Accepting the cup, I lifted it to my lips. It was very hot, so I hesitated. "Drink! Drink! It will not harm you," Amet said. Taking up his cup, he sipped the hot liquid noisily into his mouth. "Ah! Most refreshing, you will find."

The stuff smelled vaguely herbal, so I sipped at it and found the taste not unpleasant-a little like rose petals combined with tree bark, and something slightly fruity. "It is very nice, Amet," I said. Even as I swallowed down the elixir, my heart began beating faster for word of what he had to tell me.

"You are wondering," he said, "if I have discovered anything of interest to you."

"That I am," I granted, "though I must confess that all my teaching prior to this moment has warned me against trifling with the forces of darkness."

"Forces of darkness?" Amet raised his eyebrows high. "Hoo! Listen to you! If that is what you believe, then be gone from me. Shoo! Go away."

"Truly," I told him, shaking my head, "I no longer know what I believe."

"Then allow me to assure you, my sceptical friend, that I have not spent my life in the pursuit of trifles. The same God-the very same-who set the stars in motion guides my sight along Future's course. This is my belief."

We sipped our drink in silence for a time, and then Amet put aside his cup and slapped his knees with the palms of his hands. "I have discovered many things about you, my friend," he said. "Whether they are of interest to you is another matter, and one which you alone must decide. Shall I tell you?"

"Yes, tell me. I am not afraid."

The old man's eyes narrowed as he looked at me. "Fear comes into your mind very quickly. When I said you were a seer, you protested to me that you were not. Yet I know that you are, and I think you have seen something of what the future holds for you, or fear would have no place in your thoughts."

"It may be as you say," I allowed vaguely, trying not to give away any more to him than that. If his abilities were genuine, and I truly hoped they were, I wanted to learn from an untainted source.

"Since that is the way of it," Amet continued, "what can I tell you that you do not already know?"

This seemed to me a ruse-a trick to coax the ignorant or gullible into revealing more about themselves, details which the seer could then claim as proof of his veracity and craft. "Pretend I know nothing of which you speak, for indeed-with all respect, Amet-you have told me nothing."

The old man's wrinkles rearranged themselves into an expression of deepest pity. "Very well," he said, choosing a scroll from among those in his basket. He unrolled the parchment and studied it for a moment, then began to read aloud. "All praise to Allah, Wise and Magnificent, Ruler of Realms, Progenitor of Peoples and Nations! Blessings to all who honour His name." So saying, he bowed his head three times, then raised his eyes to me and said, "You, my friend, are destined for greatness." Holding up a finger, he warned, "But this will not be won without great sacrifice. This is God's decree: virtue is purchased in the marketplace of torment; he who would be great among men must first be brought low. Amen, so be it."

The old seer's pronouncement was unexpected and disappointing; it was, in fact, considerably less than I had hoped. My heart sank low to hear what I considered an extremely meek and ordinary announcement-nothing more than a dubious and ambiguous declaration united to a tired aphorism. Was this the wisdom dispensed by the Ruler of the Universe?

"I thank you, Amet," I said, trying to conceal my disappointment. I replaced my cup on the brass tray and prepared to take my leave. "I will heed your words."

"You are disappointed," the magus said. "I can see it in your eyes. You think me a fool."

"No," I said quickly. "I think-that is, I hoped you would tell me something I did not know."

"And I have already said that I can tell you nothing you do not already know, yes?" He frowned fiercely. "Speak plainly, priest. Why did you come to me?"

"I thought you might tell me about my death."

He peered at my face as if at one of his scrolls. "At last we come to it," he said.

"Have you seen this?"

"It is tempting fate to speak of death. Since you insist, however, speak of it we will."

Closing his eyes, he placed the palms of his hands over his face and began to rock gently back and forth. This continued for a little time, and then he whispered, "Amen".

Opening his eyes, he regarded me with a strange expression. "You have recently escaped death, and you will again. Your enemies are never who they seem, but be warned: your true enemy is very near; his hand is concealed and ready to strike."

Although this was scarcely less vague than what he had said before, I felt a thrill of recognition as he spoke.

"A captive you are, yet you will change one captivity for another before your true nature is revealed. This is not to be wondered at, neither feared. For your salvation is assured, though your safety is ever in doubt." Raising his hands either side of his face, palm outward, Amet bowed three times, saying, "This I have seen. May Allah, Ever Merciful, be praised!"

We made our farewells, then, and I offered the old magus the silver coin Gunnar had given me. "It is all I have," I told him, "but you are welcome to it."

Amet refused, however, saying that if he could not accept money from another seer, still less could he take it from a slave. "Spend it on yourself, Aedan," the seer called after me as I left. "The small joy it brings will be the last you will know for a very long time."

As I had nothing else in mind, I determined to do as he suggested, and the notion stimulated me. I had rarely had any money, and had never spent any on myself. I stood looking around, wondering how best to dispose of my coin. Sure, anything could be bought in the market-from wart potions to Persian parchment and red parrots.

What should I do with the money? The question posed something of a dilemma. The experience of spending was so peculiar to me that with the whole of the market before me, I was stymied-by the multiplicity of choice as much as by the singularity of the experience.

I wandered through the market and the nearby streets rapt in thought over this unexpected problem. I examined soft leather shoes, and silk rugs; I considered buying a knife, and then thought I might like a small purse of fine leather-but, having bought it, I would have nothing to put in it.

Enjoy, Amet had suggested. What would I enjoy?

Just as I posed this question my eye fell upon a young woman standing beside a pillar beneath a covered colonade. She was swathed in finest silk of red and yellow, and on her feet were white sandals with straps of braided gold. Her hair was dark, and fell about her shoulders in a mass of tight curls. I must have stared too openly, for she noticed my glance, smiled, and beckoned me with a gesture I had seen many times since coming to Trebizond.

In truth, it was only upon seeing her crook her finger in that certain way that I knew the trade she practised. Though it brings me no honour to say it, even as I took my first step towards her, I made up my mind to avail myself of her services. As I had never done this before-indeed, I had never lain with a woman-I did not know how the bargain was struck. Instantly, I was overwhelmed by the most delicious uncertainty. My heart began to beat fast, and my palms grew damp. When I opened my mouth to speak, I found the words strange on my tongue.

Recognizing inexperience when she saw it, the young woman smiled. Shifting her garment slightly, she revealed to me one smooth, shapely white shoulder. My eye travelled down to the swell of her breast to see the rosy tip of her nipple before she adjusted her garment once more. "Would you like to come with me?" she asked. Her voice was not as lilting or as sweet as I had imagined it would be, but it was agreeable nonetheless.