Olives and Peace

[auburntine.livejournal.com]

I just saw this article about olive trees and politics in the New York Times. It reminded me of the story of Klimun and Gerosthenes Phresine tells Eugenides in The King of Attolia. It especially reminded me of the quote:

"Fields can be reseeded every year, but there is little point in planting trees that will be cut down before they grow old enough to bear fruit. So, where there is no peace, there are no trees." 

Magus in a bag

[creative-lefty2.livejournal.com]

So, rereading Conspiracy of Kings, I came to the scene where Sophos is making his official oath to Gen. Just prior to that it is mentioned that the Magus is with him (296). I thought the Magus stayed behind with the army while Sophos and his dad (who needs a name) raced off with a couple of solders for a family reunion. It seems like it would have been mentioned sooner if the Magus had been with them the entire time. It is almost as if he is randomly inserted into the scene as to elicit the proper facial response from Eddis.

So, did Sophos pack the Magus in a bag (that was my dad's suggestion) or was he just trailing along behind whining "You can't leave behind your most trusted adviser!"