From a side entrance, the new Chancellor entered in a swirl of gaudy robes. Brys hid his wince. Who would have thought she’d plunge right into bad taste like a grub into an apple?
‘Ah,’ Tehol said, ‘doesn’t my Chancellor look lovely this morning?’
Janath’s expression remained aloof. ‘Chancellors are not supposed to look lovely. Competence and elegance will suffice.’
‘No wonder you stand out so in here,’ Bugg muttered.
‘Besides,’ Janath continued, ‘such descriptions are better suited to the role of First Concubine, which tells me precisely which brain you’re thinking with, beloved husband. Again.’
Tehol held up his hands as if in surrender, then he said in his most reasonable tone-one Brys recognized with faint dismay-‘I still see no reason why you can’t be First Concubine as well.’
‘I keep telling you,’ Bugg said. ‘Wife to the Emperor means she’s Empress.’ He then turned to Janath. ‘Giving you three legitimate titles.’
‘Don’t forget scholar,’ Tehol observed, ‘which most would hold cancels out all the others. Even wife.’
‘Why,’ said Bugg, ‘now your lessons will never end.’
Another moment of silence, as everyone considered all this.
Then Tehol stirred on his throne. ‘There’s always Rucket! She’d make a fine First Concubine! Goodness, how the blessings flow over.’
Janath said, ‘Careful you don’t drown, Tehol.’
‘Bugg would never let that happen, sweetness. Oh, since we’re discussing important matters before the Adjunct arrives to say goodbye, I was thinking that Preda Varat Taun needs an able Finadd to assist his reconstruction efforts and all that.’
Brys straightened. Finally, they were getting to genuine subjects. ‘Who did you have in mind?’
‘Why, none other than Ublala Pung!’
Bugg said, ‘I’m going for a walk.’ * * *
Using an iron bar as a lever, Seren Pedac struggled with the heavy pavestones at the entrance to her house. Sweat glistened on her bared arms and her hair had come loose from its ties-she would get it cut short soon. As befitted her life now.
But on this morning, this task remained before her, and she set about it with unrelenting diligence, using her body without regard to the consequences. Prying loose the heavy stones, dragging and pushing them to one side with scraped and bleeding hands.