Star of Gypsies

In a voice that was scarcely loud enough for me to hear he murmured, "Yakoub, on Mulano you told me the story of Romany Star, and much else besides. And afterward, as I was waiting for the relaysweep to come for me, I told you that I had discovered at last, while spending those few days with you, what it was like to have a real father. Do you remember that? The story of Romany Star was your gift to me. You were your gift to me. Do you think I would sell those gifts to Sunteil? Do you? Do you?"

And I had to say, though only to myself, No, Chorian, I do not think that you would.

To him I said, "I would prefer to think you are innocent, if I could." "I am innocent, Yakoub." His tears were gone and he was no longer trembling. Perhaps the conviction of his own innocence was strengthening him now. "Believe me. I can say no more."

"I think you tell the truth," I said. "For that I thank you, Yakoub."

"But how, then, did your master learn of Romany Star?"

"I tell you again, he is not my master. And I have no idea how he learned of it. But if you wish I will try to find that out."

"Yes," I said. "That would be-"

Just then the screen lit up and there was Julien, calling back to ask if I would speak with Periandros now, even though it was still early in the morning and I had promised to hold my next conversation with him at noon. Periandros did not want to wait until noon.

I took a long look at Julien.

I had the answer to the mystery of Sunteil's familiarity with Romany Star.

Julien! Of course! He knew of Romany Star. I remembered now what he had said on Galgala, when I had spoken of France as an unreal place, and he had said to me that France was to him what Romany Star was to us, the great lost place, the only true mother. That had amazed me. We do not speak of Romany Star with the Gaje. But Julien had learned of it, God only knew how. Perhaps it was not too difficult for him, in a long lifetime spent mainly around Rom. A few bottles of his fine red wines, a long evening of rich French foods, some Rom star-captain of his acquaintance lulled into an expansive mood, and it would all have come rolling out, the Tale of the Swelling Sun, the loss of our home and the dispersal into the Great Dark, and everything else. Yes. Yes. And Julien had filed it all away, our legend, our scripture; and he had saved it for the right moment and he had sold it to the right man.

Not to Periandros, whose cerces he had been taking all these years. But to Sunteil. Periandros was dead, and Julien knew it, no matter how many doppelgangers of the late lord were stored in the hiding-chambers. Periandros the doppelganger might yet prevail in this three-cornered struggle, but it was unlikely, and Julien was wisely placing his bets on Sunteil now. Cutting a little side deal for himself while there still was a chance. I had to admire him for that. But he should not have sold Romany Star to Sunteil, even so.

I had long ago fallen into the easy temptation of thinking of Julien as Rom, or almost Rom; but he was not Rom. Not at all. And this proved it.

"The emperor wishes to know," said Julien, "if the Rom baro has had sufficient time to consider their earlier conversation."

I wanted to reach into the screen and strangle him. My old friend, my rescuer. What I strangled instead was the impulse to do any such thing. If Julien had betrayed us, so be it. A Gajo is a Gajo, even Julien. You had to expect that from them. And in any case the damage was done. I had other problems to deal with. I didn't want to talk to Julien at all. Or his doppelganger master.

I told him that it had been a frantic night for me, that I hadn't had any chance to reach decisions about Periandros' offer. Hoping Julien would take that and go away before I had a chance to get really furious with him. He didn't.

"A thousand pardons, mon ami, but the emperor asks me to stress the fact that time is of the essence."

"I understand that, Julien."

"And if you are willing to negotiate on the points already discussed, then there is no time like the present for-"

"Oui, mon vieux?"

"What's the point of this dumb game? We both know that Periandros is dead and that you're dealing on behalf of a doppelganger. So why are you bothering to bother me with all this shit now? What good is pretending that a doppelganger can actually function as emperor? Especially in view of the fact that you're getting ready to jump ship anyway and go over to Sunteil's side."

"To Sunteil's side? But I do not understand, Yakoub! What you are saying is incomprehensible to me!"

"Perhaps you might understand it better if I could say it in French. But I can't. Merde is the only word of French I know. What you're trying to tell me is so much merde, Julien. That's a French word, isn't it? If you don't understand it, maybe I should try speaking to you in Romany."

"You are so angry. My old friend, what have I done?"

I didn't want to start in on the whole subject. But he was irritating me at a time when I didn't need irritation.