can’t eat a meal less they use seven different forks, and think an honest workin’ Olken man like me be good for nowt but opening doors for ‘em!’
The prince was nodding. ‘I see. You’re afraid.’
‘I ain’t no such thing!’
‘No?’ The prince’s expression darkened. Became grim. ‘Well, I am.’
‘What of?’ said Asher, surprised. ‘Seems to me y’be doing a bang-up job. The way the folks cheer you in the streets. How you sat in Justice Hall today, as grand as the king hisself, you —’
‘Don’t.’ The prince stopped walking. ‘Don’t ever compare me to the king. It’s not… proper.’
Asher swung round to face him and shrugged. ‘All right. But still. Y’can’t be bollocksin’ things up too bad or he wouldn’t be making all this official, would he?’
They’d reached the turn-off that led away from the palace to the Tower. The prince started walking again, along the narrower road, and beckoned Asher to keep up. ‘I’m muddling through, Asher. I’m treading water, and so far I’ve managed not to drown myself, or anybody else. But I can trust to luck no longer. I’ve known for months now I needed Olken help to do this job properly. I was beginning to despair of ever finding the right person to be that help.’
‘And you reckon the right person is we?’ said Asher. ‘You must be runnin’ a fever, I reckon. Or else that crown you had on today’s gone and bent your brain.’
The prince frowned. ‘I love my father, Asher, as doubtless you love yours. I cannot fail in this. If I do, the king will be forced to resume those responsibilities I’ve assumed. At all costs, I must prevent that.’
‘Why? You said all this bein’ a bridge malarkey usual got done by the … the reigning monarch. Why can’t tkt king do it?’ He watched the prince’s face go very still, and his heart boomed hard against his ribs. ‘All right, sit, I reckon it’s time you and me started rowin’ this boat in the same direction. What ain’t you tellin’ me, eh? What’s! sinkin’ important about you doin’ this Administrator stuff, and not the king?’
For the first time since Asher had laid eyes on the man, the prince looked uncertain. ‘Can I trust you?’
Asher sighed. ‘What kind of a daft bloody question is that? One minute you’re askin’ me to be your right-hand man ‘cause I be so upright and incorruptible, and the next you want to know if I can be trusted? Reckon you needt make up your mind. Sir.’
Temper flashed lightning-fast across the prince’s face ‘I’ll thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head, Ashet The fact that I’ll permit you a certain amount of leeway is hardly the same as allowing you to —’ I see,’ said Asher. ‘So when you said you wanted someone who’d tell you the truth whether you wanted to hear it or not, sir, what you really meant was —’
‘All right.’
Silence as the prince collected his thoughts and feelings. Asher pushed his hands into his pockets and amused himself by humming one of Da’s favourite ditties under his breath. When he was done, and the prince still showed no sign of moving, he said, ‘If we stand around here much longer, some bird’s goin’ to think we’re statues and shit on us.’
The prince stirred. Looked at him, all uncertainty banished. ‘What do you know of Weather Working?’
Asher shrugged. ‘Nowt beyond what any spratling knows. The WeatherWorking and the Wall march hand in hand. Without Weather Magic we’d go back to the old days, when the weather was unchancy. We’d be at the mercy of storms and floods and droughts and famine. WeatherWorking feeds the Wall, keeps it strong. If it fails, the Wall fails, and there’d be nowt to keep us safe from all the evil that lies beyond the mountains. It’s our duty to live our lives according to Barl’s Law, so that never happens.’
Lurking humour resurfaced, briefly. ‘A neat summary. Which means you can’t have slept through every Barlsday
The prince was nodding. ‘I see. You’re afraid.’
‘I ain’t no such thing!’
‘No?’ The prince’s expression darkened. Became grim. ‘Well, I am.’
‘What of?’ said Asher, surprised. ‘Seems to me y’be doing a bang-up job. The way the folks cheer you in the streets. How you sat in Justice Hall today, as grand as the king hisself, you —’
‘Don’t.’ The prince stopped walking. ‘Don’t ever compare me to the king. It’s not… proper.’
Asher swung round to face him and shrugged. ‘All right. But still. Y’can’t be bollocksin’ things up too bad or he wouldn’t be making all this official, would he?’
They’d reached the turn-off that led away from the palace to the Tower. The prince started walking again, along the narrower road, and beckoned Asher to keep up. ‘I’m muddling through, Asher. I’m treading water, and so far I’ve managed not to drown myself, or anybody else. But I can trust to luck no longer. I’ve known for months now I needed Olken help to do this job properly. I was beginning to despair of ever finding the right person to be that help.’
‘And you reckon the right person is we?’ said Asher. ‘You must be runnin’ a fever, I reckon. Or else that crown you had on today’s gone and bent your brain.’
The prince frowned. ‘I love my father, Asher, as doubtless you love yours. I cannot fail in this. If I do, the king will be forced to resume those responsibilities I’ve assumed. At all costs, I must prevent that.’
‘Why? You said all this bein’ a bridge malarkey usual got done by the … the reigning monarch. Why can’t tkt king do it?’ He watched the prince’s face go very still, and his heart boomed hard against his ribs. ‘All right, sit, I reckon it’s time you and me started rowin’ this boat in the same direction. What ain’t you tellin’ me, eh? What’s! sinkin’ important about you doin’ this Administrator stuff, and not the king?’
For the first time since Asher had laid eyes on the man, the prince looked uncertain. ‘Can I trust you?’
Asher sighed. ‘What kind of a daft bloody question is that? One minute you’re askin’ me to be your right-hand man ‘cause I be so upright and incorruptible, and the next you want to know if I can be trusted? Reckon you needt make up your mind. Sir.’
Temper flashed lightning-fast across the prince’s face ‘I’ll thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head, Ashet The fact that I’ll permit you a certain amount of leeway is hardly the same as allowing you to —’ I see,’ said Asher. ‘So when you said you wanted someone who’d tell you the truth whether you wanted to hear it or not, sir, what you really meant was —’
‘All right.’
Silence as the prince collected his thoughts and feelings. Asher pushed his hands into his pockets and amused himself by humming one of Da’s favourite ditties under his breath. When he was done, and the prince still showed no sign of moving, he said, ‘If we stand around here much longer, some bird’s goin’ to think we’re statues and shit on us.’
The prince stirred. Looked at him, all uncertainty banished. ‘What do you know of Weather Working?’
Asher shrugged. ‘Nowt beyond what any spratling knows. The WeatherWorking and the Wall march hand in hand. Without Weather Magic we’d go back to the old days, when the weather was unchancy. We’d be at the mercy of storms and floods and droughts and famine. WeatherWorking feeds the Wall, keeps it strong. If it fails, the Wall fails, and there’d be nowt to keep us safe from all the evil that lies beyond the mountains. It’s our duty to live our lives according to Barl’s Law, so that never happens.’
Lurking humour resurfaced, briefly. ‘A neat summary. Which means you can’t have slept through every Barlsday
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