The Travels of Anadrasata Nearabhigan: Day 28
So here we are on a day when Anadrasata has another city tour, which explains why her word of the day is "apparently". I know why she does this, but I really will have to keep an eye on it. The other thing I have to do is sort out the map for the next part of her trip.
This piece runs to 4,430 words, and I hope that you enjoy it.
Index Page.
Ghairniksday, 9 Naisen, 1893 C.E.
Khemasss, 24 Lamtaa, 2157 T.M.L.
Dear Journal.
I woke in good time this morning and when the chambermaid arrived I was able to send my laundry out to be done. My ship, the Pearlish Dawn, doesn't board until after lunch tomorrow so there should be enough time for my shifts and night rails to be washed, dried and returned to me. Assuming, of course, that it doesn't rain.
I made my way downstairs and booked a porter for tomorrow. Perhaps I am overanxious on this point but I really don't think that I could convey my chest that far on my own - particularly as I don't have one of those handy trolleys that the porters use. Breakfast was in my private parlor, and was smoked fish, a bowl of fresh fruit pieces, and toast with butter, honey, and jam. Lest anyone thinks that The Duke of Ghairraith stints on its breakfasts, I had declined eggs and there were three different types of smoked fish done two ways. I read the Imperial Clarion first (may I take a moment to laud the pleasures of a fresh newspaper and an unshared pot of tea steeped just the way you like it?) and the front page was dominated by Mr Caitus dh'Lhong's arrest for a list of crimes that seems worse every time it is revisited, an issue arising in the Prime Minister's Office in the capital, and unusually violent storms and the resulting floods. The opinion pieces included one that asked about oversight of and in provincial governors' offices - I feel that the use of Mr dh'Lhong's home province as an example was rather pointed. The Akatoil Star's front page covered the Prime Minister's Office, Mr dh'Lhong, and the death of a prominent local businessman (Gehais D'Gidh of Pad'hikken Traders & Company), but the largest article was on Mrs Khurzain's arrest yesterday on the Pearlish Queen. Reading through the article, she and Mr dh'Lhong would make quite a pair, and we should all be glad that they didn't meet and have offspring. I was pleased to see that I didn't come into the article at all, it merely said that, "the crew of the Pearlish Queen became aware of her presence on board and communicated with the authorities on the ground by signal lamp." The captain of the Pearlish Queen was quoted as saying, "we are always happy to co-operate with the legal authorities to ensure the safety of our passengers, our crew, and the general community." Having read the list of things that she is charged with, it is longer than the list of Warrants Lord Ailfhed recited yesterday, I am glad she is in custody but also glad that she doesn't know, I hope, that it was I who first identified her.
The real surprise in the pages of the Akatoil Star was in the gossip columns/society pages. Lady Saidhelait dhÍronaith and Major Vhenghahair were married here in Akatoil yesterday! I can only think that he must have gotten a fast ship from Tettamri to be here before the Pearlish Queen. There was also a reference in the paragraph to the Dowager Countess' rumoured ill health being apparently unfounded and that she has now established her independent household in her dower property of R'husghain Hall. Major and Lady Saidhelait Vhenghahair will be returning to Tettamri on the Lady Dancer, Western Skies Line, departing this afternoon. There was a statement from Count dh'Ironaith, the Countess' son and Lady Saidhelait's brother as I understand matters, supporting the changes in their lives but I thought the wording sounded...forced. As I recall, the ladies were travelling home due to some family crisis, so I wonder if these changes were part of the resolution of that? [The fanciful part of my mind wonders if the Major hurrying down here was him riding to the rescue?] I wrote notes of congratulations to the happy couple and the Dowager Countess, making sure to include both my temporary and permanent return addresses of course (it does no harm to try to establish a long term correspondence, after all). Addressing one note care of the Lady Dancer, and having it delivered direct from the inn, was no problem but I had to use the newspaper as the source for addressing the note to the Dowager Countess and I can only hope that R'husghain Hall, near Market Haimbley, Province D'hkaitraif, finds her.
After sending off my letters, I went back upstairs to tidy myself in preparation for my tour.
