He held out his hand to Hyacinth, who took it.

“We’re married, as you say. I don’t believe my mother ever was. Did I tell you that?”

Maytera Mint shook her head.

“I told Maytera Marble, I’m sure. I know now, or think I know, how — how I came to be, as a result of something that happened to me in the tunnels, or at least underground. You don’t understand me, I know.”

“Certainly I do! You don’t have to talk about that, Calde, or anything. But I certainly wasn’t asking about that.”

Silk shook his head. “You don’t, you merely suppose you do. Councillor Potto, here’s a mystery for you. Can you solve it? I’ve lied about it once already tonight, I warn you; and I’ll lie again if I must.”

Maytera Mint objected, “You don’t tell lies, Patera.”

Silk shook his head. “We all do when we must. When we’re asked about something we heard in shriving, for example. We say we don’t know. This is something I have to lie about, at least until it no longer matters, simply because everyone would think I lied if I told the truth.”

Maytera Marble’s voice surprised him. “Not I, Patera.”

He turned in his chair to look at her.

“Chenille brought in tea and cookies, the ones she and Nettle baked, and she never came back. Horn seems to have disappeared, too. I thought something might be wrong.”

“A great many things are, Moly,” Silk told her, “but we’re trying to set a few right. Do you remember what I told you about my enlightenment? I saw Patera Pike praying, praying so very hard year after year for help for his manteion, remember?”

She nodded.

“Until the Outsider spoke in his heart, telling him his prayer was granted. When I had seen that, I waited, waited full of expectation, to see what help would be sent to him.”

Maytera Marble nodded. “I remember, Patera.”

“It arrived, and it was me. That was all it was. Me. Laugh, Councillor.”

Potto did not oblige.

“But for a moment, ever so briefly, I saw myself as Patera Pike had seen me then. It was a humbling experience. Better, it was a salutary one. I’m emboldened by thememory now, when I find myself having to reckon with councillors and generalissimos, people whose company is alien to me, and whose opposition I find terrifying.”

Maytera Marble nodded, “As they find yours, Patera.”

“I doubt it.” Shaking his head, Silk addressed Loris. “We’re prepared to offer you a very good bargain, Councillor — an exceptional one. Spider has promised he’ll confine himself to counterespionage as regards our forces if we will release him. We ask no oath on the Writings, no ceremony of that kind; a man’s word is good or it isn’t, and General Mint has indicated that his is. In exchange, we ask only your present self. I emphasize present — the Councillor Loris here with us. You can divert your consciousness to another such body as soon as we’re through conferring, and I assume that you will; it won’t be a violation of our bargain. Do you agree to the exchange?”

“No,” Loris said. “I have no second body available.”

Potto exclaimed, “I will!”

“I’m afraid not, Councillor. When you have a prisoner of similar importance, an exchange can be effected. Until then, Spider must remain with us. Councillor Loris, are you certain you won’t reconsider?”

Loris shook his head — then stared at Remora, who was seated to Potto’s right.

Quetzal murmured, “He has these fits occasionally, poor fellow. I think Patera Calde witnessed one last week.”

“I did, shortly before my bride and I were reunited at Ermine’s.” Longing to embrace her, Silk tore his gaze from Hyacinth’s.

“They’re coming, Silk.” Remora announced in a flattened voice. “A colonel and a hundred cavalry troopers.”

Oreb whistled sharply.

“Thank you. Auk, I’m afraid this means we have very little time. You and Sciathan must leave at once by a side door. Your followers are meeting at the Cock? Warn them that Trivigaunti patrols may search for them. Chenille had better go with you; otherwise they’re liable to take her to get you.”

Loris stood. “We’d better leave, too.”

“Not with us,” Auk snapped. “Out the front, if you’re going. C’mon, Upstairs. C’mon, Jugs.”

Potto rose, giggling. “He doesn’t share Silk’s love for you, Cousin Loris.”

Silk motioned for both to sit again. “You have come under a flag of truce. They’ll respect that, surely.”

“So did we,” Maytera Mint told him.

He ignored it. “You and Colonel Bison are affronted now because Generalissimo Siyuf wished to confiscate the weapons you gave your troopers. If she were here, she might explain that she acted in support of our government, the one opposed to the Ayuntamiento that Echidna ordered you to establish and that you have established. She probably feels sure, as General Saba and Chenille did Thelxday night, that once freed of the restraint of discipline your troopers will use their weapons to overturn it. Remember that, when we talk to these Trivigauntis.”

Silk addressed Oosik. “You, Generalissimo, are piqued because Generalissimo Siyuf bypassed you and Skate, issuing orders to the commanders of the brigades.”

Oosik nodded, his face grim.

“Bear in mind that when she tried to collect those weapons she was doing what you would have, had you not been restrained by my orders; and that she’s shown clearly that she thinks it useless to try to suborn your loyalty.”

“I — er, um?” Remora gaped at Quetzal’s vacated chair.

“His Cognizance has left us,” Silk explained. I suppose he went with Auk. You dozed off for a moment, I believe.

“Councillor Loris, Councillor Potto, you said you’d come to demand my surrender, with new terms. Let’s not trouble about the terms now. Explain briefly, if you will, how you know that we and our allies will be defeated.

Loris nodded. “Briefly, as you ask. Siyuf’s been sending patrols into the countryside to forage for food. They take whatever our people have and leave promissory notes in which our people have no confidence. Notes that are almost certainly valueless, in fact. Our farmers have begun hiding what food they have and organizing bands to resist—”

Oosik interrupted him. “You gave your permission, Calde, at the parade. I was thunderstruck.”

Hyacinth said, “You think you’re terribly clever, don’t you, Oosie. What would you have done?”

Oosik started to speak, but thought better of it.

“He would have told Generalissimo Siyuf that she’d have to buy what our farmers brought her — or so I imagine.” Silk shrugged. “They wouldn’t have brought enough, or nearly enough, and they wouldn’t have accepted promises to pay later. Soon she would have had to send out patrols, as she’s doing now, or shut her eyes to the fact that unit commanders were foraging for themselves. In either case, we would have had to stop them, or anyway we would have had to try. Within a short time we’d have been fighting Trivigauntis in the streets. I hoped to prevent that, or at least postpone it; but I’m afraid that I gained very little time for us, and it may be that I gained none at all.”

“We could have sent out foraging parties of our own,” Bison suggested.

Maytera Mint shook her head. “Then the farmers would have hated us instead of them. If they must hate somebody, it’s far better that they hate Siyuf and her Trivigauntis.”

“The point,” Loris interposed, “is that they’re beginning to resist. You’ve helped them, and we’re helping them more.”

Potto grinned at Silk. “Cementing their loyalty to us, you see. We’re the government of the good old days, coming up out of the ground with armloads of slug guns, and giving them away.” He tittered. “We get food aplenty for our bios. It’s mostly chems with us down below, and they don’t need it.”

“We estimate that fifteen thousand of General Mint’s fifty thousand-odd were countryfolk,” Loris continued. “They’re armed now, thanks to you. We’ve armed another four thousand thus far, and we continue to distribute arms. This sibyl—”