In Greens Jungles Page 3

Page 3

 

  The night was clear and Green shown bright overhead; there is always something ghostly about an open, rolling landscape by Greenlight, and I believe I have never been more conscious of it than I was last night.

  "We can see my place from there. Were going to pull up there awhile and you can look at it. "

  "Is that the only purpose? To look at your house?"

  "I guess I got to tell you. " He cracked his whip again, urging the horses to a faster trot, then dropped it across his lap and slapped his forehead. "Im a fool. "

  I said, "I have manifold reasons to doubt it. "

  "A fool thinking I got to tell what you already know. Im afraid I got a spy in my house. Yes, I am. "

  "Your coachman?"

  Inclito shook his head. "Hes a stupid one, so I dont think so. " He shrugged and cracked his whip again over the sweating horses. "Maybe hes stupid enough to take the Dukos cards, huh?"

  "Maybe he is. Since Im going to have dinner with you and your family-thank you again for your invitation-it might be well for you to tell me whos in your house and whom you suspect. "

  "All right. " We had reached the top of the hill, and Inclito reined up. "In a minute Im going to let them walk. Its better for them to walk a little when theyre hot like this, not just stand around. "

  I nodded.

  "I got no wife. Its better I tell you that first, so you understand. When we leave Grandecitta, she came with me. The lander you come on, some women died?"

  "Yes. Quite a few women, and some men as well. And more children than all of the men and women combined. Please accept my very sincere condolences, however belated, upon the death of your wife. "

  Inclito was silent for a moment; then he inquired, "Wheres your bird?"

  "I have no idea. Scouting out the countryside, I imagine. Hell return when and if it suits him. "

  "Its better, maybe, that hes gone. That way my mother wont think youre a strego. Thats a witch, its what she calls them. " Inclito smiled as he spoke, teeth flashing in his dark face; but I sensed that what he said was to be taken seriously.

  "Your mother lives with you?"

  He nodded. "I was going to tell whos in the house and who I can trust. So right off, my mother and my daughter. Maybe theres a spy, huh? But if there is, hes not them. You see my house?"

  "If Im looking at the correct one. " It was not a single house, but a clutter of low, whitewashed buildings, half screened by a colonnade of graceful trees.

  "I got good land when we come. " Inclitos broad shoulders rose and fell. "They feel sorry for me because my Zitta dies. Then I help out everybody whenever I can. I help the town in a war, and after a while the corpo votes me some more. I cant use it, its too far, so I trade with my neighbor. Two for one. He gets twice as much as he gives me. " Inclito grinned for a moment. "Not a good bargain I make, huh? Always Im a easy one when I do these things. "

  Feeling that I understood, I said, "Was it good land that you got from him?"

  "Sure. Just like mine. Over there. " He pointed. "What I give, its not so good. A long way from Blanko, too, so I dont like it. "

  I said nothing, listening to the stillness of the night and waiting for him to continue.

  "Back in Grandecitta we got a wise saying. You must know a lot of them. "

  "A few, perhaps. "

  "Maybe this is one. We say, if works a good thing, why dont the rich tat c it? But Im a rich man now, and I do. As much as I can, huh?" Inclito rattled the reins and the horses ambled forward. "You still want to know whos in my house? Who do I trust?"

  "Yes, if youll tell me. "

  "The family is me, my mother, and my daughter. I said that. "

  "You didnt say that was everyone. "

  "It is. Everybody thats related to me. Theres a friend of Moras thats staying with us for now. Her fathers away. "

  "Mora is your daughter?"

  "Thats right. Her friend is Fava. Shell be at the table with us. Seems like a nice girl. "

  "Yet you suspect her?"

  Inclito raised both hands, still grasping the reins. "I got to suspect somebody. But maybe theres nobody. You want the rest? All the names?"

  "Just tell me who they are, for the present. Ill learn their names later as I require them. "

  "All right. I got three men to help. Ones the coachman we been talking about. Hes the oldest. A^fito. Hes only a coachman when I want him to drive this for me. Its for my mother, mostly. She wants to go, or Mora, he gets cleaned up and takes her. Hes not a smart man, but hes good with the horses. Like now. You see these horses, how wet?"

