Summary
Goldmark has something he wants to show Charles, and leads him through the corridors of the cellars, talking enthusiastically about the secret areas he can access as a rat. Charles jokes if he's become a thief, and Goldmark jokes dryly how he could give up life as a copyist. At the door, Goldmark tells him to leave their clothes and lanterns outside, and shift into rats to crawl under. Inside, they find a variety of centuries-old wines. Goldmark smiles, as he hopes to bring the other cellar rats here to share this secret.
Charles repeatedly says he doesn't like the idea, and Goldmark gets increasingly angry with him. He launches into a tirade against Charles, his lack of interest in helping them, his jealousy of Kimberly, and his wish to harm them just so that they can feel how he does. Charles is ashamed at first, but scolds him for speaking of Kimberly that way, and for choosing to stay miserable after all he's done.
Goldmark apologizes, as does Charles for not knowing; he worries that this is another excuse not to leave the cellars. Goldmark believes this will give them purpose in being rats, as well as privacy. He explains his history of coming to Metamor Keep, as well as Elliot's and Julian's. Though he doesn't have the confidence Charles has to join the scouts, Charles does decide to show him something: how to be a rat-taur.
After he teaches Goldmark the taur form, Charles visits the Long House around noon to meet Misha. Kershaw is there instead, saying Misha went for a walk. He takes him out to the courtyards. On the way, Kershaw tells Charles that he doesn't trust him. Charles says that Misha trusts him, and that should be enough for him. Kershaw says nothing.
When they meet Misha, Charles and he talk about the recent aftermath of the Patriarch's assassination, and the whereabouts of the three known survivors, as well as Metamor's current response.
Misha assigns Charles a test by nicking the wall with his axe and asking him which nick he just made. Charles searches and finds the warmest mark; when he does, Misha calls out, and several Longs dump a red viscous liquid over him, dying him pink. Misha laughs that it's only temporary; he is officially a Long Scout, and wants to show him off. Two Longs approach with a sack; Charles tries to run, but he slips on the goo before he can escape, and is tied up in the bag. Misha says they'll release him outside the walls, so that the whole city will see him. As they laugh and carry him off, Charles decides that spending the next few days with Goldmark in the cellars doesn't sound so bad.
Characters
Main Characters:
- Goldmark: A rat morph, a copyist by trade, but who lives in the cellars and secretly enjoys thievery. When he discovers the wine cellar, he wants Charles and the rats to live happily in the cellar, living for something greater than copying manuscripts. He plans to share it with Elliot and Julian, and likely the other cellar rats. He learns the taur form from Charles.
- He has bark-brown fur.
- Before the curse, he was an explorer. He wasn't skilled at exploring, but he enjoyed finding rare sites.
- 5 years ago (701 CR) he was searching for a pass through the eastern mountains, but got chased down the mountains and fell. Goldmark doesn't tell the rest, as Charles already knows.
- His relationship with Charles is complicated:
- He is jealous of Charles's confidence and success, his friendships, his purpose, and his romance. He calls Charles a tepid philanthropist who only wants to ease his conscience than to give them happiness and purpose.
- He sees Kimberly as an extension of Charles's success; by choosing him, she snubbed the other rats.
- He cares for his fellow rats, particularly Elliot and Julian, who have no purpose in life. He is angry that no one except Charles visits them. He, like them, are still ashamed of being vermin, and that everyone above ground laughs at them.
- He loves exploring, and although the Keep is vast, he is still limited in what he can explore. He prefers exploring in rat form so that it will take longer.
- It takes a lot more effort for Goldmark to change, compared to Charles, but he seems eager to use it, and might surpass Misha's taur ability.
- Charles: A rat morph, a Long-Scout-in-trading. After meeting with Misha, he is inducted into the Long Scouts — though he faces the embarrassing task of returning to the Keep in pink dye.
- Although he does not like to be nude in public, he is comfortable being nude around Goldmark.
- When Charles defends his love to Goldmark, he says that Kimberly chose him because he was the one who cared for her. In context, Charles is saying that Goldmark can also have a lover, if he is willing to care for someone else.
- Charles blames Goldmark and the rats for their own self-destructive attitudes — that it is their decision to be miserable and ashamed of being rats.
- He knew some of Goldmark's and Elliot's backgrounds before now, but very little of Julian's.
- He is known for getting drunk and doing embarrassing acts.
Supporting Characters:
- Misha: A fox morph, leader of the Long Scouts. He decides to make Charles a Long Scout today, complete with a hazing, though he disguises his plan by practicing with his axe Whisper at the Keep walls.
