[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.‘It’s the signature of some scribe,’ he said dismissively.‘His name is of no importance.The seal of the Handira needs no endorse-ment.’Ibris puffed out his cheeks in reluctant disagree-ment.‘The treaty, as I recollect it, says otherwise.Something to the effect that your official documents shall bear the seal of the Handira, and the signature of the then most senior.I’m no lawyer, the exact phraseol-ogy escapes me, but that’s the gist of it, I believe.’The envoy scowled openly.The Duke went on.‘The difficulty is, Grygyr, that this same signature graces your letters credential and if it is indeed the hand of some lowly scribe instead of the senior Handiran, then, strictly speaking, whatever we discuss is so much air, it has no binding force.’ He drew in a thoughtful breath.‘Indeed, if we’re being meticu-lous about this it also means that your very presence here is a breach of the treaty, even an act of war.’There was a stirring among the crowd and the envoy looked set to speak again, but Ibris ploughed on.‘However,’ he said affably.‘We’re not lawyers, are we? It’s their fault if such details haven’t been attended to correctly.You’ve come a long way.Indeed, without our protection, it must be admitted, you’ve come a danger-ous way.I commend you on whatever disguise you adopted, incidentally; not all our people take the broad view of our past differences that we perforce must for the general good.That being the case I see no reason why we should allow this relatively minor omission by some scribe to set your journeyings at naught.’ As if seeking their support he looked round at his advisers and was greeted by much sage nodding of heads.Satisfied, he turned back to the envoy, chuckling as he did so.‘After all, it’s hardly likely that the seal of the Handira could be forged, is it?’ He settled himself back in his chair again.‘Now, Grygyr, if you still have no desire to eat or rest at the moment, then let’s hear your message.’Arwain stood very still behind his father’s left shoulder and listened and watched.‘We’ll be riding the avalanche,’ Ibris had said, and, listening to him, Arwain felt the shifting ground under his feet and began to absorb the nuances of his father’s performance.Apart from what he was saying, there was the man-ner in which he was saying it and the small gestures and expressions that, combined, would subtly play on the Bethlarii’s arrogance and must surely lead him into some indiscretion eventually.And the food and the luxurious chair were master strokes in their simplicity.Perhaps, Arwain thought, it was because he was still peculiarly alert from his training that he was suddenly aware of these things that he must surely have seen on many occasions before.He had, after all, attended several battlefield truce meetings in the past, but by comparison with even the few exchanges that had been offered here so far, these now seemed to have been little more than a mixture of posturing displays and market-place bartering.Perhaps, too, it was that there had never been such a strange meeting before.Whatever the reason, however, he knew that his father was teaching him something that could not readily, if at all, be taught in words, and he must have the wit to learn it.The envoy cast as disdainful an eye around such of the crowd as he could see without wriggling incongru-ously in the soft chair.As his eyes met Arwain’s there was a brief spark of hopeful recognition which was followed almost immediately by disappointment.Not a shadow of my mind in my face, Arwain thought.In fact, not a shadow of it in my entire posture.But I see your mind in your face, envoy, as clear as if it were written there.You saw me, soiled and simply clad, standing at the Duke’s back, and for the moment you thought I was one of your own.Then you knew me.And now you think, they are like us, these degenerates, and it unsettles you.‘Are you sure you’ll not eat?’ Ibris was saying, pleas-antly throwing another small handful of rounded stones under the hooves of his opponent’s horse [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]