As soon as Chia, in tears of gratitude and sufficient funds for her journey, had left with Brero, Maia sent Ogma to Kembri's house with a pressing invitation to Milvushina to come to supper that evening. She herself could not help feeling rather apprehensive. She had hitherto supposed that Occula must have left Bekla with the Sacred Queen: evidently she had not. Why? If Occula had something on her mind which had made her risk sending for them both, it must be important.
There was no moon and despite the great comet, still burning if anything brighter in the north, the night was dark for summer. Brero, whom Maia had asked to say nothing about the visit, accompanied the two girls, veiled and on foot, as far as the walled lane leading to the kitchen courtyard. Here, unexpectedly, they came upon Zuno, who had apparently been waiting for them. Maia gave Brero ten meld to drink and asked him to meet them in two hours' time. Zuno, using his own key, let them into the palace and they climbed the two flights to the queen's paneled supper-hall without seeing anyone.
They had hardly slipped off their cloaks when Occula
came in. Maia was touched to see that she was wearing an orange-colored metlan not unlike the one she had brought with her from Thettit. (That must have been ruined long ago, thought Maia, for she remembered how Occula had worn it to the gardens on the night of their arrest.) Having kissed them both, she held Maia at arm's length and looked her up and down.
"Precious little wrong with you, banzi, 's far as I can see."
She herself looked drawn and wan, with a kind of grayness in her face which Maia had never seen before, but guessed to be the equivalent of pallor. The two girls had already had supper while waiting for the summer darkness to fall. Zuno brought wine, fruit and serrardoes, served them himself and then, nursing his white cat, sat down near Occula.
"You can trust me, saiyett," he said to Milvushina (whom he had, of course, never previously met). "Occula and I have sworn to get each other out of here by one means or another."
"It's like bein' a monkey in a bastin' cage," said Occula, draining her goblet straight down. "I wasn' born for this, banzi-shut up all day and night and no use for me except-what you saw."
"Why didn't she take you to Paltesh, then?" asked Maia.
"I doan' know for sure," answered the black girl, "but I think she decided I might be one too many. She took Ashaktis, you see. Whatever it is she's up to, she can' manage without Ashaktis to do her dirty work. Ashaktis and I have never really got on, and Fornis knows that. Ashaktis would get rid of me if she could, but she's too smart to try it on as long as she knows I'm what Fornis still wants. That might be it, or it might just be that she didn' want to be tempted to indulge in any little games while she's engaged on serious business-whatever it is. 'Cos believe you me, banzi, that bitch has got her back to the wall. She's desperate-doesn' care what she does; or who she kills, either. That's partly why I took the risk of sendin' for you both here-to warn you of that, face to face."
"She frightens me," said Milvushina. "I'd never try to pretend she didn't. What's she planning, d'you suppose?"
"Cran alone knows," replied Occula. "But let's come back to that in a minute. I've got so much to ask you both
that I scarcely know where to begin. Are you happy sittin' there, Milva, with that belly on you, or would you rather lie down?"
Milvushina smiled and shook her head. It was plain that her pregnancy gave her the greatest happiness.
"Rather you than me," said Occula. "No accountin' for tastes, is there? Yowlin' one end and shit the other. Still, never mind: we've got to be serious; there are things I need to know. The war, Milva-what's the latest news? I know what's put out by the heralds-everythin' every-where's as jolly as a bull on a cow-but if us lot are goin' to stay alive I've got to know the real truth. Do
Milvushina nodded, compressing her lips. "Kembri doesn't tell me everything. But of course I get letters from Elvair, and I quite often have the chance to listen to the staff officers or even just the soldiers."
She hesitated; then asked, "Which side are you on, Occula, anyway?"
"Reckon I ought to be askin'
"What I used to hope was that Santil would come to terms," said Milvushina. "I used to hope that Elvair's army just going into Chalcon might end the trouble."
"Why, doan' you any more?"
"You haven't heard anything, then?"
"Well, of
