Chapter Text
My brother arrived the next day. The king gave me leave to meet him, and sent Cleon with me to help interpret. I asked some of the servants from the king’s apartments to help with the luggage. I had told the stable master my brother was arriving, and it seemed he had been looking out for him, because two of the grooms appeared immediately to take the horses.
The men go to the rooms next to the servants of Susa, I said to Cleon. My brother’s tutor is to be beside Kamet. He nodded, and directed the servants. I looked at Juridius’ tutor. He was a young man, chosen by my grandmother, and seemed pleasant enough: at least he managed not to stare at me. Juri, will you introduce us?
“This is my tutor, Taleis.” The young man nodded. “Taleis, this is my brother Pheris.”
And this is Cleon, one of the king’s senior attendants, I said, relying on Juridius to translate.
Juri, the king suggests you stay with us. He thought Taleis might stay elsewhere in the palace.
Cleon laughed. “I hope you won’t be offended, Taleis. The king has suggested you don’t stay with your pupil, only because our rooms are very small – being an attendant is an honour and a privilege but not a luxury. Pheris has not long moved out of the king’s coat closet.”
Taleis looked a little surprised, but when he saw where Juridius was to stay, he was happy to follow Cleon to the room chosen for him.
We are to meet with the king later, I said to Juridius.
He looked round the small space. I had done my best, but no-one would describe it as lavishly appointed.
My room is next door, I said. The king’s waiting room is at the end of the passage, and his bedchamber beyond it.
Juridius looked startled. “So close?” he said.
We are his attendants, I said. We are always with him. Someone always sleeps in the waiting room. I didn’t say that the king had no problem evading us when he wished.
Ion came to the doorway. “Juridius,” he said with a polite nod, “welcome to the palace. Pheris, the king wishes to see him after his meeting with Baron Anacritus.”
I nodded. Thank you. We had an hour or so. I helped my brother unpack and showed him the facilities. Medon and Polemus, off duty, came to greet him, clearly curious to compare him with me. Then I took him to the waiting room until we were summoned. His tutor joined us, and we talked politely of nothing in particular: too many of the attendants could understand me for us to have any more personal conversation.
Taleis had met Kamet; an interesting man, he said. I liked Kamet, who had been kind to me, and sometimes we met at lunch or in the gardens. He had smiled when I told him about Lateras and talked about his role managing Nahuseresh’s household. I knew he had been a slave, and his account was probably suitably edited for my hearing, but his stories were fascinating, exotic and yet familiar.
I asked Taleis a little about his background, finding that his family were patronoi, as I might have expected given that he was my grandmother’s choice. That would make it easier for him with the other attendants, for whom rank was important. It would not help with Relius, however, about whom Taleis tentatively enquired, evidently familiar with his reputation.
He is not a scholar, but he knows a great deal of history and politics and poetry. He is very skilled at drawing maps. He corresponds with the magus of Sounis regarding my education in mathematics.
Juridius translated. Taleis raised his eyebrows.
“You are very lucky.”
I nodded, thinking again how fortunate I was in my education. Both men were good friends to me, particularly Relius.
Ion came to summon us. He led the way to one of the smaller reception rooms. To my surprise the queen was there with the king. Her senior attendant Imenia was the only other person present.
Juridius and his tutor came forward to make their bows.
“Welcome to the palace,” said the queen. “I hope you enjoy the festival here in the capital.”
Eugenides looked at Taleis. “Will you trust us with your pupil for a few moments?” he said. “A small private discussion.”
Taleis looked from him to the queen. “Of course, your Majesty,” having little choice in the matter.
The king nodded to Ion. Twenty minutes, he signed.
When they had gone, the king spoke to me. “Come here, Pheris.” I went to where my usual stool had been placed.
He turned to Juridius, who stood stock still, looking small and alone.
“Juridius, you are entirely safe here. I only thought you might prefer this to be a private session. In your letter you wrote about offering a formal apology. I don’t want anything of the kind from you, and neither does the queen. We do want to hear what you have to say, and why, but first I want to be sure this is your own idea and not something your tutor or anyone else has prompted.”
“It’s my idea,” said Juridius, hardly louder than a whisper. “I didn’t feel right, coming back, after what I’d done, without saying something.”
“So. What do you feel the need to apologise for?”
“I betrayed you. I betrayed Attolia.”
“You were banished for it.”
“I betrayed my brother.”
“Perhaps you should apologise to him, then.”
I scrambled to my feet. He has apologised. And it was my fault, I should not have given in.