  I nodded.

  "I drive too hard, too fast. Affito goes a little slower, hes got more left at the end. The other two is his nephews, Affitos brothers sprats. Theyre born out here, not like you and me. "

  I nodded again.

  "Like I got the three men, my mothers got three women that help her, only shes really got five, because Mora and Fava help sometimes. "

  I asked what the three women servants did.

  "A woman to cook and two girls to help around the house. One helps in the kitchen, mostly. Thats Onorifica. The other one washes floors and make up the beds, huh?"

  "I believe I understand. Where do the three men sleep?"

  "Where do they sleep?"

  "Yes. Its no great secret is it? Do they sleep in the house?"

  Inclito shook his head, more in wonder, it seemed to me, than in denial. "In back, in the big barn. They got a place like a little house in there thats just for them. Ill show you if you want to look. "

  "After dinner, perhaps. Well see. What about the three women? Where do they sleep?"

  "Not in there. That what youre thinking?"

  "Im not thinking at all, " I told him. "I simply want to know. "

  "The cook in the kitchen. Thats her bedroom, too, so I got to knock on the door if I want something late at night. Sometimes one of the girls sleeps in there with her. Or sometimes one will sleep with my mother. If shes afraid shell maybe be sick or need something, one will sleep in her room on a little bed we got in there. Or my daughter will, or even Fava. "

  I said, "Suppose that your daughter is to sleep with your mother, and that the cook doesnt require company in the kitchen. Where would the other three sleep then?"

  Laying aside his whip, Inclito wiped the sweat from his big, smoothly curved head with one large hand; he is almost totally bald, as I should have said much earlier. "You want to stay with us tonight? Theres two empty rooms. Torda can fix up a bed for you. "

  "Im not hinting, merely trying to find out how well placed each of these three women is to overhear your talk, to read your letters, and so forth, " I explained. "Your coachman might overhear you talk with some friend, while he drove you, for example. But-"

  "Hardly ever. "

  "Exactly. Though he might conceivably hear your mother tell a friend of hers something you had told her, so we cant rule him out altogether. The other two men seem even less likely thus far. You believe that I may be Patera Silk. May I tell you something the real Silk once said?"

  Inclito nodded. "Thats a big thing, huh? Id like to hear it. "

  "Its in the book you mentioned. Since youve read it, you presumably read this in it. Councilor Potto said that he loved mysteries, and Patera Silk said that he did not, that he tried to put an end to them whenever he could. Ive tried to be like him all my life. Also, you say you want my advice concerning the war you fear is about to start. "

  Inclito nodded silently.

  "Ill give you some right now. Find out who the spy is, if there is one. Do that as fast as you possibly can. Then turn that spy, if its feasible to do so. Use that spy to get false information to the Duko. "

  "All right, well try, Incanto. You and me. You got questions? Ask me anything?"

  "You indicated that there would be five of us at dinner, if I heard you right-you, your mother, your daughter, your daughters friend Fava, and me. Who will serve it? Bring out our food?"
r />   "The girls. "

  "Onorifica and Torda?"

  "Uh huh. Sometimes Decina will bring out the roast, if its a special one. Sometimes my mother will come help her if shes feeling good. "

  Decina was the cook. But by that time we were almost at his door, and I really must sleep.

  Chapter 2

  Stories Before Dinner

  It is about the middle of the afternoon, I should judge, and I have had an unexpected visitor here at my barrel. I tried to make her as comfortable as I could; she did not complain, and in fact left me a little medallion she says is pure gold. I can still smell her perfume.

  But I should not rush ahead of events like this.

