The Malacia Tapestry by Brian W. Aldiss

Author:Brian W. Aldiss
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media

A Young Soldier’s Horoscope

Charmed Malacia! In the wildernesses beyond its fortress walls, in dreary chasm, tangled forest, or endless mountainside, the forces of many kinds of evil struggled for supremacy. Within our winding streets serenity seemed to prevail.

The conclusion of the week of festival was marked by an improvised pageant celebrating the withdrawal of swart Tvrtko and his forces, in which I was lionized almost to exhaustion. The flight of the buglewing from our calendar coincided also with the return of Armida from her exile in Juracia. On the evening of the day before Bengtsohn summoned us to resume work with the zahnoscope, I received an unexpected invitation to visit Armida at the Hoytola mansion; perhaps my increasing celebrity had softened her father’s heart.

I presented myself early next morning. Debonair though I was, the brute at the gate, as ugly as his two guard dogs put together, regarded me with as much favour as Stefan Trvtko himself would have received, supposing him to have manifested himself there with cannon, a dromedary, and assorted plans for bastinado. While the brute delayed me, I tried to recall something witty de Lambant had said about surly porters driving inconstancy from the door.

At last I was allowed in, and shown to a cool hall. Knowing it was the custom of the Hoytolas to observe breakfast as sumptuously as in Constantinople, I hoped to join their meal, but coffee alone was served to me as I awaited my lady.

A row of marble busts set on pillars confronted the visitor. The gentlemen portrayed were universally severe, as if finding immortality conducive to migraine. I tried to set my face into their mould. I was glad to be summoned to Armida’s palazzo, although my stomach produced whining noises loud enough to make passers-by suspect I had a lap-dog smuggled under my shirt.

As I sipped my coffee, a maidservant came along the corridor closing jalousies, giving me a glance now and again. I could not help returning her glance; she was a cuddlesome-looking girl. Then I reminded myself where I was and how I intended to marry honourably. In the matrimonial estate, rolls with servant-girls would be out of the question. So would rolls with Bedalar.

So I fell into a happy day-dream. Armida and I were married, and her loving father set us up in a splendid little town house with views of the Toi. We took chocolate for breakfast, and invited our friends round freely. And we engaged a delightful little maidservant, industrious and cuddlesome …

My reverie was broken by the appearance of Armida herself, looking as lovely as in my vision and wearing a super-tunic with a kirtle beneath, the tight sleeves of which emerged from the wide sleeves of the tunic. On her dark head was a little lace cap or shadow. Stripes fled up her tunic from toe to head as she approached through barred patches of sunlight.

She led me to her own sitting room, which was on the first floor and had a balcony overlooking an intimate courtyard.

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