Ooldra had just poked her head through and told me to snuff my candle and get undressed.

All through the meal he told us things, being ingenuously courteous.

He kept starting to say the things to me, because I am the real hostage and the Dictatress’ daughter, but my eyes presumably looked as lack-lustre as they felt and though I tried to look alive and interested at him it didn’t seem to click with him what I was doing and he’d keep turning to Ooldra, and in the end he didn’t bother me even with the beginnings of his sentences and talked exclusively to her.

He told us we could each have a bath tomorrow morning if we liked, and we said, “But aren’t we all moving off tomorrow,” and he said, “It is the slaves’ business to pack up our tents in time, not ours to hurry for them,” so Ooldra was glad because I think she likes being in water but I dislike the fuss and bother of bathing. Anyway I’d had one the previous night. But Ooldra says I must bath once a week at least as travelling gets one dusty and I have found it does.

Then he told us we each had a bird to ride on (though not our woman Tilia who would walk with the other servers and sometimes get a turn on a mule if she were lucky) and I said. “Everyone has mules and things in my country” (it was the first signs of the embarrassment I’m feeling about having been in the tower all my life. I keep pretending to people that I know all about life, as much as they do and that’s why I find being with people a strain as it’s a full-time pretence) and I’d forgotten that having no birds makes us sound rather backward to them as they’re so used to birds.

So then he said, “Oh, birds are much better than the other things, they are large and strong and have been bred to carry soldiers on long campaigns and in battle.”

“Aren’t they very fierce?” I said.

“Yes, which is very useful, they won’t carry anyone unless they know him. But they are amenable to discipline and totally loyal to their master. But don’t worry, older and less fierce ones have been found for you and your companions.”

“Companions?”

“The other—the other ladies and gentlemen from your country who have joined us.”

“I see.”

“Well, as we have all finished shall we go outside and look at them?”

It was very dark outside and I kept well behind the other two because I didn’t want to bump into the birds but soon the leader and Ooldra stopped and so I came up beside them.