Somehow, when I looked at the business card of Mr Neathainal D'Halket, Tour Guide, I didn't expect a youngish man, maybe a year or two older than myself, in a loud but fashionably cut waistcoat and a coat that would have been the height of fashion in Umbrial three years ago. The waistcoat's main colours were yellow and pink, while the coat was the colour of a dark lime when I think it was supposed to be hunters green. (A misdye perhaps? The cloth itself was very good quality, and I know from experience that the discount on a dye problem can get you a better garment than you could have had otherwise.) He had the other half of the recognition token, and after he made his bow to the landlady and handed her a copy of his business card with the advice she could expect my return midafternoon, we set off. As we walked, Mr D'Halket explained that Akatoil was originally a small, seasonal fishing camp used by Eyeleutian fishermen from further north. Then a family of 'slightly insane goatherds' cut a path up the other side of the Circle Mountains to make gathering up reluctant goats easier. When they reached the top, they looked down, saw a village, and cut a path down. Of course, at that stage they spoke no Eyeleutian and the fishermen spoke no D'Bimke but they managed to make do, as people do, and a trade of fish for goat cheese, goat leather, and horn was founded. Much intermarriage and a thousand years of work later, and the original goatherders' track was a broad, switchbacking cart road that went over the Mountains through the manmade Goatback Pass (a translation of the name in the local language.) At that point Mr D'Halket had me turn around and look at the mountains behind the city and I could see the road working its way all the way to the top with the square cut pass at the top.
It looked to be a stupendous feat, and I told Mr D'Halket so. He told me that a lot can be achieved in a thousand years, and that when the Empire has seized control of Akatoil they had agreed - and refused to destroy it despite the urging of several persons who felt that Imperial airships should be the only way across the mountains. He added that the first Imperial Governor, Commodore Rijail dh'Venhair, had gained the cautious co-operation of a large part of Akatoil and the surrounding areas by asking what amount annually was needed to maintain the road and its shelter buildings, and then fully funding it.
He then took me to what he called the Street of Three Churches. It's actually a two block section of Bhlou Street, rather closer to my inn than the theatre I visited yesterday. On the way, he explained two things. Firstly, his family name is D'Bimkean. His name does not begin with our prefix dh' but with the D'Bimkean sound group D'H which is written with an apostrophe in Imperial script to prevent mispronunciation. In D'Bimke 'h' does not blend into or modify ant surrounding consonant, and neither does 'd'. Apparently some people have to fight a continuous battle to get their names pronounced correctly. The second was that, before the Empire invaded, what is now the western provinces had their own church, which now goes by the name U'hiogise Rite. With the Empire came the Imperial Church, who set about trying to convert the local church and its adherents. The strife was not purely theological and there were a number of small but pitched battles between clergy - apparently Commodore dh'Venhair had to threaten both sides with his troops to get things back to the mere verbal argument level. One consequence of this was that elements of both parties discovered that they held almost identical theological positions and they combined to form what is known as the Western Reformed Rite. This section of Bhlou Street is home to churches of each communion, making it easy to visit and compare the three on a personal scale. Mr D'Halket added, apologetically, that he wasn't planning to take me into either if the two cathedrals (the Western Reformed Rite's cathedral is on the other side of the mountains) as the architecture in both is rather...uninspired and unattractive. Also, neither of them is particularly welcoming of small tours. [Was there some hidden comment there? If so, I missed his specific point.]
