Chapter 11

Vorinia had written to Josis that Daenilth had risen; and the girl was worried, counting on her fingers the three long months and three hot weeks.

She went to Master Bendarek.

"What can I do for you, Josis? You look grave" said the Master.

"Master, I know it's out of line to ask if I am likely to make Journeyman this turn; only…. If you could give me a hint, if I am going to earn promotion I'll defer going to High Reaches Weyr for the postings and hope for another clutch. Vorinia will be disappointed but," she gulped, "she'll understand that proving myself as a woodcrafter and going with a skill to teach to Weyr children has to come first, before choosing to stand with hopes of being a clutchmate to my friend."

Bendarek smiled.

"My dear girl!" he said. "I am now going to break my own rule of telling prospective Journeymen what I propose to do. I have discussed it with the other Masters; and we are certain that you are ready. We were going to make you up to Journeyman the instant a clutch was laid; letting the Hall know your promotion was brought forward a few sevendays for special circumstances so that a Journeyman could represent the Woodcrafter Hall on the Impression sands, as you were to be made up in any case. There is no reason you should not Walk the tables now, save for tradition; and as a young Hall we do find ourselves clinging jealously to tradition."

"Oh Master! If you were going to make me up in any case then there is no reason you need break tradition, because you could announce it in my absence and send the knots on!" said Josis.

Bendarek shook his head.

"I do not want to do that, my dear, for a number of reasons; not least that High Reaches Weyr gives respect to Journeyman candidates and I see no reason that you should be deprived of that. It is also proper that the younglings you have been helping with should have the chance to cheer a popular Senior Apprentice in Walking the Tables. Such things spur THEM on too. Moreover if the promotion is for a singular, outstanding reason, such that we are sending you as a candidate carrying the honour of the Woodcrafter Hall with you then it is less of a precedent than making you up straight away – which I had considered – or declaring a Journeyman in absentia. That COULD raise problems if, say, someone had been away a few turns but the one declaration in absentia was raised as precedent, perhaps by future generations who did not realise all the background."

Josis nodded understanding.

"I see, sir; thank you for explaining that to me. And – and thank you that I shall be able to stand with Vorinia!"

"I think the friendship and loyalty of you two girls is a special thing; especially in the circumstances. It is right that you should have the chance to be clutchmates as well as friends and colleagues, for from what Elissa has said, that is considered special" said Bendarek.

"So I understand, Master: I expect if we both Impress we shall understand that more deeply. Vorinia and I adopted each other as sisters; and that means so much" said Josis.

"Why, that almost makes HER our candidate too!" Bendarek smiled. "Don't worry, my dear; I have everything well in hand!"

Josis impulsively kissed the Master on the cheek.

"THANK you, sir!" she said.

oOoOo

Knowing that she had made the grade made Josis very happy! In a little over two months she would be a Journeyman and a candidate and back with Vorinia again. Life could hold no more!

Even so it was no excuse not to work as hard as if she did not know she had already made the grade; there was much she could learn, for there was always more anyone could learn! And if she was so fortunate as to Impress, her work would be cut out caring for a dragonet and there would be little time for woodcrafting. Besides, Josis had earned enough marks at the previous two Gathers to purchase a significant quantity of materials so she might make items to put on the Childhold craftstall, and start immediately to give back to High Reaches for taking her in, and for all they had done in sorting out the situation caused by Vorinia's father.

Besides, there were two fields Josis had yet to study.

Josis was keen to learn from Master Tirris how to cut thin sheets of veneer, so she could prepare her own Marquetry materials; and she also wished to learn how to make lysesoap, it being superior to sweetsand as well as more convenient. Having worked as a laundress, it was something she understood the importance of!

The head of the Hall laundry was a young woman called Saskia, who had been promoted after the woman Ruika had been executed for the murder of the woman's own daughter. Josis had heard the story from the Logicators; and hoped Saskia had acquired the knowledge necessary before the chief laundress had died!

