{"id":3749,"date":"2026-01-03T23:47:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T23:47:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/sparhawk-universe-05-the-shining-ones-eddings-david\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T23:47:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T23:47:03","slug":"sparhawk-universe-05-the-shining-ones-eddings-david","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/sparhawk-universe-05-the-shining-ones-eddings-david\/","title":{"rendered":"Sparhawk Universe 05 – The Shining Ones – Eddings, David"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Book Preview<\/h3>\n
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\nThe Shining Ones<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nThe Tamuli<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nBook Two<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nDavid Eddings<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nPrologue<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nExcerpted from Chapter Three of the \u2018Cyrga Affair: An Examination of the Recent Crisis\u2019. Compiled by the Contemporary History Department of the University of Matherion.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nA compilation such as this is the work of many scholars, and thus inevitably reflects differing views. While the author of this portion of the work in hand has enormous respect for his eminent colleague who so ably composed the preceding chapter, the reader must be candidly advised that this writer differs from his colleague in the interpretation of a number of recent events. I most definitely do not agree that the intervention by the agents of the Church of Chyrellos in the Cyrga Affair was entirely untainted by self-interest.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nI must join with my colleague, however, in expressing my admiration and respect for Zalasta of Styricum. The inestimable services to the Empire of this wise and faithful statesman cannot be overly praised. Thus it was that when the full import of the Cyrga Affair burst upon his Majesty\u2019s government, it was quite natural for our ministers to turn to Zalasta for counsel. Despite our admiration for this pre-eminent citizen of Styricum, however, we must admit that Zalasta\u2019s mind is so noble that he sometimes fails to perceive less admirable qualities in others. There were grave doubts in some quarters of his Majesty\u2019s government when Zalasta urged that we turn our attention beyond the borders of Tamuli in our quest for a solution to the problem which was quite rapidly approaching the dimensions of a crisis. His suggestion that the Pandion Knight, Sir Sparhawk was best suited to deal with the situation troubled the more conservative members of the Imperial Council. Despite the man\u2019s military genius, he is nonetheless a member of one of the Militant Orders of the Church of Chyrellos, and prudent men do not lower their guard when compelled by necessity to have dealings with that particular institution.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nSir Sparhawk had come to Zalasta’s attention during the Second Zemoch War between the Knights of the Church of Chyrellos and the minions of Otha of Zemoch. Not even Zalasta, whose wisdom is legendary, can tell us precisely what took place in the City of Zemoch during Sir Sparhawk\u2019s fateful confrontation with Otha and with the Zemoch God, Azash. There have been some garbled hints that Sir Sparhawk may have utilized an ancient talisman known as \u2018the Bhelliom\u2019 in the struggle, but no reputable scholar has been able to uncover any details about the talisman or its attributes. However he managed to perform the astounding feat, it is undeniably true that Sir Sparhawk was successful in his mission, and it was clearly that remarkable success which stampeded his Imperial Majesty\u2019s government into turning to this Pandion Knight for aid in the early stages of the Cyrga Affair\u2014despite the grave reservations of some highly respected ministers, who quite correctly pointed out that an alliance between the Empire and the Church of Chyrellos might well be fraught with unseen dangers. Unfortunately perhaps, the faction headed by Foreign Minister Oscagne currently has the Emperor\u2019s ear, and our Prime Minister, Pondia Subat, was unable to prevent the government from embarking on a potentially dangerous course of action. Foreign Minister Oscagne himself headed the mission to the seat of the Elene Church at Chyrellos to petition Archprelate Dolmant for Sir Sparhawk\u2019s aid in dealing with the crisis. While no one can question Oscagne\u2019s skill in diplomacy, his political views have been called into question in some quarters, and it is widely known that he and the Prime Minister have disagreed violently in the past. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nThe politics of the Eosian Continent are murky, for there is no central authority there. Quite frequently, the Church of Chyrellos finds itself at odds with the reigning monarchs of the separate Elene kingdoms. As a Church Knight, Sir Sparhawk would normally be under the command of Archprelate Dolmant, but that simple and direct line of command was clouded by the fact that Sparhawk is also the Prince Consort of the Queen of Elenia and therefore subject to her whims. It was here that Foreign Minister Oscagne was able to demonstrate his virtuosity in the field of diplomacy. Archprelate Dolmant clearly saw the contiguity of interest with the Empire in the matter, but Queen Ehlana remained unconvinced. The queen of Elenia is young, and her emotions sometimes cloud her judgement. She clearly viewed the notion of a prolonged separation from her husband with a profound lack of enthusiasm. In a brilliant stroke, however, Foreign Minister Oscagne proposed that Sir Sparhawk\u2019s journey to the Daresian Continent might best be masked by a state visit of Queen Ehlana to the imperial court in Matherion. As Prince Consort, Sir Sparhawk would quite naturally accompany his wife, and his presence would thus be fully explained. This proposal sufficiently mollified Sparhawk\u2019s queen, and she finally agreed.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nTravelling with a suitable escort of one hundred Church Knights and various functionaries, Queen Ehlana took ship and sailed to the port of Salesha in eastern Zemoch. From there the royal party travelled north to Basne where an additional escort of horsemen from eastern Pelosia awaited them. Thus reinforced, the Elenes crossed the border into Astel in western Daresia. The accounts we have received of the queen\u2019s journey have shown some glaring inconsistencies. Objections have been raised that, should we accept the word of these Elenes, we would clearly be faced with an absurdity. After some consideration, however, this writer has become convinced that these apparent discrepancies can be easily reconciled if those who so violently object will but take the trouble to examine the differences between the Elene and the Tamul calendars. The Queen of Elenia did not, in fact, pretend to have flown across the continent, as some have scornfully suggested. Her progress was quite normal, and it will be recognized as such if the learned gentlemen will but take note of the fact that the Elene week is longer than ours.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nAt any rate, the queen\u2019s party reached the capital of Astel at Darsas, where Queen Ehlana so charmed King Alberen that Ambassador Fontan humorously reported that the poor man was on the verge of giving her his crown. Prince Sparhawk, meanwhile, began to actively pursue the real purpose behind his journey to Tamuli, the gathering of information about what the Elenes had melodramatically come to call \u2018the conspiracy\u2019. The queen\u2019s party was joined at Darsas by two legions of Atan warriors under the leadership of Engessa, the commander of the garrison at Genae, and they journeyed to Pela on the steppes of central Astel to meet with the nomadic Peloi. From thence they set out for the Styric city of Sarsos in northeastern Astel. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nA disturbing note emerges from the accounts of this journey, however. The Foreign Minister, either duped or willingly conspiring with the Elenes, reported that, somewhat to the west of Sarsos, the royal party encountered Cyrgai. This clear evidence of an intent to deceive his Majesty\u2019s government has raised grave questions, not only about Oscagne\u2019s loyalty, but about the sincerity of the Elenes as well. As Prime Minister Subat pointed out, Foreign Minister Oscagne is, though brilliant, sometimes erratic, a common characteristic of the overly gifted. Moreover, the Prime Minister added, Prince Sparhawk and his companions are Church Knights, after all, and the Church of Chyrellos is widely known to be a political as well as a spiritual force on the Eosian Continent. Dark suspicions began to arise in the halls of his Majesty\u2019s government, and many have expressed grave doubts about the wisdom of our course. Some have even gone so far as to raise the possibility that the disruptions here in Tamuli might be of Elene origin, providing as they did a perfect excuse for an incursion onto the continent by the Church Knights, the acknowledged agents of Archprelate Dolmant. Could it be, they ask, that this entire affair has been contrived by Dolmant to provide his Church with the opportunity to forcibly convert all of Tamuli to the worship of the Elene God and thus advised this writer that he is seriously concerned about this possibility. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nAt Sarsos, Queen Ehlana\u2019s party was joined by Sephrenia, who was formerly the tutor of the Pandions in the secrets of Styricum, but who is now a member of the Thousand, the ruling council in that city. They were also joined there by Zalasta himself, a fact which has quieted some of our anxieties in regard to the motives of the Elenes. It was obviously through Zalasta\u2019s efforts that the Thousand were persuaded to pledge their aid, despite the long-standing and, many feel, fully justified suspicions all Styrics have of Elene motives.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nThe Elenes then moved on to Atan, where Queen Ehlana once again charmed the king and queen. It is clearly evident that the personality of this winsome girl is a force to be reckoned with.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nAlthough Foreign Minister Oscagne\u2019s report of the encounter with the supposed Cyrgai is open to serious question, there can be no doubt about the veracity of the report of what happened after our visitors left Atana. That report came from Zalasta himself, and no sane man in the government could ever question the veracity of the first citizen of Styricum. It was in the mountains lying to the west of the border of Tamul proper that the party was set upon again, and Zalasta has confirmed the fact that the attackers were non-human.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nThere have been sightings of fearsome monsters in the Atan mountains in the past year, although many skeptics have dismissed these reports as being yet more of the illusory manifestations of the power of those bent on bringing down his Imperial Majesty\u2019s government. These clever illusions of Ogres, vampires, werewolves and Shining Ones have been terrorizing the simple folk of Tamuli for several years, and the mountain monsters had been assumed to be no more than another of these illusions. Zalasta assures us, however, that these huge, shaggy beasts are Trolls, who until recently were indigenous to the Thalesian peninsula in Eosia, and who had migrated to the north coast of Atan across the polar ice, presumably at the behest of the enemies of the Empire. Sir Sparhawk, once again reinforcing Zalasta\u2019s opinion of him, quickly devised tactics which routed the brutes.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nQueen Ehlana\u2019s party then crossed the border into Tamul proper, and shortly thereafter reached the imperial capital at fire-domed Matherion, where they were graciously welcomed by Emperor Sarabian. Despite the protests of Prime Minister Subat, the Elene visitors were given almost unimpeded access to his Majesty. The Queen of Elenia soon charmed the Emperor even as she had the lesser monarchs to the west, and they quickly became fast friends. Candor compels us to admit that Emperor Sarabian\u2019s character is afflicted with a regrettably meddlesome and independent streak. He has shown of late a lamentable tendency to interfere with the government, and to override the counsel of those far better equipped than he to deal with the day-to-day details of governing his vast realm. The Prime Minister, acting on the advice of Interior Minister Kolata, had decided to place Prince Sparhawk under the command of the Ministry of the Interior. As Kolata correctly pointed out, Sir Sparhawk, an Eosian Elene, could not be expected to understand the myriad cultures of Tamuli, and therefore would need guidance and direction in his efforts to counter the schemes of our enemies. Emperor Sarabian, however, rejected this highly sensible approach and granted this foreigner almost total discretion in approaching such problems as arose.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nDespite our reservations about Prince Sparhawk, his queen and his companions, however, we must reluctantly concede that their presence in Matherion averted a disaster of the first order. Among the other structures in the imperial compound there is a perfect replica of an Elene castle, which was specifically designed to make Elene dignitaries feel at home. Queen Ehlana and her entourage were housed in that castle, and the relevance of that fact will soon become clear.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nIn some as yet to be determined fashion, Sir Sparhawk and his cohorts unearthed a plot here in Matherion to overthrow the government. Rather than report their findings to the Ministry of the Interior, however, the Elenes chose to keep their discovery to themselves and to permit the conspirators to pursue their plot to its final conclusion. When an armed mob approached the imperial compound on that fateful night, Prince Sparhawk and his companions simply withdrew into their Elene castle, taking the Emperor and the government inside with them. We Tamuls had not fully understood the fact that architecture can be a weapon. Unbeknownst to his Majesty\u2019s government, Sparhawk\u2019s Elenes had modified the castle to some degree and had quietly brought in stores, all the while secretly constructing the brutal implements with which Elenes do war. The mob, bent on the overthrow of the government, swept unimpeded into the imperial compound, and after a brief orgy of looting, it found itself confronted by an impregnable castle filled with ruthless Elene warriors who routinely utilize boiling pitch and fire to defend their strongholds. