Chapter Text
Slow down, Timris, I’m an old man now.
“Sorry. But Pheris, you’re not old!”
No need to be tactful. My infirmity means my bones are aging more quickly than the rest of me. But I’m not young. Here, these are the rooms.
We entered the apartments which had been Baron Orutus’. The first room was large, furnished as an office with shelves full of scrolls and books and maps on the walls. There was a table big enough to seat a number of people, currently piled with more books and papers. The windows overlooked the palace yard, a good vantage point to see the comings and goings through the main gate. Several doors opened out of this workroom, but I couldn’t see where they led.
I’m afraid we’re going to have to live here most of the time. Pheris didn’t seem very happy about it. I’ve taken two more rooms further down the hallway and I suggest you choose one for yourself. Keep your room in my house too.
This was more freedom than I had anticipated. Of course I was also looking forward to having my own room for the first time in my life.
“You won’t stay at the house yourself?” As Baron Erondites Pheris had a town house near the palace as well as lands and houses across Attolia.
I will certainly keep my room there. I need to have a place for my family and for everyone who visits. I have an estate to run. But I am too slow now to go back and forth all day. I have taken the bedroom over here and Isenus will be next to me. He pointed out the doorway.
Isenus came out, having heard us enter. He nodded to me. “Ask me for anything you need.”
Please show Timris where he can sleep. I should start sorting this out. He looked at the mess on the table, sighing.
“Of course.” He led the way along the hallway. “Pheris says to take either this one or next door. There’s not much difference.”
“Who will have the other one?”
He shrugged. “Visitors, he says. Who knows?”
I dropped my bag in the nearest room. “Isenus, didn’t you want to be his translator? You sign as well as I do, if not better.” We had met the previous day when I arrived in the capital.
“I’m his valet, and that suits me fine. Regular hours, good money, an interesting life. I’m going to enjoy living up in the palace for a change. Anyway, I’m pretty sure your job isn’t going to be just translating. I bet Kamet taught you more than just the signs. He grinned at me, and I realised he was probably only about the same age as myself, despite his elegant clothes. Valet, of course, I thought. I smiled back. I hoped I wasn’t going to have to dress up like that, though I had my suspicions.
We spent the rest of the day arranging the rooms while discussing Pheris’ new role. Pheris told me that for the time being I should sign all the time I was with him, for the sake of practice. I may ask Martis to come for a while. He is my translator at Lateras. That was the Erondites country estate, which I had heard about from my father and Kamet. He is very expert at translating exactly what I say, rather than paraphrasing. I was immediately determined I would not need Martis’ help, even though Pheris had had to explain the “paraphrasing” sign. You should understand the system behind the signs. Originally I learned from my nurse, whose brother was deaf. They had made up the signs between them. But later I worked out a system to make the signs more standard. Using that it’s easier to read unfamiliar signs as well as make new ones yourself. And has Kamet shown you cipher?
Pheris interrogated me thoroughly about my knowledge, or lack of it. I was glad when there was a knock at the door and palace servants brought lunch for the three of us. It was odd to hear Isenus speak aloud to them, and I realised we had spent the morning virtually in silence.
In the afternoon we went on to talk about the role of secretary of the archives. I knew something about it already from my father and Kamet, of course, and I had met Relius in the days when he occasionally called at the villa. Orutus had a good grip on the scheming at court, said Pheris. Of course he had his informers, and he has gone through their names with me. But also he was very well embedded among the other barons. That’s more difficult for me, for various reasons. I will need to think about that. But he wasn’t as good as Relius at managing spies elsewhere. You know a little about that, perhaps.
I hesitated. I know Relius continued to have messengers, as he called them.
He was largely responsible for the international side, if you might call it that. In an unofficial way. Of course your father and Kamet have worked for him. And so did I, occasionally. He made sure I know his messengers and informants. I have some ideas about consolidating the system, now I am the only one. The only spymaster, presumably. Whose assistant I now was.
