The next day, Fra-Tepeu asked Rudiger to come with him into the City. This was normally Zandrue’s job. Twice a week, they went into the City, met with Fra-Mecatl’s son Nin-Chamer, and brought back supplies. Fra-Tepeu was too old and frail to carry everything himself and Nin-Chamer had lost an arm in an accident a few years ago, so Zandrue did most of the carrying.


    Rudiger chose Xoco to pull the wagon this time. She hadn’t gotten a lot of exercise lately, so this would help rectify that. It was about a half hour walk along the road southwest to the City, although Fra-Tepeu needed to take a slow pace—he refused to ride in the wagon, saying he wasn’t that frail—so it took them closer to an hour. The thick canopy of the forest meant the City wasn’t visible until one was right upon it. Until then, there were just trees, and the sounds of animals. But then, the trees parted and the City spread out in front of them.


    The Grand Temple was the most prominent sight at the west corner of the City, framed by the Jaguar Falls behind it. The stepped pyramid towered over everything else, even the other pyramids at the three other corners of the city, and the Palace to the side of it. Every tier of the temple was adorned with colourful, leafy plants and statuary representing various animals, particularly jaguars. The top tier contained the entrance to the temple, which was flanked by massive statues, one of a jaguar again and the other a serpent. The other pyramids were not quite as majestic, but they were similarly adorned.


    Rudiger had only been to the City a couple times, and he still found the Temple a stunning sight. Though he did wonder if that was simply to draw attention away from the rest of the City. With attention focused on the pyramids, it was easy to miss the squalor.


    The rest of the City was a lot like Getavin, but without the higher-class inner city. Moving through the City was confusing, as there were no roads and the wattle and daub buildings with their thatched roofs stood wherever there was space for them. The only means of navigation were the pyramids and Palace (another way attention was drawn away from the squalor), but if one was headed anywhere other than the edges of the City, even they weren’t much help. Rudiger had no doubt if he didn’t have Fra-Tepeu with him, he’d be lost in no time.


    One thing that was very different from Getavin, though: the people. Although Rudiger hadn’t seen a lot of Getavin in the brief time he was there, the people had seemed relatively happy. Not here. A few children played here and there, but on the whole, the City was very subdued. People stayed in one place, looking out doors and windows, or sitting outside on barrels. Many of them were doing work like chopping wood or hanging clothes, but it all seemed slow and sluggish.


    And almost everyone was skinny and underfed. The few who weren’t, like the soldiers who patrolled the streets or the priests who passed out blessings, stood out not just from the fat and muscles on their bones, but also from their higher-quality clothes and weapons. Rudiger felt self-conscious following behind Fra-Tepeu. His clothes weren’t as fancy as the colourful skirts of the priests, but they were in better condition than those of most of the people here. He was tall and muscular, and obviously well-fed. More than that, he was an outsider. There weren’t many Foliths in Ninifin.


    Most people knew who Fra-Tepeu was, and they bowed to him as he came close, then scurried to remove any obstacles blocking the passage of Xoco and the wagon. However, the reverence was for Fra-Mecatl, not Fra-Tepeu. It was just his relationship to her that carried the reverence through to him.


    They reached the home of Nin-Chamer, who was standing at the door waiting for them. The middle-aged man hugged Fra-Tepeu with his one arm. “Uncle,” he said—or rather, he used the Ninifin word that meant something like father uncle; the word had no equivalent in Arnorgue.


    Rudiger was still embarrassed that it had taken him almost a month to realise that Fra-Tepeu and Fra-Mecatl were not husband and wife, but brother and sister. Their behaviour was so much like what Rudiger tended to associate with that of elderly couples. They finished each other’s sentences. They squabbled. They lived together. They didn’t share a bedroom, but Rudiger had just assumed that was a weird Ninifin thing.


    Still, there was at least some basis for Rudiger’s initial assumptions. The word Nin-Chamer had just used had an association with father, which was the part of the meaning Rudiger picked up on first. Fra-Tepeu had assisted in raising Nin-Chamer. That was an aspect of Ninifin society Rudiger still didn’t quite understand. Men were not expected to help raise the children they fathered. Instead, they were expected to help raise their sisters’ children.


    Rudiger took his hand. “Yes,” he said, remembering the directive to speak as little as possible.


