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.’ He wound the thin chain once around his own wrist, and then, with a sharp jerk, he snapped it.The two ends slithered away from his wrist and dropped, dangling.Laurent took a step backwards.Damen looked at the broken chain in confusion.‘Your Highness,’ said a voice.Laurent said, ‘Councillor Herode.’‘Thank you for agreeing to meet with me,’ began Herode.Then he saw Damen and hesitated.‘Forgive me.I.assumed you would come alone.’‘Forgive you?’ said Laurent.A silence opened up around Laurent’s words.In it, their meaning changed.Herode began, ‘I—’ Then he looked at Damen, and his expression grew alarmed.‘Is this safe? He’s broken his leash.Guard!’There was the shrill sound of a sword drawn from a sheath.Two swords.The guards pushed their way into the arbour and interposed themselves between Damen and Herode.Of course.‘You’ve made your point,’ Herode said, with a wary eye on Damen.‘I hadn’t seen the slave’s rebellious side.You seemed to have him under control in the ring.And the slaves gifted to your uncle are so obedient.If you attend the entertainments later, you’ll see that for yourself.’‘I’ve seen them,’ said Laurent.There was a little silence.‘You know how close I was to your father,’ said Herode.‘Since his death, I have given my loyalty unswervingly to your uncle.I’m concerned that in this case it may have led me to make an error of judgement—’‘If you’re concerned that my memory for wrongs against me is longer than ten months,’ said Laurent, ‘there’s no need for anxiety.I am sure you can persuade me you were genuinely mistaken.’Herode said, ‘Perhaps we can take a turn in the garden.The slave can avail himself of the garden seat and rest his injuries.’‘How thoughtful of you, Councillor,’ said Laurent.He turned to Damen and said in a melting voice, ‘Your back must hurt terribly.’‘It’s fine,’ said Damen.‘Kneel on the ground, then,’ Laurent said.A hard grip on his shoulder forced him down; as soon as Damen’s knees hit the ground, a sword was held to his throat to dissuade him from rising.Herode and Laurent were disappearing away together, just one more couple wandering the perfumed garden paths.The revelry across the way began to spill out into the garden, and, steadily, its population increased, and lanterns were hung, and servants began to wander about with refreshments.The place where Damen knelt remained reasonably out of the way, but occasionally courtiers passed him, and remarked on him: look, there is the Prince’s barbarian slave.Frustration curled in him like a lash.He was once again tied up.The guard was less nonchalant about restraining him than Laurent.He was chained to the metal bower by his collar, and this time it was a real chain, not something he could snap.Little pet, thought Damen with disgust.From Herode’s fraught exchange with Laurent he picked the only salient piece of information.Somewhere inside, not far away, were the other Akielon slaves.Damen’s mind returned to them.His concern for their wellbeing persisted, but their proximity raised perturbing questions.What was the provenance of these slaves? Were they palace slaves, trained by Adrastus, and brought as Damen had been directly from the capital? Held in solitary confinement aboard the ship, Damen had not yet seen the slaves, nor had they seen him.But if they were palace slaves, handpicked from the best of those who served royalty in Akielos, there was a chance that they would recognise him.In the unfolding quiet of the courtyard, he heard the soft chime of small bells.Chained up in an obscure part of the garden away from the courtly entertainments, it was just sheer bad luck that one of the slaves was brought to him.On the end of a leash, led by a Veretian pet.The slave wore a petite version of Damen’s gold collar and wrist-cuffs.The pet was the source of the bells.He was belled like a cat, at his throat.He was wearing a great deal of paint.And he was familiar.It was Councillor Audin’s pet, the child.Damen cheerlessly supposed that to those susceptible to little boys, this pet probably had charms in abundance.Under the paint, he had a child’s fine clear skin.If his features had been possessed by a girl of the same age, they would have promised, given half a dozen years, a superlatively beautiful young woman
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