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nThe horrors of that night will remain forever etched on the memories of civilized men. As has long been the practise in Tamuli, many of the younger sons of the great houses of Tamul proper had joined with the rebels, more as a lark than out of any serious criminal intent. Always in the past these youthful offenders have been separated from the true criminals, severely reprimanded and then returned to their parents. Protected by rank and family, they have had little to fear from the authorities. Boiling pitch, however, is no respecter of rank, and a high-spirited young aristocrat soaked in naphtha will burn as quickly as the foulest knave from the gutter. Moreover, once the mob had entered the compound, the Elenes closed the main gates, effectively sealing all inside, the innocent as well as the guilty, and further horrors were inflicted on the unfortunates by rampaging Peloi horsemen. The brutal suppression of the uprising was completed when the compound gates were opened once again to admit fully twenty legions of Atans, savages from the mountains who had received no instruction whatsoever in the customary civilities. The Atans systematically butchered all in their paths. Many young nobles, dearly loved students at this very university, were cut down even as they displayed their badges of rank, which should have guaranteed them total immunity. Although decent men the world around must view this unbridled savagery with horror, we must reluctantly congratulate Sir Sparhawk and his companions. The uprising was crushed, nay, annihilated, by these Elene savages and the unrestrained Atans.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nHis Imperial Majesty\u2019s government, however, made few friends on that dreadful night. Although the atrocities were clearly of Elene origin, the fact that Sir Sparhawk was here in Matherion at the Emperor\u2019s express invitation has not been lost on the great houses of Tamul proper. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nTo further exacerbate the situation, the Elenes have seized upon the uprising as an excuse to send Patriarch Emban, a highranking member of the Elene clergy and ostensibly the spiritual advisor of Queen Ehlana, back to Chyrellos to urge the Archprelate to dispatch his Church Knights to Tamuli in force to a id in ‘restoring order’.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nPondia Subat, the Prime Minister, has privately confessed that he is growing more and more powerless, able only to watch helplessly as events move at an increasingly quickening pace. He has personally told this writer of his concerns. Foreign Minister Oscagne is clearly using his influence over the Emperor to manipulate the situation. The invitation to Sir Sparhawk to come to Tamuli was obviously but the first step in some wider and more deadly scheme. Utilizing the present turmoil in Tamuli, the Foreign Minister has manipulated the Emperor into providing the very opening Dolmant needed to justify an incursion in force onto the Daresian Continent.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nThis writer is fully convinced that the Empire faces the gravest threat in her long and glorious history. The willing cooperation of the Atans in the massacre within the imperial compound is clear evidence that not even their loyalty can be depended upon. To whom can we turn for aid? Where in all this world can we find a force sufficient to repel the savage minions of Dolmant of Chyrellos? Must the Empire in all her glory fall before the onslaught of the Elene zealots? I weep, my brothers, for the glory that must die. Fire-domed Matherion, the city of light, the home of truth and beauty, the center of the world, is doomed. The darkness descends, and there is little hope that morning will ever come again.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPart One – Cynesga<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nChapter 1<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nThe seasons were turning, and the long summer was winding down toward autumn. A tenuous mist hung in the streets of fire-domed Matherion. The moon had risen late, and its pale light starkly etched the opalescent towers and domes and imparted a soft glow to the fog lying in the streets. Matherion, all aglow, stood with her feet bathed in shining mist and her pale face lifted to the night sky.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nSparhawk was tired. The tensions of the past week and the climactic events which had resolved them had drained him, but he could not sleep. Wrapped in his black Pandion cloak, he stood on the parapet looking pensively out over the glowing city. He was tired, but his need to evaluate, to assess, to understand, was far too great to permit him to seek his bed and let his mind sink into the soft well of sleep until everything had been put into its proper place.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018What are you doing up here, Sparhawk?\u2019 Khalad spoke quietly, his voice so much like his father\u2019s that Sparhawk turned his head sharply to be sure that Kurik himself had not returned from the House of the Dead to chide him. Khalad was a plain-faced young man with thick shoulders and an abrupt manner. His family had served Sparhawk\u2019s for three generations now, and Khalad, like his father, customarily addressed his lord with a plain-spoken bluntness.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018I couldn\u2019t sleep,\u2019 Sparhawk replied with a brief shrug. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Your wife\u2019s got half the garrison out looking for you, you know.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nSparhawk grimaced. \u2018Why does she always have to do that?\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018It\u2019s your own fault. You know she\u2019s going to send people out after you anytime you go off without telling her where you\u2019ll be. you could save yourself\u2014and us\u2014a lot of time and trouble if you\u2019d just tell her in the first place. It seems to me that I\u2019ve suggested that several times already.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Don\u2019t bully me, Khalad. you\u2019re as bad as your father was.\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Sometimes good traits breed true. Would you like to go down and tell your wife that you\u2019re all right?\u2014before she calls in the workmen to start tearing down the walls?\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nSparhawk sighed. \u2018All right.\u2019 He turned away from the parapet. \u2018Oh, by the way, you probably ought to know that we\u2019ll be making a trip before long.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Oh? Where are we going?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018We have to go pick something up. Have a word with the farriers. Faran needs to be re-shod. He\u2019s scuffed his right front shoe down until it\u2019s as thin as paper.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018That\u2019s your fault, Sparhawk. He wouldn\u2019t do that if you\u2019d sit up straight in your saddle.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018We start to get crooked as we grow older. That\u2019s one of the things you have to look forward to.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Thanks. When are we leaving on this trip?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Just as soon as I can come up with a convincing enough lie to persuade my wife to let me go off without her.\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018We\u2019ve got plenty of time, then.\u2019 Khalad looked out across moon-washed Matherion standing in pale fog with the moonlight awakening the rainbows of fire in her naked shoulders. \u2018Pretty,\u2019 he noted.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Is that the best you can do? You look at the most fabulous city in the world and shrug it off as \u201cpretty\u201d.\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018I\u2019m not an aristocrat, Sparhawk. I don\u2019t have to invent flowery phrases to impress others\u2014or myself. Let\u2019s get you inside before the damp settles into your lungs. You crooked old people have delicate health sometimes.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nQueen Ehlana, pale and blonde and altogether lovely, was irritated more than angry; Sparhawk saw that immediately. He also saw that she had gone to some trouble to make herself as pretty as possible. Her dressing gown was dark blue satin, her cheeks had been carefully pinched to make them glow, and her hair was artfully arranged to give the impression of winsomely distracted dishevelment. She berated him about his lack of consideration in tones that might easily have made the trees cry and the very rocks shrink from her. Her cadences were measured, and her voice rose, then sank, as she told him exactly how she felt. Sparhawk concealed a smile. Ehlana was speaking to him on two levels at the same time as she stood in the center of the blue-draped royal apartment scolding him. Her words expressed extreme displeasure; her careful preparations, however, said something quite different.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nHe apologized.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nShe refused to accept his apology and stormed off to the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Spirited,\u2019 Sephrenia murmured. The small woman sat out of harm\u2019s way on the far side of the room, her white Styric robe glowing in the candlelight.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018You noticed,\u2019 Sparhawk smiled.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Does she do that often?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Oh, yes. She enjoys it. What are you doing up so late, little mother?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Aphrael wanted me to speak with you.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Why didn\u2019t she just come and talk with me herself? It\u2019s not as if she were way over on the other side of town.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018It\u2019s a formal sort of occasion, Sparhawk. I\u2019m supposed to speak for her at times like this.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Was that intended to make sense?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018It would if you were Styric. We\u2019re going to have to make some substitutions when we go to retrieve Bhelliom. Khalad can fill in for his father without any particular problem, but Tynian\u2019s decision to go back to Chyrellos with Emban really has Aphrael upset. Can you persuade him to change his mind?\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\nSparhawk shook his head.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018I wouldn\u2019t even try, Sephrenia. I\u2019m not going to cripple him for life just because Aphrael might miss him.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Is his arm really that bad?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018It\u2019s bad enough. That crossbow bolt went right through his shoulder joint. If he starts moving it around, it won\u2019t set right, and that\u2019s his sword arm.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Aphrael could fix it, you know.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Not without exposing her identity she couldn\u2019t, and I won\u2019t let her do that.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Won\u2019t let?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Ask her if she wants to endanger her mother\u2019s sanity just for the sake of symmetry. Substitute someone else. If Aphrael\u2019s willing to accept Khalad in place of Kurik, she should be able to pick someone else to fill in for Tynian. Why is it so important to her in the first place?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018You wouldn\u2019t understand.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Why don\u2019t you try to explain it anyway? I might surprise you.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018You\u2019re in an odd humor tonight.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018I\u2019ve just been scolded. That always makes me odd. Why does Aphrael think it\u2019s so important to always have the same group of people around her?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018It has to do with the feeling of it, Sparhawk. The presence of any given person is more than just the way he looks or the sound of his voice. It also involves the way he thinks\u2014and probably more important, the way he feels about Aphrael. She surrounds herself with that. When you bring in different people, you change the way it feels, and that throws her off balance.\u2019 She looked at him. \u2018You didn\u2019t understand a word of that, did you?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Yes, as a matter of fact I did. How about Vanion? He loves her as much as Tynian does, and she loves him too. He\u2019s been more or less with us in spirit since all this started anyway, and he is a knight, after all.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018Vanion? Don\u2019t be absurd, Sparhawk.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018He\u2019s not an invalid, you know. He was running foot-races back in Sarsos, and he was still as good as ever with his lance when we fought the Trolls.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n\u2018It\u2019s out of the question. I won\u2019t even discuss it.\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nHe crossed the room, took her wrists in his hands and kissed her palms.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I love you dearly, little mother,\u2019 he told her, \u2018but I\u2019m going to override you this time. You can\u2019t wrap Vanion in lamb\u2019s-wool for the rest of his life just because you\u2019re afraid he might scratch his finger. If you don\u2019t suggest him to Aphrael, I will.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nShe swore at him in Styric. \u2018Don\u2019t you understand, Sparhawk? I almost lost him.