Saskia was one of those tiny women built of sheer energy and wiry strength; and she looked sensible and down to earth.

She listened to Josis' request and grinned.

"Well, woodcrafter, I don't often get apprentices asking how I use their by-products in one of our profitable lines!" she said. "Last one to do so is now Bronze Rider H'llon!"

"Figures" said Josis. "H'llon likes knowing things too. And perhaps more people should be asking as it IS a product of the Woodcrafter Hall. You know how to make lyesoap?"

"Oh yes" said Saskia "It's a tedious business, Ruika shrugged it off onto me and her Runa, rest she in peace, poor kid!"

"Yes, I heard the story" said Josis, "A waste and a shame to destroy two young lives."

Saskia nodded.

"She was a one, was Runa! Not even Ruika could keep her down;I said she should take her babe to the Weyr, they like feisty women there, but she was going to wait until the babe was born and decide then…. I was glad they hanged Ruika, she was always one with a slap or a pinch just to hurry people along, and her belt always ready for any larking about! It's a hard job, laundry, you got to let the young ones let off steam you know, even though you have to keep an eye that it doesn't get out of hand! Well I don't suppose you do know" she added.

"I do, actually" said Josis. "I had my rights violated and my knots taken from me and I worked six turns as a drudge doing fancy laundry and mending."

"Well, Craftsman, you know what's what then!" said Saskia "And I'll gladly teach you – if the masters permit you to learn."

"I wasn't planning on bothering to ask them" said Josis calmly. "You'll start around dawn, I presume? I can get up for that."

"An hour after is when we rise this time of turn" said Saskia. "They don't hustle us like holdbred drudges be, I reckon. And good long meal breaks and an early night. Late-shift drudges start after the afternoon break, work to midnight. Me, I stay up to supervise but I don't do as much hard labour now I'm head. And I get my afternoon nap too, I can tell you!"

"How many drudges work the laundry?" asked Josis.

"Ten on each shift, dearie – I mean, craftsman – plus myself" Saskia said promptly.

"I don't take offence at being called dearie providing it's not done in front of junior apprentices" said Josis. "That's no more than a Hold of comparable size employs and all working one long shift; I'll be glad if you are willing to see why YOUR system is efficient enough not to need all the drudges' efforts all day."

Saskia sniffed.

"Reckon you know already, craftsman; 'cos I can see it in your eyes. And if you don't why, I'll tell you! It's job satisfaction, being valued by the Master, and not being exhausted all the time. Stands to reason, girl OR man that's worked two thirds of every day is only giving a third of their ability 'cos they're dead tired."

Josis nodded.

"And so I have surmised and never been able to say anything. But one day I'll be a Journeyman and I hope soon too to be a dragonrider. And if I have observed your efficiency I can put in writing my observations that, for all your knowledge, the people who need to know will never take more notice of than your word, where they will listen to a Rider and Journeyman."

Saskia nodded.

"Aye, that's the way the world wags, dearie. And it's no good my resenting it! Though I'd like to see some of these fancy types that despise my knowledge but use my products put in a real day's work!"

"Well, they couldn't, of course" said Josis. "Though some can learn, you know!" she hesitated briefly, then told Saskia her story and Vorinia's.

"Now THAT's a real lady" Saskia approved. "Reckon as how Journeyman Sadvia could put in a day's work too in any Hold; her family are no fools! I wasn't counting them along side fancy types, you know!"

oOoOo

Making lyesoap was a fascinating, if rather lengthy, business. First hardwood needed to be burned slowly to make ash; and water dripped through it in a muslin bag to extract the lye that would turn fats into soap.

