“I think there would be a clear majority for helping if not for the worry about time,” I said. “The suggestion that the Lucian cities are the cities Plato heard about was popular.”

“I suspect it’s what Simmea would have wanted.” He sighed. “It’s never easy, is it? But I think you’re doing very well in the chair.”

Ikaros was waiting on the steps when I came out. The sun was setting, and in this light I had to touch his arm to get his attention.

“Where shall we go?” he asked.

“Let’s go to my house,” I said.

“Oh marvelous!” he said.

“My house isn’t so wonderful,” I said, taking his arm to lead the way.

“But if you’ll invite me there it means you have forgiven me. Some things your pupils said led me to believe you might not have. That’s really why I wanted to speak to you.”

I didn’t want to say that he was old and almost blind and I felt sorry for him and not at all afraid any more. “Of course I forgive you. I forgave you years ago, before I left the City of Amazons. What pupils?”

“Pytheas said something very gnomic. And Arete said you were still upset about me saying you were afraid to love,” he said.

“I do think of that sometimes, wondering if it’s true,” I admitted. We came to my house. I pushed the door open and turned on the light. “I think it made me uncomfortable because it was a little bit true. If it wasn’t partly true it wouldn’t have stung.”

He stood inside the dim room. I guided him to the bed, where he sat, cautiously. “And it was my fault you were afraid,” he said.

“Yes,” I said, as I mixed wine. “But it was a long time ago, and I have forgiven you. And I realized when Ficino died how much I loved him all this time.” I gave him a cup of wine, putting it into his hand.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“We can’t undo the past. We go on from where we are.” I sat down on a cushion on the floor, against the wall. “And here you are back in the original city, and in my house. Tell me about your eyes. How much can you see?”

“I do all right in sunlight,” he said. “Though I mistake things even then, as you saw this afternoon. It’s grown much worse this last year. But it’s been three years now since I was able to read.”

“Oh Ikaros, how terrible for you! I’m so sorry.”