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"How fortunate, we may all visit, then," said Goewin "You can carry this basket"

"I beg you wait only a ized Sabarat "Mother ant to serve you coffee, but I beg you letto Hi"

"To Hi ships to leave the port in Adulis, then?"

Sabarat looked surprised "More now than ever before Don’t you hear such things from Counselor Kidane? Your quarantine is to be lifted at winter’s end Father is going to travel to Hiin, so that he may collect pay the first let back in Aksum in the new year"

"That will be hard on your azed politely at his feet "Oil of his olive groves used to light the alabaster palaces of Hi beneath the politeness, "as well as the New Palace here in the city But noe don’t even know if those groves still exist"

"I don’t know if dom still exists," Goewin answered

"My lady" Sabarat heaved the basket of fish over his shoulder "Forgiveto be first back in Aksum, perhaps I can persuade hi for news of my homeland We are all weary of the quarantine"

Sabarat took the basket up the podium stairs, which were swept clean as always Mrs Gedar was house proud But the courtyard was littered with last year’s almond leaves, and the fountains were dry

Japheth and little Eon both stood facing Tele with curiosity as Athena tried to hide in his shamma She was shy; her everyday existence only included about five different faces "Is that your sister?" Japheth asked "Her hair is not so strange as yours, is it?"

"It is not," Telereed He had endured insults directed at his white hair and slate-blue eyes as long as he could re on its back," said Japheth Eon, used to the ga out boldly: "Scorpion, scorpion, scorpion boy--run away, Japheth, the scorpion’s going to sting us!"

Athena lifted her head to watch this noisy perfor creature After a moment she pointed to the house, where the fish had disappeared, and babbled with incomprehensible concern about the Eon to Athena He ers separated two and two together, and gently jabbed these claws into the firm, swaddled bump that was Athena’s body

Telele hand to fend off the attack Eon’s nails raked his open palm

Telemakos seized the little boy’s hand and jerked it back upon itself, and only Goewin’s cool fingers twined forcefully about his wrist kept hi to break Eon’s arm

"Telemakos," Goewin said softly at his ear She shook Eon Gedar frorip "Do not hurt this child"

Japheth had caught his brother by the shoulders and now held hiies that were directed as much at Goewin as at Tele his fory is for you toprince" Only the emperor used it with any frequency It always sobered Tele, his heart slowing again to its norh they had turned to water He bent his head to Athena, holding her close, and brushed his flaainst her coppery hair After a moment Telemakos knelt before Gedar’s children with his head bowed

"StopEon screauard to his sister, you see," Goewin commented coolly

Then Sabarat came back to usher them in to coffee Goewin helped Tele Athena, then offered her arht forers twined through his until he stopped shaking

Gedar’s reception hall was like Grandfather’s seen through a dark mirror It was orderly and clean, if croith the debris of daily living, but ruin preyed on the house The plaster as peeling from the walls, the oil lamps were empty, the stone floors cold and bare It smelled of dust and faint decay

Gedar exclaied tothank you

"Beautiful fish! Where did you get such a quantity? Hoe shall enjoy theht to my own stretch of riverbank, unlike the e over the coffee burner, but she looked up to exclaim warmly, "Telemakos Meder! How nice to see you on your feet! And the baby is getting so big!"

The baby had found his hair again Tele ritual

She offered coffee to Telemakos, but he was not allowed it by his , he had to refuse it He and Gedar’s sons stood politely facing the walls while the adults drank and Athena tried to drag Tele on his hair, which was too disgusting to bear He jerked his head aside and tried to distract her

"Look, Mrs Gedar has got a sunbird trap like ours," Telemakos whispered It was the only orna the same red-dyed honey-water that Goewin had put in Teleed closer so Athena could see The water had not been changed for a long ti a rie of the dish as it evaporated

Athena swooped at the beguiling a her nose "Point to your nose"