goddess, he may recover. But he may die.'
Io asked if there was nothing more we could do.
'As I understand the matter, the viper has not been killed?'
I nodded, and Io said, 'We never even saw one, sir. He hit somebody, and somebody else said there was a poisoned pin in his hair.'
Kichesippos shook his head. 'A pin could not have held so much, and it would have left a single scratch. I will not remove the bandage to show you the punctures, but there are two.' (Then I marveled at little Io's cunning; if she had told him it was his master, Pausanias, who had said it, surely Kichesippos would never have contradicted him.)
'If the viper were dead,' he continued, 'that might be of benefit to him. Still more if its raw flesh could be held to his wound-while it lives, it strengthens its poison as a city strengthens the army it sends forth. Other than that, I can suggest nothing.'
Io said, 'Then you might examine my master. Perhaps the royal regent spoke of him after they conferred today? He can't remember.'
'I've noticed the scar. Come here, young man, I wish to touch it. Will you kneel? No act of submission is implied. Tell me if I hurt you.'
I knelt before him and felt his deft fingers glide along the side of my head. Io asked, 'Are you a priest of Aesculapius? When Latro slept beside his altar, Aesculapius said he couldn't help him.'
'Nor can I, I'm afraid,' Kichesippos told her, 'without reopening the wound. That might easily kill him.' His fingers withdrew. 'You may stand, young man. Do you drop things? Do you fall or suffer dizziness?'
I shook my head.
'You are fortunate-all those symptoms are to be expected. Were you wearing a helmet when your injury occurred?'
I told him I did not know.
'That's right, you forget. Is that your only symptom?'
'Yes,' I told him.
Io said, 'Gods appear to him. Sometimes.'
Kichesippos sighed. 'Occasional hallucinations. Young man, I think some foreign object has been driven deeply into your brain. A splinter of bone is the most likely thing, judging from the visible wound; but I have known of a similar case in which the object was a small arrowhead. If it's of any comfort to you, it probably won't get any worse. Eventually the object may dissolve, particularly if it's a bone splinter. If that occurs, the damaged part may-I say may-reconstitute itself, partially at least.
'Don't get your hopes up. The process will take years if it happens at all, and it probably will not. As for treatment… ' He shrugged. 'Prayers are never wholly wasted. Even if you're not cured, you may receive some other benefit. There is Aesculapius, whom this child says you have petitioned already. In addition, there are shrines all over the country to heroes who are said to heal, though they killed, mostly, while they lived. One may help you. And there are the great gods, if you can get their attention. Meanwhile, learn to live with your disability. Do you recall my name?'
'Kichesippos.'
Io said, 'In the morning he remembers yesterday evening, but by noon he's forgotten it. He writes things down.'
'Excellent.'
I said, 'Yet when I reread what I've written, I sometimes wonder whether I wrote the truth.'
'I see.' Kichesippos nodded to himself. 'Have you written anything today?'
'Yes, while we were waiting to see the regent.'
'And were you tempted to lie? I do not ask whether you lied, but only whether you were tempted to do so.'
I shook my head.
'Then I very much doubt that you have lied in the past. Lying is a habit, you see, like drinking too much. You told the truth as you saw it, which is all any man can do.'
I said I hoped he was correct.
'You must remember that in every life there occur events so extraordinary that only the most talented and ingenious liar could have conceived them. Take the great battle at Mycale-have you heard about it?'
Io and I shook our heads.
'Word of it reached the regent only today, and the noble Pasicrates, who had it directly from my master, informed me as we conferred about your poor friend here.' The old man paused to collect his thoughts.
'This Mycale is a place on the Asian coast. King Leotychides found the barbarian fleet beached there, the portents were favorable, and he ordered an immediate attack. The ships' crews had been reinforced by an army from Susa, and it seems to have been a hot fight. But in the long run the barbarians can't stand up to disciplined troops, and they broke. Naturally, our men held their formation; but a few men from other cities ran after the enemy, and by great good luck they were able to reach the stockade before the gates could be shut. That finished the barbarians, and we burned more than three hundred ships.' He rubbed his palms together. 'The men from a hundred ships burned three hundred and destroyed an army. In a century, who will believe it? The Great King will build more ships, no doubt, and raise new armies. But not this year, and not the next.'
'And meanwhile,' I said, 'he'll need every soldier he has.'
Kichesippos nodded. 'I imagine so.'
By the time the old physician left, it was nearly dark. I told the slaves to prepare food for us, and the woman in the purple cloak joined us while we ate. 'Would you mind if I had some? I couldn't help but smell it. I'm your neighbor now-did you know?'
'No,' Io said. 'We didn't know where you were staying.'
'With the handsome Pasicrates. But he's off somewhere at the moment, and his slaves won't obey me.'
There was hardly enough food for Io, Basias, and me, so I went to Pasicrates's tent, where I found his slaves cooking a meal for themselves. One escaped, but when I had the other two by the throat I pounded the right head against the left and told them to bring food, and that I would push their faces into the coals the next time they disobeyed the woman.
When I returned to our own tent, she said, 'What did I tell you? Barley, blood, and beans. And after sampling the barley and beans, I think I would prefer the blood. Well, beans are a proper food for the dead, anyway.'
I asked her whether she planned to die.
'No, but we're going there. Hadn't you heard? To Rope, so the royal Pausanias can bed his wife, then to Acheron so he can consult the shades. It should be an interesting trip.'
Io asked, 'You mean we're going to visit the dead?'
The woman nodded, and though I felt vaguely that I had once considered her less than attractive, I could not help noticing that her face was lovely in the firelight. 'I am, at least, and the regent is. You should have seen how delighted he was when someone told him who I was. He sent for me again at once, and I thought he was going to ask me to raise a few ghosts for him on the spot.'
'Is it far?' Io inquired.
'To Acheron? Why, no, just the other side of the grave.'
I told the woman not to tease her.
'Oh,' she said, 'you want to take the long road. No, not really, Io. Two or three days to Rope, and not much longer, I'd think, to Acheron, if we get a ship at the gulf, as I suppose we will. By the way, do you have a comb I might borrow? I seem to have lost mine.'
Not with the best grace, Io produced a little bone comb. The woman ran it through her dark hair, which in truth could not have been more disordered if it had never been combed at all.
'I'm going to let it grow out,' she said. 'These Rope Makers all let theirs grow long, have you noticed? They comb it before a battle, or so I've heard. See? No poisoned pins.'
Pasicrates's slaves brought a bowl of beans, some dried fish, a loaf of barley bread, and a wine bowl. I told Io to see whether Basias had eaten. She reported that he was thirsty, and I gave her a cup of mixed wine from the