We saw the U'hogise Rite church first. St B'Deart's is named for the saint who subdued and civilised the waterdragon of Lake C'hoyd. The building is long, with a round roof and a tower at the rear. There are two great round windows, one over the front entrance and one over the altar. The side windows all have rounded tops, the congregational area was filled with plain pews, and the walls and floor both are made of mountain rock. I asked whether the rock had come from building the road over the mountain and Mr D'Halket said that some of it had - the road had been widened at the time of the church's construction and some of the waste rock had wound up here. The side windows are green, yellow, white and clear pieces depicting, alternatively, the Heavenly Blessings and the Blessed Disciplines. (As this is not a concept I am familiar with, I asked. The Blessings are the good things that the Divine makes available to us and the Disciplines are the things we can do to make ourselves into better people - these are rather like the virtues.) The two big round windows also had red and blue glass in their designs. The one behind the altar depicts the Array of Heaven and the one over the entrance the Host of Believers. The tower is not open to the public. Mr D'Halket was explaining to me that the relics in the altar included a bone from the waterdragon (the creature died of apparent old age three hundred years after St B'Deart) when the priest joined us. Mr D'Halket introduced me to Father Sav'hear, who asked me what i thought of his church. I told him that it was very interesting and confessed that I had not heard of the U'hogise Rite before this morning. He said that he was glad I was learning something beneficial today, pressed an introductory pamphlet on me for later reading, and added that although donations to the poor box are always welcome, Mr D'Halket had already paid a generous access fee for the tour. He then blessed us both and went on his way.
The Western Reformed Rite's church, Sacred Five Wounds, is halfway between the other two - I wonder if it was deliberate positioning. It is also built out of stone cut from the Circle Mountains but in the Porvhelaign style - square and rectangular windows, two square finished towers at the front of the church, the glass (yellow in this case) set in diamond panes within the windows, and the doors and windows both recessed within the facade but emphasised by the surrounding steps outwards to the wall. Inside the walls were whitewashed, and the yellow glass gave the light a warm tint. The plainness of the building reminded me of the Asnorites but the wooden pews had cushions scattered along them - embroidered with religious texts I noticed. The ceiling was flat with no vaulting and the cross beams holding it up were supported by two rows of columns running the length of the building. The bright spot of colour in the room was the colourful embroidered cloth over the altar which I would have loved to examine closely but I couldn't march into someone else's sanctuary and poke a something. I didn't meet the priest this time, I met his wife. Mrs Fhaighairn and several ladies of the congregation came in while we were there to do the polishing and discuss the flowers for the rest of the week and Naiphday coming. Overall, I got the impression that Mrs Fhaighairn takes on some of the duties I would expect of a sacristan or a verger, but then, have I ever found out what any of the vicars' wives at home actually do to support their husbands? (I must try to remember to ask.) I did compliment them on their altar cloth and I might have gotten a closer look at it if Mr D'Halket hadn't reminded me that we'd only just started our tour.
St Ilhian's, the Imperial church was very - perpendicular with pointy roofs. It had one tower, halfway along its length on the right as you faced the front of the building from the street. The side windows also had pointy tops and instead of a rose window over the altar, there was a set of compound windows composed of multiple windows like the side ones in two tiers. I suspect that someone had an agenda when the themes for the windows were chosen - there are a lot of martial saints represented. There are also panels in the main window for three healing saints, and Mr D'Halket clarified that the church is dedicated to St Ilhian of Ghairhadear who is counted as a martyr because he went into a burning armoury and provided a miraculous escape to the trapped soldiers and sailors in the moment of his death. Apparently St Ilhian's was the first Imperial church in Akatoil, and I can see the appeal of this saint to military men. The interior is highly decorated, particularly compared to Five Sacred Wounds, with a profusion of wood and brass. The verger did approach us when Mr D'Halket was explaining the panels of the main window to me, and it was clear that the two men know each other well. The verger apologised for the priest's absence, apparently he normally gives a little talk to these tours, but he is visiting an ill parishioner this morning. The tower is not open to visitors because its levels are used as church offices.
From the Street of Three Churches, we moved on to the Town Hall, using a street parallel to the one I took yesterday. I told Mr D'Halket about my apprehensions during yesterday's walk and he told me very seriously that I should take a cab while moving around the city on my own at night. He assured me that most of the city is perfectly safe, but there are one or two areas....
We walked around the perimeter of the town Hall first, the better to appreciate the pleasantly ugly but functional amalgamation of architectural styles that had resulted from three major expansions over a period of centuries. Then we had a walkthrough of the public areas of the building including the display of pre-invasion mayoral regalia. Akatoil's seal is a design of fish and goats. It is all over the regalia, and again I wanted a better look at the embroidery.
