a silk comforter; rows of iron bedsteads and a small child weeping; the cold pantry floor; a hammock, a ship’s bunk, a ship’s bunk—
‘Ishtaer?’
Eirenn’s voice brought her back to herself with a gasp.
‘Are you all right?’
She nodded, her hands pressed to her stomach, and took a deep breath.
‘Sure, it’s a bit overwhelming at first.’
She nodded again, gratefully.
‘Come on, let’s go and get some food. You must be starving.’
You have no idea
, Ishtaer thought, but she washed her hands and face with water from the pump and followed Eirenn back down to the atrium. She heard a couple of girls giggling, and her heart sank. She knew that giggle. It wasn’t a kind giggle.
‘Eirenn Fillian,’ one of them said, ‘don’t tell me you’ve got a girlfriend!’
‘You know you’re not supposed to be in here,’ said the other.
‘Just helping a friend out,’ Eirenn said. ‘Have you met Ishtaer ex Saraneus Medicus Militis Aspicio?’
He left off the last two words, Ishtaer noticed. The two she didn’t understand.
There was a short silence, then the first girl said, ‘Don’t be stupid, Eirenn. She can’t be Thrice-Marked.’
‘Well, she can and she is, and she’s also got perfectly good hearing,’ Eirenn said, ‘so you can address your remarks to her.’
A longer silence this time.
‘No? Right then. See you around, girls,’ Eirenn said, and took Ishtaer’s arm to lead her away.
‘… has to be fake,’ one of the girls whispered as they left the atrium.
‘Ignore ’em,’ Eirenn said.
‘I’ll try,’ said Ishtaer, who’d been ignoring worse for longer than he could imagine.
He took her back to the dining hall where she’d had breakfast with Kael all those hours ago and helped her navigate the loud, busy room, select a tray of food (‘Is that all? No wonder you’re so thin.’) and find somewhere to sit that wasn’t terribly crowded.
Eirenn proved to be an immensely likeable companion, with a friendly, lilting voice and casual manner of dropping hints and explanations before she quite realised she needed them. He was also a natural raconteur, managing to make everything – from his humiliations on the training field to his days herding his family’s goats – into entertaining stories.
‘So it’s me and this mad nanny goat, right, and she’s squaring off against me, head down, like she’s ready to charge. And I never thought about how big a nanny goat’s horns were before, but my gods, they could do you some damage if they hit you somewhere sensitive, you know what I mean? Although actually, you’re a girl so you probably don’t. Anyway, imagine it. Goat-head height. And she has these glowing red eyes, she’s proper mad. And there am I, backed up against these rocks, and all I’ve got to eat all day is this packet of sandwiches which are in my trouser pocket, and she’s about to charge, and I’m seriously thinking about whether I’d be more upset if she squashed the sandwiches or—ah, bollocks.’
Ishtaer found herself giggling. She didn’t think she’d ever giggled in her life.
‘Ishtaer, in advance, I’m really sorry.’
‘Advance? You’ve already said it!’
‘No – what? Oh, no,’ he said distractedly. ‘I mean I’m sorry for the waste of a Militis mark coming towards us.’
‘What was that, goat boy?’ said a rather cold voice, and Ishtaer felt her smile slip away.
‘I said, “Oh look, there’s Marcus coming towards us,”’ Eirenn said, his voice losing a little of its warmth.
‘No, you didn’t.’
‘Ah, so it’s psychic you are, then, is it? Only I notice, unlike my friend here, you don’t have the mark of a Seer.’
‘Your friend,’ sneered Marcus. ‘I wouldn’t believe you had one, but I hear on the grapevine there’s a blind slave around the place. Hard to believe there’d be anyone more pathetic than you here, Fillian.’
‘I know, it’s what I told myself right up until I arrived,’ Eirenn said, and
‘Ishtaer?’
Eirenn’s voice brought her back to herself with a gasp.
‘Are you all right?’
She nodded, her hands pressed to her stomach, and took a deep breath.
‘Sure, it’s a bit overwhelming at first.’
She nodded again, gratefully.
‘Come on, let’s go and get some food. You must be starving.’
You have no idea
, Ishtaer thought, but she washed her hands and face with water from the pump and followed Eirenn back down to the atrium. She heard a couple of girls giggling, and her heart sank. She knew that giggle. It wasn’t a kind giggle.
‘Eirenn Fillian,’ one of them said, ‘don’t tell me you’ve got a girlfriend!’
‘You know you’re not supposed to be in here,’ said the other.
‘Just helping a friend out,’ Eirenn said. ‘Have you met Ishtaer ex Saraneus Medicus Militis Aspicio?’
He left off the last two words, Ishtaer noticed. The two she didn’t understand.
There was a short silence, then the first girl said, ‘Don’t be stupid, Eirenn. She can’t be Thrice-Marked.’
‘Well, she can and she is, and she’s also got perfectly good hearing,’ Eirenn said, ‘so you can address your remarks to her.’
A longer silence this time.
‘No? Right then. See you around, girls,’ Eirenn said, and took Ishtaer’s arm to lead her away.
‘… has to be fake,’ one of the girls whispered as they left the atrium.
‘Ignore ’em,’ Eirenn said.
‘I’ll try,’ said Ishtaer, who’d been ignoring worse for longer than he could imagine.
He took her back to the dining hall where she’d had breakfast with Kael all those hours ago and helped her navigate the loud, busy room, select a tray of food (‘Is that all? No wonder you’re so thin.’) and find somewhere to sit that wasn’t terribly crowded.
Eirenn proved to be an immensely likeable companion, with a friendly, lilting voice and casual manner of dropping hints and explanations before she quite realised she needed them. He was also a natural raconteur, managing to make everything – from his humiliations on the training field to his days herding his family’s goats – into entertaining stories.
‘So it’s me and this mad nanny goat, right, and she’s squaring off against me, head down, like she’s ready to charge. And I never thought about how big a nanny goat’s horns were before, but my gods, they could do you some damage if they hit you somewhere sensitive, you know what I mean? Although actually, you’re a girl so you probably don’t. Anyway, imagine it. Goat-head height. And she has these glowing red eyes, she’s proper mad. And there am I, backed up against these rocks, and all I’ve got to eat all day is this packet of sandwiches which are in my trouser pocket, and she’s about to charge, and I’m seriously thinking about whether I’d be more upset if she squashed the sandwiches or—ah, bollocks.’
Ishtaer found herself giggling. She didn’t think she’d ever giggled in her life.
‘Ishtaer, in advance, I’m really sorry.’
‘Advance? You’ve already said it!’
‘No – what? Oh, no,’ he said distractedly. ‘I mean I’m sorry for the waste of a Militis mark coming towards us.’
‘What was that, goat boy?’ said a rather cold voice, and Ishtaer felt her smile slip away.
‘I said, “Oh look, there’s Marcus coming towards us,”’ Eirenn said, his voice losing a little of its warmth.
‘No, you didn’t.’
‘Ah, so it’s psychic you are, then, is it? Only I notice, unlike my friend here, you don’t have the mark of a Seer.’
‘Your friend,’ sneered Marcus. ‘I wouldn’t believe you had one, but I hear on the grapevine there’s a blind slave around the place. Hard to believe there’d be anyone more pathetic than you here, Fillian.’
‘I know, it’s what I told myself right up until I arrived,’ Eirenn said, and
Similar Books
