"No, just your company. And, I heard a rumor that you were preparing to depart Harphax City."
Sirna cursed under her breath while maintaining a straight face. She'd been traveling around the city looking for a posted message, usually masquerading as a decorative design, which announced the location of the Harphaxi branch of the Kalvan Study Team for any displaced Home Timeliners. She'd found the sign at the House of Olthos, a small trading firm. One of the Queen's spies must have been following her.
So far Sirna hadn't announced her presence to the Study Team because once she did it would be an irrevocable step, one that would probably result in her being sent back to Home Time Line. However, she was beginning to feel as though her time here was wasted and was thinking about returning to the University and taking whatever punishment they handed out.
"I've missed my family, Lavena. So, now that it's spring, I was thinking of returning to Greffa City."
"Now is not the time to travel to Grefftscharr, Sirna."The Great Queen lowered her voice. "I just received a dispatch from my husband. He informs me that the Grand Host has not only made a treaty with your King, but that King Theovacar is going to aid him in their attack on Thagnor City. Lysandros also says that the Usurper's barbarian outriders are attacking everything arriving from the Great Kingdoms."
Lavena's eyes grew wide. "You know, the Trygathi barbarians don't discriminate between civilians and soldiers! They use female captives terribly."
Sirna pulled back in shock. Does Chief Verkan Vail know all this? Probably, since a dispatch from King Lysandros would take five or six ten-days to arrive from Nythros. Still, it botches my plans to "return" to Greffa.
"So you can't leave for Greffa now."
Sirna nodded in agreement.
Isn't that wonderful," Lavena gushed, unaware of Sirna's distress. "Now we're allies, too!"
"Yes… yes… I'm still in shock."
"I know what I can do. Now, I'll be able to make you the unofficial Greffan ambassador. Then I can give you a title and a generous stipend. You won't be able to live long on that stingy purse Phidestros used to buy off his conscience."
Phidestros, before she left Besh Town, had given her five hundred gold crowns and a thousand of silver for services rendered in Hostigos Town as the Iron Band's healer. For what little she'd accomplished, in her mind, he'd been very generous. Especially, by local custom.
"You need decent quarters, not that cramped, dingy little townhouse. And new clothes, jewels and a fine horse and carriage. I'll go with you and we can pick them out together."
For Sirna, who hated shopping, this was another slap in the face. Still, now she was trapped.
"Sirna, I have to be honest, since we're good friends. I'll do anything necessary in order to keep you here. You're the only friend I've got." Tears were welling in Lavena's eyes, a sight Sirna had thought never to see.
"Of course, I would never abandon you. But let's do some fun stuff, too. I'd like to open a playhouse. I've got some ideas for plays that I saw performed in Greffa." The local playhouses were usually made-over taverns or bawdy houses, not like the large ones in Greffa City. The two plays she'd seen here had been mostly rural in theme and humor. She knew she could do much better.
She'd once taken a University course on Fourth-Level Elizabethan plays and fallen in love with the work of Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. With First Level perfect recall, she'd have no problem remembering them verbatim. Although she might have to stick to the lesser Elizabethan dramas and comedies; it wouldn't do if one of her plays were successful and Kalvan found himself reading "to be, or not to be." That might not only bring a recall visit from the University, but from Paratime Chief Verkan, as well.
"A Royal Playhouse, what a lovely idea! There's this ugly eyesore across the Royal Square that I've been wanting to tear down. We could build it there. Have you finished any of your plays?"
"Not in Zarthani. I'm still learning my runes."
"Would you like me to find a good scribe to help?"
"Yes, yes!"
"See, Sirna, it doesn't have to be boring and tedious at Court. This idea could help us both."
Maybe the Queen was right. At the very least, it would occupy her thoughts until she got over her broken heart.
II
"Verkan, it's good to see you!"Tortha Karf said. "With all the trouble brewing on First Level I didn't think you'd be able to take a leave of absence now."
Verkan sat down next to his former boss in Baron Tortha's sitting room. "I see you've done well for yourself in my absence. A Baron yet! And you look about fifty years younger; I guess getting away from those rabbits on your Fifth Level plantation has been a balm for your health."
Tortha laughed. "The same old Verkan. Put the onus on me so you don't have to answer my question. Things must really be bad."
"I'm surprised you haven't heard all about it from Kostran or one of the junior Kalvan Study Team members in Thagnor City."
"I stay away from the Thagnor Transposition Depot. Every time they see me, all they want to do is complain or ask my advice. I'm retired from all that; I've put in more than my share of time. I sent my resignation to the Paratime Commission before I arrived here. Kostran has been too busy with all of Kalvan's debriefings to visit. Besides, Kalvan's got enough troubles for a dozen timelines. I don't need to look elsewhere for more problems."
Verkan pulled out his pipe and tobacco pouch and started to fill it.
Tortha pointed to Verkan's pipe. "It must be bad news if you're bringing out the heavy artillery."
Verkan made a sour face. "You're right, it's not good. And this is my problem, not Kalvan's. I resigned from the Force."
Tortha stood up, mouth open and jowls quivering. "You can't do that!"
"Of course I can and did."
"What did Dalla say?"
"It's about time. She was angry, of course. She thinks I've made too many errors. So I told her: 'Now it's your turn.'"
"I bet she took that well! And, what do you mean, now it's her turn?"
"Her turn in the barrel, as they say on Fourth Level. She's my hand-picked successor. I'm through, at least for now."
"I hate to say it, old son, but I'm disappointed in you."
Verkan sighed. "I know you are, but I've become a bull's-eye for everything and everyone on Home Time Line. And they all think they have a free shot coming. If it keeps up, it's going to hurt the force."
"I'm not talking about your quitting; I almost did that a dozen times myself. But for leaving your beautiful wife all alone on the hot seat while you play soldier on Kalvan's Time-Line! That strikes me as a cowardly thing to do."
Verkan felt his arm pulling back of its own accord; he would have punched Tortha in the mouth had the ex-Chief been a hundred years younger. "Look, you old fool, leaving Dalla in the middle of that mess was the hardest thing I've ever done. It was Dalla's idea that if I was going to resign, I should come here and go on sabbatical to help our friends for a year or two. She says I'd drive her crazy at home with nothing to do but second-guess her and myself. And, at home, I'd provide a convenient target for all our enemies."
Tortha held his palms up. "I apologize. Once again I shot my mouth off before it was loaded. Home Time Line has lasted ten thousand years without your help and I suspect it can muddle along for another few years while you're exiled to Aryan-Transpacific. I just thought that maybe this was your way of avoiding having the baby that Dalla's been yammering about."
Verkan's laugh came out like a hack. "I only wish things were that simple. We've got several hundred years to worry about children. And, speaking of babies, is Rylla pregnant again?"
"Yes, she is. She's expecting this summer."
"I thought I detected a telltale bulge. This is one campaign that Kalvan's already won. I was wondering how he was going to keep Rylla out of the saddle."