Eventually Pheris stood up, stretching carefully. I have to go to court dinner tonight. Isenus will come with me for now. You might like to go back to the house, so you can bring whatever else you need over here in the morning, or if you prefer I’ll show you the servants’ dining hall. Everyone eats there who isn’t powerful enough to dine with the court, or to have the kitchen send up meals to their rooms. We can see it on the way down. There’s one more place I need to show you today.
It was a long way through the palace and down to the prison cells. I had heard about these from Kamet, who still bore a grudge about being locked up in one of them many years earlier. They were everything he had described. Fortunately there appeared to be no occupants at present.
Pheris was looking sidelong at me. When the queen came to the throne, long before you were born, there was unrest in the country. I nodded. Of course I knew the history of Attolia. She ruled by fear because there was no alternative that would keep the barons from insurrection. There is less need for these cells now, and I have told her Majesty I will not torture anyone, even if she orders it. But Relius has used these irons. And so has Orutus.
He smiled a little. Orutus told me that he kept the cells in this state as a deterrent. They don’t clean them much. And if he wanted someone in the right frame of mind, Orutus would have pig’s blood thrown around before locking them up here.
I’m showing you this because you’re Costis’ son, and Costis is a very honest and straightforward man. In this line of work we have to be devious. Sometimes there are things which are unpleasant or unethical or both. Think about this, Timris, and be very sure that you want this job. There are plenty of other, more honourable things you could do. And don’t forget I also have a barony to run. There will be many discussions about road maintenance and taxes and olive production to sit through. I’ll ask you again in the morning.
Of course, Pheris. I knew I wouldn’t change my mind. Pheris had made it obvious he wanted more than a translator, and the opportunity was irresistible.
Who wouldn’t want to be a spy for the queen? See the capital? Live in the palace? And maybe even travel on Pheris’ behalf, if he came to trust me enough. Secondary considerations included getting away from the villa with its constant swirl of children requiring supervision from their older siblings, even while those siblings were also working on the farm. Also said farm work. And the endless maintenance required for the old villa. My home was generally a happy place, but this was a chance not to be missed.
Over the next few days Pheris arranged for me to get to know the palace. We’ll start here and work our way out. I’ll get a couple of people to show you round. Isenus had already made sure I could find my way between the main entrance and the apartments, and the big dining hall. The previous evening he had also shown me something of the city.
“Come on, Timris, country bumpkin like you can’t have had much of a chance to see the bright lights! If you come with us we’ll keep you out of trouble and show you all the best places.”
“Us” turned out to be Isenus, his girlfriend, and two of the youngest of Pheris’ house guard, also up from the country for the first time. We had a good time, and I began to think I could make friends here, even if the guards wouldn’t often be in the capital. They told me about the country estate and the village where they grew up, and we compared notes. Amaris was a cook at the house next to Pheris’ town residence, which meant she had to be up ridiculously early and would certainly fall asleep over her wine, she said, showing no signs of fatigue whatsoever. She and Isenus were a good fit, she claimed, “Is says Pheris gets up even earlier than I have to.”
It took me a moment to recover from this reference to the elegant Isenus.
“He says it’s because he was an attendant for years,” said Isenus. “He does still prefer going early to the baths, but naturally he doesn’t like people staring.”
“There were baths at the house, though?”
“Yes, but in the palace it’s different. The guards have their own, but the main baths are very large and many people use them.”
“Can I?”
“Sure, I’ll show you where to go. They’re pretty impressive actually. We’ve not been staying here long, but I’ve been a couple of times.”
“Tell us about Kamet Kingnamer, Timris,” said one of the guards. “I’ve only seen him at a distance, never to speak to. Do he and Costis still go off spying for the king?”
I laughed. “Hardly. They’re busy enough with the farm and the villa, not to mention the family. Kamet visits other scholars occasionally, I guess.” Though he and my father did sometimes receive visits and messages from the outside world, and had made a few trips to the capital since Costis’ retirement from the guard.
