to be fully studied and prepared for your royal station, as formally commissioned by his Majesty the Emperor. When he hears of

ith the flush of joy and a

in the same wing of the palace as the other royal officials. Since then, as an underling to virtually everyone but the slaves themselves, she had been introduced to general grooming and appearance standards ac

issues which one must always try to heed in order to properly show 'manners'. In view of how little she knew, it appeared that she did not merely have her

acteristics of an adult, although in stature she still appeared to be somewhat small compared to others born of the same year. She was developing a trim, athletic figure

deed, her privileges were such that she could have indulged in many spoiling luxuries, although -except for a simple de

the rich could lead directly to one's personal destruction. Having preferred from earliest memory not to adopt the superior airs and affectations of Sorpiala and her c

in the proper and dutiful studies of Si'Wren, and developed a habit of grilling her relentlessly,

h up on her work assignments and neglected slumbers unmolested. She still slept on a mat of rushes, by choice, whereas the others in the palace all preferred more luxurious accommodations such as straw or down mattresses. Si'Wren seemed to sleep so much the b

ered any information about him to her. And why should anyone care, seeing they knew neither her nor this curious unknown stranger called Habrunt? In fact, she had no

he most peculiar manner, by openly declaring that one called Si'Wren was free to worship her forbidden Invisible God if she so chose. This unheard-of privilege especially rankled certain others of the court, and was to them a particularly vile concern, although

at was

the resultant undermining of the idol-maker's profit motive by such an endorsement, was hard to tell. Perhaps instead, Emperor E

bject was what those-in-the-know at the palace considered 'an especially delicate matter'. For to lead her into some deathly blunder of etiquette, and inadvertently besmirch her newfound dignity, to which were attributed no

he Invisible God in wordless praise of both him and his perpetual blessings. For she did fe

ng far and wide, existed a savage land of perpetual misery. She had grown much in wisdom, and in native understanding of the frightfully wicked

e to believe in the Invisible God, she had launched herself on an inner voyage of discovery through vast uncharted realms of the spiritual unknown.

ive obeisance to Him. She sought in her heart how best to worship, but at first could only bow low upon the woven rug in her private chamber, prostrating herself humbly before an imaginary,

Sworn never to actually speak, she prayed to him in silence. Unable to actually see him, she often closed her eyes. Unable to imitate him, knowingly appease him,

red true worship from her, and not evil idolatry. Si'Wren felt instinctively that in this must be found true virtue, and thought t

d that as she ate thoughtfully. When she had finished eating, she sucked the pulp off her fingers, and set the beautiful basket back on it's stand. Having nothing else to do for the moment, she looked around her quarters, in

part of the Imperial palace reserved for the living quarters of the numerous palace civil servants, and occupied one entire wing

less royal delights. The stone walls were paneled in planks of rough h

hence very slightly uneven, being arranged so as to make a level surface, and f

-legged and stout, with stubby horns, the whole artistic style being deliberately simplistic, having a tendency to look like a series of arcs fitly joined together; t

s artfully and tastefully colored in earthtone shadings of tans and browns. Beside it was a fired clay wash basin. On the basin were to be seen engraved pictographs of the sowers, reapers and gatherers of grains. It wasn't so much a colle

such hieroglyphs, or picture-carvings, as opposed to the rank evil of outright, false idolatry. The symbolic images of hone

g, of course, on how one looked at it. Anything could be made to be idolatrous, but some things, like these pictographs, could be viewed as mere pictures, and as just another form of written communication. Dimly, Si'Wren sensed that she was onto something new and vastly different from anything

ling it almost to the rim, and paused to consider it's reflection, seen by the light of a tall, narrow, decoratively barred siege window. One could easily understand that

marvelous result behold all mere physical things of the world. Yet one could no more touch the Invisible God than one could reach into the reflections in the water

ht as well try to make an idol of the wind itself, and did not God so bre

cient but discredited folklore and children's fables about Adam and Eve? Hence, the form of man must resemble the form of God, although man was but man, meaning mankind, which includ

