“Fiddle-de-dee’s not English.”

Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett again. Some background: Lymond is talking to Austin Grey, who is mad at him because he suspects Lymond is up to some sort of debauchery. (Heh. When else would I be able to use such a word?) In a way, Lymond is. The girl he is supposed to marry is waiting for him in her chambers upstairs, but that isn’t what Austin is mad about. Never mind that. Austin attacks him, Lymond twists Austin’s arm at this, literally.

Afterwards:

“[. . .] Does your arm hurt?”

“No,” said Austin, lying.

“Call Archie if it does. Her door is closed. What fickleness. Strange birds cry in the air Today, Today! and vanish. I go,” said Lymond heroically, “to take my rest in the manner of the Antabatae. Sleep well.”

Austin could not remember who the Antabatae were.

This one always amuses me, despite the serious, heart-breaking scene just before it, because I can relate to Austin’s confusion — I had no idea who the Antabatae were either. (Also, “heroically” made me smile — such theatrics.)

The crying birds are referring something in a letter from Nostradamus to Henry II: Before these events, some rare birds will cry in the air: Hui, Hui [Today, today] and some time later will vanish. (Nostradamus was talking about the Antichrist before that. I am skimming the whole letter with my eyebrows climbing off my forehead.)

The Antabatae don’t seem to be online — Wiki only has this to say: Andabatae: From the Greek “αναβάται” (ascensores) because they fought on horseback. They wore chain mail like eastern cavalry (Cataphracti) and wore visored helmets without eye holes. They charged at one another on horseback similar to a medieval joust but without being able to see each other.

Huh. Blind horseback warriors, eh? Fitting enough, I guess. (Again, context. Why did I choose something I couldn’t expand without getting into spoilers?)

I shall continue quoting Dorothy Dunnett’s Checkmate, I think, for the rest of the week. I’m sort of rereading my favourite parts (which is already almost half of the book), and looking things up both through Google and at the Yahoo groups. It’s quite fun! Also I desperately need the Companions. Why oh why didn’t I pick up that second volume when I saw it at the bookstore.