Page 16 of The House of the Red Balconies

CHAPTER 6

The next morning when Hylas came out of his room with his tray, Zo was already up and sitting on his chair in the garden. He had combed his hair and left it loose, and he was wrapped in a shawl against the cool morning air.

Hylas smiled when he saw him, an unmistakable expression of relief in his eyes. Zo had thought Hylas meant to knock on his door again and might be glad to be spared from actually having to do it.

“I hoped I was in time to join you for tea again,” Zo said.

“Absolutely.”

Hylas put down his tray and sat on the cushion by Zo’s chair as he had done the day before. He’d thrown a shawl of his own over his arm, and took a moment to unfold it and sling it around his shoulders before pouring the tea. It was a surprisingly bright green, striking with his reddish hair.

“I got this in town on Market Day,” he said, touching the fabric, perhaps having noticed Zo looking at it. “I thought I might like to have a few nice things.” He spoke as if it was a novel idea.

He passed a bowl of tea up to Zo, the steam curling in the crisp, early light.

“It’s beautiful,” Zo said, cradling the warm bowl. “The colour suits you.”

Hylas looked as if that completely flummoxed, even alarmed him.

“It’s very satisfying to have nice things,” Zo went on quickly. “You can get a lot of good quality in the market here. Even though Tykanos is such a small place. And there’s food from all over, too. Have you tried any of the Glifian specialties yet?”

Hylas finished one of the buns in a couple of bites. He shook his head. “Not really. We keep going to the Amber Lily, where they hardly serve any food at all, and the Bower of Suos has very Pseuchaian dishes. A lot of fish.”

“Ah, so those are the houses the governor favours? He’s never come here, since I’ve been here. Although I’ve heard that he used to, years ago.”

“Well, he will be back, I guess, because he has promised to take me to all the tea houses on the island.”

“Are you eager to go?” Zo asked doubtfully.

Hylas looked up at him with a wry smile. “No, I’d be happy to stay home. Even if my home weren’t also a tea house—and a better one.”

Zo let out an uncalculated laugh. “We’re better than the Amber Lily?”

“Immortal gods, I think so. It’s the dullest place.” He stopped, pressing his lips together, as if he feared he had said too much. “I—I mean … ”

“Are you worried I might have friends there?” Zo guessed.

“Yes. That is exactly what I … ”

“I don’t. I don’t know anyone at the other tea houses. I’ve never even been in any of them, except once to a party at Myrrha’s, a long time ago. I came to the Red Balconies when I arrived on Tykanos, and I’ve stayed here ever since—and you already know I don’t go out much.”

“Ah. Then you don’t know how boring the Amber Lily is.”

Zo snickered. “It’s generally ranked first among the Jewels of Tykanos. Agathe and Zenais are supposed to be the most beautiful women between Glif and Pheme.”

“Oh. Well, that’s not my … I mean, I don’t really … ” A blush spread over Hylas’s cheekbones.

“No, me neither,” Zo said quickly, surprised to find the topic so awkward. “So—I didn’t realize you were famous.”

“What? I’m not.”

“Apparently you are, though. You saved a village outside Pheme from flooding due to a faulty dam?”

Hylas gulped his tea. “Oh, that. I may have done. I mean, it might have flooded, if I hadn’t done anything—or it might not. It was the type of cement we were using. I didn’t think—don’t think—it would have held up under the proposed design.” He refilled his bowl. “I just happened to have experience using the same formulation on a couple of bridges, and I’d seen what it could and could not withstand. The chief engineer was concerned to save face, which unfortunately caused the situation to escalate, and the whole thing was … talked about.”

“You stood up to him,” Zo translated, “and he tried to brazen it out, even though he knew you were right—and you ended up with a commendation from the archons, so someone must have agreed with you.”

Hylas nodded. “I went over his head, consulted an architect in Pheme—the thing ended up in court. It was insubordinate, but … well, we weren’t in the army.”