'Now, my Lord, I'm sure your companions are tired from the journey. Apartments have been prepared in the White Palace for you and your staff – and this afternoon I thought the public baths might be an excellent place to visit. Even if I do say so myself, I think you'll agree they really are quite magnificent.' His enthusiasm was infectious and Isak was not the only one who found himself smiling at the thought of such a luxury after their journey.
Isak stood on a balcony above the courtyard of the palace, surveying the neat beds of red, orange and white flowers that lined the white stone walls. There was a surprising absence of guards – the whole palace felt genteel, elegant; Isak thought it was overly relaxed, and definitely vulnerable. Huge, ornate golden cages standing on pillars all about the grounds housed a multitude of extravagantly coloured songbirds whose voices filled the palace. Isak recalled what the Seer of Ghorent had said: he could well imagine how beautiful the grounds would look when thousands of butterflies arrived. The network of gravel paths, ornate fountains and marble statues was a far cry from the hard-packed earth and tired, worn grass of Tirah Palace's training
ground. What few guards there were wore gold-plated armour and appeared to be as ornamental as the songbirds.
'He must be very sure in his power,' Isak commented to Vesna. 'This place is wide open to attack.'
The count had been very glad to get out of his armour now that the formal introductions were over; their overtly militaristic dress felt rather uncomfortable in these refined surroundings.
'He's designed the place carefully, that's for sure,' he replied. 'Look carefully: those walls, for example – the top piece is wooden. I'd wager that a unit of men with hammers could knock out the pins, drop them down inside the wall and be there to man the battlements underneath within minutes. Did you notice the ground outside the outer wall? It's not solid. That's just a layer of earth over boards, no doubt covering a deep ditch. And these apartments? They form a ring, accessible only from the inside. If the main wall is breached, Emin has the higher roof of this ring to turn that pretty courtyard into a killing ground.'
Isak looked around once more. In place of a defenceless fancy palace with a sculptured garden, he now saw a classical two-wall castle. He pictured the king himself, and his feathered hat: the absurd headgear hadn't detracted from the man's coldly brilliant eyes that looked as if they saw everything.
'That does seem to be the theme of this city,' he agreed. 'I wonder what else we'll find hirking under the finery?'
Til keep my eyes open in the public baths, watch out for the smiling and the harmless, as my father would have said.' Vesna took a bite from an apple and leaned against the balcony, looking up at his Lord.
'Yes, I'm sure you'll find something to look at there. All those married women bathing… Tila won't speak to you for a week,' Isak teased.
The designers who turned Narkang's half-dozen natural hot springs into one of the great wonders of the Land had created three smaller chambers alongside the main public bath. The first was reserved for soldiers; the king's habit of ennobling his supporters meant many of the city's rich elite were scarred veterans. The smaller chamber afforded them a degree of privacy, and allowed the younger generation to mingle with military heroes. King Emin hoped lessons learned by the older soldiers would be passed on not only through training, but by talking.
The second was for women only, so unmarried girls were not on public display, as they would be in the main bath.
The last, the smallest, was a private bath chamber reserved for the royal couple. Few had ever been invited into this sanctuary; it was a rare honour. Since Doranei had been the one to bring Isak's invitation to join King Emin there, it was clear that there was real business to discuss – business that needed to be kept private.
They were summoned to the courtyard an hour or so later, to find King Emin and a line of litters ready for them. His entourage was smaller; the only newcomer was a rather harassed-looking man, unevenly shaved and obviously uncomfortable in his dress uniform. The man couldn't have been more than thirty summers, but from the way he was shifting from foot to foot it looked like he could think of far more productive ways of spending his time than sitting in the public baths with some foreign dignitary.
'Lord Isak, this is Commander Brandt of the City Watch. I know you have your Ghosts, but it will be Commander Brandt's responsibility to ensure they are not required. You have the freedom of the city, but I'm afraid you might find a rather troubled Brandt trotting along behind.'
Isak smiled. That made sense: Commander Brandt might have started out as one of the ambitious noblemen of the Kingsguard, but he'd obviously had the shine rubbed off by years of chasing criminals. 'He's young to be Commander of the Watch,' Isak commented. There was a tense pause and then the Krann grinned at Brandt. 'I assume that means he's good at his job, so I'm delighted to have him on hand.'
Relief flushed over the commander's face. At King Emin's gesture, the Krann made for the litter with the largest bearers. Most of them had a half-naked man at each corner, their skin oiled, jewellery hanging from their ears and about their necks. Each bearer had curious leather thongs hanging from their wrists. As Isak stepped towards his litter he saw four more bearers move up discreetly to share the weight.
Tila had warned him that litters were the normal choice inside the city walls, but Isak doubted that the bearers had ever had someone of his weight. He tapped the edge of the frame before sitting down, glad at least to feel a strong metallic frame under the cloth. Satisfied the litter at least would bear him, Isak made himself comfortable.
The bearers allowed him a moment to settle, then carefully wrapped the leather thongs about each handle and lifted. A slight grunt came from one of the men, but none wavered. The man on the back-right corner checked his team to make sure they were not about to drop one of the most powerful men in the Land, then they stood ready while the rest of the party did likewise.
Mihn ignored the litter and stationed himself on Isak's left, steel-shod staff held as a walking stick. A small bag hung from his shoulders, tied tight to his back so the book and scroll it contained would not restrict his movements in case of trouble. Commander Brandt took up his station on Isak's right. His hand rested on the rapier at his hip; his eyes checked out every other figure in the courtyard.
King Emin waited until his guests were sorted before he climbed
into his own litter, then the whole procession set off, quickly finding a natural rhythm. They shuffled with surprising speed, out under
the peaked arch and into the city. Each litter had a thin bamboo
framework hung with silk so the passenger could draw a curtain and
block out the city, but Isak was far too interested in seeing Narkang.
Tirah was a grey city, all ancient stone and brooding clouds. The
buildings in the main streets were tightly huddled, and many of the
canopied walkways on each side had evolved into covered arcades.
Narkang was completely different: life took place in the wide avenues,
and the streets served as extra space for the hundreds of taverns and
stalls.
It was hard to see much of the buildings surrounding the palace, but Isak got the impression that most were centred on large open courtyards. Gates opened as they passed, people crowding outside to watch the royal procession. There were fruit trees laden with blossom, clay tiles and colourfully painted shutters on the tall windows: they all combined to make the city look bright and friendly – an appearance that belied the iron bars crossed over every accessible window.