'Well, have you seen a waitress anywhere?' I ask, but they ignore me.
An inner door opens, a quiet word is spoken and the ambassador and his wife - no doubt a well-bred woman who has never worked as a waitress - are whisked inside to meet the Consul. I look around me with some dissatisfaction. I really need more to eat. The outside door opens and another young woman in a long white dress appears. I regard her dubiously.
Are y^u an ambassador's wife?'
She sLakes her head.
A young relative of the royal family?'
'No. I serve food to the Consul's guests.'
I can feel my face lighting up. This is exactly what's required. I point to the empty food trolley.
'Is there any chance of a bite to eat? There weren't more than a few crumbs left by the time I arrived. The Juvalian ambassador and his wife, they just ate like hogs.'
The waitress smiles pleasantly, nods her head, and leaves the room. She's gone no more than a few minutes before reappearing with another trolley which is overflowing with food - pastries, sweetmeats, pies, cakes and other more exotic delicacies.
'Here you are,' she says brightly.
I like this waitress. As she produces another carafe of wine I reflect that, even in an unfriendly city like Turai, you occasionally come across a person who's willing to help out a man in difficulty. The waitress departs and I get to work. With luck the Juvalian ambassador will take up a lot of the Consul's time. As I plough through the first tier of the trolley, with my eye already on the hearty provisions on the level below, I feel like I'm in no hurry.
Despite my best efforts I haven't quite finished all the food when the ambassador and his wife reappear. They pass out of the room without giving me so much as a look. An official summons me into the next room. Inside I find Consul Kalius, wearing the gold-rimmed toga that denotes his rank. He's sitting at an enormous wooden table in the company of Deputy Consul Cicerius, Lisutaris, Mistress of the Sky, head of the Sorcerers Guild, Old Hasius the Brilliant, Chief Sorcerer at the Palace, Rittius, head of Palace Security, and Galwinius, Prefect of Thamlin. With them is General Pomius, the highest-ranking soldier in the state. A high-powered collection of Turai's finest. I'm still carrying the carafe of wine. I put it down casually on the table.
Kalius regards me somewhat coldly.
'Why did you ask the Juvalian ambassador's wife to bring you food?' he enquires.
'I thought she was a waitress.'
Kalius shakes his head.
'The ambassador was insulted.'
'It was a mistake anyone could have made.'
'Surely, as a man who once worked at the Palace, you can tell the difference between a foreign dignitary and a waitress?'
'Thraxas was rarely sober while employed at the Palace,' comments Rittius, who's always been an enemy of mine. 'He probably has little recollection of his time here.'
'I remember you well enough, Rittius,'
The Consul holds up his hand and looks stern. Consul Kalius, with his grey hair and sculpted features, can be impressive when he wants. While he's not exactly as sharp as an Elf's ear - and definitely no match for Cicerius in terms of intellect - he does always look the part. The city trusts him, almost, and he's remained reasonably popular throughout his term of office.
'Enough. We have not asked you here to discuss the lamentable history of your time at the Palace.'
I'm prepared for some long-winded explanation of why exactly they have asked me here, particularly if any part of the explanation comes from Cicerius. Any time the Deputy Consul has asked me to do something for him it's been proceeded by a long lecture on how vital it is to the welfare of the city, followed by another lecture on the patriotic duties of all Turanians. Kalius, however, does not dissemble.
'Lisutaris, Mistress of the Sky, believes that an attack from the Orcish Lands is imminent. For the past week we have been involved in meetings with all trustworthy elements in Turai with regard to the defence of the city. In your capacity as Tribune, you have a part to play in our preparations.'
This wasn't what I was expecting. The last war with the Ores was what - sixteen, seventeen years ago? We threw them back from the walls but it was the bloodiest struggle in the history of Turai and we were lucky to emerge as victors. If the Elvish army hadn't arrived when it did the city would have fallen. I always knew that I'd have to fight the Ores again. But I hoped that maybe I wouldn't.
It's the first I've heard about this. In a city like Turai it's very hard to keep anything secret. If they've been having meetings for a week without word getting out they've obviously gone to a lot of trouble to keep things quiet.
Uninvited, I take a chair.
'Prince Amrag?'
Kalius nods. We've been hearing reports of Prince Amrag for some time now. He started off as a young rebel in the Orcish lands, and in what seemed like a very >hort time, he'd conquered his kingdom and started exerting his influence on those around him. It was to be expected that he might one day work himself into the position of war leader and overlord of all the Ore lands but it's come quicker than anyone anticipated.
The Orcs hate us as much as we hate them. The only thing that prevents them from attacking us constantly is their own internal feuding. Once someone comes along who's capable of uniting their nations, an attack on the west becomes inevitable."
'What do you want me to do?'
'Firstly,' says Kalius, 'you must speak of this to no one. We are not yet certain that the attack will happen.'
'We are certain,' states Lisutaris, flatly.
Old Hasius the Brilliant sniffs.
'I am not certain,' he mutters.
Lisutaris is head of the Sorcerers Guild, not just for Turai, but for the whole of the west. She's a woman of immense power and as great intelligence. If she says it's going to happen, I believe her. Old Hasius is himself a mighty Sorcerer but he's well over a hundred years old, and I'm not certain he's as bright as he used to be.
'In your capacity as Tribune, we wish you to assist Prefect Drinius in various tasks in Twelve Seas. These include the checking of the southern part of the city walls, the inspection of the water supply, an account of all men of fighting age in the locality and the allocation of areas for the storing of weapons and other supplies.'
'Consul Kalius, I'm willing to help, of course, but I'm not qualified or experienced in any of these things.'
'We know. The Prefect has a staff of his own and he will be assigned additional men who are specialists in their fields. But we wish you to assist in the organisation. As Tribune you have the power to get things done, more power, in some ways, than the Prefect. Although it was not our intention to appoint any more Tribunes, we have now assigned one to each quadrant of the city. You will have a vital part to play in our defence.'
I nod. It's going to mean working for Prefect Drinius, or Drinius Galwinius as he sometimes styles himself. He's a cousin of Galwinius, Prefect of Thamlin, and keen to play up the powerful connection. I've never got on too well with the local Prefect, but in the circumstances, I can't object.
'Please remember that you must be absolutely discreet. At this stage, the population of the city must not know of the threat. It will cause panic, and if it turns out to be a false alarm we will have panicked them unnecessarily.
Lisutaris frowns slightly.
'It is not a false alarm,' she says. I get the impression she's been saying that a lot.
'How long do we have?'
'We're not sure,' replies the Consul. 'But even if the Ores' preparations are as far advanced as Lisutaris believes, there are only three weeks left till winter sets in. We can be confident that they will not arrive before then, and of course, they cannot march from the east during winter. So we have five months at least.'
I leave the meeting knowing far less than I'd like to. I didn't press for too much information. They're not going to tell me everything they know and they have other people to see. But I intend to visit Lisutaris as soon as I can. The head of the Sorcerers Guild owes me some favours. Enough favours to tell me what we're up against, I hope.