Hero in the Shadows by David Gemmell

carrying a neat pile of folded clothes. The woman grinned at her. “The priests might catch sight of you, and what would happen to their vows then?”
    “Priests?” asked Keeva, stepping inside and accepting the clothes from the woman.
    “Chiatze foreigners. They are studying the ancient books that the Gentleman keeps in the library of the north tower.”
    Keeva took a white cotton blouse from the pile, shook it out, then slipped it over her head. The material was very soft, like a summer breeze on the skin. She shivered with pleasure, then stepped into the long gray skirt. It had a belt of silvered leather and a bright silver buckle. “These are mine?” she asked.
    “Yes.”
    “They are wonderful.” Keeva reached up and touched the embroidered tree on the right shoulder of her blouse. “What does this represent?” she asked.
    “It is the Gentleman’s mark.”
    “The Gray Man?”
    “In public we call him the Gentleman, since he is not a lord and far too powerful to be merely a landowner or a merchant. Omri says you came in with him last night. Did you bed him?”
    Keeva was shocked. “No, I did not. And you are very rude to ask such a question.”
    The blond woman laughed. “Life is very different here, Keeva. We speak freely and think freely, except in front of the Gentleman’s guests. He is a very unusual man. None of us are beaten, and he does not use the young women as his personal slaves.”
    “Then perhaps I shall like it here,” said Keeva. “What is your name?”
    “I am Norda, and you will be working with my team in the north tower. Are you hungry?”
    “Yes.”
    “Then let us get some breakfast. You have a great deal to learn today. The palace is like a rabbit warren, and most of the new servants get lost.”
    Some minutes later, after what was for Keeva a bewildering journey through endless corridors and several sets ofstairs, the two women emerged onto a wide paved terrace. A long breakfast table was covered with a score of deep dishes containing cooked meats, vegetables, smoked fish, cheeses, and fruits. Freshly baked bread had been set at one end, and flagons of water and fruit juices at the other. Keeva followed Norda’s lead and took a plate, heaping it with bread, a slab of butter, and some smoked fish. Then they walked to a table by the terrace wall and sat down to eat.
    “Why did you ask if I’d slept with the Gray Man?”
    “The Gentleman!” corrected Norda.
    “Yes, the Gentleman.”
    “There is great harmony here between the servant girls. The Gentleman does not play favorites, and neither does Omri. Had the Gentleman bedded you, it would have caused discord. Many of the young women would like to … enchant him.”
    “He is a strikingly attractive man, but he is very old,” said Keeva.
    Norda laughed again. “Age has little to do with it,” she said. “He is handsome, strong—and immensely rich. The woman who captures his heart would never want for anything—even if she had ten lives to live.”
    “From what you say, it is surprising he has taken no wife,” observed Keeva.
    “Oh, he has taken many.” Norda leaned in close, dropping her voice. “Gold wives.”
    “He
pays
for his pleasures?” asked Keeva, astonished.
    “Always. Isn’t that weird? Most of the girls here would rush to his rooms at the merest gesture from him. Yet he sends his carriage to bring whores from the town. Oh, fancily dressed and bedecked with jewels, but whores nonetheless. For the last year his favorite has been Lalitia, a redheaded strumpet from the capital.” Norda’s face reddened, and Keeva saw her pale blue eyes grow cold.
    “You obviously don’t like her.”
    “Nobody
likes
Lalitia. She rides around in a gilded carriage with liveried servants, whom she treats abominably. In her house she has been known to thrash the maids when the mood takes her. She is a vile creature.”
    “What does he see in her?” asked Keeva.
    Norda laughed aloud. “Oh, you’ll recognize it when