At first Silanos offered no other explanation. Instead he had his servants sluice Erlan down, the grimy foulness running off him in rivers into the little gullies in the cellar floor. Then they marched him through the palace, while all the household still slept, to another kind of bathhouse made of big blocks of white stone. There, he was steamed and scrubbed red-raw. Afterwards Silanos summoned a slave-boy and sat Erlan on a stool while the lad shaved him. The boy would have been better employed in a butcher’s yard, but Silanos stood by, overseeing all with an approving eye. Then they cut his hair and it fell to the ground in thick, tangled knots. As for his breeks, they burned them. In their place he was given a long tunic that came to his knees, and nothing else. They let him keep his belt, now the last object that connected him with that other life in the north.

Satisfied, Silanos led him through the shadowy courtyards, then up and up, floor after floor, to a winding staircase which ended in a metal grille gate. Erlan was surprised to recognize Marcellos there. ‘What is this place?’

Silanos pushed him through the gate. ‘This is where we keep slaves who need a little. . . shall we say, encouragement?’

‘Encouragement. For what?’

‘Loyalty, of course!’ The steward grinned. ‘Some slaves do have a habit of wandering off. But I think you’ll find this arrangement more to your liking.’

Marcellos led them to the end of a cramped landing, past the doors of half a dozen cells. At the last, he pulled open the door and shoved Erlan inside. Awaiting him was a length of chain bolted to the wall and two manacles which Marcellos took great pleasure in snapping over his wrists and securing.

‘I’ll send a physician tomorrow,’ said Silanos, when his clumsy minion had finished. ‘He’ll look you over.’

‘Why are you doing this for me?’

‘For you?’ Silanos laughed, and shook his head. ‘It’s not for you, fool. Lord Arbasdos engages me to oversee his investments. Unless I miss my guess, you’re one investment worth looking after. Sleep well. Slave.’

The door closed, a bolt snapped, a key turned. A faint glimmer of moonlight had somehow inveigled its way through a high grilled window into this dingy little nook under the roof. Erlan shifted, feeling the weight of his new chain, testing its strength in the wall. Solid as rock. He sat on the narrow shelf, built into the side of the cell, and was surprised to find a blanket in the shadows there. He lay down and spread it over him, and was fast asleep within moments.

The next day, the physician had to shake him awake. When he sat up, he saw from the bright glow through the high grille that the day was already well on.