A brief foray into a sequel

 

Chapter 1

 

“I have the honour to report, my lord, that Towarzysz Ursyn Kudła, aided by sundry towarzysze at and staying at the haberdashery in Ulica Sw. Stefan, whom you know, have indeed caught three very fine burglars,” said Jaracz Rzędzian, saluting Starosta Młocki.

“Jaracz, did you just misquote Pliny deliberately?” asked Młocki.

“Of course,” said Jaracz.

“So, I assume you had ‘not forsaken your laziness and had beside you a stylus and tablet?’” Młocki added to the passage often used to the sighs of schoolchildren everywhere as an exercise in translation.

“Well, a wife, anyway,” said Jaracz. “Kordula and I had been partying with the other married bods,  since I’m in two minds about mustering out if I can find a steward for Kordula’s lands, she having a distaste for the place.”

“Understandable,” said Młocki. “But burglars? Who in their right mind would burgle Ulans?”

“Well, they were apparently burgling the haberdashery over and under which sundry of us live,” said Jaracz. “And it was Ursyn who heard them.”

“Inevitably; bears have good hearing,” said Młocki. Ursyn Kudłá, a sub-adult bear, lived with Sylvia  Bogacka, and her husband, Jarosław Bogacki. She had taken him from a cruel master, before she met Jaras, as Jarosław was known. They occupied the basement of the building, with Jeremi Skrzetuski and his wife, Anna Maria having lately lived on the first floor, and the rest of the building occupied by Aureliusz Stroyny and his wife, Ludwika, who was Jaras’s sister, and Paweł Kwaśniecki, and his wife, Edyta. Jeremi and Anna-Maria had not yet decided whether to move into the town property she inherited since her father had died, and had sent a steward to the country estate. Jaracz and Kordula found it uncomfortable living on the estate where Kordula’s father had killed himself, blaming Jaracz for uncovering the crimes of the late Lord Fincke, and showing Kordula’s father up as a fool.

“Well, yes, so as I understand it, Ursyn went to find out why there were unauthorised customers at an odd time of day,” said Jaracz. “That bear has a well-developed sense of duty. He’s also nosy,” he added.

“The latter I believe more,” said Młocki. The Ulans adored their bear and ascribed to him more abilities of reasoning than many outsiders believed.

Rzędzian grinned.

“Well, the first thing the rest of us know is the high-pitched, indeed, falsetto, scream of sheer terror. So we all leap out of bed and run downstairs with our sabres....”

“Stark naked?” asked Młocki.

“Why not? We’re all towarzysze together, including the girls, and just because Jeremi and I have rank, we don’t have that much more dignity.” He considered. “Anna-Maria pulled on a kontusz so she could slide down the banisters,” he added. “She said that the trivial delay in acquiring some protection was insignificant next to the singular advantage to be gained in descending with more rapidity.”

Młocki was used to the wordiness of Lady Skrzetuska.

“So Ursyn caught three very fine burglars?”

“Well, he had one treed, and one of the others told him off for screaming. It was a hoot,” said Jaracz. “The first one said, in a strangled whisper ‘there’s a bear!’ and the next said, ‘nonsense! You came upon some furs.’ And the first said, ‘with eyes, and teeth, and claws?” and the second one had come upon Ursyn by then, who was standing up, a bit puzzled, and said... the burglar said, not Ursyn... ‘it’s stuffed.’ And then Ursyn turned round, and he gave as girly a screech as I have ever heard.  And said, ‘It’s a b-b-bear!’ And then Jeremi heard stealthy noises and leaped on the maker of them, which was the third burglar, and we took Ursyn’s bag in charge, and they were willing to confess rather than be fed to the bear, which we didn’t even have to threaten.   And now Ursyn is a prime favourite with the haberdasher, who had been dubious about him before, so it was a jolly good outcome.”

“Except for the burglars, but they are doubtless glad to be safe in gaol,” said Młocki, cheerfully. “Away from bears and naked towarzysze with sabres. There’s something about a naked woman with a sabre which is almost as scary as a bear.”

“I’d take the bear any day,” agreed Jaracz. “Oh, we need a quote from the English playwright, Shakespeare here – ‘exit, pursued by a bear.’”

“Now that has to be a strange play,” said Młocki.

“I dunno; I don’t speak English,” said Jaracz. “But I heard it mentioned.”

 

 and yes, I will post chapter 1 of Dance of Redemption as well