teacher and mentor, but he refrained until most of the bottle of wine was already in his stomach. Barko, as always, drank very little. As they sat and talked, the old man told him that he had dreamed of seeing Virilan since he was a young boy. He was satisfied that he had managed to convey that desire to his student.
When it was time for Uni to go, Barko took hold of his hand. “Chances are we will never see each other again,” he said, his voice cracking.
“Teacher, don’t say that! You will live longer than any of us! And anyway, wherever I go, and wherever I am, you will always be with me, and your knowledge will be in me.” The master walked his most dedicated student to the door, and they parted.
“I wonder if I really will ever see this place again?” Uni suddenly wondered. Only the Heavenly Deity knew.
A wave of sadness rose in his throat, and he finally realized what a great time he had had inside of those cold walls and how much of himself he was leaving behind.
“Uni! You still need to put on your good robe and fix your hair! Get up, boy! You don’t want to shame your mother, do you?”
“Coming, coming…” Uni mumbled. He realized that the wine had slowly but surely done its work. Oh life-giving Sun! I drink perhaps two times a year, and of course one of those times had to be today. If only I could get through it without a scandal…
Scandal was avoided. Uni carried himself with cautious dignity in front of his mother, and by the time he reached the villa where his future superior lived, he was back in the clear. He smiled sweetly at the marble dryad in the fountain and waved at the two stone lions guarding the door.
“I wonder what they feed them?” he said aloud, and petted one of the predators behind the ear. The lion was friendly but cold to the touch, confirming Uni’s suspicion that the animals were underfed.
“My goal is to not get fed to these lions after my interview,” he thought with a grin before walking bravely down the wide hallway to a meeting with his fate.
Judging by the view that opened up, fate had some very nice things to offer. Ontius Sanery’s villa was known for its collection of ancient artifacts from distant lands. Visitors called it a museum, but it also reminded them of a heap of trophies lying on the battlefield, awaiting distribution to various warriors. Not that the villa’s owner had any intention of sharing out his richly colored paintings from Mustobrim or his metal basins from Arincil, each large enough to fit a small bull. It was rumored that after victorious battles, the Arincils used these basins to bathe in their enemies’ still-hot blood. Uni wondered fleetingly if Sanery used them for this purpose too. A silly idea, of course, but he wouldn’t be surprised if Margio or Forsey did.
A servant slowly opened the elaborately carved wooden door at the end of the hall. Uni immediately recognized the style as coming from Torgendam. “It must be made of Karanham oak. How on earth did they bring it all this way?”
“The aspiring nobleman Enel Virando!” rang out by his ear. Uni jumped. He realized he had already been promoted two levels in the Empire’s convoluted system of ranks.
There was a scraping sound in the room, and the servant moved aside so that Uni could approach his new superior. I’m going to have to work with this man day and night for at least six months, so I need to get off on the right foot with him.
The man seated at the low table in front of Uni had small, unpleasant features, and his face was stretched out like the reflection in a cheap mirror. In a grating voice, he informed his visitor that he might approach.
“What a diplomat!” Uni thought. “I suppose I was naïve to think that they were all pleasant and charming.”
“You may take a seat,” the man said without looking up from the papers in his hand. “I am reading your background. None of it makes any sense. The fools in the chancery have messed everything up again.” He glanced up at Uni in annoyance. “Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself instead?”
“About myself? There isn’t much to tell.” Uni was beginning to feel like this whole meeting was a waste of time. “I was born in the capital in the year of the Heavenly Era 379. I graduated from the Imperial Academy with a degree in literature and started working at His Majesty’s archive as an assistant master in the department of foreign manuscripts…”
“I don’t need to hear all the useless details. If that’s how you plan to interpret for me, I can tell you right away that I don’t need an interpreter like that.”
Something in Uni snapped. “Is that so? Tell me what kind of interpreter you need and I’ll run outside and get him.” For a second, he was stunned by his own insolence.
“Young man, I think you have forgotten where you are! I have to wonder at whoever raised you. Surely you understand that civility is of the utmost importance for a diplomat.” The man kept his head down, perusing Uni’s record. “Aha! My instinct was correct. I see here that you had no one to teach you how to behave.” He shook his head. “No father. Such a pity.” Then he looked up and blinked. “Who was your father, anyway? Do you even know?”
“My father was a warrior,” Uni shot back. “He was killed on the northern border protecting disrespectful but highly placed officials from the barbarians. They were the same kind of officials that now try teaching good manners to his son.” The man’s mouth was hanging open at this point. Without pausing for breath, Uni went on. “I may be your interpreter, but that does not make me your servant. And consider this: you have much more to lose than I do. If something goes wrong, you’re the one who will answer for it. Have I made myself clear?”
Great Sun! He thought. Did I really just say that? I must be losing my mind. He’ll grind me into dust for that. I’m a fool! A complete, unteachable fool!
Instantly sobered by fear, Uni tensed his body and waited to see what his punishment would be. The man leaned forward and gripped the edge of the table until his fingers went white, but the result of Uni’s impulsivity was not what he had expected.
The older man twisted his mouth into what passed for a smile. “You must forgive me, Enel Virando! I apologize if I spoke harshly of your honorable parents. Let us continue our discussion in harmony. Would you mind answering a few more questions?”
It worked! Uni thought, and his muscles began to relax. “Of course,” he replied, sounding charitable. “That was the purpose of my visit to your lovely residence,” he added to soften the effects of his offensive.
“Wonderful. Let’s see, we’ve cleared up the issue of your father. Your mother, Sevelia Virando, is the fortunate owner of the Happy Trout tavern, am I correct?
“Yes. Only it is not a tavern, but an inn,” Uni replied. “One of the nicer inns in the capital,” he added.
“Of course, I apologize. Now let’s see…ah, your reputation. A sensitive issue. A diplomat must be able to control himself in any situation. Remember that you are not representing yourself, but the entire country and our Heavenly Leader. Do you understand?”
“I’m not sure what you are driving at.”
The man winced. “I’ll be less vague. Do you enjoy drinking?”
“Do I look like I do?”
“I’m certainly no specialist in that area,”
