guess, my guess is that he was captured and carried there—the barbarians in this part of the world are forever fighting, raiding, and murdering each other, and robbing and enslaving anyone who ventures too near their territory without an army the size of the Great King's. But all I actually know is that I came across a barbarian who swears that another barbarian—a man he knows well and trusts—told him the Apsinthians have such a captive."
Our captain pushed away his greasy trencher. "But you can learn more, can't you? Can't you consult the gods?"
"I can consult the gods indeed," the mantis acknowledged. "How much the gods will tell me..." He completed his sentence with another shrug.
"Just the same, we shouldn't make any definite plans until you do. What'll you require?"
While they talked about that, Elata showed me the bracelet that Hegesistratus had bought her. It is Thracian work, or so she said. The gold is crudely yet cleverly shaped into bunches of grapes and grape leaves, from which peep two eyes with blue stones at their centers; and the whole is bound together by the twining grape tendrils. Io says it reminds her of the big tree half-smothered under wild vines at the place where Hegesistratus found Elata, though I could not remember the place even when I studied the bracelet.
Hypereides said, "Go with them, Latro. Do as Hegesistratus tells you."
I was surprised, not having paid a great deal of attention to their talk; but I stood up when Hegesistratus did. Smiling as she drained her wine, Elata asked, "Are we to come, too?"
Hegesistratus nodded. "There is a sacred grove near the city; we will use that." To Hypereides he added, "Are you sure you do not want to be present?"
"I wish I could—not that I'd be of much help, but because I'd like to know as much as possible as soon as I can. But if we're going to sail around Cape Mastursia, there's a lot I have to attend to first."
"Your absence may affect the result," the mantis warned him.
Hypereides rose. "All right, I'll join you later if I can. A sacred grove, you said? Who's it sacred to?"
"Itys," Hegesistratus told him.
As we left the cookshop for the wet streets of Pactye, Io asked, "What did you and Hypereides do, master?" I described our morning (we had visited officials and haggled with chandlers, mostly, and on several occasions I had run back to the ship with messages), and asked about hers. She told me she and Elata had gone shopping while Hegesistratus talked with various barbarians around the marketplace. "There are Crimson Men here," she said, "the first ones I've seen since we left the Great King's army. Hegesistratus says they're waiting for the ships from Thought to leave Helle's Sea so they can sail home." Her bright black eyes discovered an open door, and she pointed. "There's some right there. See them?"
I did, four swarthy men in embroidered caps and beautifully dyed crimson robes arguing with a cobbler. One of them noticed that I was looking at him and waved. "Babut!"
I answered, "Uhuya!" and waved in return.
"What did you say to him?" Io asked.
"My brother," I told her. "It's just a friendly greeting you give someone you're on good terms with, particularly if you're in the same trade, or both foreigners in the same place."
She looked up at me intently. "Master, can you speak the language of the Crimson Men?"
Hegesistratus halted momentarily and glanced back at us.
I told Io that I did not know.
"Well, think about it. Pretend I'm a Crimson Man—one of their daughters."
"All right," I said.
"Over there, see that big animal? What is it?"
I told her, "Sisuw."
"Sisuw." Io was delighted. "And—and him back there. What do they call him, master?"
"The boy in the colored cloak? Bun or—let's see— nucir."
Io shook her head. "No, I meant the old man. I didn't even see the boy. Where is he?"
"He's seen that we see him," I explained. "But he's still watching us around the corner of that cart. He's probably just curious."
"I
Our captain pushed away his greasy trencher. "But you can learn more, can't you? Can't you consult the gods?"
"I can consult the gods indeed," the mantis acknowledged. "How much the gods will tell me..." He completed his sentence with another shrug.
"Just the same, we shouldn't make any definite plans until you do. What'll you require?"
While they talked about that, Elata showed me the bracelet that Hegesistratus had bought her. It is Thracian work, or so she said. The gold is crudely yet cleverly shaped into bunches of grapes and grape leaves, from which peep two eyes with blue stones at their centers; and the whole is bound together by the twining grape tendrils. Io says it reminds her of the big tree half-smothered under wild vines at the place where Hegesistratus found Elata, though I could not remember the place even when I studied the bracelet.
Hypereides said, "Go with them, Latro. Do as Hegesistratus tells you."
I was surprised, not having paid a great deal of attention to their talk; but I stood up when Hegesistratus did. Smiling as she drained her wine, Elata asked, "Are we to come, too?"
Hegesistratus nodded. "There is a sacred grove near the city; we will use that." To Hypereides he added, "Are you sure you do not want to be present?"
"I wish I could—not that I'd be of much help, but because I'd like to know as much as possible as soon as I can. But if we're going to sail around Cape Mastursia, there's a lot I have to attend to first."
"Your absence may affect the result," the mantis warned him.
Hypereides rose. "All right, I'll join you later if I can. A sacred grove, you said? Who's it sacred to?"
"Itys," Hegesistratus told him.
As we left the cookshop for the wet streets of Pactye, Io asked, "What did you and Hypereides do, master?" I described our morning (we had visited officials and haggled with chandlers, mostly, and on several occasions I had run back to the ship with messages), and asked about hers. She told me she and Elata had gone shopping while Hegesistratus talked with various barbarians around the marketplace. "There are Crimson Men here," she said, "the first ones I've seen since we left the Great King's army. Hegesistratus says they're waiting for the ships from Thought to leave Helle's Sea so they can sail home." Her bright black eyes discovered an open door, and she pointed. "There's some right there. See them?"
I did, four swarthy men in embroidered caps and beautifully dyed crimson robes arguing with a cobbler. One of them noticed that I was looking at him and waved. "Babut!"
I answered, "Uhuya!" and waved in return.
"What did you say to him?" Io asked.
"My brother," I told her. "It's just a friendly greeting you give someone you're on good terms with, particularly if you're in the same trade, or both foreigners in the same place."
She looked up at me intently. "Master, can you speak the language of the Crimson Men?"
Hegesistratus halted momentarily and glanced back at us.
I told Io that I did not know.
"Well, think about it. Pretend I'm a Crimson Man—one of their daughters."
"All right," I said.
"Over there, see that big animal? What is it?"
I told her, "Sisuw."
"Sisuw." Io was delighted. "And—and him back there. What do they call him, master?"
"The boy in the colored cloak? Bun or—let's see— nucir."
Io shook her head. "No, I meant the old man. I didn't even see the boy. Where is he?"
"He's seen that we see him," I explained. "But he's still watching us around the corner of that cart. He's probably just curious."
"I
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