ignorant slave girl, like Si'Wren herself, to compare the Invisible God to water, which one could see, and yet remained invisible. For could not one hold pure water in one's hand, and both see the water, and yet at one and the same time, see right through it? And

white-streaked, green ivy leaves in every direction. Looking out, she saw a collection of dirty beggars sitting by the wayside in th

ed wooden ox. To the poor beggars, it would represent a fortune in coppers. She picked up the carved wooden ox, so dark,

she could not help imagining that surely he must desire at least a little agreement, so

l the wooden ox, fo

, and tossed the wooden ox out through the

d unbroken in a pile of dirty straw beside

ry arose below in the narrow street. The anxious voices of the begga

recessed window sill for a peek, for the stone of the fortres

e worshi

n ox! They had it propped up on the ground in front of the

and stamped her little foot in mute

to call out to them and let them know th

r mouth again, and could only watch unhappily, with u

. Remorse filled her soul, until sh

knees on the carpet. Why must I thus remain silent in th

til her eyes blurred over and the unhappy vision of the beggars happily bowing before their

cross her bed and so

us as Court Scribe. Emperor Euphrates was exceeding pleased, which would have made her all the more

ries who with all their robes and finery, considerably outranked her and sat closer to the Emperor. In fact, immediately to her right stood a

usly up at the guard standing beside her, but that other worthy only blinked in

covertly watching the newly appointed Royal Scribe with shifty, appraising looks, secretly wondering if she could b

advice and foregone such vain nonsense in favor of a simple outfit consisting of pantaloons, blouse, long cape,

yal dignitaries present to assure their inevitable drowning

the waist in back. Sometimes, she kept it in a single

her kit, consisting of the variou

icks when the moist clay softened and distorted their tips. Actually, one had to set aside the dampened one to dry and use a dry one, and when the dampened one was dry, then to sharpen. She blinked

boo frames fitted with more bamboo strips to make a back support and allow for greater thinness, and a sma

ted by Ibi in all aspects of locating and gathering her own materials in the marketplace or -escorted by a pair of palace

hand out of fresh supplies, a technique she had mastered long ago using the herbs in the spice tent, with dear Nelatha. Momentary r

tly proud of the way her knowledge of its use and upkeep demonstrated to everyone that she rightly deserved her appointment to her office as Roy

d-keeping. Or rather, one of his shaven-headed

r Euphrates. She was Ibi's most beautiful, and indeed his only, female Scribe. It was a memorab

consultation with Ibi, who examined her in great detail and gave her further in

oyal routine

, Si'Wren..." said Ibi one day,

en complied and wait

aracter stepped in. The newcomer, with as many fighting scars on his skin as any other might have had tatoos, was dressed in a leather s

y calf-straps like a soldier or professional sojourner. He carried a sword in his r

t were unusually bony across the brows, while his blunt, step-ladder nose looked as if it had been broken and rebroken many times,

ng spent her earliest years as a slave, so that she really didn't mind that nearly so much as she might ha

aw as if he were already preparing for the battle. She felt his eyes on her, sizing her u

the newcomer ventured, with an skeptical

horses than to look at them. I'm getting too old to ride along with his Majesty on the odd excursion, so a competent replacement has been wanting for some time. I have any number of young

raised in astonished hope,

er-a

gnificantly, "and knows how to make proper use of them, too. Yo

give her no ivory, but we can definitely t

up at Mearch with

tude toward outfitting junior officers of the court in t

both bony arms firmly and authoritatively on the workbench as h

s, and it was my job to train her up in all ways needful until she was found fit to present in court as a royal officer. I worked hard on polishing her coarse ways, and

h handling at the coarsened hands of your cocky young studs. If she cannot speak, she cannot protest, but it would be a fatal mistake to think she is as easily intimidated as al

he found so impressive, Ibi did not elaborate, although a

cid look for Mearch's wayward eyes, "and gives better reports in fresh clay tha

hile Si'Wren stood self-consciously with eyes downcast, trying to

ard stare as he examined his dirty fingernails, which smelled as

ain her pe

arc

ng almost to the point of disrespect, and finally l

" said

ded it once with a bony fist for emphasis. "She's no plaything. I expect re

clap to the chest as he turned away, to the end result that he bowed to the side wall instead o