“Have you accepted his apology, Pheris?” said the king.
Yes.
“So. Why then, Juridius?”
“It’s not enough. I can’t just come back. I should have died. Susa, Erondites - my family are poison.”
“Erondites is dead. Sejanus is dead. Your grandmother has your mother under control. You may not know that Susa broke with Erondites before his death and offered his loyalty, at least for the duration of the war. Your brother’s gift to you will help, once Susa grasps it truly is a gift freely given.”
Juridius was silent, pale faced. Worried, I glanced at the king for permission, and came to stand next to him, my hand on his arm.
The king and queen looked at each other. Attolia shrugged and got up. “I will leave you to see if you can extract the truth of this,” she said. “I must go.”
The king sighed, looking at us.
“Juridius, tell us exactly what happened. There will be no further retribution, I promise you.”
I was worried his patience was wearing thin.
You came to the palace for the Festival of Moira, I said to Juridius, to give him an opening.
He wouldn’t look at me, but managed to raise his head to look Eugenides in the face. He looked so ill I glanced around for something to use as a basin. Finally he blurted out his story.
“Erondites got Susa to invite me. He wanted me to find out about the stockpiles. And he wanted an informer among the attendants, now that Sejanus was gone. I didn’t want to. I knew really that Pheris would die for it, though he told me to say he would be safe. He told me to say anything that would persuade him, and I knew enough secrets for that. I knew Pheris was not an idiot as you all thought. I knew he nearly killed one of the servants who tormented him. But even then he held out, until finally I had to hurt him.”
Suddenly I realised what must have happened. Erondites hurt you. He beat you.
“No.” He looked away from me, back to the king. “He – he made much of me. He told me I could be his heir. He told me Pheris would die anyway. He said he had killed our uncle Pheris, Dite’s brother, and our father should have done the same to my brother, but if I could get the information he wanted he would keep him alive until the king got rid of him. I swear, I swear I didn’t know people would die, at Perma.”
“I am loyal to Attolia, I swear. I took oath to Pheris, I will never betray him, but I deserve to die.”
This was worse than I had imagined.
“Listen to me, Juridius,” said the king, intently. “You have to put this behind you. It’s over, and so is your punishment. Erondites was an evil man, but he is gone. Everyone who was there will tell you how he died, his tent struck by lightning, one tent among the whole Mede army. The gods favoured us. I will take you to the temple here, and you can have a word with them yourself. And you can take charge at Suterpe and be a loyal subject of the queen, and that will be more than enough repayment for her.”
I pulled at my brother’s arm.
“No tears, Pheris,” warned the king, “I’ve had enough for one week.” He waved us to a seat, and sat staring out of the window, not looking at us. I took Juridius over and sat with my arm round him until Ion returned.
*****
Incredibly it was still morning. I took Juridius and Taleis to get something to eat, explaining that I had duty during the afternoon.
It’s not Ferria, but you might like to look at the city. They are preparing for the festival; the markets will be busy and the temples will be decorated. Or if you prefer something quieter, the gardens here in the palace are worth seeing even at the end of summer. Or you might like to try the baths, after your ride – they are very well appointed and the mosaics are beautiful.
Taleis waited politely for Juridius to translate. “Thank you,” he said, “we’ll be fine. Shall we see you at dinner?”
I will be attending the king tonight, but tomorrow night I will be free, and that is the first night of the festival, so it will be better.
I was quite excited at the prospect of having visitors to show around, just like anyone else.
After lunch I went to the waiting room. Sontos came in, and I went to see if the king was ready.
“Pheris, I want a meeting with Orutus and Relius before the evening. Fit it in, will you?” I nodded; this was nothing unusual. I considered the schedule, wrote a note on my slate for Baron Orutus, and once the king’s meeting with the agriculture minister had begun, I slipped out to deliver it. Luckily he was in his rooms, and nodded when I gave him the message. Relius was not so easy to track down. I wrote a paper note for him and sent a messenger to find him, while I went back to the king’s meeting. The boy caught me at the end of the meeting, slightly breathless, but successful.
The king raised his eyebrows.
After the architects, in the second small reception room.
He nodded. “Let the queen know.”
Surprised, I went to inform her. Her attendant Ileia nodded when I showed her the message on my slate. “That’s fine, Pheris. I will inform her Majesty.”
Engrossed by what the architects had to report about the subsoil of the new temple and the discovery of an old cistern under the half-built outer wall, I forgot to wonder why the king wanted Attolia as well as Orutus and Relius – two men who rarely met in the same room if it could be avoided.