- He has gray eyes.
- His axe Whisper gives off steam after heavy use.
Minor Characters:
- Kershaw: A red panda morph, a Long Scout.
- He has a long striped tail and a narrow snout. He wears a smart brown tunic.
- He gives Charles a commanding grin when they meet — perhaps with an awareness of what is to come.
- Although he is not the only one uncertain about Charles's history and loyalties, he seems to be one of the first, aside from Misha, to say so directly.
Cameo:
- Arla: A collie morph, a Long Scout, one of the Longs who puts Charles in the bag.
- Meredith: A bear morph, a Long Scout, one of the Longs who puts Charles in the bag.
Important Mention:
- Julian: A rat morph who lives in the cellars.
- He was the sixth son of a minor noble. He moved to Metamor before the Battle, hoping for a better life.
- When Julian is drunk, he gets very happy, according to Goldmark. However, Charles does not like Julian to be drinking.
- Elliot: A rat morph who lives in the cellars.
- He lost all of his friends during the Battle of Three Gates.
- Egland: A knight of Yesulam, his legs injured after the Patriarch's assassination, now becoming a deer morph.
- Kashin: A former Yeshuel, who lost his arm (and to him, his honor) after the Patriarch's assassination. He left the Keep for Ellcaran the day after the attack, staying for the Patriarch's funeral, but disappeared soon after. No one knows where he went.
- Vinsah: The bishop of Abaef, one of the Patriarch's closest friends, heavily injured after the Patriarch's assassination. As far as Misha or Charles know, he is still in a coma.
Referenced:
- Hector: A rat morph and a sculptor who lives in the cellars.
- Saulius: A rat morph and a knight of Metamor who lives in the cellars.
- Tallis: A rat morph, an assistant headmaster of the Writer's Guild. Like Charles, he does not live in the cellars.
- Kimberly: A rat morph, Charles's beloved. Goldmark is jealous that she is Charles's.
- Akabaieth: The recently assassinated Patriarch.
- Zagrosek: Akabaieth's assassin, still at large.
- Lisa: A child morph, a Long Scout. She has to bundle up for the winter, unlike animal morphs.
- Phil: A rabbit morph, crown prince of Whales, currently away for the Patriarch's burial at sea.
- Murikeer: A skunk morph, a mage specializing in illusions, currently away for the Patriarch's burial at sea.
- Hough: A child morph, the Keep's Ecclesian priest, currently away for the Patriarch's burial at sea.
- Coe: A raccoon morph, the Keep physician.
- Raven: A wolf morph, the Keep's Lothanasi priestess.
- Pascal: A porcupine morph, the Keep alchemist, well-known for her brightly colored dyes, some of which are permanent.
Locations
- The Keep is said to change every so often for its inhabitants. Uninhabited areas of the Keep rarely change, and so any cracks and tunnels in the walls stay mostly the same.
- To get from the Long House to the castle wall, Charles and Kershaw travel down a hallway, down a set of stairs and out a portico along a walkway by the castle walls. They turn a curve to a broad avenue where Misha is.
- The cellars are mostly uninhabited.
- The door to the wine cellar is made of oak, with a rusty lock. The floor is wide enough for a rat to squeeze through. Inside the room are several racks of neatly stacked wine, with faded labels some centuries old. Candles, freshly purchased by Goldmark, also occupy the room. The dust has been swept to one corner of the room.
Chronology
- The wines in the cellar date from 300 to 500 CR.
- Most Keep wines date were made no earlier than 600 CR.
- Nearly two weeks ago, the Patriarch was assassinated.
- Given a date of the night of October 15th, this means today is around October 26th-28th.
- Goldmark was in the wine cellar last week.
- In the time since, he asked the chandler for candles and swept the room of dust so that Charles could see it.
- Today is a warm October day.
- Charles will be pink-colored for the next few days.
- Misha expects that Phil, Murikeer, and Hough will return from Whales within the next week — sometime in the first week of November.
- According to Misha, Phil will increase patrols south of Metamor in a few days, until the start of next summer.
Story Connections
- Charles's induction to the Longs is similar to Caroline's from Christening, though less dramatic.
- Charles first opened up about his past to Misha in Fireside, and asked him to keep it secret.
- The "cracks in the walls" Goldmark uses for travel, parallel Charles's use of one such crack in Hunt.
- Kershaw expressed similar suspicions about Charles in Testing 1,2,3,4.
Society
- Goldmark learns the taur form here, but it is still rare. A very few are able to do it with Misha's help, implying at least a couple besides Charles and Misha.