\u2019 Her heart was in her luminous blue eyes. \u2018I\u2019ll die if anything happens to him.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Nothing\u2019s going to happen to him. Are you going to ask Aphrael about it, or would you rather have me do it?\u2019 She swore at him again. \u2018Where did you ever learn that kind of language?\u2019 he asked mildly. \u2018If that takes care of our problem, I\u2019m a little overdue at the bedroom door.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I didn\u2019t quite follow that.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s time for the kissing and making up. There\u2019s supposed to be a certain rhythm to these things, and if I wait too long to soften Ehlana\u2019s displeasure, she\u2019ll begin to think I don\u2019t love her any more.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Do you mean her performance here tonight was nothing more than an invitation to the bedroom?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That might be putting it a little bluntly, but there was some of that involved, yes. Sometimes I get busy and forget to pay as much attention to her as I should. She\u2019ll only let that go on for just so long before she makes a speech. The speech reminds me that I\u2019ve been neglecting her. We kiss and make up, and everything\u2019s all right again.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Wouldn\u2019t it be simpler if she just came right out and told you in the first place without these elaborate games?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Probably, but it wouldn\u2019t be nearly as much fun for her. You\u2019ll excuse me?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Why do you always avoid me, Berit-Knight?\u2019 Empress Elysoun asked with a disconsolate little pout.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Your Highness misunderstands me,\u2019 Berit replied, flushing slightly and keeping his eyes averted.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Am I ugly, Berit-Knight?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Of course not, your Highness.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Then why don\u2019t you ever look at me?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s not considered polite among Elenes for a man to look at an undressed woman, your Highness.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019m not an Elene, Sir Knight. I\u2019m a Valesian, and I\u2019m not naked. I have plenty of clothes on. If you\u2019ll come to my chambers, I\u2019ll show you the difference.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSparhawk had been looking for Sir Berit to advise him of their upcoming journey, and he had just rounded a corner in the hallway leading to the chapel to find his young friend trapped once more by the Empress Elysoun. Since Emperor Sarabian\u2019s entire family was inside the castle as a security measure, Berit\u2019s escape routes had been seriously curtailed, and Elysoun had been taking advantage of the situation outrageously. The Emperor\u2019s Valesian wife was a brown-skinned, sunny girl whose native costume left her unashamedly bare-breasted. No matter how many times Sarabian had explained to Berit that customary moral strictures did not apply to Valesians, the young Knight remained steadfastly respectful\u2014and chaste. Elysoun had taken that as a challenge, and she had been pursuing the poor young man relentlessly. Sparhawk was just on the verge of speaking to his friend, but he smiled instead and stepped back round the corner to listen. He was the interim preceptor of the Pandion Order, after all, and it was his duty to look after the souls of his men.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Do you always have to be an Elene?\u2019 Elysoum was asking the knight.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I am an Elene, your highness.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018But you Elenes are so boring,\u2019 she said. \u2018Why don\u2019t you be Valesian for just one afternoon? It\u2019s much more fun, and it won\u2019t take very long, you know\u2014unless you want it to.\u2019 She paused. \u2018Are you really a virgin?\u2019 she asked curiously. Berit turned bright red.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nElysoun laughed delightedly. \u2018What an absurd idea,\u2019 she exclaimed. \u2018Aren\u2019t you even a little curious about what you\u2019ve been missing? I\u2019ll be happy to take that tiresome virginity off your hands, Berit-Knight\u2014and it won\u2019t even hurt very much.\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSparhawk took pity on the poor fellow and intervened at that point. \u2018Ah, there you are, Berit,\u2019 he said, stepping round the corner and speaking in Tamul for the Empress\u2019s benefit. \u2018I\u2019ve been looking all over for you. Something\u2019s come up that needs our attention.\u2019 He bowed to the Empress. \u2018Your Imperial highness,\u2019 he murmured, \u2018I\u2019m afraid I\u2019ll have to commandeer your friend here for a while. Matters of state, you know.\u2019 The look Elysoun gave him had daggers in it.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I was sure your highness would understand,\u2019 he said, bowing again. \u2018Come along, Berit. The matter\u2019s serious, and we\u2019re late.\u2019 He led his friend off down the opalescent corridor as Empress Elisoum glared after them.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Thanks, Sparhawk,\u2019 Berit said with relief. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Why don\u2019t you just stay away from her?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I can\u2019t. She follows me everywhere. She even trapped me in the bath-house once\u2014in the middle of the night. She said she wanted to bathe with me.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Berit,\u2019 Sparhawk smiled, \u2018as your preceptor and spiritual guide, I\u2019m supposed to applaud your devotion to the ideals of our order. As your friend, though; I have to tell you that running away from her only makes matters worse. We have to stay here in Matherion, and if we stay long enough, she will get you. She\u2019s very single-minded about it.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Yes, I\u2019ve noticed that.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018She\u2019s really quite pretty, you know,\u2019 Sparhawk suggested tentatively. \u2018What\u2019s your difficulty with the notion of being friendly?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Sparhawk!\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThe big Pandion sighed.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I was afraid you might look at it that way. Look, Berit, Elysoun comes from a different culture with different customs. She doesn\u2019t see this sort of thing as sin. Sarabian\u2019s made it quite clear that he wants some of us to accommodate her, and she\u2019s chosen you as the lucky man. It\u2019s a political necessity, so you\u2019re just going to have to set these delicate feelings aside. Look upon it as your knightly duty, if it makes you feel any better. I can even have Emban grant you an indulgence if you think it\u2019s necessary.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nBerit gasped.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You\u2019re starting to embarrass us,\u2019 Sparhawk said. \u2018Elysoun\u2019s been making Sarabian\u2019s life miserable about the whole thing. He won\u2019t step in and order you to do as she asks, no matter how much she nags him, but he quite obviously expects me to speak with you about it.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I can\u2019t believe you\u2019re saying this, Sparhawk.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Just go ahead and do it, Berit. Everybody expects you to. You don\u2019t have to enjoy it if you don\u2019t want to, but do it. Do it as often as you have to, but make her stop screaming at the Emperor. It\u2019s your duty, my friend, and after you and Elysoun have romped around the bedroom a few time\u2019s, she\u2019ll start looking for new playmates.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018But what if she doesn\u2019t?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I wouldn\u2019t worry too much. Patriarch Emban\u2019s got a whole saddle-bag full of indulgences if it should turn out that you really need them.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThe failed uprising had given Emperor Sarabian the perfect excuse to escape from his government. Feigning cowardice, he had flatly declared that he felt safe only within the walls of Ehlana\u2019s castle, and then only if the moat remained full and the drawbridge raised. His ministers, being accustomed to arranging his every move, found that terribly inconvenient. Sarabian had not been motivated entirely by a desire to breathe the air of relative freedom, however. Interior Minister Kolata had been revealed as a traitor during the coup-attempt, but Sarabian and his Elene friends had decided that the time was not yet right to publicly reveal his treachery. So long as the Emperor remained inside Ehlana\u2019s castle, Kolata\u2019s presence there as well was fully explained. He was in charge of the police, after all, and the protection of the Emperor was his paramount duty. The Interior Minister, closely supervised by Ehlana\u2019s cohorts, directed the police forces of the Empire from inside the walls. His meetings with his underlings were always just a trifle strained, since Stragen customarily sat beside him with one hand idly resting on the hilt of a dagger.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nIt was early one morning when Ambassador Norkan, the Tamul emissary to the court of King Androl and Queen Betuana of Atan, was escorted into the gleaming imitation throne-room in the castle. Norkan wore his usual golden mantle and a puzzled expression. Though he tried to conceal the fact, he quite obviously disapproved of the fact that his Emperor was dressed in western-style doublet and hose of a rich plum color. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Have you gone and stolen my Emperor too, Queen Ehlana?\u2019 he asked with a perfunctory bow. Norkan was a brilliant man, but he had an unfortunate tendency to speak his mind quite openly. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What a thing to say, your Excellency,\u2019 Ehlana protested mildly in nearly perfect Tamul. Ehlana was technically the hostess here, so she sat on her throne wearing her formal crimson robe and a golden crown. She turned to her imperial \u2018guest\u2019 who sprawled in a nearby chair slowly twitching a string across the opalescent floor for the entertainment of Princess Danae\u2019s cat. \u2018Have I stolen you, Sarabian?\u2019 she asked him.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Oh, absolutely, Ehlana,\u2019 he replied, speaking in Elenic. \u2018I\u2019m utterly in thrall to you.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Has someone opened a school for modern languages here on the grounds while I\u2019ve been gone, Oscagne?\u2019 Norkan asked.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I suppose you might say that,\u2019 the Foreign minister replied. \u2018His Majesty\u2019s proficiency in Elenic predates Queen Ehlana\u2019s visit, however. Our revered Emperor\u2019s been keeping secrets from us.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Is he allowed to do that? I thought he was supposed to be just a stuffed toy that we trotted out on ceremonial occasions.\u2019 Even Oscagne choked a bit on that, but Sarabian burst into laughter. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019ve missed you, Norkan,\u2019 he declared. \u2018Have you had the chance to get to know our excellent Norkan, Ehlana?\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I sampled his wit in Atana, Sarabian,\u2019 the queen smiled. \u2018His observations always seem so\u2014ah\u2014unexpected.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That they are,\u2019 Sarabian laughed, rising to his feet. He swore briefly as the rapier at his side briefly caught behind the leg of his chair. The Emperor had a great deal of difficulty with his rapier. \u2018Norkan once made one of those unexpected observations about the size of my sister\u2019s feet, and I had to send him off to Atan to keep her from having him murdered.\u2019 He cocked one eyebrow at the ambassador. \u2018I really should make you marry her, Norkan. Then you could insult her in private. Public insults require public responses, you know.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019m honored more than I can say, your Imperial Majesty,\u2019 Norkan replied. \u2018The prospect of becoming your brother-in-law is quite likely to stop my heart entirely.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You don\u2019t like my sister,\u2019 Sarabian accused.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I didn\u2019t say that, your Majesty, but I prefer to worship her from afar\u2014at least out of the range of her feet. That\u2019s what precipitated my unfortunate remark in the first place. I was gouty that day, and she stepped on my toe. She\u2019d be a nice enough girl, I suppose, if she\u2019d only watch where she\u2019s putting those cattle barges she wears for shoes.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It wouldn\u2019t be one of those marriages made in heaven, Sarabian,\u2019 Ehlana smiled. \u2018I\u2019ve met your sister, and I\u2019m afraid his Excellency\u2019s wit would be lost on her.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You might be right, my dear,\u2019 Sarabian agreed. \u2018I\u2019d really like to get rid of her, though. She\u2019s irritated me since the day she was born. What are you doing back here in Matherion, Norkan?\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nOne of Ambassador Norkan\u2019s eyebrows shot up. \u2018Things have changed, haven\u2019t they, Oscagne? Are we supposed to tell him to his face what\u2019s really going on?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Emperor Sarabian\u2019s decided to take charge of his own government, my friend,\u2019 Oscagne sighed mournfully.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Isn\u2019t that against the law?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Afraid not, old boy.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Would you consider accepting my resignation?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018No, not really.