“It may seem strange to you, but is possible to hand-copy books,” Ficino said. “We did it in my day. They’ve done it too. They have versions of the Bible, the holy book of Christianity, as best they can remember it. And they have versions of Plato, the ones Aristomache knows by heart. There are some books in the school. But you’re right that they don’t have a library, and that’s significant. There’s a school and a church and a colosseum.” Ficino gestured to a house we were passing, one of the ones with window glass. “They’re doing well on a material level, not compared to us, but compared to what we’ve seen in the islands.”

“But maybe not so much philosophically?”

“I keep reminding myself that it was justice Kebes cried out for.”

“It was?” I’d never heard that.

“At the Last Debate. I was trying to hold him back but he leaped up onto the rostrum and started yelling out. ‘These pagan gods are unjust.’”

We were almost back in the agora. “Athene had just acted very unjustly.”

“Yes. But the gadfly that had been Sokrates spurned Kebes and flew toward your parents, which has always seemed to me an indisputable sign. Still, Kebes started rallying people, and off they went.” He looked around him. “And here they are, and we’ll have to make the best of it.”

We spent two more days in Marissa. On the second of them there was a bull baiting in the colosseum. Neleus and Erinna went, but I volunteered for duty aboard to avoid it. Erinna said it was disgusting, and Neleus said it was kind of fun but he wouldn’t go again. Maia, who also hadn’t attended, said she was glad that at least they ate the bull afterward. Father just shook his head.

We left Marissa with a plan. We’d sail to Chios and spend a night at the Goodness city there, Theodoros, the gift of God, and then sail on to Lucia. We should arrive there just before the festival began. Aristomache asked if she could sail with us, and so did half a dozen other Marissans. They only had one ship, and so moving between islands only happened when the Goodness called. In addition, the Goodness made a circuit of their eight cities, so taking a voyage meant being away from home for a long period. We intended to return to Kallisti immediately after the festival, and could bring them home to Marissa on the way. There was also talk of sending a diplomatic mission to Kallisti. I happened to be present when this was discussed. “Won’t that be for Lucia to decide?” Caerellia asked Deiphobos, who was one of the elected Kings of Marissa.