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    Rudiger was glad Fra-Tepeu had answered. Not just because of the language issue, but because he wouldn’t have known what to say. It seemed even Fra-Mecatl’s children were to be told the lie.


    “Well enough,” Nin-Chamer corrected with a laugh.


    “The real reason is that it was part of Zandrue’s training,” Fra-Tepeu said. “And to get the locals used to Zandrue’s presence.”


    They made their way through the City, zigzagging from one location to the next. Another confusing aspect of the City: there was no marketplace. Or rather, nobody used the marketplace. There was one in the courtyard of the palace, but according to Fra-Tepeu, it was so heavily taxed that no one had used it in decades. Everything was bought at the seller’s home, which could be anywhere in the city. People who lived here just learned where everything was.


    “An announcement from the Queen yesterday,” Nin-Chamer said. “Word has arrived that the Youth Guard expedition has met a terrible accident on the Jaguar. There was only one survivor.”


    “There wasn’t an accident,” Fra-Tepeu said. “It is a lie. Though I am curious to know who they claim the survivor is.”


    “Oh, they are certainly dead,” Fra-Tepeu said. “It just wasn’t by accident. Nin-Zyannya and Nin-Chicahua were two of the advisors sent, both in line for the throne if Nin-Xoco doesn’t produce an heir—and she won’t. Fra-Ichtaca will have seen to that. A couple of the Youth Guard are also a little further down the line. With them out of the way, she can manoeuvre her personal choice into position. If Nin-Xtab becomes queen, Fra-Ichtaca will effectively rule Ninifin.”


    “Probably,” Nin-Chamer said. “We know they did leave and go somewhere, but it wasn’t into the wilderness. My sources tell me they passed through the southern gate and left Ninifin entirely. Such a thing is completely unprecedented. Gods know what they thought they were doing.”


    Nin-Chamer nodded.


    They walked in quiet for the next while, collecting small items like a broom, some new brushes for the horses, a few pails for collecting water, a couple cooking pots. Rudiger knew Fra-Tepeu had more than enough of these things already. It really was just an excuse to walk through the city. Rudiger’s help was also not that needed, though he was told there would be heavy stuff coming later, feed for the horses in particular.


    As they walked, they neared a pair of soldiers accosting a young man, throwing him down into the mud. Rudiger didn’t see what started the situation, but he tensed when one of the soldiers placed his foot on the young man’s chest to hold him down.


    Rudiger looked away and nodded. He focused on leading Xoco and the wagon through the narrow space between buildings.


    “Even if he did, wasn’t their reaction a little over the top?” Rudiger couldn’t help but be reminded of the Bloods in Plavin-Tyl.


    Rudiger nodded. The old man was right. Starting something now would just make matters worse in the long run. It would be just like with the Bloods, only this time, he wouldn’t have Felit?a to get him out alive. Besides, he wasn’t here to start a revolution. He was here to find Corvinian. He’d just managed to somehow get himself involved with revolutionaries.


    Their final couple of stops were at farms on the south side of the city. At the first, they picked up feed for the horses, and Rudiger had the first heavy lifting of the expedition. At the next couple, they picked up corn, squash, chilli peppers, and honey—much more than they needed. The fields they passed were so full, it was hard to believe so many people were so underfed. But Rudiger knew the reason for that.


    On their way back, they stopped at Nin-Chamer’s home again, not just to drop off Nin-Chamer, but also to have Rudiger unload half the supplies Fra-Tepeu had just purchased. Over the next several days, Nin-Chamer would gradually distribute food to people in need. The amount left in the wagon was still more than was needed for just Fra-Tepeu, Fra-Mecatl, Jorvan, and himself—and even Zandrue, if she came back—but as Fra-Mecatl had explained to him and Zandrue several weeks back, they had to keep a certain amount of excess to maintain appearances. By law, farmers had to sell a minimum amount of their produce to the priests and nobility, which left little for the rest of the populace. To introduce too much back into the general population would draw attention. So the remaining excess would either be added to the horses’ feed or thrown away.


    Not for the first time, Rudiger wished he could leave Ninifin altogether. He liked Fra-Tepeu—he really did—and he...well, he wouldn’t say he liked Fra-Mecatl, but he respected her. However, he didn’t think he had the patience or hardened heart to be a successful revolutionary.