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Don\u2019t you want to work for me any more, Norkan?\u2019 Sarabian asked.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I have nothing against you personally, your Majesty, but if you decide to actually meddle in government, the whole Empire could collapse.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Marvelous, Norkan. I love the way you start talking before you\u2019ve saddled up your brains. You see, Ehlana? That\u2019s what I was telling you about. The officials in my government all expect me to smile regally, approve their recommendations without question, and leave the business of running things to them.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018How boring.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Indeed it is, my dear, but I\u2019m going to change it. Now that I\u2019ve seen a real ruler in action, whole new horizons have been opened to me. You still haven\u2019t answered my question, Norkan What brings you back to Matherion?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018The Atans are growing restive, your Majesty.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Are the recent disturbances starting to erode their loyalty?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018No, your Majesty, quite the reverse. The uprising has them all excited. Androl wants to move out in force to occupy Matherion in order to guarantee your safety. I don\u2019t think we want that. The Atans don\u2019t pay too much attention to rank or position when they decide to kill people.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We noticed that,\u2019 Sarabian replied dryly. \u2018I\u2019ve received all sorts of petitions of protest from the noble houses of Tamul proper as a result of the measures Engessa took to put down the coup.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019ve spoken with Betuana, your Majesty,\u2019 Norkan continued.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018She\u2019s promised to shorten her husband\u2019s leash until I get some instructions from you. Something short and to the point like, \u201cSit! Stay!\u201d might be appropriate, considering Androl\u2019s mental capabilities.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018How did you ever get to be a diplomat, Norkan?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I lied a lot.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018A suggestion, Emperor Sarabian?\u2019 Tynian offered. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Go ahead, Sir Tynian.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We don\u2019t really want to ruffle King Androl\u2019s feathers, so a suggestion to him that he\u2019s being held in place to meet a far greater threat might be preferable to just sending him to bed without any supper.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSarabian laughed. \u2018What a novel way to put it, Sir Tynian. All right, Norkan, send Engessa.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nNorkan blinked.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Pay attention man,\u2019 Sarabian snapped.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That\u2019s something you\u2019ll have to get used to, Norkan,\u2019 Oscagne advised. \u2018The Emperor sometimes takes verbal shortcuts.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Oh. I see.\u2019 Norkan thought about it. \u2018Might I ask why Atan Engessa would be better qualified to carry out your instructions than I would, your Majesty?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Because Engessa can run faster than you can, and he\u2019ll be able to put our commands to Androl in language far more acceptable to him. There\u2019s also the fact that using Engessa hints at a military reason for the decision, and that should smooth Androl\u2019s feathers all the more. You can explain our real reasons to Betuana when you get back.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You know something, Oscagne?\u2019 Norkan said. \u2018He might just work out all right after all\u2014if we can keep him from making too many blunders right at the outset.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nOscagne winced.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSparhawk touched Vanion\u2019s shoulder and motioned with his head. The two of them drifted back to the rear of the throne-room. \u2018I\u2019ve got a problem, Vanion,\u2019 Sparhawk muttered. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Oh?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019ve racked my brains to come up with an excuse for us to get out of Matherion for long enough to retrieve the Bhelliom, but I haven\u2019t had a single idea that a child wouldn\u2019t be able to see through. Ehlana\u2019s not stupid, you know.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018No, that she isn\u2019t.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Aphrael won\u2019t say anything definite, but I get the strong feeling that she wants us to sail on the same ship with Emban and Tynian, and I\u2019m starting to run out of excuses to keep delaying their departure. Any ideas?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Ask Oscagne to help you,\u2019 Vanion shrugged. \u2018He\u2019s a diplomat, so lying comes second nature to him.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Nice idea, but I can\u2019t really tell him where we\u2019re going and what we\u2019re going to do when we get there, can I?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Don\u2019t tell him, then. just tell him that you need a reason to be out of town for a while. Put on a gravely mysterious face and let it go at that. Oscagne\u2019s been around for long enough to recognize the symptoms of official reticence when he sees them.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Why didn\u2019t I think of that?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Probably because your oath keeps getting in your way. I know that you\u2019ve sworn to tell the truth, but that doesn\u2019t mean that you have to tell the whole truth. You can leave things out, you know. Leaving things out is one of the prerequisites of the office of Preceptor.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSparhawk sighed. \u2018Back to school, I see. I think I\u2019m doomed to spend my whole life getting instructions from you\u2014and being made to feel inadequate in the process.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That\u2019s what friends are for, Sparhawk.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You\u2019re not going to tell me, are you?\u2019 Sparhawk tried very hard to keep it from sounding like an accusation. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Not yet, no,\u2019 Princess Danae replied, carefully tying a doll\u2019s bonnet on her cat\u2019s head. Mmrr did not appear to care for the idea, but she endured her mistress\u2019s little game with a look of resignation.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Why not?\u2019 Sparhawk asked his daughter, flopping down into one of the blue armchairs in the royal apartment. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Because something might still come up to make it unnecessary. You\u2019re not going to find Bhelliom until I decide to let you find it, father.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You want us to sail with Tynian and Emban, though?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Yes.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018How far?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It doesn\u2019t really matter. I just need Tynian with us when we first set out, that\u2019s all.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Then you don\u2019t really have any set destination in mind\u2014with that ship, I mean?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Of course not. I just need Tynian to be along for a couple of days. We can go out to sea for a couple of leagues and then sail around in circles for two days if you want. It\u2019s all the same to me.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Thanks,\u2019 he said acidly.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018No charge. There.\u2019 She held up the cat. \u2018Isn\u2019t she darling in her new bonnet?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Adorable.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nMmrr gave Sparhawk a flat look of pure hatred.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I can\u2019t tell you why at the moment, your Excellency,\u2019 Sparhawk said to Oscagne later that same day when they were alone in one of the hallways. \u2018All I can say is that I need a reason to be away from Matherion with a group of nine or ten of my friends for an indeterminate period of time\u2014several weeks or so. It has to be significant enough to convince my wife that it\u2019s necessary, but not so serious as to worry her, and I have to sail on the same ship with Emban and Tynian.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018All right,\u2019 Oscagne agreed. \u2018How good an actor are you, Prince Sparhawk?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I don\u2019t think anybody\u2019d pay money to watch me perform.\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nOscagne let that pass.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I gather that this ploy is primarily intended for your wife\u2019s benefit?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Yes.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Then it might be best if the idea of sending you off someplace came from her. I\u2019ll maneuver her into ordering you off on some inconsequential errand, and you can take it from there.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019d really like to see you try to maneuver Ehlana.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Trust me, old boy. Trust me.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Tega?\u2019 Sarabian asked his foreign minister incredulously. \u2018The only superstition they have on the Isle of Tega is the one that says that it\u2019s bad luck not to raise the price of sea-shells every year.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018They\u2019ve never mentioned it to us in the past because they were probably afraid we\u2019d think they were being silly, your Majesty,\u2019 Oscagne replied urbanely. Oscagne looked decidedly uncomfortable in the blue doublet and hose Sarabian had ordered him to wear. He couldn\u2019t seem to think of anything to do with his hands, and he appeared to be very self-conscious about his bony legs. \u2018The word \u201csilly\u201d seems to strike at the very core of the Tegan soul. They\u2019re the stuffiest people in the world.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I know. Gahenas, my Tegan wife, can put me to sleep almost immediately\u2014even when we\u2019re…\u2019 The Emperor threw a quick look at Ehlana and left it hanging.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Tegans have raised being boring to an art form, your Majesty,\u2019 Oscagne agreed. \u2018Anyway, there\u2019s an old Tegan myth to the effect that the oyster-beds are haunted by a mermaid. Supposedly she eats oysters, shells and all, and that really upsets the Tegans. She also seduces Tegan divers, who tend to drown during the exchange of pleasantries.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Isn\u2019t a mermaid supposed to be half-girl and half-fish?\u2019 Ulath asked.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018So the legend goes,\u2019 Oscagne replied.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018And isn\u2019t she supposed to be a fish from the waist down?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019ve been told so, yes.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Then how… ?\u2019 Ulath also looked quickly at Ehlana and then abruptly broke off.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018How what, Sir Ulath?\u2019 Ehlana asked him innocently.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s\u2014ah\u2014not really important, your Majesty,\u2019 he replied with an embarrassed cough.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I wouldn\u2019t even raise this absurd myth, your Majesties,\u2019 Oscagne said to Sarabian and Ehlana, \u2018except in the light of recent developments. The parallels between the vampires in Arjuna, the Shining Ones in southern Atan, and the werewolves, ghouls and Ogres in other parts of the Empire are really rather striking, wouldn\u2019t you say? I\u2019d imagine that if someone were to go to Tega and ask around, he might hear stories about some pre-historic pearl-diver who\u2019s been resurrected and also find that some rabble-rouser\u2019s telling the Tegans that this hero and his half-fish, half-human mistress are going to lead the oysters in a mass assault on Matherion.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018How droll,\u2019 Sarabian murmured.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Sorry, your Majesty,\u2019 Oscagne apologized. \u2018What I\u2019m getting at here is that we\u2019ve probably got some relatively inexperienced conspirator on Tega. He\u2019s just getting started, so he\u2019s bound to make mistakes\u2014but experienced or not, he knows a great deal about the whole conspiracy. Since our friends here won\u2019t let us question Kolata too closely, we have to look elsewhere for information.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We\u2019re not being delicate about the Minister of the Interior, your Excellency,\u2019 Kalten told him.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s just that we\u2019ve seen what happens to prisoners who are on the verge of talking too much. Kolata\u2019s still useful to us, but only as long as he stays in one piece. He won\u2019t be much good if little chunks and globs of him get scattered all over the building.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nOscagne shuddered. \u2018I\u2019ll take your word for it, Sir Kalten. At any rate, your Majesty, if some of our Elene friends here could go to Tega and put their hands on this fellow and talk with him before our enemy can dismantle him, they could probably persuade him to tell us everything he knows. Sir Sparhawk has some ambitions along those lines, I understand. He wants to find out if he can wring somebody out hard enough to make his hair bleed.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You have a very graphic imagination, Sparhawk,\u2019 Sarabian noted. \u2018What do you think, Ehlana? Can you spare your husband for a while? If he and some of his knights went to Tega and held the entire island under water for a couple of hours, God only knows what kind of information might come bubbling to the surface.