Historical present?

He knows I do not have her. A village has no secrets, and no more did Castle Black. Val’s absence was not spoken of openly, but some men knew, and in the common hall at night the brothers talked.
(A Dance with Dragons, novel)

Context: the speaker is the lord commander in Castle Black and some knight wants to have a look at “her”, a wildling princess called Val. But the commander has sent her away in secret.

Hi. Does the bold part use historical present to show that the bold part is an eternal truth?

Thank you.