When we were finished in the Town Hall, we walked out the front and got into a prearranged cab, it was purple and red, to take a tour along the docks. We got out to walk around the lighthouse at the southern end of the harbour, went past the fish market which was already closed for the day, and got out again to walk through the Great Arcade next to the Customs House (where I may have bought several small, inexpensive items), and then we got out and lefty the cab in the Old Town at the northern end of the harbour near the naval base.
Mr D'Halket explained that the Old Town isn't the site of the original fishing camps, that's back near the fish market and the Town Hall, but it is the site of the first year round dwellings, the first village and the first town. The street layout and many of the buildings date from before the Empire arrived here. There's lots of rock cut from the mountains, very little visible wood, and some coral blocks. The architecture is partly Eyeleutian, and thus similar to Amnestri, and partly D'Bimkean. It was all very interesting.
Also interesting, but less enjoyable, was being accosted by a...gang of five men who accused Mr D'Halket of poaching on their territory. They called him 'Nate' and there were fingers poked at his chest. I looked around for a constable, but of course there wasn't one. The group who accosted us were rougher looking than Mr D'Halket, clothes were more out of date than his, and they all favoured brightly coloured cloths as neckwear instead of cravats or stocks. (?!?) I decided to try to do something helpful, so I asked their pardon for interrupting and enquired if this encounter was a scheduled part of the tour I had purchased through the Town Hall. Some sort of slice of Akatoil street life perhaps? And should I have the gentlemen's names in case the Town Hall office asked me for my opinion of the encounter? One of the men (bright blue neckcloth and a brown patterned waistcoat) grabbed one of my arms, and I did that trick Father taught me when I was fourteen of shins, toes, knee back, then groin, chin, or solar plexus, while smiling at their apparent ringleader. When none of them said anything, the man who'd grabbed my arm had let go of it and was cradling his chin, I suggested that the encounter was over, offered my arm to Mr D'Halket and we walked briskly around a corner. Which is when I told him that was the limit of my self defence abilities and could we please leave now?
I have needed Father's trick a few times in the past, mainly while doing the marketing, and I have always told our housemaids that they are entitled and permitted to fend off unwanted attentions. This is the first time I have had to hurry to a waiting cab afterwards.
This cab was yellow and orange, and had been hired to take us to the place where Mr D'Halket had prearranged lunch. On the way we passed both cathedrals - almost identical in the stark Bhainhainh style except, I was told, for flipped floor plans. Both cathedrals were destroyed by arson within two weeks of each other, and to settle the rising storm of accusations, counter accusations, and incitements to revenge, the then governor had agreed to facilitate rebuilding both at the same time, if both churches agreed to use his architect and his materials. There were some complaints, but the governor pointed out some of the other means at his disposal to calm things down, and his terms were agreed to. Bhainhaimh-style architecture doesn't appeal to me and I was happy not to stop the tour them - even if both cathedrals do have excellent and different stained glass windows.
Our lunch was at a resting post two switch backs above the city on the road over the mountains. It was high enough to give us a view over the city without being too difficult to get to. It was also low enough that we could distinguish the places we had been in the morning. Because the weather was nice, we were outside under a canvas shade. We drank water and ate a grilled fish dish, followed by a local goat stew (goat meat and dried seaweed was an unexpected combination to me), and finished by a baked fruit pudding with sweetened goat's yoghurt. While we ate, Mr D'Halket explained that the group we had met in the Old Town were tour guides who had not been recognised by the new arrangements because of their...known associations and were now trying to extort money and steal clients from recognised guides. He then apologised for exposing me to them, but admitted that he hadn't had problems with them before or heard of problems with them in the Old Town before today.