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That\u2019s a very good idea, Sarabian. Sparhawk, why don\u2019t you take some of our friends, run on down to the Isle of Tega, and see what you can find out?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019d really rather not be separated from you, dear,\u2019 he replied with feigned reluctance.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That\u2019s very sweet, Sparhawk, but we do have responsibilities, you know.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Are you ordering me to go, Ehlana?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You don\u2019t have to put it that way, Sparhawk. It\u2019s only a suggestion, after all.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018As my Queen commands,\u2019 he sighed, putting on a melancholy expression.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nChapter 2<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nEmpress Gahenas was a Tegan lady of middle years with a severe expression and tightly pursed lips. She wore a plain gray gown, buttoned to the chin, and long-sleeved gloves of scratchy wool. Her hair was drawn so tightly back into a bun that it made her eyes bulge, and her ears protruded from the sides of her head like open barn doors. Empress Gahenas disapproved of everything, that much was clear from the outset. She had come to Sparhawk\u2019s study to provide background information on the Isle of Tega, but she did not come alone. the Empress Gahenas never went anywhere without her four chaperones, a cluster of ancient Tegan hags who perched on a varnished bench like a row of gargoyles.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nIt was a warm day in early autumn, but the sunlight streaming in through the window of Sparhawk\u2019s study seemed to grow wan and sickly when Empress Gahenas entered with the stern guardians of her virtue.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nShe spent an hour lecturing Sparhawk on the gross national product of her homeland in a tone that strongly suggested that she was going to give a test at the conclusion of the lecture. Sparhawk fought to keep from yawning. He was not really interested in production figures or labor costs. What he really wanted from the jug-eared Empress were little details of ordinary life on the Isle to flesh out the series of letters he was writing to his wife\u2014letters which were to be doled out to Ehlana to help sustain the fiction that he and his friends were tracking down ring-leaders and other conspirators who were concealed among the general population.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Ah…\u2019 he interrupted Gahenas\u2019s droning monologue, \u2018this is absolutely fascinating, your Highness, but could we go back for a moment to the island\u2019s form of government? That really has me baffled.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Tega is a republic, Prince Sparhawk. Our rulers are elected to their positions every five years. It\u2019s been that way for twenty-five centuries.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Your officials aren\u2019t elected for life?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Of course not. Who would want a job like that for life?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018No one ever develops a hunger for power?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018The government has no power, Prince Sparhawk. It exists only to carry out the will of the electorate.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Why five years?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Because nobody wants to be away from his own affairs for longer than that.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What happens if a man\u2019s re-elected?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That\u2019s contrary to the law. No one serves more than one term in office.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Let\u2019s suppose somebody turned out to be an absolute genius in a particular position? Wouldn\u2019t you want to keep him there?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We\u2019ve never found anyone that indispensable.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It seems to me that the system would encourage corruption. If a man knows he\u2019s going to be thrown out of office after five years, what\u2019s to keep him from manipulating his official decisions to further his own interests\u2014later on, I mean?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Quite impossible, Prince Sparhawk. Our elected officials have no outside interests. As soon as they\u2019re elected, everything they own is sold, and the money\u2019s put into the national treasury. If the economy prospers during their term in office, their wealth earns them a profit. If the economy collapses, they lose everything.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That\u2019s absurd. No government ever makes a profit.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Ours does,\u2019 she said smugly, \u2018and it has to be a real profit. The tax rates are set and cannot be changed, so our officials can\u2019t generate a false profit by simply raising taxes.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Why would anyone want to be an official in a government like that?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Nobody wants to be, Prince Sparhawk. Most Tegans do everything they possibly can to avoid election. The fact that a man\u2019s own personal fortune\u2019s in the treasury forces him to work just as hard as he possibly can to make sure that the government prospers. Many have worked themselves to death looking after the interests of the Republic.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I think I\u2019d run away from an honor like that one.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That\u2019s really quite impossible, your Highness. Just as soon as a man\u2019s name\u2019s placed in nomination for a public office, he\u2019s put under guard, and if he\u2019s elected, he remains under close guard for his entire term. The Republic makes absolutely sure that nobody evades his responsibilities to her.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018The Republic\u2019s a stern mistress.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018She is indeed, Prince Sparhawk, and that\u2019s exactly the way it should be.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThough his companions chafed at the delay, Sparhawk put off their departure for two more days while he feverishly composed the letters to Ehlana. The progress of the fictitious investigation had to be convincing, certainly, and at least moderately interesting. Sparhawk wove false leads, plots and unsolved mysteries into his account. He became increasingly absorbed in the developing story, sometimes becoming so caught up in it that he lost sight of the fact that the events he was reporting were not actually taking place. He became rather proud of his efforts, and he began to revise extensively, adding a touch here and modifying a poorly phrased passage there, until he unwittingly crossed the line between careful artistry and sheer fussiness. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018They\u2019re good enough, Sparhawk,\u2019 Vanion said to him after reading through the letters on the evening of the second day. Vanion was rather pointedly wearing the plain tunic and heavy riding boots Pandions customarily put on before making an extended journey.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You don\u2019t think it\u2019s too obvious?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s fine just the way it is.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Maybe I should rework that third letter. It seems awfully weak to me for some reason.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You\u2019ve written it four times already. It\u2019s good enough.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019m really not happy with it, Vanion.\u2019 Sparhawk took the offending letter from his friend and ran through it once more, automatically reaching for his pen as he read. Vanion firmly took the letter away from him. \u2018Let me just fix that last paragraph,\u2019 Sparhawk pleaded. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018No.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018But…\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018NO!\u2019 Vanion put the letter back in its proper place, folded the packet, and tucked it inside his doublet. \u2018Oscagne\u2019s sending Norkan along with us,\u2019 he said. \u2018We\u2019ll give the letters to him, and he can sort of dribble them back here to Ehlana. Norkan\u2019s shrewd enough to space them out just enough to keep her from getting suspicious. The ship\u2019s been ready for a week now, and Emban\u2019s getting impatient. We\u2019ll sail with the morning tide.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I think I know what I did wrong,\u2019 Sparhawk said. \u2018I can fix that third letter in no more than an hour or two.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018No, Sparhawk. Absolutely not.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Are you sure she\u2019s asleep?\u2019 Sparhawk whispered. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Of course I am, father,\u2019 Princess Danae replied. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018The slightest sound will wake her up, you know. She can hear a fly walking across the ceiling.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Not tonight she can\u2019t. I\u2019ve seen to that.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I hope you know what you\u2019re doing, Danae. She knows every tiny little mark on that ring. If there\u2019s the slightest difference between it and this new one, she\u2019ll notice it immediately.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Oh, father, you worry too much. I\u2019ve done this before, after all. Ghwerig made the rings, and I still fooled him. I\u2019ve been stealing those rings for thousands of years. Believe me, mother will never know the difference.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Is this really necessary?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Yes. Bhelliom\u2019s useless to you without both rings, and you may need it almost as soon as we lift it from the sea-floor.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Why?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nShe rolled her eyes upward and sighed. \u2018Because the whole world will shift just as soon as Bhelliom moves. When you were carrying it to Zemoch, the world quivered around like a plate of jelly the whole time. My family and I really don\u2019t like it when Bhelliom moves. It makes some of us queasy.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Will our enemies out there be able to pinpoint our location from that?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nShe shook her head. \u2018It\u2019s too generalized. Every God in the world\u2019s going to know when Bhelliom starts to move, though, and we can be absolutely sure that at least some of them will come looking for it. Can we talk about this some other time?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What do you want me to do?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Just stand watch at the bedroom door. I don\u2019t like having an audience when I\u2019m stealing things.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You sound just like Talen.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Naturally. He and I were made for each other. It was the Gods who invented theft in the first place.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You\u2019re not serious.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Of course. We steal things from each other all the time. It\u2019s a game. Did you think we just sat around on clouds basking in adoration? We have to do something to pass the time. You should try it sometime, father. It\u2019s lots of fun.\u2019 She looked around furtively, crouched low and reached for the bedroom door-handle. \u2018Keep a lookout, Sparhawk. Whistle if you hear anybody coming.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThey all gathered in the sitting room of the royal apartment the following morning to receive their final instructions from Emperor Sarabian and Queen Ehlana. It was a formality, really. Everybody knew what they were supposed to do already, so they sat in the sunlit room making generalized small-talk and cautioning each other to be careful. People who are parting from each other do that a lot.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nAlcan, Queen Ehlana\u2019s doe-eyed maid, was in the next room, and she was singing. Her voice was clear and sweet and true, and all conversation in the sitting room broke off as she sang.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s like listening to an angel,\u2019 Patriarch Emban murmured. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018The girl has a truly magnificent voice,\u2019 Sarabian agreed.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018She already has the court musicians in near-despair.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018She seems a bit sad this morning,\u2019 Kalten said, two great tears glistening in his eyes.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSparhawk smiled faintly. Kalten had preyed on maids since he had been a young man, and few had been able to resist his blandishments. This time, however, the shoe was on the other foot. Alcan was not singing for her own entertainment. The brown-eyed girl was singing for an audience of one, and her song, dealing as it did with the sorrows of parting, filled Kalten\u2019s eyes. She sang of broken hearts and other extravagances in a very old Elenian ballad entitled \u2018My Bonnie Blue-Eyed Boy\u2019. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThen Sparhawk noticed that Baroness Melidere, Queen\u2019 Ehlana\u2019s lady-in-waiting, was also watching Kalten very closely. Melldere\u2019s eyes met Sparhawk\u2019s and she slowly winked. Sparhawk almost laughed aloud. He was clearly not the only one who was aware of Alcan\u2019s subtle campaign.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You will write, won\u2019t you, Sparhawk?\u2019 Ehlana said. