Roger Taylor - Whistler

Most fitting, he would think in his more sanctimonious moments, that he should have the two great institutions of the state constantly within his view. It was not without symbolic significance. It was where they both belonged. It was the way things should be. Who better to guard the guardians than himself?

But he was in no such philosophical mood now and his eyes were narrowed and fretful as he gazed out at the distant shape of the Witness House. His thumb came to his mouth and he began chewing the nail vigorously.

‘You’ll be growling when that’s all inflamed again.’

The voice was unusual. It was female, high-pitched, hectoring and generally unpleasant. It also existed only in Privv’s mind. Not that he imagined it – it was real enough. It belonged to Leck. Privv referred to Leck as his companion, even his partner. Everyone else referred to her as his cat.

‘Shut up,’ Privv replied irritably. ‘I’m trying to think.’

A disdainful hiss, quite clear in its meaning, filled his head, but as there was no specific reply to which he could respond, Privv contented himself with a silent, lip-curling sneer. Most people grow out of their sneers as they reach adulthood but, as was usually the way with Sheeters, Privv had not managed this, and thus one of youth’s more regrettable traits had become an adult characteristic. It pervaded most of his thinking. True, it was usually only in the privacy of his own home, as now, that he actually allowed it to show on his face. Though, that said, had he thought about it at all, he would probably have considered it to be a thoroughly wholesome and worthwhile inner quality. He had never been able to differentiate between scepticism and cynicism.

How Privv and Leck came to communicate with one another as they did is not known. Neither could communicate with anyone else in this manner and, as far as they knew, neither came from parents who had the same ability. It was just one of those things. Not that it was unique in Canol Madreth, or for that matter in Gyronlandt as a whole, but it was rare. And it still carried with it faintly dubious overtones from the Court of the Provers. To the Judges of the Proving, the ability to communicate with an animal in such a way was, beyond any dispute, the mark of an individual who had had dealings with the Great Destroyer, Ahmral. Indeed, more than that, such an individual might well be possessed by one of His demons, and could therefore look to be lingeringly destroyed for the greater good of the church and, of course, his own soul. Now, in these more enlightened times, the residue of the fear that had brought about such horror showed itself merely in an unspoken but general acceptance that this particular ability was not really attractive in polite society.

Not that Privv cared overly about what was socially desirable or not. It was sufficient for him that he kept silent about his gift and knew how to make the necessary noises to move freely in whatever level of Madren society he found himself. His only real concern was for the accumulation of wealth, followed, a little inconsistently in the light of his chosen profession and his inner disdain for society, by a desire to be both famous and respected. He also enjoyed manipulating people and events – though this was as much a hobby, and tool of his trade, as an ambition. Certainly he had no desire whatsoever to volunteer for the constraints offered to the traditional ways of achieving power, namely through the Heindral or the church. As a Sheeter, he was, of course, unfettered, the Sheeting profession being comparatively new to Canol Madreth.

Leck seemed to be very similar in character to Privv, though who could say what ambitions a cat might harbour? She was a true predator however – she really enjoyed power, enjoyed it enormously, and as an end in itself. An ordinary, innocuous-looking cat, predominantly white but with various brindled markings scattered indiscriminately about her, she affected a loving disposition, invariably fawning around the legs of anyone who might prove useful, and, of course, purely for pleasure, about the legs of those visitors to Privv’s house who particularly did not like cats. She also demonstrated the same general lack of civilized traits – ethics, morality, etc – that characterized Privv. Unlike the Sheeter, though, she did have at least some vestige of an intellectual justification for her disposition, in that she was not human. Indeed, she was inordinately proud of that fact and she had a line in scorn about humanity that could set even Privv’s teeth on edge when she chose to use it.

An unlovely couple in almost every way, they tended each other’s needs, or rather, served each other’s ends with a generally ill grace and little or no affection. Yet they were bound together by ties far deeper than either of them could reach. Ties of which they were scarcely aware, save that they were there and were perhaps unbreakable. Ties that came with their strange shared gift.

‘And pray, when you’ve finished eating your hand, do tell me what object is being given the benefit of your great intellect now,’ Leck went on, jumping up on to the windowsill and following his gaze. ‘Shouldn’t you be finishing that piece on the market officials?’

‘No rush for that,’ Privv yawned. ‘Besides, it’ll do them no harm to sweat a little. With a bit of luck they might even try to bribe me, then we’ll have an even better story.’

‘True,’ Leck conceded. ‘Unless, of course, it’s a really worthwhile bribe.’

Privv chuckled. ‘Well, one has to use one’s professional judgement in such matters, hasn’t one? There are always long-term implications in such matters.’

‘You don’t normally bother about them where money’s concerned,’ Leck retorted, stretching herself luxuriously.

Privv shook his head in denial. ‘As a puppeteer, I’m always looking out for strings, particularly when they might be fastened to me.’

Leck feigned indifference for a moment, then leaned against him and began to wheedle. ‘What’s going on, Privv? I smell… interesting events. Really interesting. You’ve been quiet all day, and you keep looking out at the hill. I see the Witness House is quite clear today. Not thinking of joining the church, are you? Not suffering from religious doubts brought on by the passage of the great cloud?’

Privv ignored the sarcasm. It was time to get Leck involved anyway. She could start ferreting for some more information about this business. He made no preamble.

‘Something’s up,’ he said, nodding towards the Ervrin Mallos, ‘at the Witness House. Something’s happened – something spectacular. And they’re trying to keep it quiet.’

‘Ah,’ Leck purred, her interest engaged immediately. ‘Scandal amongst the clerics, eh? Excellent! We haven’t had one of those for quite a time. What is it? Adultery, pederasty, or coin?’

Privv shook his head. ‘I don’t know. But my every nerve tells me they’re up to something.’

‘Tell, tell.’

Privv returned to his chair. Pushing it on to its back legs, he swung a foot up on to his desk, rattling a plate on which was spread the congealed remains of a half-eaten meal. He began rocking himself backwards and forwards and chewing his thumb again.

‘I met my religious adviser last night,’ he began.

‘The church’s privy cleaner?’ Leck inquired.

‘The Witness House Maintenance Superintendent,’ Privv corrected.

‘The privy cleaner,’ Leck confirmed. ‘I know him… by sight and by smell. One of your occasional creatures.’

‘An old friend and one of my respected personal couriers with a continuing interest in the propagation of the truth,’ Privv retorted.

Leck sneered. ‘A paid gossip, you mean. And whoever heard of a Sheeter with friends?’