30
In the morning dark, it was as if the sun had never set. The heat was oppressive as Argolicus, Nikolaos, Eboric, and Kunimund waited for Ebrimuth and Proba. The eastern sky was turning gray as the two rode up.
Nikolaos spoke to a house slave as Argolicus greeted his friends.
“We should get there before the governor’s morning has gone too late. In four hours he should be ready for an audience. And, by his note, he is expecting me, but not you.”
Ebrimuth answered, “Since we are implicated in the accusation, it is only right for us to be there.”
Proba shook her head as if waking up. She wore a broad straw hat against the sun that would soon rise over the hills. “This all seems so invented. It’s as though someone deliberately wanted to cause you trouble, but we don’t know who it is.”
