Reign of Serpents by Eleanor Herman

Author:Eleanor Herman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Published: 2017-08-21T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen:

Papari

PAPARI MAKES YET another loop through Queen Cynane’s wing of the Dardanian palace, skipping and singing to himself. The palace is just waking; wafting over from the kitchens is the comforting smell of wood smoke and a whiff of fresh bread that makes his mouth water. Outside in the harbor, fishing vessels head into the brightening day; above the sighs of the waves he hears the snap of sails and the voices of men.

He plays with the words in his head, making a few substitutions, and tries it out again.

“Liars, cheaters, traitors all

Whom can a smart king trust?

Useless people, large and small

Like weapons full of rust.

There’s only one to trust, of course

He’s not a man; he is a horse!”

He will sing it for the king at dinner, and Amyntas will bang his goblet and clap his hands and whinny with laughter as that strange light comes into his eyes. Oddly, the courtiers call Papari “the fool.” Well, people have always underestimated him because of his size. He’s used to it, and sometimes it is a great advantage. Little do they know he could cartwheel around the banquet hall skewering them all with their own dinner knives before they even knew what was happening.

“What are you doing here?” asks a deep voice.

Startled, Papari turns to find the queen’s Macedonian guard, Priam, blocking his path. Papari does a backflip and rolls into a handstand, waggling his feet in the air. Upside down, he says, “Please don’t beat me, majesty. I am just practicing songs! I am quite creative at dawn, you know.”

Priam does not seem amused by the formal address...and why should he be? Regal and handsome as he is, in station, he’s barely above a slave—like Papari.

“Stand up straight so I can look you in the eye,” Priam growls.

Papari flicks upright, opening his large watery blue eyes as wide as he can, putting both hands on his cheeks as if in fear, and sings.

“He’s so tall, that handsome Priam,

I’m so small, I’d like to be him.”

Priam’s lips twitch. “Enough nonsense. You have come back to this hallway several times now. Are you looking for someone?”

Papari looks around as if he has no idea where he is. “I am a fool, great king, not a mapmaker. Where am I, then? Isn’t this the latrine?”

Priam rolls his eyes, sighs, and says, “Never mind. Be off with you.”

“May the gods bless you, my queen!” Papari says, kneeling before Priam and kissing his hands fervently. Priam pushes him away.

“Stop that!”

“If you say so, great Zeus!” he says, cartwheeling down the hall as Priam shakes his head and rounds the corner. Papari laughs out loud. Who was the fool now? He is expert at talking in circles—just as he is at talking to the air, as he has seen Queen Cynane do on several occasions when she didn’t know he was watching her.

Many people talk to themselves, he knows, but few wait for answers, leaning forward, listening, considering, seeming to hear what no one else can hear.

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