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Tharan escorted hiuard ith them The stairways seemed eerily silent without the coain of Medraut and tried to carry hinity

"Lower your head," Tharan told hi as though you have blood right to it Your chances of withstanding this trial will be far greater if you do not seeht there in the hall, and tipped Teleht touch Teleaze on his feet

"Not so much," Tharan directed "Show them humility, not shame Are you ashamed of yourself?"

Telemakos did not think Tharan expected an answer to this, but he raised his chin, keeping his eyes cast down

"Princely," Tharan said "Perfect Hold that Can you?"

"Sir"

"I shall cough, to remind you, if I see you falter"

"I don’t understand," Telemakos said quietly "Why does it matter how I--"

He stood suddenly overwhelmed by his own perfidy, frozen, unable to step forward into this bleak, brief future he had created for hi a lifetime’s worth of fear and torripped him by the shoulders, as a soldier would his costar," he said, "do not be afraid"

Teleed to s, and held his chin raised and his eyes lowered He felt sure he must seem as de Solomon was said to have held his councils

Telemakos had no idea what to expect of this ordeal, but his first shocked thought as he entered the arena was that he knew every one of his judges by name There were sheiks he had met on his first day in Himyar, at the Governor’s palace in al-Muza; others he had been introduced to and spoken with at the last Great Assembly of the Federation; Shadi and Jibril and Haytham of the Scions; and Malika’s uncle Alim, who had traveled with them fro his hodom of Socotra

And why isn’t the najashi here himself? Tele Athena to Aksum

Telemakos stepped into the center of the rooathered tribal lords It had taken less courage to face down a pair of fighting lions

His first interview lasted all that day But it did not have the feel of the criminal trial Telemakos had expected From the start it seemed far more like a scholar’s exa Telee of Hiated, how to harvest flood waters, the working of the wells beneath San’a, the depth behind the daht be accused of treachery for possessing knowledge that his Himyaritefor it in the first place, but it also see as his questioners were focused on their own kingdom they did not touch on Aksuiven their fair turn to speak aether in a tense, conspiratorial knot They avoided looking at Tele theuessed they were probably more focused on him than anyone else there They elected quiet Shadi as their spokes to a supplicant Telemakos kept his eyes lowered

"Your loyalty is in doubt," Shadi said, a thing no one else had directly ed

"Jibril and I have good reason to uphold you, but Haytham wants you to account for your interest in Awsan"

"I have none," said Telemakos "I’ve never set foot in Awsan"

Shadi directed his reply to the assembly as much as to Telemakos He ducked his head and murmured in his half-embarrassed way, "Haytham observes, by your answers to the Star Master, that you’re more intimate with Awsan’s fruits and fields than he is"

"Anyone can ures," Dawit snapped, "and it is a pity Haytharaphy of his own kingdostar has never been to Britain, either, but he has got the measure of it in his head Tell this assembly of Britain’s principal rivers and where they flow, Morningstar, just as you have done for Himyar"

Half in disbelief, because it was so irrelevant, Tele east; Sabrina in the west; and Tava in Caledonia, north of the Rohed Tele, to see if anyone was actually interested He looked down quickly

"Did you ever think to hear such a thing?" Dawit Alta’ir de leaves fro the names Tamesis, Sabrina, and Tava in Ghumdan’s alabaster halls? He knohat he knows Question him further if you are dissatisfied with him, my princes and my servants Question him yourselves; I will not"