"Now what fat you use will determine what sort of soap you get" Saskia explained. "And it can be vegetable oil too; we get a lovely hard soap from the oil of the almond tree, pressed from the nuts, but we have so few that it's rare and our most expensive, especially as the Healer Hall buys almond oil too, to make salves with. Lard makes a good basic soap and we use lard soap in the laundry. You can add other oils, and oils from herbs to help people with skin conditions. Berry wax adds to the hardness; making soft soap is easy, any cotholder's wife could do that if they were shown the basics! Getting it to harden is the trick. And for safety, dearie, there's a jug of vinegar here, if you get any lye or raw soap on your skin, the vinegar takes out a burn."

"It burns?" Josis was taken aback.

"Oh aye, same as agenothree can!" said Saskia. "And we've found that vinegar counters the burning. And you MUST get the quantities of each part just right; too much lye means that even the soap itself can burn the skin!"

"It's a craft subject in itself" said Josis, impressed.

It was fascinating watching the lye bring the fat to trace, a line trickled on top of the mixture with the stirrer lying there after heating and beating the lye and fat together. Saskia set Josis to making her first batch with basic dripping from the kitchen, cheap and easy; and it came quickly to trace.

Soon she had her soap cooling in moulds.

"Tomorrow you can come and cut that into bars" said Saskia. "Then we wrap it in a blanket to cure for a few sevendays."

"It takes longer than I realised" admitted Josis "but I must say, I feel a real sense of achievement!"

Saskia beamed.

"It can be quite fun – especially experimenting with what you can add" she said. "I've talked to Saralla about things for people with skin troubles and so on, and Runa liked to experiment too. I kind of look on it as being in her memory to try new things. I do a lovely rich one with caprine milk in it – oh it does make your skin feel nice, I can tell you!"

"I look forward to making that!" said Josis.

oOoOo

Josis thought long and hard; and presented herself once more at Master Bendarek's door.

"More problems, my dear?" Bendarek was concerned.

Josis shook her dark red curls vehemently.

"No sir; not PROBLEMS. More a- a proposal, I suppose; because of something that I've found that I think is unfair."

"Indeed? You'd better tell me about it" said Bendarek, motioning her to take a seat. Josis sat, frowning slightly in thought.

"Well, sir, obviously you are aware that a byproduct of the craft is lyesoap that is made in the laundry" said Josis.

"Yes indeed; and profitable it is too. The smithcraft invented the concept before we split from them" nodded the Master.

"Did they? I didn't know that. But did you know, sir, that it is NOT a casual sort of craft but a highly skilled occupation, as meticulous as mixing finishes and varnishes and the proportions of the ingredients vital to make soap that is safe and to have various properties?"

Bendarek blinked.

"No, I did not" he said. "Go on."

"It is very skilled" said Josis. "I wanted to know how to make soap – with my background, it interests me – and I asked Saskia to teach me. Sir, that woman has put her own time into experimenting on hard, soft, healing and all kinds of soap; and – and I know it's interfereing, but I think that the craft should teach this as an aspect of woodcrafting and that Saskia should have the acknowledgement of Journeyman's knots. She's very knowledgeable and skilful and too an excellent teacher!"

"I see" said Bendarek. "Well, I'll not make a decision purely on the say so of even a new Journeyman; but I hear your words and I shall certainly look into it" he nodded dismissal.

"Thank you, sir" said Josis, leaving.

Master Bendarek's assurance to look into it was worth more than the solemn promise of many others to do something positive.

oOoOo

Bendarek went at once to talk to Saskia, apologising that the craft had neglected her expertise.

"It's always been the laundry as makes the soap, Master" said Saskia "And two types there always was, laundry soap and washing soap. But Runa and me, we got talking before she was murdered; and I carried on experimenting. Saralla has used some of my soaps for wounds, that help stop infection when washing them, with thyme oil in; and if you make soap with different herbs it's better for different types of hair, you know! and you have to put a little vinegar or citrus in with hair washing soap too or the hair remains dull and hard to handle."

"I didn't know any of that" said Bendarek. "Do you use precise quantities?"

"Yes, sir; and I kept notes on pieces of misshapen paper to remind me" said Saskia.

