‘The captain has a writing to decipher. Sensibly, he has brought it to us, who
can translate more foreign tongues than any similar firm! It is possible that it
may be in Yenized, with which you are familiar … though, alas, I am not.’
Jarveena barely suppressed a giggle. If the document were in any known script or
language, Melilot would certainly recognize it – whether or not he could furnish
a translation. That implied – hmm! A cipher! How interesting! How did an
officer of the guard come by a message in code he couldn’t read? She looked
expectant, though not eager, and with much reluctance Aye-Gophlan handed her
the scroll.
Without appearing to look up, she registered a tiny nod from Melilot. She was to
agree with him.
But –
What in the world? Only a tremendous self-control prevented her from letting
fall the document. Merely glancing at it made her dizzy, as though her eyes were
crossing against her will. For a second she had seemed to read it clearly, and a
heartbeat later …
She took a firm grip on herself. ‘I believe this to be Yenized, as you
suspected, sir,’ she declared.
‘Believe?’ Aye-Gophlan rasped. ‘But Melilot swore you could read it instantly!’
‘Modern Yenized I can, captain,’ Jarveena amplified. ‘I recognize this as a high
and courtly style, as difficult for a person like myself as Imperial Rankene
would be for a herdsman accustomed to sleeping with the swine.’ It was always
politic to imply one’s own inferiority when talking to someone like this.
‘Luckily, thanks to my master’s extensive library, I’ve gained a wider knowledge