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Of course I will,\u2019 he replied.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I can virtually guarantee that, your Majesty,\u2019 Vanion said. \u2018If you give him just a little time, Sparhawk\u2019s a great letter-writer. He devotes enormous amounts of time and effort to his correspondence.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Tell me everything, Sparhawk,\u2019 the queen urged. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Oh he will, your Majesty, he will,\u2019 Vanion assured her. \u2018He\u2019ll probably tell you more than you ever really wanted to know about the Isle of Tega.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Critic,\u2019 Sparhawk muttered under his breath. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Please don\u2019t be too vivid in your description of our situation here, your Grace,\u2019 Sarabian was saying to Emban. \u2018Don\u2019t make Dolmant think that my empire\u2019s falling down around my ears.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Isn\u2019t it, your Majesty?\u2019 EMBAN replied with some surprise.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I thought that was why I was dashing back to Chyrellos to fetch the Church Knights.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Well, maybe it is, but don\u2019t destroy my dignity entirely.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Dolmant\u2019s very wise, your Majesty,\u2019 Emban assured him. \u2018He understands the language of diplomacy.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Oh, really?\u2019 Ehlana said with heavy sarcasm.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Should I convey your Majesty\u2019s greetings to the Archprelate as well?\u2019 Emban asked her.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Of course. Tell him that I\u2019m desolate at being separated from him\u2014particularly in view of the fact that I can\u2019t keep an eye on him. You might also advise him that a little-known Elenian statute clearly says that I have to ratify any agreements he makes with the Earl of Lenda during my absence. Tell him not to get too comfortable in those pieces of my kingdom he\u2019s been snipping off since I left, because I\u2019ll just take them back again as soon as I get home.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Does she do this all the time, Sparhawk?\u2019 Sarabian asked. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Oh yes, all the time, your Majesty. The Archprelate bites off all his fingernails every time a letter from her reaches the Basilica.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It keeps him young,\u2019 Ehlana shrugged. She rose to her feet. \u2018Now, friends,\u2019 she said, \u201cI hope you\u2019ll excuse my husband and me for a few moments so that we can say our goodbyes privately. Come along, Sparhawk,\u2019 she commanded.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Yes, my queen.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThe morning fog had lifted, and the sun was very bright as their ship sailed out of the harbor and heeled over to take a southeasterly course which would round the southern tip of the Micaen peninsula to the Isle of Tega. The ship was well appointed, although she was of a slightly alien configuration. Khalad did not entirely approve of her, finding fault with her rigging and the slant of her masts.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nIt was about noon when Vanion came up on deck to speak with Sparhawk, who was leaning on the rail watching the coastline slide by. They were both wearing casual clothing, since there is no real need for formal garb on board ship. \u2018Sephrenia wants us all in the main cabin,\u2019 the Preceptor told his friend. \u2018It\u2019s time for one of those startling revelations we\u2019ve all come to love and adore. Why don\u2019t you round up the others and bring them on down?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You\u2019re in a peculiar humor,\u2019 Sparhawk noted. \u2018What\u2019s the problem?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Sephrenia\u2019s being excessively Styric today,\u2019 Vanion shrugged. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That one escaped me.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You know the signs, Sparhawk\u2014the mysterious expression, the cryptic remarks, the melodramatic pauses, the superior manner.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Have you two been fighting?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nVanion laughed. \u2018Never that, my friend. It\u2019s just that we all have little quirks and idiosyncrasies that irritate our loved ones sometimes. Sephrenia\u2019s having one of her quirky days.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I won\u2019t tell her you said that, of course.\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nVanion shrugged. \u2018She already knows how I feel. We\u2019ve discussed it in the past\u2014at length. Sometimes she does it just to tease me. Go get the others, Sparhawk. Let\u2019s not give her too much time to perfect this performance.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThey all gathered in the main salon below decks, a cabin which was part dining room and part lounge. Sephrenia had not put in her appearance as yet and, after a few moments, Sparhawk understood what Vanion had been talking about. A familiar sound began to emerge from the lady\u2019s cabin. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Flute?\u2019 Talen exclaimed in astonishment, his voice cracking in that peculiar adolescent yodel which afflicts human males at the onset of puberty.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSparhawk had wondered how Aphrael intended to get round the rather sticky problem of explaining her identity. To have appeared to the others as Princess Danae would quite obviously have been out of the question. Flute was quite another matter. His friends all recognized Flute as Aphrael, and that would eliminate the need for extended explanations. Sparhawk sighed as a rather melancholy thought occurred to him. He realized sadly that he didn\u2019t know what his daughter really looked like. That dear little face which was engraved on his mind almost as deeply as Ehlana\u2019s was only one in a long line of incarnations\u2014one of thousands, more than likely.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThen the door to Sephrenia\u2019s cabin opened, and the small Styric woman emerged with a smile that made her face look like the sun coming up, and with her little sister in her arms. Flute, of course, was unchanged\u2014and unchangeable. She appeared to be no more than six years old\u2014precisely the same age as Danae. Sparhawk immediately rejected the possibility of coincidence. Where Aphrael was concerned, there were no coincidences. She wore the same short linen smock belted at the waist and the same plaited grass headband that she had been wearing when they had first met her. Her long hair was as black as night, and her large eyes nearly as dark. Her little bare feet were grass-stained. She held a simple many-chambered set of goatherd\u2019s pipes to her bow-like lips, and her song was Styric, set in a complex minor key.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What a pretty child,\u2019 Ambassador Norkan observed, \u2018but is it really a good idea to take her along on this mysterious mission of yours, Prince Sparhawk? I gather there might be some danger involved.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Not now there won\u2019t be, your Excellency,\u2019 Ulath grinned.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nChapter 3<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nEhlana and Sarabian had gone to the top of the central tower of the glowing castle, ostensibly to admire the sunset. Despite the fact that the castle was firmly in Elene hands, there were still enough Tamuls inside the walls to require a certain amount of care when the two wanted to speak privately.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It all comes down to the question of power, Sarabian,\u2019 Ehlana told the Emperor in a pensive voice. \u2018The fact that it\u2019s there has to be the central fact of our lives. We can either take it into our own hands, or leave it lying around unused, but if we choose not to use it, we can be sure that someone else will.\u2019 Her tone was subdued and her pale young face almost somber. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You\u2019re in a melancholy humor today, Ehlana,\u2019 Sarabian noted.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I don\u2019t like being separated from Sparhawk. There were too many years of that after Aldreas exiled him. The point I was getting at is that you\u2019re going to have to be very firm so that the people in your government will understand that things have changed. What you\u2019ll really be doing here is seizing power. That\u2019s an act of revolution, you know.\u2019 She smiled faintly. \u2018You\u2019re almost too civilized to be a revolutionary, Sarabian. Are you really sure you want to overthrow the government?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Good God, Ehlana, it\u2019s my government, and the power was mine in the first place.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018But you didn\u2019t use it. You were lazy and self-indulgent, and you let it slip away. Your ministers have filched your authority bit by bit. Now you\u2019re going to have to wrest it back from them. People don\u2019t willingly give up power, so you\u2019ll probably have to kill some of your ministers in order to prove to the rest that you\u2019re serious.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That\u2019s the ultimate expression of power, Sarabian, and your situation here requires a certain ruthlessness. You\u2019re going to have to spill some blood in order to get your government\u2019s attention.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I don\u2019t think I can do that,\u2019 Sarabian said in a troubled tone. \u2018Oh, I know I\u2019ve blustered and made threats a few times, but I couldn\u2019t actually order someone killed.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That\u2019s up to you, but you\u2019ll lose if you don\u2019t, and that means that they\u2019ll kill you.\u2019 She considered it. \u2018They\u2019ll probably kill you anyway,\u2019 she added, \u2018but at least you\u2019ll die for something important. Knowing that they\u2019re going to kill you in the end might help you make some unpleasant decisions at the outset. Once you get past your first couple of killings, it grows easier. I speak from a certain amount of experience on the subject, since almost exactly the same thing happened to me. Primate Annias completely controlled my government when I came to the throne, and I had to try to take my power back from him.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You\u2019re the one who\u2019s been talking so freely about killing, Ehlana. Why didn\u2019t you kill Annias?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nShe laughed a brittle, chilling little laugh.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It wasn\u2019t because I didn\u2019t want to, believe me, but I was too weak. Annias had very carefully stripped the crown of all its authority. I had some help from Lord Vanion and his Pandion Knights, but Annias had control of the army and the church soldiers. I killed a few of his underlings, but I couldn\u2019t get to him. He knew I was trying, though, and that\u2019s why he poisoned me. Annias was really a very good politician. He knew exactly when the time for killing had arrived.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You sound almost as if you admired him.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I hated him, but he was very good.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Well, I haven\u2019t killed anybody yet, so I can still step back from this.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You\u2019re wrong there. You\u2019ve already drawn your dagger, so you\u2019re going to have to use it. You crushed that uprising, and you\u2019ve imprisoned the Minister of the Interior. That\u2019s the same thing as a declaration of war, you know.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You did those things,\u2019 he accused her.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Yes, but I was acting on your behalf, so it\u2019s the same thing\u2014at least in the eyes of your enemies. You\u2019re in a great deal of danger now, you know. You\u2019ve let your government know that you\u2019re going to seize back the power you let slip away. If you don\u2019t start killing people\u2014and very, very soon\u2014you probably won\u2019t live out the month. You\u2019d be dead already if it weren\u2019t for the fact that you\u2019ve taken refuge in this castle.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You\u2019re starting to frighten me, Ehlana.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018God knows I\u2019ve been trying. Like it or not, Sarabian, you\u2019re committed now.\u2019 She looked around. The sun was sinking into the cloud-bank building up over the mountains lying to the west, and its ruddy glow was reflecting from the mother-of-pearl domes of Matherion. \u2018Look at your city, Sarabian,\u2019 she told him, \u2018and contemplate the reality of politics. Before you\u2019re done, that red splashed all over the domes won\u2019t just be the reflection of the sunset.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That\u2019s blunt enough,\u2019 he said, his jaw taking on an unfamiliar set. \u2018All right, how many people do I have to kill in order to ensure my own safety?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You don\u2019t have that many knives, my friend. Even if you butcher everybody in Matherion, you\u2019ll still be in danger. You might as well accept the fact that you\u2019re going to be in danger for the rest of your life.\u2019 She smiled at him. \u2018Actually, it\u2019s kind of exciting\u2014once you get used to it.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Well, sir, yer Queenship,\u2019 Caalador drawled, \u2018it\u2019s all purty much th\u2019 way we wuz a-thankin\u2019 it wuz. Thet thar Krager feller, he wuz a-tellin\u2019 ol\u2019 Sporhawk th\u2019 ak-chool truth. Me\u2019n Stragen, we bin a-twistin\u2019 the arms an\u2019 a-settin\u2019 fahr t\u2019 the feet o\u2019 them fellers oz wuz picked up durin\u2019 the coop… \u2018 He stopped. \u2018Would your Majesty be too disappointed if I spoke like a human being for a while? That dialect\u2019s starting to dislocate my jaw.