Contents
24. A Bitch and Her Fish
Overview
Galva spends a final night with Kinch before being led to the King’s Dead ludus, separating the pair. Kinch meets Hasp, the aging Galt fool he is meant to replace, and is taken to serve Princess Renata. In the palace garden, Renata’s cruelty and court dynamics emerge, while a captive cuttlefish, Quiggles, recognizes Kinch as “not Hasp,” hinting at Kinch’s new role and hidden abilities.
Summary
In a crowded new-slave barracks, Kinch and Galva try to sleep amid chained captives, including a bruised giantess and three Beltians. Galva is wracked by nightmares, muttering in Ispanthian, while Kinch deflects a would-be confrontation with crude humor. He recognizes this posturing as early slave behavior soon beaten out of people.
The next day Galva is led away to the King’s Own Dead ludus, separating them. Kinch meets Hasp, an older, ailing Galt fool whose colorful garb marks his role. Hasp recognizes Kinch’s origins and gently claims him from Sylvae Mar Mexes, taking him to their cluttered upper-room quarters. When Hasp falls asleep from the exertion of the stairs, Kinch quietly tests—and re-ties—the key at Hasp’s neck, gauging future chances to escape.
A kynd bodyservant Kinch dubs Drab arrives, dresses Kinch in a gaudy fool’s outfit, and escorts him through the palace to the Lower Garden, where wealth is flaunted by prodigal water. Princess Renata, imperious and physically rough, tests Kinch’s cheer and obedience, making clear her expectation that he replace the ailing Hasp.
Renata parades Kinch past ornamental pools and shows him her favorite exhibit: a glass-domed pond housing a pale cuttlefish from the Sunless Sea she calls Quiggles Silversides. The creature displays curious intelligence, responding to Renata and engaging Kinch when he reveals his black tongue.
Quiggles smears glowing, viscous stripes on the glass that Kinch instantly reads as writing: “HASP—NOT HASP?” Realizing the animal perceives he is Hasp’s successor, Kinch feels the weight of his new position within the court. A summons for Renata interrupts, and as Kinch is dragged away, he recognizes both the danger and opportunity of his role among the royals.
Who Appears
- Kinch Na ShannackNarrator; separated from Galva and assigned as Princess Renata’s new fool, assessing escape options and reading Quiggles’s message.
- Princess RenataHalf-giant royal child; capricious and cruel, claims Kinch as her play-fool and shows him her garden menagerie.
- Hasp (Haralt)Aging Galt fool in poor health; mentor and intended predecessor whom Kinch is poised to replace.
- DrabStoic kynd bodyservant; outfits and escorts Kinch, enforcing palace expectations without sentiment.
- GalvaCompanion; suffers nightmares, then is led away to the King’s Own Dead ludus, separating her from Kinch.
- Quiggles SilversidesCuttlefish in the garden dome; displays intelligence, writing “HASP—NOT HASP?” upon seeing Kinch’s black tongue.
- Sylvae Mar MexesPalace overseer; leaves Kinch in Hasp’s charge with a cautioning glance.