After lunch, our cab driver had been eating at a table inside, we went back into the city and were dropped at Akatoil's House of Historical Artifacts and Other Curiosities. Inside it is a proper museum with well organised galleries. The botanical specimens were familiar from my previous museum tours, except for the ones that came from further west and were decidedly unfamiliar. The fauna displays included skeletons, accompanied by both taxidermied specimens and drawings from life for many of the creatures. There was a gallery devoted to people which included scientific drawings of skeletons accompanied by pictures of living people of the same ethnic group. There was an explanatory placard saying that this arrangement permitted a greater display of the variety that exists in the people of our world while permitting respectful care of the human remains entrusted to the House's care - anthropological scholars and medical researchers are directed to the front desk to obtain details of the House's study policies. After the human gallery the display moved directly into a portrait gallery devoted to the great, notable, influential and rich of Akatoil's past. [I detect a pointed comment there.] The next gallery was landscapes, still lifes, and a collection of 'fantastical flower illustrations' donated by the late Lady Prudhais dh'Fhais'haign along with a substantial financial bequest that the House benefits from as long as the flowers are displayed. After that was a gallery containing the House's first exhibits and very curious they were - two completely different constructed mermaids, something round and leathery that purported to be a shrunken human head (with an accompanying placard that assured visitors that it wasn't), various scrimshaw, some bladed weapons that had been found untarnished in a chest in a shipwreck, and an illustrated and illuminated copy of Mhainais na kho Ghabhairaim safe in a glass case and open today at a non-inflammatory page opposite an inoffensive illustration.
There was a small shop at the exit and I was able to buy a set of cards carrying Lady Prudhais' flowers.
Then, with my consent, we walked the four blocks to the Town Hall to lay a complaint with the tour office about the men who accosted us in the Old Town. The clerks there and their supervisor were very apologetic. Also surprised that I had managed to get myself free but I explained that my father had wanted to prepare me for men at balls, etc, who didn't think they had to take no for an answer.
Mr D'Halket walked me back to my inn, and I paid him the rest of his fee before thanking him for a very enjoyable tour.
I arranged suitable times for my dinner and my bath, asked for a tea tray in my parlor, then filled the remaining unallocated portion of my afternoon reading more of the first Aunty Ssang book. I think I should try to arrange my life so it included more novel reading.
The bath was lovely and dinner weas delicious. Tonight was some sort of fish dumpling with a spiced sauce, followed by a bean and goat(?) sausage casserole with steamed greens, and a layered jelly confection to finish. I complimented the landlady again on the quality of her dinners.
One of the inn's manservants summoned a cab for me, lemon and indigo this time, and I was driven to the P'henoli Lane Theatre for the performance of "Lady dh'Bhurgain and the Music Box". I bought a program in the foyer and followed both the signage and directions from the ushers to reach my seat. My box was far enough back to allow me to see the entire stage without having to lean forward, and close enough to hear clearly. I was also fortunate in that I had a seat in the front row and the only other occupants of the box were an older couple who had the seats at the back. We acknowledged each other but did not introduce ourselves.
The evening opened with a farce in one act, "Major Bhaintree's Afternoon". Another couple took the middle two seats in our box when the farce ended, and I gathered that they and the couple already seated at the rear were acquainted with each other. The we had the performance of "Lady dh'Bhurgain and the Music Box" - lots of witty word play in five acts. [I must commend the management and staff of the P'henoli Lane Theatre for the cleanliness and comfort of their ladies' retiring room.] I did have to ask a friend of the couple in the middle seats of the box to vacate my seat when I returned at the end of the break between the third and fourth acts - I could have taken the other front seat, but another of their gentlemen friends was occupying it. The play bill closed with another one act farce, "A Noble Masquerade." At the end of it I looked through my program and confirmed that yes, indeed, one actor had played a pivotal servant role in all three pieces. If they hadn't all been differently named characters, then the entire evening could have been one manservant's career.... Mr Rhobhais Haighlaign is very good at his craft. Obviously, this is not the company that performed in Umbrial when my mother and her friends saw this play, but their praise for the paly was warranted.
The P’henoli Lane Theatre also employs liveried manservants to summon cabs for patrons, and one of them saw me safely ensconced in a cab and on my way back to The Duke of Ghairraith shortly after I emerged from the theatre.
The public room seemed quieter from the entrance foyer than it did when I arrived back last night, but tonight's playbill did end later than last night's concert.
I arranged to be woken in the morning and then came upstairs to get ready for bed. I am settling myself down for the night by finishing writing up my recollections of the day, and I hope to sleep well tonight.
Anadrasata Nearabhigan