flew in a cloud. Some of it fell on the charcoal. There were bright sparks that seemed to dance over the surface. There were sudden small flames. There was smoke. It seemed to come at my face as if aimed like a weapon. I gasped in fear and got a lungful. I fell into a paroxysm of coughing. The whole cave or grotto grew immense and then contracted, seemed to diminish the movement into a pulsing. I heard a high note and then nothing.
I woke up, conscious of little but a headache. It was a long time before I dared to open my eyes. I was lying in the sumptuous bed of the First Lady. I turned my head and groaned at the pain of it. Ionides was sitting on the other side of the room. He stood up when he saw me move.
‘Drink.’
I got myself up on one elbow. It was bitter-tasting stuff, willow bark I guessed, but almost at once my head cleared.
‘What happened?’
‘You very nearly started a fire, that’s what happened. Enough smoke came out of the grotto for a volcano.’
‘How did I get out?’
‘I don’t know. It’s a strange place. There were people, attendants, moving about down there. I saw you carried sideways out of sight.’
‘Where did they come from?’
‘I told you the mountain has been excavated. They took care of the Pythia, that’s all. I found you here.’
‘The crowd –’
‘They had the time of their lives, what with the laughter and the smoke. I only hope they will think it’s holy, not comic.’
‘The gods were there.’
‘Gods?’
‘Him. And him.’
‘The fellow up the hill? Dionysus as well?’
‘You heard them.’
‘I heard you, that’s what I heard. But still –’
‘Ionides. What did the crowd hear?’
‘Your two shouts first and that odd saying “One mouth or the other”. Some sniggers. After that I gave our Roman guests their oracle. Then for a time you were mouthing. They all do it. Why can’t the god do a clean job? Then it was the Athenian’s turn, the official question of course, not the one about the corn and the Hellespont. I gave the answer we’d agreed on but you were still mouthing – mostly as far as I could hear you were mouthing about “lies and lees”. That wouldn’t do for an official party would it?’
‘I suppose not. Ionides, did I really say things? I mean while I was what you call mouthing.’
‘Of course you did. Like anyone else, there’s no magic and nothing holy about it. It’s just like any sleeper. After that came your little conflagration and those dark-clad attendants hauling you out. Don’t worry. Nobody saw anything they shouldn’t. We know about those things.’
‘It’s so mixed. I don’t like it.’
‘You aren’t asked to like it. You’d better rest as much as you can. You’re on again tomorrow.’
‘But it’s supposed to be one day!’
‘Only two answers, the Romans and the Athenians? Oh yes, they’re the most important of course. But we can’t ignore the others, the whole crowd of them. After all, First Lady, it’s how we get our living. It’ll be little people mostly. You don’t have to bother about them.’
‘I don’t want to bother about them!’
‘Why do you suppose we had three Pythias? We were caught out this time by two so inconsiderately dying. But don’t worry. Our spies are out. Well, not spies. Agents. The Athenians have a girl themselves and are putting her forward. Don’t be surprised if you suddenly see a strange face.’
‘A pretty one?’
‘Are you remembering your Chloe? I don’t know. Nobody tells me anything – I have to find it all out for myself. Well, I must go off and make friends with young Caesar, Julius. That young man asks too many questions for my comfort. By the way, the Athenian question will be slipped in among the small ones tomorrow. I mean the real one, the one that matters. I’m afraid we can’t play about with that one.’
‘We aren’t playing about with anything! The gods were there!’
‘Of course. If I can find anything out between now and
I woke up, conscious of little but a headache. It was a long time before I dared to open my eyes. I was lying in the sumptuous bed of the First Lady. I turned my head and groaned at the pain of it. Ionides was sitting on the other side of the room. He stood up when he saw me move.
‘Drink.’
I got myself up on one elbow. It was bitter-tasting stuff, willow bark I guessed, but almost at once my head cleared.
‘What happened?’
‘You very nearly started a fire, that’s what happened. Enough smoke came out of the grotto for a volcano.’
‘How did I get out?’
‘I don’t know. It’s a strange place. There were people, attendants, moving about down there. I saw you carried sideways out of sight.’
‘Where did they come from?’
‘I told you the mountain has been excavated. They took care of the Pythia, that’s all. I found you here.’
‘The crowd –’
‘They had the time of their lives, what with the laughter and the smoke. I only hope they will think it’s holy, not comic.’
‘The gods were there.’
‘Gods?’
‘Him. And him.’
‘The fellow up the hill? Dionysus as well?’
‘You heard them.’
‘I heard you, that’s what I heard. But still –’
‘Ionides. What did the crowd hear?’
‘Your two shouts first and that odd saying “One mouth or the other”. Some sniggers. After that I gave our Roman guests their oracle. Then for a time you were mouthing. They all do it. Why can’t the god do a clean job? Then it was the Athenian’s turn, the official question of course, not the one about the corn and the Hellespont. I gave the answer we’d agreed on but you were still mouthing – mostly as far as I could hear you were mouthing about “lies and lees”. That wouldn’t do for an official party would it?’
‘I suppose not. Ionides, did I really say things? I mean while I was what you call mouthing.’
‘Of course you did. Like anyone else, there’s no magic and nothing holy about it. It’s just like any sleeper. After that came your little conflagration and those dark-clad attendants hauling you out. Don’t worry. Nobody saw anything they shouldn’t. We know about those things.’
‘It’s so mixed. I don’t like it.’
‘You aren’t asked to like it. You’d better rest as much as you can. You’re on again tomorrow.’
‘But it’s supposed to be one day!’
‘Only two answers, the Romans and the Athenians? Oh yes, they’re the most important of course. But we can’t ignore the others, the whole crowd of them. After all, First Lady, it’s how we get our living. It’ll be little people mostly. You don’t have to bother about them.’
‘I don’t want to bother about them!’
‘Why do you suppose we had three Pythias? We were caught out this time by two so inconsiderately dying. But don’t worry. Our spies are out. Well, not spies. Agents. The Athenians have a girl themselves and are putting her forward. Don’t be surprised if you suddenly see a strange face.’
‘A pretty one?’
‘Are you remembering your Chloe? I don’t know. Nobody tells me anything – I have to find it all out for myself. Well, I must go off and make friends with young Caesar, Julius. That young man asks too many questions for my comfort. By the way, the Athenian question will be slipped in among the small ones tomorrow. I mean the real one, the one that matters. I’m afraid we can’t play about with that one.’
‘We aren’t playing about with anything! The gods were there!’
‘Of course. If I can find anything out between now and
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