Golden Fool

Chade sighed. “There is too much of the Outislanders that we do not know. Well. I must hasten away. I have much to report to the Queen, and a number of questions that I must ask of other folk. Fitz, as soon as you know anything definite from Thick, get back to me. Send me a message from the Fool with the word ‘lavender’ in it.”

My heart jolted in my chest. “I thought you said the word to use was ‘horse,’ ” I said.

Chade paused at the door of my room. I knew I had rattled him, yet he tried to cover it. “Did I? But that seems too common a word, you know. ‘Lavender’ suits me better. You’re far less likely to write that to me by accident. Farewell.”

And he was gone, shutting my bedroom door behind him. I turned back to see if the Fool was as dismayed as I was by the old man’s lapse, but he was gone. He had ghosted out of the room, taking his paints and powders with him. I sighed to myself and went about the tasks of gathering up the breakfast things. The brief interlude with him this morning had made me more aware than ever of how much I missed him. It cut me deeply that he would be himself to humor Chade, but not me.

If, I reminded myself sourly, the Fool was indeed who he truly was.

Chapter XVIII

PINK SUGAR CAKE

Have the student lie on his back. He should not be on a comfortable bed or on a bare surface. Either is a distraction. A blanket folded on the floor suffices. Have the student remove or loosen any clothing that binds. Some students will perform the exercise best if naked and undistracted by clothing touching them. Others will be too distracted by the vulnerability of their nakedness. Let each student decide what is best for him, without comment.

Emphasize that the only movement of the body should be steady breathing. The eyes should be closed. Then, without moving any part of his body, ask the student to be aware of his body. He may need to be guided in this at first. Tell him to seek awareness of his middle toes without touching or moving them. Then have him think of his knees, but not flexing them. Proceed with the skin of his breast, of his forehead, the backs of his hands, and continue as long as is necessary to name the boundaries of his flesh, until the student has been invited to truly consider the physical confines of the body he lives within. Thus prepared, ask him then to find the edges of his thoughts. Do they stop at the flesh of his brow? Can he feel them encased in his skull or trapped in his chest?

All but the dullest students will swiftly realize that the body does not confine thoughts. They extend outside our flesh, even as our vision, hearing, touch, smelling, and even taste are senses that link us to the outside world while remaining functions of the physical body. So our thoughts reach out, unbound by distance or even time. Ask the student, “Cannot you smell the wine that is opened across the room? Hear the shouts of sailors at work across the water? Then do not refuse to believe you can hear the thoughts of the man in the field that waft toward you.”

— TREEKNEE’S TRANSLATION OF “PREPARING THE STUDENTS”

I went first to Verity’s tower to see what luck the Prince had had in filling Thick’s list. I was surprised to find that, not only had Dutiful obtained every item, but that he himself was waiting for me.

“Won’t your friends remark on your absence?” I asked as I surveyed the trove on the table.

He shook his head. “I made excuses. Sometimes my reputation for being slightly odd serves me well. No one questions that I have sudden needs for solitude.”

I nodded to myself as I sorted the items. I folded the red scarf and set it aside. “I’ve seen you wearing this. If I remark it, then others will also. If Thick were seen wearing it, people would assume that he had stolen it. Or that he had some special connection to you. Either would be bad for us. The same for this knife. I appreciate your willingness to part with it, but such a well-crafted blade would only raise questions for him.” I set the blade on the folded scarf.

The little pink frosted cake was still slightly warm from the oven. A rich waft of almond rose from it. The peacock feather was long and nodded gracefully when I picked it up. There was an earthenware bowl full of plump raisins. Shelled nutmeats dipped in syrup and set aside to harden glistened among the raisins. “This is wonderful. Thank you.”

“Thank you, Tom Badgerlock.” Dutiful took a deeper breath and then asked, “Do you think Laudwine has come to kill you?”

“I think that is possible. But Chade seems to think he might be part of a Witted delegation sent to treat with the Queen. So I’ve been ordered to keep my hands off until I’m given further directions.”