The Ardoon King Read online

  Chapter 43: Squaring the Circle

  Fiela sat in a padded rocking chair in front of the bay window of the master suite. She had spent most of the day there, watching the sky. It was almost evening.

  She said, “The snow goes on and on.”

  “I noticed,” replied Thal, sitting in a stuffed chair a few feet away. As always, she had a book in her hand. Turning a page, she said, “More of the same.”

  “We are stranded forever.”

  “Perhaps not. It’s warming up. The mercury drifted above freezing today. If we ever see the sun again, the snows will melt.”

  “Yeah, but it will still be days before we can escape this place.” She watched as the white world slowly turned gray. “Even then we may have to deal with the bashmu. I wonder if my messengers made it. I am failing my husband.”

  Thal lowered her book. “Do not worry, Fiela. Ben knows why you haven’t arrived. The snows that fell on us are still falling on him.”

  The queen shook her head. “He will worry that I got caught in the plains. For all he knows I’m frozen on the side of a road in middle of nowhere. He will feel guilty about summoning me.”

  “No, you forget that his squadron has a radio. Our messengers will eventually get to an outpost which has a radio and, if the skies clear, he will be contacted and told what has happened and that you are safe.”

  A few minutes later two Peth arrived with fresh firewood. By the time the fireplace was again roaring the sky was black. A dozen scented candles illuminated the room with conflicting scents.

  “Christmas Celebration on Lake Vanilla,” quipped Thal, sniffing at the air.

  “Pumpkin Pie served on Fresh Linen in Tropical Hawaii,” countered Fiela.

  “Touché.”

  The girl grinned, rose and pulled the curtains shut. “You give up too easy.”

  Thal pushed herself up from her chair and walked across the room to the dresser holding the women’s sparse belongings. “I’m saving my ammunition for tomorrow. I’ve got a real zinger lined up if we use the Apple Pie candles.”

  She tossed Fiela’s football jersey to her.

  Fiela caught it. “Do we have a lesson?”

  “You sound like you might actually want one.”

  “Gods, yes! I’m bored out of my mind and it’s too early to go to bed.”

  “Very well,” said Thal as she began to undress.

  Her nightshirt on, Fiela went to the bed and sat down, placing her back against the headboard and drawing her knees up to her chest. As always, she looked at the ceiling until Thal had an opportunity to put her robe on.

  A moment later Fiela felt Thal sitting down on the edge of the mattress, her usual position, and as always, the woman sat with one leg curled up under her and one dangling off the side. She was thumbing through a notepad.

  Fiela chewed on her lower lip, thinking.

  “How about geometry?” asked her mentor. “We could finish squaring the circle.”

  Fiela said. “Um..okay.”

  “You don’t sound very enthused.”

  “No, that’s good. Really.”

  “Okay.” Thal began drawing a circle on a piece of paper. As she did, she said, “Tell me why the Ardoon thought this was impossible.”

  “Um…”

  “The falsehood…” prompted Thal, not looking up. “It rhymes in English, remember?”

  “Oh, right. The Lie of Pi.”

  “Just so. Script references?”

  Fiela forced herself to look at the pad of paper. “Goodwin?”

  Thal nodded. “That’s one of them, yes. Edward Goodwin. Scenario praenomina?”

  Her student let her eyes wander a bit further afield. “Trick question, right? It crossed eight scenarios.”

  “No,” said Thal, “it crossed eight scripts.” She looked up. “But you’re right, it was a trick question. Four scenarios, Fiela. Four. You get partial credit. Do you remember which ones?”

  “No…” said the girl.

  “Mechanism?”

  “Um…”

  Thal sat the pad down, frowning. “What wrong with you tonight? I thought you said you wanted to study.”

  “I do.”

  “What, then? I know you know the answers to these questions, Fiela. We went over this material for hours yesterday. These are the basics.”

  The girl shrugged, unable to come up with a respectable excuse. “I just don’t remember, that’s all.”

  Thal made a sound of disgust and rose and, to Fiela’s dismay, glanced at the dreaded feather of death. “We’re not going backwards, Fiela. Not now.”

  Fiela said, “I’m sorry, Thal. I have a lot on my mind.” She paused. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

  “You may ask,” the woman said guardedly.

  “Do you have a lover?”

  Thal guffawed. “What a question!”

  “Do you?”

  “No, unfortunately I do not.”

  Fiela eyes were probing. “You’re very beautiful. Why not?”

  “I haven’t time.”

  “No time for love?”

  “No,” said the woman. “I have time enough for love. Just not for a lover.” She shrugged. “I am not without hope, though. I plan to have a husband and children. I’m proud of my achievements, but I would dearly love to have a family, you know? A real family. I am very fond of children. I used to babysit for my family. I volunteered constantly.”

  She smiled at the memory. “My father thought it scandalous. There was no shortage of fetches. Why should such an ‘important woman’ babysit? It was much the same with marriage. Why should such an ‘important woman’ marry, he’d ask me? He thought science companion enough.”

  Fiela listened attentively. “Do you have a prospect? For husband?”

  When Thal didn’t answer immediately, the girl said, “Do you believe that the one you desire is unavailable to you?”

  Thal pursed her lips and tilted her head to one side, but still didn’t answer.

  Fiela said, “You remember your lesson about the ribbon murders?”

  This broke the other woman’s spell. “Of course.”

  “You told me that parable to teach me that sometimes there are no easy answers, right? That queens and kings must take action, not knowing whether what they are doing is the correct thing or a colossal blunder.”

  “Just so.”

  Fiela searched the woman’s eyes. “I must make such a decision.”

  Thal raised an eyebrow. “Anything I can help you with?”

  “No,” said the girl shaking her head slowly. “You’ve done enough already.”