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Not to mention the violence it\u2019s doing to the mother tongue,\u2019 Stragen murmured.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThe three of them had gathered together in a small, blue-draped room adjoining the royal apartment later that same evening. Ehlana and Stragen were still dressed for dinner, she in crimson velvet and he in white satin. Caalador wore the sober brown of a businessman. The room had been carefully checked several times to be sure that no hidden listening posts lurked behind the walls, and Mirtai grimly stood watch outside the door.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018With the exception of\u2019 Interior Minister Kolata, we didn\u2019t scoop up anybody of any significance,\u2019 Caalador continued, \u2018and none of our other prisoners really knows very much. I\u2019m afraid we don\u2019t have much choice, your Majesty. We\u2019re going to have to go to work on Kolata if we want anything useful.\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nEhlana shook her head. \u2018You won\u2019t get anything out of him either, Caalador. He\u2019ll be killed as soon as he opens his mouth.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We don\u2019t know that for certain, my Queen,\u2019 Stragen disagreed. \u2018It\u2019s entirely possible that our subterfuge has worked, you know. I really don\u2019t believe that the other side knows that he\u2019s a prisoner here. His policemen are still getting their orders from him.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018He\u2019s too valuable to risk,\u2019 she said. \u2018Once he\u2019s been torn to pieces, he\u2019ll be very hard to put back together again.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018If that\u2019s the way you want it, your Majesty,\u2019 Caalador shrugged. \u2018Anyway, it\u2019s growing increasingly obvious that this uprising was a pure hoax. Its only purpose was to compel us to reveal our strength. What concerns me the most is the fact that Krager and his friends obviously knew that we were using the criminals of Matherion as our eyes and ears. I\u2019m sorry, Stragen, but it\u2019s the truth.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It was such a good idea,\u2019 Stragen sighed.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It was all right at first, but the trouble with it was that Krager\u2019s seen it before. Talen told me that your friend Platime used to have whole crowds of beggars, whores and pick-pockets following Krager around. The best idea in the world wears a little thin if you over-use it.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nStragen rose to his feet muttering curses, and began to pace up and down in the small room with his white satin doublet gleaming in the candlelight.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It looks as if I\u2019ve failed you, my Queen,\u2019 he admitted. \u2018I let a good idea run away with me. You couldn\u2019t really trust my judgement after a blunder like that, so I\u2019ll make arrangements to go back to Emsat.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Oh, don\u2019t be an ass, Stragen,\u2019 she told him. \u2018And do sit down. I can\u2019t think while you\u2019re clumping around the room like that.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018She shore knows how t\u2019 put a feller in his place, don\u2019t she, Stragen?\u2019 Caalador laughed.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nEhlana sat tapping one finger thoughtfully against her chin. \u2018First of all, let\u2019s keep this in the family. Sarabian\u2019s already getting a bit wild-eyed. Politically, he\u2019s an infant. I\u2019m trying to raise him as quickly as I can, but I can only move him just so fast.\u2019 She made a sour face. \u2018I have to stop every so often to burp him.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Now that\u2019s a picture for you,\u2019 Caalador grinned. \u2018What\u2019s he choking on, your Majesty?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Murder, primarily,\u2019 she shrugged. \u2018He doesn\u2019t seem to have the stomach for it.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nCaalador blinked. \u2018Not many do.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Politicians can\u2019t afford that kind of delicacy. All right, if Krager and his friends know about our spy network, it won\u2019t be long until they try something in the way of penetration, will it?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You\u2019re quick,\u2019 he said admiringly.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Quick people live longer. Start thinking, gentlemen. We\u2019ve got an exploitable situation here, and it won\u2019t last for very long. How can we use it to our greatest advantage?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We might be able to identify real conspirators instead of dupes, your Majesty,\u2019 Stragen mused. \u2018If they do try penetration, they\u2019re going to have to subvert some of our people. Let\u2019s say that we start passing out assorted fairy-tales\u2014this story to some pick-pocket, another to some beggar or whore. Then we sit back to see which of those fraudulent schemes the other side attempts to counter. That will identify the turncoats in our own ranks, and we can squeeze useful names out of them.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Surely we can get something a little better than that,\u2019 she fretted.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We\u2019ll work on it, your Majesty,\u2019 Caalador promised. \u2018if it\u2019s all right with you, I\u2019d like to follow up on something else as well. We know that Krager\u2019s been busy here in Matherion, but we don\u2019t know how much information about our methods he\u2019s passed on to his friends in other kingdoms. We might as well get what use we can out of our makeshift intelligence service before it becomes totally useless. I\u2019ll pass the word to the criminals down in Arjuna. I\u2019d like to find out one way or the other if that silly scholar at the university has blundered across the real truth or if he\u2019s just weaving a theory out of moonbeams. I think we might all find a complete biography of the fellow known as Scarpa really fascinating reading. If nothing else, whether or not our spies in Arjuna succeed will tell us how much Krager really knows about the scope of our operations. If he thinks it\u2019s only localized, our apparatus hasn\u2019t been too severely compromised.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Go after the others as well,\u2019 Ehlana told him. \u2018See what you can find out about Baron Parok, Rebal and Sabre. Let\u2019s try to attach names to Rebal and Sabre at the very least.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We\u2019ll do \u2018er gist th\u2019 way yet Majesty commands.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019d be happier\u2019n a pig in mud iffn y\u2019would, Caalador,\u2019 she replied.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nCaalador collapsed in helpless laughter.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s probably the change in the weather, your Majesty,\u2019 Alcan said. \u2018It\u2019s definitely getting chillier at night, and the days aren\u2019t nearly as warm as they were just a few weeks ago.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018She grew up in Cimmura, Alcan,\u2019 Ehlana disagreed, \u2018and the weather changes there much more markedly than it does here in Matherion.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s a different part of the world though, my Queen,\u2019 Baroness Melidere pointed out. \u2018We\u2019re right on the sea-coast for one thing. That could be what\u2019s causing the problem. Sometimes children react more strongly to things like that than adults.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You\u2019re both making too much out of it,\u2019 Mirtai told them. \u2018All she needs is a tonic. She\u2019s not really sick, she\u2019s just moping around.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018But she sleeps all the time,\u2019 Ehlana fretted. \u2018She even falls asleep when she\u2019s playing.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018She\u2019s probably growing,\u2019 the giantess shrugged. \u2018I used to do the same sort of thing when I was a little girl. Growing is very hard work, I guess.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThe object of their discussions lay drowsing on a divan near the window with Rollo loosely clasped in her arms. Rollo had survived two generations of intense affection. He had been dragged about by one hind leg. He had been laid upon, crammed into tight places and ignored at times for weeks on end. A shift in his stuffing had given him a slightly worried expression. Queen Ehlana viewed that as a bad sign. Rollo had never looked worried when he had been her toy. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nMmrr, on the other hand, seemed quite content. An owner who didn\u2019t move around very much suited Mmrr right down to the ground. When Princess Danae was dozing, she was not dreaming up ridiculous things to do to her cat. Mmrr secretly felt that any day that did not involve being dressed up in dolls\u2019 clothing was a good day. She lay on her little mistress\u2019s hip with her front paws sedately folded under her chest, her eyes closed and a soft, contented purr coming from her throat. So long as nothing disturbed her naps, Mmrr was perfectly at peace with the world. The Royal Princess Danae dozed, her mind far more involved with the conversation Flute was holding with Sparhawk and his friends on the Isle of Tega than with her mother\u2019s concern over her health here in Matherion. Danae yawned and nestled down with toy and with cat and drifted off to sleep.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Dearest,\u2019 the letter began. \u2018We\u2019ve reached Tega, and we\u2019ll be going out into the countryside for a while to see what\u2019s afoot. I\u2019ll be out of touch for a bit, so I thought it might be a good idea to let you know that we\u2019ve arrived safely. Don\u2019t be too concerned if you don\u2019t hear from me for quite some time. I\u2019m not entirely sure how long we\u2019ll be submerged in the population here.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018The others are growing impatient to get started. There\u2019s no real point to this letter\u2014except to tell you that I love you\u2014but that\u2019s probably the most important point of all, isn\u2019t it? Kiss Danae for me.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018All my love, Sparhawk.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Oh, that\u2019s nice,\u2019 Ehlana murmured, lowering the note from her husband. They were all sitting in the blue-draped sitting room in the queen\u2019s apartments, and the arrival of Caalador with Sparhawk\u2019s letter had interrupted a serious discussion about what they were going to do about the Interior Ministry. Caalador, dressed again in sober brown and carrying a grotesque porcelain figurine from twelfth-century Arjuna, was frowning.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I think you might want to remind the people at the gates of the compound that they\u2019re supposed to let me in, your Majesty. I had a bit of an argument again.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What\u2019s this?\u2019 Emperor Sarabian asked.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Master Calador\u2019s serving as my \u201cprocurer of antiquities,\u201d\u2019 Ehlana explained. \u2018It gives him an excuse to come and go without interference. I\u2019ve gathered a whole roomful of assorted bric-abrac since I\u2019ve arrived here.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That brings us right back to the issue we were discussing before you got here, Caalador,\u2019 Stragen said. Stragen wore black today, and Ehlana privately felt that the color didn\u2019t really suit him. He rose and began to pace up and down, a habit the Queen of Elenia found irritating. \u2018The Interior Ministry\u2019s beginning to flex its muscles for some reason. We\u2019re sitting on the Minister himself, so this onset of surliness is probably coming from some underling.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Interior has always liked to throw its weight around,\u2019 Oscagne told them. The Foreign Minister was wearing western-style clothes again, and he looked distinctly uncomfortable in them.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I think that reinforces the point I was trying to make earlier, Ehlana,\u2019 Sarabian said. \u2018Are you sure we shouldn\u2019t dissolve the Interior Ministry right now?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Absolutely,\u2019 Ehlana replied. \u2018We\u2019ve got Kolata buttoned up inside the castle here, and we\u2019ve given the world a perfectly legitimate reason for his presence. He\u2019s still functioning\u2014under our control\u2014and that\u2019s of enormous value to us. We\u2019re playing for time, Sarabian. We\u2019re terribly vulnerable until Tynian and Emban come back from Chyrellos with the Church Knights\u2014or at the very least until all the Atan commanders have been advised that they aren\u2019t supposed to obey the orders of the Interior Ministry any more. We definitely don\u2019t want the Atans fighting on both sides if trouble breaks out.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I guess I hadn\u2019t thought of that,\u2019 he admitted. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Not only that, your Majesty,\u2019 Oscagne added gently. \u2018It\u2019s entirely possible that Interior would simply ignore a proclanation disbanding them. They have almost total power, you know. Queen Ehlana\u2019s right. We can\u2019t move against them until we\u2019re sure of the Atans.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nStragen had continued his pacing. \u2018Nobody can subvert an entire branch of government,\u2019 he declared. \u2018There are just too many people involved, and all it would take would be one honest policeman to expose the entire scheme.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018There\u2019s no such thing as an honest policeman, Stragen,\u2019 Caalador said with a cynical laugh. \u2018It\u2019s a contradiction in terms.