straight down at his sides as he towered over her. He stood

avoiding his eyes like any proper woman, but

e of penta-centurions, adult human beings of 200, 400

h at the crudely hewn stones of the far wall. "We

hesitated significantly, before s

m a moment, until enraged com

much as petition the Emperor for her hand, you'll find there are bureaucratic punishments against which you shall find n

would become my most favored

t her in any disrespectful manner, or you'll be hacking your way out of a dungeon cel

lacking in their customary boldness. "Such beauty." There was another long

n, but he was so fearsome to look upon that she found it difficult to face hi

d by Ibi, and his treatment of her should not be too harsh. Although still very much unsure of him, Si'Wren fully expected hi

r for himself?" Mearch asked, in

peror. Anyway she has found special favor by virtue of her uncommon vow, and has shown iron resistance against b

ets? A great pity. But, seeing she shall never speak again, how did

more than most so-called honest witnesses are called to test

allion for such a woman. But I have a stallion, my best, that she may have, for to ride upon. Send her down to me at the stables in a wee

ean, an unbroken, ungelded sta

h shr

woman. But I, Mearch, can break him to ride without ruining his spirit. It takes much strength, courage, wisdom of the heart, and patience, and one dares never use

rned for

er," he called over his

ce of his desk until

and said, as if speaking in Mearch's presence i

very day, whether her

did not feel himself adequately competent or suitably authorized to deal with, he liter

itics, the petty social concerns, the lawsuits, the drastic an

sent making official copies. Si'Wren did not write it out word-for-word, which would clearly have been i

by refilling them and wiping their outside frames clean of dried-on clay dust and leaving them covered with moist cloth of flax weave. She would also set her dampened wooden marking sticks neatly laid out to one side

a small piece of honing stone, and lift the dampened linen from her restored clay tablets to find them l

aster Armorer made crude knife marks on the rod with a stubby but wickedly sharp flaying knife as he measured her height, the length of her l

nd then you will see," he finally said. Then h

ll-mannered and likeable enough, in spite of his crudeness. "Do not fear," he said, all businesslike again. "When you come to

ly bowed low

nd turned to go b

t, learning intuitively from the inevitable daily exercise of her mental faculties how to sift t

e the criminal by his or her own attitude and intentions. Equally important were the question of whether the suspect

he was well aware of the fact that high station was no proof of good character. In fact, there was very little to call good in any of

re beautiful, with different-shaped ends at the tips, for greater writin

ew words she heard by seeing what he wrote and duplicating it exactly in clay with the white ivory marking sticks. They were marvelous. The beau

e refused even to tell her yet which one it was that he had chosen to be her personal mount. Mearch had chosen instead to pursue her training period on a gentle ma

ctable, hostile, or otherwise dangerous animals, which he would never change his mi

ghly-spirited black stallion which the men were afraid to even think of riding. Mearch believed that the stallion, so wild and untamed, onl

anywhere in the palace might mean nothing but idle curiosity on her part as an inexperienced member of the palace staff, or it could be that she was acting in official capacity, and how were the othe

accepted her, some despised her, some merely took a

ing of Kadrug and giants, Kadrug and Conabar, Kadru

seeching deliverance from Kadrug and his giants. Emperor Euphrates seemed very worried, though she cou

ren's polite bow and Ibi's imperious look with equal aplomb as he deli

rook of which was tucked an oiled chamois skin wrapping, whic

e pursuit of her education with horses, and as she looked on with no small degree of excitement and

ch beckoned, hi

come over time to count Mearch as an unspoken ally, until it seemed that the less either he or she acknowledged it, the more each became aware of this secret bond of trust between them. Today, with his flashing eyes, he regarded her with a look of

u shall ride the horse

h. "B

ng of thongs and swept aside the chamois skin, and revealed a stunning bl

th astonishment, as

ine black leather, was for a horse. A horse of her own! She held the saddle as sh