of my class by the time he was thirteen turns. Let us see how well he taught you."
Elissa smiled nervously; and the master opened with a series of rapid fire questions on types of joints and bonds to use for different situations. Elissa was glad that H'llon had given her such a good grounding! She answered every question as rapidly as it had been delivered, and she knew she was correct in all her answers. Jaben finished the question and answer session and waved the girl to a bench.
"Let me see you make a dovetail joint." He said.
Elissa was happier in a practical situation; and she knew she could produce a good neat dovetail. She had had plenty of practical experience; the most popular piece of furniture in the Weyr was a good solid wooden chest to keep possessions in, and firelizards out. Elissa had helped many times to make chests for new riders and refurbish old ones. Deftly she measured and accurately cut the joint.
Master Jaben grunted and nodded.
"Repairs" he said, leading her across to a sad looking press with four drawers in the lower part. ."What would you do with this?"
Elissa examined it.
"It's poor workmanship" she declared. "I'd use it for firewood and build another."
The master Jointer gave a crack of laughter.
"You're the first apprentice to have the temerity to be so blunt!" he chuckled. "Well, girl, you're right" he admitted. "But assuming you HAD to repair it, what steps would you take?"
Elissa frowned, thinking hard.
"I'd remove the back and replace it first, with better and thicker planking. This is poor quality and it has got wet and warped. It's pulling the rest out of shape. I should use clamps to hold the whole thing in shape after gluing and nailing the new back on. Three of the drawers are serviceable, though they are badly made, poorly lined up blocks held with pegs. The fourth needs a side replaced, and the base. Without rebuilding the whole drawer, it would be impractical to do anything but another pegged block joint. It is tempting to suggest rebuilding all four drawers properly with dovetail joints, but I suspect that anyone owning something this poorly crafted could not even afford prentice rates for that task."
Jaben chuckled nastily.
"I paid for this excellent bad example by building a replacement – and took a good fee too when the owner saw the difference. He'd been fooled by the pretty decoration on the front."
Elissa looked doubtfully at the front of the drawers. There was a marquetry design on each.
"But the maker hasn't even made a good job of that!" she said, perplexed. "There's sawdust and glue filler here – and here and here – where he's not cut accurately. He's not even attempted to line up a sliver of the same veneer. And it's mounted" she said, peering at the base of the drawer "on another piece of veneer, not straight to the wood and it's peeling off."
Jaben exchanged a look with Bendarek.
"Well, girl, I can see that you don't need me at all." He said gruffly. "But you know where I am if you have a problem that dragonriding deserter of ours has failed to cover – or if any client gives you crackdust about doing a rushed skimped job."
Elissa thanked the master; and was hustled on.
Master Batol, the Toolmaster, also adjudged Elissa adequate when she demonstrated that she knew how to keep her tools sharp; and when and where to apply oil. Elissa took a dislike to the Toolmaster and was glad she need not be under his eye. His comments never seemed far from sarcasm and the boys in his class seemed subdued to the point of being cowed. And there was something in the way he looked at her that made Elissa feel very uncomfortable; and she was glad that Master Bendarek was there. She almost had the feeling that Batol would like to declare her inadequate to find a way to humiliate her; though surely, she told herself, such thoughts must be fanciful! Why would a senior Mastercrafter want to humiliate a mere apprentice who had done nothing to annoy him?
Her next visit promised to be more interesting. It was to see Master Idoghen, the Cabinetmaker. He was a thin, acidulated man, the oldest master she had yet see, perhaps fifty turns old. Examples of his work stood in his workshop and Elissa gasped in delight! Delicate mouldings formed austere but exquisite decoration to his pieces, and inlay work, simple but effective, accentuated the graceful lines of his furniture.
Idoghen gave the girl an appraising look: and she dutifully dragged her attention from the work to the man.
"Well, child, your face says more than words." His voice, too was thin, clipped and precise."I have seen the chair you made. Quite a pretty piece. You need to work on your fretwork."
She nodded.
"Yes sir."
"I doubt you did much cabinet making with young H'llon."
"No sir – at least, not beautiful pieces like these. There's not much call for anything but plain and functional in the Weyr. This is functional and beautiful!"
Had she but known it she had said the one thing to delight Idoghen – and he knew it would not occur to H'llon to prime her! The Master always tried to imbue in his apprentices the principle that functionality brought its own beauty; but that this could be emphasised by careful use of decoration. He gave a thin smile.
"Our H'llon was never interested in anything but good plain furniture. He never made an ugly piece in his life, mind, and he's very good at good plain furniture." He qualified. "Are you?"
She grinned.
"I confess to liking some decoration. But there's no good putting fancy twiddles on if you can't build good plain furniture, is there? And I hope I'm competent. I'm sure I will be when you've finished with me." She added.
He raised an eyebrow.
"You are a pert child – but your words have the merit of truth. A piece does not necessarily need decoration to make it beautiful. You will learn that. Any decoration should grow from the form. It should enhance shape and draw attention to it. Like that spread dragon of yours. It was quite passable. Quite passable." He referred to her prentice piece chair on which she had carved a dragon with spread wings as the shoulder support, its tail running down the centre of the back rest and fret cut slots either side. Elissa looked pleased; but he added "And one day you will see how it could have been really good." Elissa's pleasure faded and her face fell. The master patted her on the shoulder. "You will learn, child." He said. "For you have promise."
"Th-thank you." She managed. Elissa was immensely impressed by the beautiful graceful furniture she had seen in here, elegant enough to grace the halls of any Lord Holder; and she had acquired the ambition to emulate such work herself! Whist turning was her true vocation, there was much in what Master Idoghen said that appealed to her, and she saw no reason not to use pilasters she had turned and split to add to the lines of furniture in the same way as mouldings – and as fronts for openwork cupboard doors too. A storage cupboard of a type evolved by H'llon lay in the back of her mind; and she determined to make something similar, but utilising the concept of decoration to enhance it!.
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