It was not until evening, when the group stopped for the night, that Mallymkun deigned to speak to Tarrant and Alice. The flat hard-packed space where the Hatter had chosen to camp was marked with occasional sparse prickly trees, the first they had seen up close, and nothing else.
"This doesn't look like a very nice place to spend the night," Alice said quietly.
"I ask you not to despair quite yet," Tarrant said. "You have some companions with some expertise in making camp, and you may be pleased with your habitation yet."
With that, he and Stayne set to slinging sacks and bundles down from the horses' backs and unpacking them, handing various objects to Alice and Casiphia to hold as they did so.
"It's as much a mystery to me as to you," Casiphia said to Alice as Ilosovic gave his wife what seemed to be nothing more than a long, smooth-whittled stick. "It looks like nothing more than a set of curtains and some sticks to me."
"And chairs," Alice put it. "I do believe those folded-up square things are some type of chair."
"And—pots? Utensils? I hope we are not expected to do anything with those. I have hardly been prepared for that prospect in my life, and I doubt you have, either."
Tarrant, overhearing this, stopped to reassure the women. "Remember, I have learned a few useful tricks from Thackery in my time," he said, "and I believe you will have no reason for concern."
Casiphia and Alice exchanged glances but gave no additional voice to their questions, realizing they would likely receive no helpful answers. Instead they continued to help in whatever way they were requested—Casiphia finding herself holding tent poles in place and Alice gathering stones for a fire circle.
Before long two saffron-colored tents stood rippling in a light wind, and camp chairs circled the fire pit. A designated teacup was even provided for Mallymkun's comfort.
By now the sky was streaked with purple and orange, setting off the tents. "Those are rather impressive," Casiphia said. "I hope they will be as comfortable as they are lovely."
"Mirana has provided us with some very soft bedding," Ilosovic assured her. "Our greatest challenge may be prying ourselves out of bed in the morning."
"I have trouble getting out of bed every morning," Casiphia half-joked. "And it doesn't help when you're there with me."
Ilosovic squeezed her shoulders and laughed. "Then I shall get up before you so you will have to follow."
"You think that, do you?" she said, but was distracted from their banter by the array of utensils and ingredients that Tarrant was lining up by the fire he had just touched off in the circle of stones.
"That is impressive too," Alice said, kneeling down next to the Hatter to watch his progress. Deftly he measured spices in one hand, added them to a pot of water, and followed that with chopped vegetables.
"You could do that," Casiphia said to Ilosovic. "Didn't my mother teach you how to chop carrots?"
"No, I wouldn't ruin a good knife on that," he returned. "Besides, Tarrant seems to have matters well in hand."
A pot of stew was now simmering merrily on the flames, and Tarrant was in the process of filling a teapot from a water skin. "We also have cake," he said, looking up. "We may as well eat it tonight as let it get stale."
"No, no, we mustn't let the cake get stale," Casiphia said as Stayne eyed the food pack with renewed interest.
As had happened before, little conversation took place as the travelers realized just how hungry they were. Afterwards they relaxed around the fire with cups of tea (even in the midst of the Outlands, Tarrant manages to have tea, Stayne observed), and finally enjoyed the cake.
Distracted by the novelty of dining out of doors in an unfamiliar country, Casiphia didn't notice the state of her food until Alice tapped her shoulder.
"Oh," Casiphia said, looking sadly at the chunk of cake that had fallen into her tea.
"Now, my dear," Tarrant said, taking the cup from her. "That doesn't need to be a problem." He picked up a spoon and scooped up a bit of the sodden cake. "Delicious! Give it a try?"
Keeping her doubts to herself, Casiphia picked up her own spoon and took a small bite of the accidental concoction. She was able to turn away from the others quickly enough to avoid splattering them when she spat out her mouthful and gasped, "Oh, Tarrant, that's dreadful."
"You think?" the Hatter said. With a shrug, he continued eating the tea-sodden cake, not in the least bothered by the unconventional combination. Ilosovic, however, laughed briefly and cut Casiphia another piece of cake, with a kitchen knife, a corner of which she passed along to Mally.
With the advent of twilight, the travelers became unable to ignore how tired and sore they were from the day's ride. It was bedtime, they agreed, time for some to lay out their soft bedding and collapse for the night and others to sleep at the edge of camp, unburdened with packs or riders, refreshing themselves for the day ahead.
"Excuse me!" came a small, offended voice.
"Oh, Mally!" Tarrant said. "We haven't forgotten you, I promise."
"Indeed," muttered the dormouse. "Where, I ask you, am I to sleep?"
"Would you be averse to sleeping in my pack?" Tarrant said. "I mean, you found it comfortable enough before, am I right?"
"Well, I'm certainly not going to sleep in either one of your tents and risk seeing things I do not care to see," Mally said. "Your pack will have to do."
Tarrant carried her over to the pack that lay near the horses and let her settle herself inside. "You could leave some of those biscuits," she called from its depths. In a moment a digestive biscuit found its way inside the pack and silence fell, only the sound of quiet nibbling emanating from within it.
Casiphia and Stayne undressed in the dark and snuggled down together into the layers of feather mattress and warm blankets that made up their bed for the night. Next to them they could see the other tent glowing golden from within from the small lantern that remained lit. At the sight of a wild-haired shadow removing his shirt and folding it before setting it aside, Casiphia said, "Should we tell them how visible they are from here?"
"We should," said Ilosovic. "Otherwise we might get more of a show than we care to have.
"Some people might want to remember to extinguish their lights," he called loudly. A rustling and surprised murmurs ensued, and the light next door went suddenly out, leaving Casiphia and her consort to snicker as they snuggled together and prepared to sleep.
Casiphia awakened in the dark, and was surprised to find herself alone in the tent. Pulling her cloak around her and slipping on her boots, she left the pavilion quietly to see where Stayne had gone. She found him standing in the center of the clearing, looking up at a myriad stars she had never seen shining so bright. Slipping a hand into his, she looked at him questioningly.
"I have missed this," he said softly. "The best thing about being in the field was looking up at the stars on clear nights like this."
"I understand why, now," Casiphia said. "I had no idea how beautiful they were. Maybe we should try to be outdoors at night more often."
"You and me and a sky full of stars," Ilosovic said. "Yes, I think that will do nicely."
Silently they stood looking at the twinkling lights above, until Casiphia began to grow chilled and became restless. "Do you want to stay out here by yourself a while longer?" she asked him.
"No," he said. "I would rather go back with you. I trust this experience is already as complete as it is going to be."
Smiling, Casiphia took his hand, and together they walked back slowly to their tent.