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"What will your father say to this trophy when he receives it?" Abreha asked hio hunting again, e yourself" Then the najashi added, more soberly, "The other hide is yours as well"

"I don’t want it"

"Send it to your aunt"

I could do that, Teleiven Goewin such a trophy of her own She’ll be pleased And she will understand why I’ve done it

They did not tell Athena what had happened They sent Menelik’s skin to Aksuone

X

THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE

THEY ARRIVED BACK IN San’a as the nobles began to gather for the Great Asse for the Asseain during his disgrace of the previous year This year’s gathering was the third he would witness Some of the Scions would sit in on the Asse they calobe alight in the Great Globe Room He sat on his low bed by theand let Athena unbuckle the straps to her harness so she could clius has welcoer see the soft lights the globe’s pinprick surface cast against the ceiling; he never lit it for any reason other than to delight Athena

Everything else in the room was exactly as Telelect was al here for three months A film of dust lay over the maps andon one of the sills still sat there, dry asaround the rooe the hanging crystal stars if he walked upright alobe Athena sat very quietly on the couch, happily sorting the paint blocks she had not played with since the beginning of suave Telemakos a start when Dawit suddenly appeared in the doorway He carried no light, and came heavily down the three steps into the room The scent of rosewater and kat careeted the Star Master, but Dawit did not sit He reached up and took hold of one of the crystal stars, as if it would bear his weight if he lost his balance Telemakos identified the star automatically: Antares, the heart of the Scorpion

"Peace to you, Morningstar Good evening, and welcome back to San’a I wonder if in your travels you’ve missed the news from Adulis, where Gebre Meskal stations most of his armada?"

"What news?"

"There has been a battle, and a great mutiny suppressed"

"Oh"

Telemakos still held a rolled ently on the floor

"Fifty soldiers of the najashi’s who served in a squadron of Gebre Meskal’s fleet were attacked and overwhelmed They are prisoners now"

"Oh," Tele stupid now even to himself He clenched his teeth and made himself form a sensible response "What does this mean, sir?"

"It means the najashi would like to ask you soh why you should know anything about a uess So Consider that I have given you fair warning, and answer me: did you know of this before our najashi knew of it?"

"How could I?" Teleht you couldn’t, as you were away in Marib at the ti fear crawled up and down Tele up here now?"

"He is waiting in the scriptorium He wants to speak to you privately I will send hiathered his robes about his knees and heaved himself back up the steps Teleain, but he was shaking so that the charain and waited with his eyes closed

"The Magus didn’t see otten she was there

"He can’t see," Telemakos said softly "And it’s quite dark"

"The najashi has got a light"

Telehter until the najashi’s shadow filled the door Abreha ca Telemakos and held out his arm to Athena

She slid from the hts in the dark surface of the star globe glowed steadily overhead

"Look at the stars, er" He s hair back from her face "Be quiet now, and sit with me I want to talk to your brother"

Telemakos sat back on his heels and bowed his head A part of hiet this over with; Tele in dread of this conversation, or one like it, for well over a year But Abreha did not hurry He pulled Athena close to hiainst his chest One hand he wrapped about her waist, and the other he held circling her throat, gently, gently cupping her chin

Tele his own shoulder He heard the trinkets of his bracelet clinking as he clenched and unclenched his fingers, and for astill

The najashi bent his heavy brow and spoke softly into the bronze er, I want you to ask your brother a question for azed at Tele eyes

"Ask the boy who sent him here"

She demanded obediently, "Who sent you here?"

Tele wildly

"Who sent you?" the beloved, childish voice insisted