*****
The king sent Sontos away, and he went unquestioning, not being a naturally curious man. The queen sent Ileia to sit outside the room. She looked at me curiously as she went out.
“Erondites,” said the king, waving me to a seat at the table. Surprised, I went to sit next to Relius.
The queen looked at Eugenides and raised her eyebrows.
“Yes.” he said. “It was Erondites’ plan, and Susa’s involvement seems to have been minimal.” He looked at me. “Pheris, try to confirm that with your brother, and also how much your mother knew.”
I nodded, unsettled. Erondites was gone, but Susa was the leader of the barons, many of whom clung to the notion of a country controlled by a private oligarchy of the greater patronoi, with the ruler a figurehead.
“Juridius was persuaded by promises, not threats. He seems absolutely contrite, and hopefully Erondites’ poison there has been lanced, but he will bear watching. Orutus, you have informers at Suterpe. What do they have to say about this tutor and the servants chosen by Elata?”
“It’s too early to say much. Elata runs the house with authority and Marina apparently takes no interest. The new steward came from Lateras. Assistant to the senior Lateras steward, Orlaes, who is a man of considerable experience and excellent reputation, on which basis this man will probably be a good choice. He and Elata interviewed all the Suterpe staff and got rid of some, apparently because they were too critical of the new regime. The new hires are local, nothing striking about them.
The tutor is spoken of as quiet and pleasant. He is the younger son of a good local family, patronoi, and seems to have been chosen because of that and because he was sent abroad for part of his education.”
At the king’s look, he added, flustered, “I will find out where that was, exactly.” He huffed a little.
“The music tutor is a local man but with no previous connection to the house - the boy has no particular gift, apparently, but had studied in Ferria. The swordmaster we know about. He is one of my informants, of course.”
“Relius,” said the queen, “what was your impression of Elata? Can we trust her?”
“Yes,” he said, decisively. “I thought her sincere in her horror of Erondites’ betrayal. She took oath to Pheris, which was her own idea entirely. She is a forceful person. But her overwhelming characteristic is her sense of duty, and she has decided where that duty lies.”
Attolia nodded. “And Marina?”
“She was nearly hysterical when we saw her. I can’t say.” He looked at Orutus.
“Needs watching,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything she can do directly, and those of Susa’s relatives who live on the property seem content with the situation, now the estate is secure for Susa. But I could see her being flattered by the disaffected. Your Majesty may wish to consider internal exile.”
“If there was a shred of evidence against her she would be gone. She deserves to die for how she allowed Erondites to use her sons, and for the damage that caused. If I thought she knew the details of that plan, I would have her pressed and hanged. Unfortunately we have nothing.”
“So,” said Orutus. “I will keep my informants up to the mark. If she puts a foot wrong --”
“Exile at the very least,” said Attolia.
“You might find out Elata’s opinion of her,” said the king, and Orutus nodded.
I felt like running away, far from this methodical dissection of my family, surely the most troublesome in Attolia, but I could not.
I should have my mother at Lateras.
The king translated for the benefit of Attolia and Orutus.
The queen answered me seriously, rather to my surprise, though recently she had begun to treat me less like a child. “She is more Susa’s responsibility than Erondites’, and you are not there to watch her. No, I think your original plan is the most likely to succeed.”
She turned back to Orutus. “What about Juridius and the other children? There are two girls, I think?”
“Yes, your Majesty,” said Orutus. “The girls are very young, and I don’t think we need worry about them for the next few years. They are being brought up appropriately and Marina seems to be a good mother to them. Juridius is reported as being quiet and withdrawn for a boy of his age.”
“And now we know why,” the king interposed. “Time will tell if this confession has helped. I agree with you,” he said to me, “he may be too isolated at Suterpe, in which case we will put your plan into action.”
I will talk to him. And the tutor.
“I’ll talk to the tutor as well,” said Relius. “He and I can compare notes.”
“Pheris,” said the king, “I think you are best placed to help your brother, if you’ve genuinely forgiven him.”
Yes. He was very young. Erondites was a powerful personality. You banished him, got him away from that influence. It should have worked.
“I suspect, Pheris, that his character is not as strong as yours. Your stubbornness is legendary, after all. But if I might make a suggestion, while he is here in the palace you may want to remember that you are both young, and enjoy some childish pleasures together.”
His mouth twitched, and I smiled. I knew what he was thinking.
*****