"I would like to see your notes" said Bendarek. "May I take them to peruse at my leisure? I promise I shall return them as soon as possible."

"Of course, Master!" said Saskia, going to a cupboard that she unlocked with a key hung round her neck. It contained, Bendarek noted, mostly bars of soap carefully wrapped, those for use within the laundry and a few others, and sundry other pieces of laundry equipment. The leaves of notes were on a top shelf and smelled faintly soapy as he took them with a word of thanks and a raised eyebrow of surprise over how extensive they were!

oOoOo

Another Masters' meeting was called.

Benden red and cakes were served, which forestalled any grumbles about yet another extraordinary meeting from the outset, which had been Elissa's suggestion to the Master through Gerney when Gerney had raised eyebrows over another meeting.

Bendarek considered it very useful having a Journeyman who had been trained by Weyrwomen married to one of his Masters and looked forward to a time when Elissa might be made up to Master too.

Meanwhile, with his staff replete and mellow, he indicated a pile of leaves written in a careful, semi-educated script.

"Masters all, would you feel that anyone who had produced this quantity of notes on a new aspect of the craft, all done in their own time and all valid information regarding their personal interest deserve the knots of a Journeyman?"

"It looks extensive work, even taking large writing into consideration" said Challer.

"I can see a chart drawn on one sheet" said Tirris "Which argues a careful approach."

"Which aspect of the craft is this, and why are you being cagey, Ben?" asked Gerney.

Bendarek laughed.

"I didn't realise I was being cagey, Gerney! The craft is soap production – and I never realised that soap was not just soap!"

"Of course soap is just soap! What else is it?" demanded Jaben.

"Soap is no more just soap, Jaben, than a joint is just a joint it seems" said Bendarek, hastening on as the Jointcrafter started to look outraged at the very idea of suggesting that a joint might be just a joint. "Soap for washing clothes has to be different from soap for washing hands, which is different yet from the soap for washing hair; and that apprentice with eczema on his hands, who had despaired of being able to craft, had his eczema mightily reduced by using a specially made soap as well as the cream Saralla made; meaning that we do NOT lose a craftsman" he said. "Saralla also uses a special soap to wash wounds that promotes healing and prevents infection. And she would never dream of washing her hair with the same hair soap as Sadvia uses, as their hair type is different. It's important to women."

"Not just women" said Tuon. "The laundry can make up a soap specially for dry hair that keeps my head from itching. Marvellous stuff! Anyone who has written a treatise on soap making so they can use it to make any soap has MY vote as Journeyman."

"Vain creature!" laughed Gerney.

"Not at all! I had terrible dandruff and now can you see any?" Tuon bent forward.

"I take your point" said Gerney. "Yes, that has to be more comfortable! I take it, Master, you've discovered some apprentice beavering away and have a mind to promote him – or her?"

"I do have it in mind to promote the writer of these notes" said Bendarek. "And have classes too if there are no objections to introducing this as a new aspect of the craft. ARE there any objections?"

"None from me" said Tuon. "Though you might make it an optional class after an initial taster, at first at least."

"An excellent suggestion" said Bendarek. "Jaben?"

Jaben shrugged.

"Well if everyone else is agreed… if it's as complex as you say. The laundry did make a good soap to remove varnish from my fingers, I suppose."

"Good" said Bendarek, looking around at nodding heads. "That's agreed. So I shall raise former Chief Laundress Saskia to be Journeyman Soapcrafter; because she has shown herself well capable."

There was a slightly shocked silence.

Then Gerney nodded.

"Never waste talent" he said. "Anyone who can come up with notes like that – and on her own time, too – deserves Journeyman's knots. I approve wholeheartedly!"

"And what is more" said Bendarek, "I'm going to make her up at the same time as I make up Josis – and have Josis walk her, since it was Josis who suggested it and opened my eyes to how we were neglecting this aspect of the craft!"