"Very much, thank you, my lord."

"What sort of things d'you do with him-a man too fat to walk?"

"We do as he wishes, my lord."

"A great many people come to see him, don't they? From all over the empire. Are you ever there when he talks to them?"

"No, my lord."

"You know who these people are? You know why he sees them?"

Putting out one hand, as easily as he might have lifted a cushion he pulled her bodily round to face him.

"You do, don't you?"

"Yes, my lord: but we don't get to hear nothing about- about that side of things."

"What about your saiyett? He's almost helpless without her, isn't he? Is she there when he sees them?"

"If she is, my lord, she never talks to us."

He said no more for a time, and she hoped they had exhausted the subject.

"Did you see Otavis at the banquet?" he asked suddenly.

"Oh, ah, my lord; that I did! I reckon she's really beautiful."

"Did you know she belonged to me?"

"No, my lord. But-surely I saw her comin' up the stair-

case from the courtyard that evening, along o' the rest of the girls?"

"Yes. She'd been-elsewhere, working for me. But now she's able to buy herself free, I've no wish to stop her. A shearna can get to talk-and listen-to even more people than a slave-girl." After a few moments he added, "You needn't bother to tell the High Counselor. He'd probably only have her murdered, and I'm sure you wouldn't want that."

"I don't undestand you, my lord; I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're on about at all."

Kembri took her in his arms. For one incredulous instant she thought he was about to gratify himself yet again. Then he said, "I didn't send for you this afternoon because I wanted to bed with you." ;

At this she burst out laughing. "Then all I can say, my lord, is you could 'a fooled me."

His next words cut short her merriment.

"Would you like to make your fortune by taking Otavis's place?"

She stared at him, but could infer nothing from his impassive gaze.

"Well, my lord, I don't reckon the High Counselor would sell me-not just at present, anyway."

"I didn't mean that: I don't want to buy you."

He got up, flung a quilted robe round his great, shaggy body and sat down on a carved chest beside the bed.

"What people tell their rulers is nearly always what they think they want to hear. But the rulers need to know more. I need to know things-things I wouldn't be told if I asked. Do you understand?"

"But my lord, the High Counselor-isn't that his work- all those people who come and talk to him-"

"This is nothing to do with the High Counselor: I need my own sources of information. There are things I can't leave in the hands of a man who lives as he does. And don't go telling him what I've said, or tell your saiyett, or anyone else, do you see? If I learn that you have, I shall simply say that you're a mischievous little liar and have you put to death."

Frightened, she said no more. The Lord General, standing up, opened the chest and took out a purse stitched over with white beads. Tossing this up and down in his hand, he sat down on the bed beside her.

"In a city like this-a country like this-men trust only their closest friends; and sometimes not even them. Everyone's on his guard, and the higher up he is the fewer he trusts. Everyone has secrets-secrets about which he means never to talk. But in practice, sooner or later, everyone does talk. That's strange, but true: for some curious reason, a secret always gets told-to somebody-"

She stared at him silently.

"But it's very seldom told where I can hear it; so someone has to hear it for me."

He paused, still tossing the purse up and down. The coins clicked rhythmically, like a tiny mill-wheel, and the rain sighed on outside.

"No, naturally they're not indiscreet to me; or to Sen-cho, or to the Lord Durakkon either. But in bed-or even just in company-with a pretty little slave-girl who looks no more than a child-that's another matter. Otavis-she's very well-known now; yet even so, she still gets to hear a lot." He smiled briefly. "You might hear still more. For one thing, you don't belong to me, you see."

"But my lord, if I don't belong to you-"

He raised a hand. "Some things a girl simply happens to hear, but that's only a small part of the work. Any girl can do that. But a very pretty, much-sought-after girl- she can often learn what she seeks to learn. However much a man may mean to be on his guard, he may easily find himself talking freely to a girl like that, especially if she's shrewd and knows how to loosen his tongue. I dare say you know the old tale of the girl who refused to bed with the magician unless he agreed to give her the egg that contained his heart? He gave it to her, and she broke it."

"But if I don't belong to you, my lord, how can I do the work?"

"That you'll be told in my good time. You and I may never actually meet again. It's possible that it could turn out to be dangerous. You'd better think it over. But I'll deal fairly with you, Maia. If you do well-and survive- you'll be set free; with plenty of money, too. Enough to make a good marriage-set yourself up as a shearna- whatever you want."

As Maia remained silent, trying to take this in, he went on, "The men you'll have to deal with will be Urtans- touchy, proud, humorless people. You'll need to be resourceful and sharp, so for a start-and as a test-you can

find a way of your own to let me know your answer within the next three days."

Before she could reply he picked up a bell from the table by the bed and rang it two or three times. The fair-haired woman came in and stood by the door, palm to forehead. Kembri tossed the beaded purse to her.

"I like to be generous to a girl who's pleased me. Is my bath ready?"

"Yes, my lord."

Without another word the Lord General left the room.

27: WAITING

Maia, upon her return, found Terebinthia, Occula and Dyphna sitting round the stove. This surprised her, for at this time of day either the saiyett herself or at least one girl would usually be in attendance upon the High Counselor. Before she had a chance to ask questions, however, Occula, jumping up and helping her off with her wet cloak, inquired cheerfully, "Hullo, banzi; back in one piece? Well basted?"

"Basted? You mean split and sun-dried," answered Maia, sliding off the heavy silver bracelets, which she found cumbersome. She was in a mood to reply to Occula's ribaldry in kind, for to herself she no longer seemed the girl who had been given her instructions by Terebinthia earlier that afternoon.

"Got the speedin' trick, had he?" said Occula. "Took you up and took you down; is that the tale? His tail or yours?"

"Here, I'll tell you-" Maia, laughing, stopped suddenly as she saw Terebinthia staring at her in the manner of one waiting for another to remember what she ought not to have to be reminded of. She took out the Lord General's purse and handed it over.

"It's still sealed, saiyett."

"So I see," replied Terebinthia. "If it hadn't been, I should have felt unpleasantly surprised. The seal is customary, but I deliberately didn't tell you. I suppose Occula did?"

"No, I didn', saiyett," said Occula. "To tell you the

truth, I clean forgot. Maia deserves all the credit. Can we see what he's given her?"

"We can," answered Terebinthia, breaking the little red seal and spilling the contents of the purse on her palm. "Well, well!" Maia had the impression that for a moment she was quite taken aback.

"Whew!" said Occula. "Two hundred and forty meld! That's about as big a lygol as ever I've heard of, saiyett, but of course I doan' know how they go on in Bekla."

"It's very good indeed," said Terebinthia. "Well done, Maia! Here you are, and mind you look after it." She counted the coins again. "In fact, you may have a full hundred. It ought to be ninety-six, but I confess I wasn't expecting the Lord General to be quite so generous, and I can't be bothered to go and find the change just now."