to Aly and whispered, “It’s made to order for a girl with your skills.”
Aly shrugged, hiding her sudden interest behind a mask of boredom. “I suppose I won’t be rid of you until you tell me, so talk away.”
“It’s simple,” he assured her. “Keep the children of this family alive through the end of summer. Do that, and I’ll send you home as the gods travel. You’ll be here one moment and there the next.”
“And if I can’t? If I lose?” Aly wanted to know.
“You’ll serve me for an entire year,” Kyprioth replied. “If you’re still alive. I can’t make any promises. If things go really badly, you might be killed by accident.”
Aly twiddled her thumbs, pretending to ignore him. She wanted him to raise the stakes.
Kyprioth sighed. “I’ll convince your father to let you be a field agent. I’m a god—I can do that.”
“You can’t force him,” Aly said. She spoke from long experience with her father.
“No. But he’ll pay attention if I tell him how good you are on your own,” he explained. “I have a feeling you have a real knack for this. And I’ll grant him a boon as well.”
“I’m a slave,” Aly reminded him. “These people won’t listen to me.”
“They will now.” Kyprioth beamed at Aly. “That’s why I needed my brother’s seeming. He’s telling the duke and duchess that he’s chosen you, someone their enemies will overlook, as his messenger. That they will come to no harm if they listen to your advice. Sooner or later, of course, you’ll have to prove to them you’re worth listening to, but I’m sure you’ll have plenty of chances for that. Have we a wager?”
Aly considered it, rubbing her hand over her short-cropped hair. From her true dream she knew Mother had already gone north for the summer’s fighting, and making things right with her had been the only reason Aly was prepared to rush home. On one hand, the wager meant she would have to follow the Balitangs into exile. On the other hand, what better way to prove to Da that she could manage the work? Even if he wouldn’t let her spy, he might attach her to the king or queen as a sort of bodyguard, to keep an eye on things. He’d know her ability if Aly showed him that she was able to keep a family in one piece when they were out of favor with a notoriously unstable king.
She might never get another chance like this. Her father would be hard put to argue with a god’s assessment, especially if that god was the Trickster. Aly grinned. Even Da couldn’t refuse her if she did it. He was very good about admitting when he was wrong. “We have a wager, then, under those terms,” she told Kyprioth. “But I’ll need help.”
The god grabbed her stubbly head in both hands and kissed her forehead. Aly yelped: the kiss sent something like a shock through her. “You’ll get it,” Kyprioth said. “On Lombyn.” With that he was gone.
----
If you’ve a story, make sure it’s a whole one, with details close to hand. It’s the difference between a successful lie and getting caught.
—From
A Workbook for a Young Spy,
written and illustrated by Aly’s father and given to her on her sixth birthday
Chapter III
The Raka
The Long Strait and the Azure Sea
P eople out of favor with King Oron did not waste time in farewells. The king had slaughtered entire households, down to the last dog, once he decided he could not live with his fears. Two days after Aly entered into her wager with Kyprioth, the Balitangs loaded their belongings onto several cargo ships and prepared to set sail.
Only Prince Bronau came to see them off that humid morning. He kissed the duchess on both cheeks, embraced the duke, and kissed Lady Saraiyu’s hand. Aly barely glimpsed this. Her new charges, Petranne and Elsren, did not care for ships, or the early hour, or Aly herself. Their governess and nursemaids had gone to other households along with seventy-four other servants and slaves. Winnamine assigned
Aly shrugged, hiding her sudden interest behind a mask of boredom. “I suppose I won’t be rid of you until you tell me, so talk away.”
“It’s simple,” he assured her. “Keep the children of this family alive through the end of summer. Do that, and I’ll send you home as the gods travel. You’ll be here one moment and there the next.”
“And if I can’t? If I lose?” Aly wanted to know.
“You’ll serve me for an entire year,” Kyprioth replied. “If you’re still alive. I can’t make any promises. If things go really badly, you might be killed by accident.”
Aly twiddled her thumbs, pretending to ignore him. She wanted him to raise the stakes.
Kyprioth sighed. “I’ll convince your father to let you be a field agent. I’m a god—I can do that.”
“You can’t force him,” Aly said. She spoke from long experience with her father.
“No. But he’ll pay attention if I tell him how good you are on your own,” he explained. “I have a feeling you have a real knack for this. And I’ll grant him a boon as well.”
“I’m a slave,” Aly reminded him. “These people won’t listen to me.”
“They will now.” Kyprioth beamed at Aly. “That’s why I needed my brother’s seeming. He’s telling the duke and duchess that he’s chosen you, someone their enemies will overlook, as his messenger. That they will come to no harm if they listen to your advice. Sooner or later, of course, you’ll have to prove to them you’re worth listening to, but I’m sure you’ll have plenty of chances for that. Have we a wager?”
Aly considered it, rubbing her hand over her short-cropped hair. From her true dream she knew Mother had already gone north for the summer’s fighting, and making things right with her had been the only reason Aly was prepared to rush home. On one hand, the wager meant she would have to follow the Balitangs into exile. On the other hand, what better way to prove to Da that she could manage the work? Even if he wouldn’t let her spy, he might attach her to the king or queen as a sort of bodyguard, to keep an eye on things. He’d know her ability if Aly showed him that she was able to keep a family in one piece when they were out of favor with a notoriously unstable king.
She might never get another chance like this. Her father would be hard put to argue with a god’s assessment, especially if that god was the Trickster. Aly grinned. Even Da couldn’t refuse her if she did it. He was very good about admitting when he was wrong. “We have a wager, then, under those terms,” she told Kyprioth. “But I’ll need help.”
The god grabbed her stubbly head in both hands and kissed her forehead. Aly yelped: the kiss sent something like a shock through her. “You’ll get it,” Kyprioth said. “On Lombyn.” With that he was gone.
----
If you’ve a story, make sure it’s a whole one, with details close to hand. It’s the difference between a successful lie and getting caught.
—From
A Workbook for a Young Spy,
written and illustrated by Aly’s father and given to her on her sixth birthday
Chapter III
The Raka
The Long Strait and the Azure Sea
P eople out of favor with King Oron did not waste time in farewells. The king had slaughtered entire households, down to the last dog, once he decided he could not live with his fears. Two days after Aly entered into her wager with Kyprioth, the Balitangs loaded their belongings onto several cargo ships and prepared to set sail.
Only Prince Bronau came to see them off that humid morning. He kissed the duchess on both cheeks, embraced the duke, and kissed Lady Saraiyu’s hand. Aly barely glimpsed this. Her new charges, Petranne and Elsren, did not care for ships, or the early hour, or Aly herself. Their governess and nursemaids had gone to other households along with seventy-four other servants and slaves. Winnamine assigned
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