The next day Pheris himself took me to the library, which he explained was a useful repository of maps and archive material as well as scrolls and books of all kinds. I met the senior librarian, who was keen to explain the importance of recording any materials I might take on Pheris’ behalf in her ledger and ensuring I knew how to treat delicate older papyrus. “Though I’m sure Kamet will have instructed you already.”
I nodded, though to be honest I didn’t have very much interest in Kamet’s translations and books of poetry. I tried not to sigh when Pheris asked the librarian for the loan of several volumes he thought would be of use to me.
We went down to the palace yard, and Pheris pointed out the kitchens. I spent many lunchtimes sitting on the low wall there. It’s a good spot. Sure enough there were several palace servants clearly enjoying a chance for a break and a chat in the sunshine. I had friends here, said Pheris. If you get to know people in the kitchen, sometimes you might get snacks as well. And of course we gossiped. I could see several ways this would be a good place to investigate.
He took me into the barracks, introducing me at the guardhouse. Timris will be carrying messages for me quite often, I expect. I was finding these first exchanges as translator a little embarrassing, especially when I remembered Pheris wanted me to translate his words directly rather than paraphrase, and I realised I would have to learn to be more self-effacing in many situations.
We met the guard captain, which was also quite an intimidating experience. Like the senior librarian, he seemed to be well acquainted with Pheris, even friendly, but he looked at me as I suspected he would view an unsatisfactory junior recruit.
On our slow way back up to the rooms, Pheris nodded to me. That’s enough for today. Your translation was fine. I have asked Isenus to organise some clothes for you. He will take you to see the tailor. And stop hanging your things up on the floor, Timris.
Sorry, Pheris. It was as I had feared.
You’re not a farm boy now. Once you’re looking more respectable I’ll take you to meet the queen.
That evening I went back to Pheris’ house, preferring the comfort of his housekeeper’s kitchen to the echoing noise and constant stir of the servants’ dining hall at the palace. Pheris was expecting an old friend to dinner, he had told me, and wouldn’t need any assistance in translation. Isenus came in to join us once he had helped Pheris dress for dinner. After our meal the two of us helped clear the table, but we were soon politely chased away along with the off-duty guards.
“Thank you, boys, we can manage now,” said Ligeia the maid, smacking Isenus’ fingers away from a plate of sweetmeats. “Those aren’t for you. Timris, please take these and take him away before there’s nothing left.” We took the (rather less fancy) dishes intended for ourselves and followed the guards – an older pair than the previous evening - up to their small common room on the top floor of the house, where we spent a couple of hours snacking and playing games of chance.
I knew I didn’t have a very strong head for wine, and drank carefully. Luckily I had much more experience at gambling (my father is an old soldier, after all), and survived reasonably unscathed.
“So, this is Costis’ son after all,” said the oldest guard with a laugh as I collected my winnings.
“You know my father?”
“Mainly by reputation. I did meet him. But I hadn’t been long with the palace guard when they cut down the numbers. Then I took the chance for house guard – my family is here, and I didn’t want to be sent across the country to a remote fort, still less to Roa, which was the alternative. Worked out fine.”
I smiled and told him a few stories about my father I knew he wouldn’t mind me sharing. In return I heard a tale or two about their own experiences.
“Have you heard if we’re likely to be guarding Pheris up at the palace, Isenus?” asked the younger guard. “Secretary of the Archives, that’s got to be a risky business sometimes.”
“Hardly,” cut in the older guard, who I guessed must be the squad leader. “I think old Darios would be deeply insulted.”
“I met him today,” I said, “I don’t think he liked me much.”
The others laughed. “Way too scruffy for the guard,” said Isenus.
“Even the house guard,” added the squad leader.
I was getting fed up with this. “These are my good clothes.”
“It’s not what you wear, boy, it’s the way you wear it.”
*****