  I remember the Caldes Palace in Old Viron very vividly, and so I found Inclitos house less impressive than many people must. To set down the truth here (as I must be careful to do in every instance whatsoever) it was less impressive than my own palace in Gaon as well, a palace and a manner of living that I am doing my utmost to forget. The core of the house is the ruin of a building of the Vanished People, and is of stone. The remainder is of brick, of which Inclito is extremely proud. Outside, both stone and brick have been covered with stucco and whitewashed; inside one sees the ancient gray stones and the new red bricks. To give the house its due, all the rooms I saw are large and possess a multitude of big windows; the outer walls are curved, for the most part; the interior walls are generally straight. I got the impression that many had been exterior walls in their time, and that new and bigger rooms had been added as the whim seized the owner, or as funds became available.

  Despite hair as white as mine, his mother looked younger than I expected, although she is clearly unwell. None of her sons heavy, coarse features can have come from her. Her face is still smooth, and I would call it almond-shaped if it were not for her hollow cheeks; her nose and mouth are small and delicate, the cheekbones delicate too, high and well defined. It is dominated by her large, dark eyes, which might almost be still-living organs in the face of a corpse.

  Her granddaughter, Mora, is clearly her fathers daughter, too large and too heavy-limbed and thick-waisted to be called attractive. To be fair, she carries herself well, and seems quiet and intelligent. About fifteen.

  Her friend Fava is about half her size, looks blond next to Mora, and is quite pretty. Fava is - or at least appears to be - several years younger. At first I thought her nervous and self-effacing.

  Inclitos mother welcomed me graciously, apologized for not rising, warned me that we had an hour or so to wait before dinner, and offered me a glass of wine, which I accepted gratefully, and which her son provided.

  "Our own, from my own vines. What do you think?"

  I tasted it and pronounced it excellent; and in all honesty it was by no means bad.

  The daughters friend Fava ventured, "Youre a dervis? Thats what Moras father told us. "

  "Then it must be true, " I assured her. "But first of all Im a stranger here, and unfamiliar with many of your local terms. "

  The daughter, Mora, offered, "A wandering holy man. "

  "Wandering, certainly. And a man. Hardly holy. "

  "But you can tell us thrilling tales of far-off places, " Inclitos mother suggested.

  "I could tell your granddaughter and her young friend about the Whorl, which is the only distant place Ive ever been to that is genuinely worth knowing about, madam; but you and your son will already have done that, and much better than I ever could. "

  Mora asked, "Where were you before you came here?" at which her father gave her a severe look.

  "In a little village a days travel south of your town, where a woodcutter and his wife took me in. "

  "This isnt a law court, " Inclito rumbled.

  His mother smiled. "No more questions, we promise. I shall offer a remark, however, if I may. It is not intended to be offensive. "

  I assured her that I was remarkably difficult to offend before dinner.

  "Well, if my Inclito, my famous one, had not told me about you first, I would have thought that you were a male witch when I caught sight of you. A strego, we would have said when I was a girl. That would have made me very happy, because I would have asked you for a charm for health when the moment was ripe. If you were a strego, youd be a good one, Im certain, with that face. "

  "Then I wish I were, madam. I would be very happy to restore you to health, if I could. "

  "You could pray for her, " Mora suggested.

  "I will. I do. "

  Fava smiled; it was a smile, it seemed to me, at once appealing and malicious-or at least mischievous. "I want to play the game, and Im company, too. Youre older than I am, though, Incanto. Will you play the game if I beg very prettily?"

  I smiled in return; I could not help myself, although like Inclito I suspect her. "If it involves running or wrestling, I beg to be excused. Otherwise I will play any game you wish, for as long as you wish it. "

  "Oh, I cant run!"

  Inclitos mother said, "Its a silly game, really. But we do it because we used to at home. Fava likes it because she always wins. "

  "I dont! You won yourself last night. "

  "All of you voted for me out of kindness, " the older woman said.

  "They tell stories, " Fava explained to me. "And at the end everybody votes, only you cant vote for your own. The person who wanted to play has to go last. "

  "Then I invite all of you to play with me, " I said. "Ill need to hear your stories so that Ill know what sort of story I ought to tell. "

  Fava began to argue, but Inclitos mother silenced her with a trembling finger. "You must go first. I think its by going last that you win so much. "

  To me she added, "We mustnt interrupt. Thats the chief rule we have in this. If you interrupt, youll have to pay her a forfeit. "