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You know what I mean.\u2019 Stragen shrugged that off. \u2018We know that Kolata has dirty hands, but we can\u2019t be sure just how far that disloyalty goes. It could be very widespread, or it could be confined to just a few in the higher councils of the ministry.\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nCaalador shook his head. \u2018Tain\u2019t hardly likely, Stragen,\u2019 he disagreed. \u2018Y gotta have them oz y\u2019 kin trust out thar when y\u2019 start givin\u2019 orders oz runs contrary t\u2019 reg\u2019lar policy. They\u2019s gotta be some in th\u2019 hinterlands oz knows whut\u2019s whut.\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nStragen made a face. \u2018I wish you wouldn\u2019t do that,\u2019 he complained. \u2018Please don\u2019t use that vile dialect when you\u2019re right. It makes me feel inadequate. All right, then. We can be fairly certain that most of the higher-ranking officials in the ministry are involved, but we can\u2019t even guess at how widespread the contamination is. I\u2019d say that finding out gets to be a kind of priority.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Shouldn\u2019t take y\u2019 more\u2019n a couple hunnerd years t\u2019 do thet, Stragen,\u2019 Caalador noted.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Not necessarily,\u2019 Baroness Melidere disagreed. She looked at Oscagne. \u2018You once said that the Ministry of the Interior\u2019s very fond of paper, your Excellency.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Of course, Baroness. All government agencies adore paper. Paperwork provides full employment for our relatives. Interior goes a little farther, though. Policemen can\u2019t function without files and dossiers. They write everything down.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I rather thought that might be the case. The people over at Interior are all trained as policemen, aren\u2019t they?\u2019 Oscagne nodded. \u2018Then they\u2019d all be compulsive about writing reports and filing them, wouldn\u2019t they?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I suppose so,\u2019 he said.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I don\u2019t see where you\u2019re going with this exactly, Baroness.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Wake up, Oscagne,\u2019 Sarabian said excitedly. \u2018I think this wonderful girl\u2019s just solved our problem for us. Someplace over in that rabbit warren at Interior there\u2019s a set of files that contains the names of all the disloyal policemen and secret agents in the Empire. All we have to do is get our hands on that set of files, and we\u2019ll know exactly which people to pick up when the time comes to move.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Except for the fact that they\u2019ll defend those files to the death,\u2019 Ehlana observed. \u2018And there\u2019s also the fact that a move against their filing system would be the same as a frontal assault on the ministry itself.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You really know how to burst bubbles, Ehlana,\u2019 the Emperor complained.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018There might be a way around the queen\u2019s objections, your Majesty,\u2019 Melidere said \u2018with a slight frown. \u2018Is there a standardized filing system here in Matherion, Minister Oscagne?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Good God, no, Baroness,\u2019 he exclaimed. \u2018If we all had the same filing system, anybody at all could walk into our offices and find anything he wanted. We\u2019d never be able to keep any secrets from each other.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I thought that might be the case. Now then, suppose that Queen Ehlana happened to mention to the Emperor\u2014just in passing\u2014that her government had standardized the filing system, and that everybody filed things the same way. Then let\u2019s suppose that the Emperor grew very excited about the idea the enormous savings in the cost of government and all that. Then, still supposing, he appoints an imperial commission with extraordinary powers to examine everybody\u2019s files with an eye toward that standardization. Wouldn\u2019t that sort of justify a thorough search of the offices at Interior?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s got possibilities, my Queen,\u2019 Stragen approved. \u2018Something like that would hide what we\u2019re really up to\u2014particularly if we had people tearing up everybody else\u2019s files at the same time.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nOscagne\u2019s face went absolutely white.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019d sooner take pizen than insult y\u2019, little lady,\u2019 Caalador drawled to the Baroness, \u2018but yet still a-talkin\u2019 \u2019bout a chore which it is that\u2019d taken us a good twenty year \u2019er more t\u2019 finish. We got us a hull buildin\u2019 over that t\u2019 take aport iffn th\u2019 Furrin Minister yore is koo-rect \u2019bout how many tons o\u2019 paper they got over t\u2019 Interior.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We can shorten that a bit, Master Caalador,\u2019 Melidere replied. \u2018All we have to do is question Interior Minister Kolata.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Absolutely not,\u2019 Ehlana said sharply. \u2018I don\u2019t want him all torn to pieces\u2014at least not until I don\u2019t need him any more.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We wouldn\u2019t be asking him any sensitive questions, your Majesty,\u2019 Melidere said patiently. \u2018All we want to know is how his filing system works. That wouldn\u2019t compromise the conspiracy he\u2019s involved in, would it?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I think she\u2019s right, Ehlana,\u2019 Mirtai said. \u2018There would almost have to be some sort of trigger-questions about certain subjects that would make our enemies decide to kill Kolata. They wouldn\u2019t kill him if all we did was ask him about something as ordinary as a filing system, would they?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018No,\u2019 the queen agreed. \u2018They probably wouldn\u2019t at that.\u2019 Her expression was still doubtful, however.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s all very clever, Baroness,\u2019 Stragen said, \u2018but we\u2019ll be sending Tamul officials into the various ministries to investigate files. How will we know that at least some of them aren\u2019t on the other side?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We wouldn\u2019t, Milord Stragen. That\u2019s why we\u2019ll have to send our own people\u2014the Church Knights\u2014in to review those files.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018How would we justify that?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018The new filing system would be an Elene invention, Milord. We\u2019re obviously going to have to send Elenes into the various ministErs to evaluate the current methods and to instruct the officials on how to convert to the new system.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Now I\u2019ve got you, Baroness,\u2019 he said triumphantly. \u2018This is all a fiction. We don\u2019t have a new filing system.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Then invent one, Milord Stragen,\u2019 she suggested sweetly.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nPrime Minister Subat was deeply troubled by the suggestion the Chancellor of the Exchequer had just placed before him. The two were alone together in the Prime Minister\u2019s ornate office, a room only slightly less magnificent than one of the imperial audience chambers. \u2018You\u2019re out of your mind, Gashon,\u2019 he declared flatly.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nChancellor of the Exchequer Gashon was a bloodless, corpselike man with sunken cheeks and no more than a few wispy strands of hair protruding from his lumpy scalp. \u2018Look at it more closely, Pondia Subat,\u2019 he said in his hollow, rusty-sounding voice. \u2018It\u2019s only a theory, but it does explain many things that are otherwise incomprehensible.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018They wouldn\u2019t have dared,\u2019 Subat scoffed.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Try to lift your mind out of the fourteenth century, Subat,\u2019 Gashon snapped. \u2018You\u2019re the Prime Minister, not the keeper of antiquities. The world is changing all around you. You can\u2019t just sit still with your eyes firmly fixed on the past and hope to survive.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I don\u2019t like you very much, Gashon.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019m not terribly fond of you either, Subat. Let me go through it for you again. Try to stay awake this time.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018How dare you?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I dare because I\u2019d sort of like to keep my head where it is.\u2019 First off: the Elenes of Eosia are absolute barbarians. Can we agree on that at least?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018All right.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018They haven\u2019t caused us much trouble in the past because they were too busy fighting among themselves about religion, and because they had Otha of Zemoch to worry about. Would it surprise you too much if I told you that Otha\u2019s dead and that the Rendorish insurgency\u2019s been almost completely crushed?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I have my own sources of information, Gashon.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Have you ever considered listening to what they tell you? Now then, there was open warfare in the streets of Chyrellos preceding the elevation of this Dolmant to the Archprelacy. I\u2019d say that\u2019s a fair indication of the fact that he\u2019s not universally loved. The best way I know of for a shaky ruler to consolidate his position is to contrive a foreign adventure, and the only real foreign ground for the Elenes of the Eosian Continent is Daresia the Tamul Empire. That\u2019s us, in case you hadn\u2019t noticed, Pondia Subat.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I know that, Gashon.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I just wanted to be sure, that\u2019s all. Are you with me so far? <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Get to the point, Gashon. I don\u2019t have all day.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Did you have an appointment with the headsman? All right, then. The Elenes are religious fanatics who feel that they\u2019re called on by the Lord to convert everybody in the world to their absurd faith. For all I know, they also want to convert snakes, spiders and fish. Dolmant\u2019s their religious leader, and they\u2019d probably try to subdue glaciers and tides if he told them to. So, we\u2019ve got a religious leader who has an uncertain grasp on power in his own Church, and he has hordes of fanatic followers at his disposal. He can either use those followers to crush his opponents at home, or he can hurl them against a foreign power on some trumped-up excuse that will inflame the commons and stifle objections to his rule. Isn\u2019t it a coincidence that at precisely that time we have this \u201cstate visit\u201d by a silly female\u2014a female Foreign Minister Oscagne assures us is the Queen of Elenia. I hope the fact that we only have Oscagne\u2019s word for that hasn\u2019t escaped you. This so-called queen is obviously more accustomed to doing business in bed than she is on a throne. She clearly wrestled not only that silly ass Alberen of Astel into submission but probably Androl of the Atans as well. We can only speculate about her adventures among the Peloi and the Styrics at Sarsos. Then, once she reached Matherion, she lured Emperor Sarabian to her bedchamber before the first day was out\u2014you did know that Sarabian and Oscagne crept across the compound to that imitation Elene castle on the first night she was here, didn\u2019t you?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSubat started to object.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Yes, I know,\u2019 Gashon cut him off, \u2018that brings us to Oscagne. I\u2019d say that the evidence strongly suggests that Oscagne has gone over to the Elenes\u2014either for personal gain or because he\u2019s fallen under the spell of that blonde Elene strumpet. She had plenty of time to work on him while he was in Chyrellos, you know.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s all speculation, Gashon,\u2019 Subat said, although his voice lacked conviction.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Of course it is, Subat,\u2019 Gashon replied with heavy sarcasm. \u2018What would be the fastest way to get to Matherion from Chyrellos?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018By ship, naturally.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Then why did the strumpet of Cimmura choose to come overland? Was it to look at scenery, or to grapple her way across the continent? The girl\u2019s got stamina, I\u2019ll give her that.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What about this recent coup-attempt, Gashon? The government would have fallen if the Elenes hadn\u2019t been here.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Ah yes, the famous coup. Isn\u2019t it astounding that a group of Elenes, who didn\u2019t even speak the Tamul language when they arrived, were able to unearth this dire plot in about six weeks? When the agents of the Ministry of the Interior, who\u2019ve only been in Matherion for all of their lives, hadn\u2019t come across a single clue about it? The Elenes crushed an imaginary coup, Subat, and now they\u2019ve used it as an excuse to imprison the Emperor in that cursed fortress of theirs\u2014not only the Emperor, but Interior Minister Kolata as well, and Kolata\u2019s the one man in government who has the resources to free our ruler. I\u2019ve talked with Teovin, Director of the Secret Police, and he assures me that no one from the ministry has been permitted to speak with Kolata privately since his incarceration. Our colleague is obviously a prisoner, and the orders he\u2019s issuing to the Interior Ministry are just as obviously coming from the Elenes. Then, if that weren\u2019t bad enough, they\u2019ve sent the so-called churchman, Emban, back to Chyrellos to lead the Church Knights back here to \u201cdeal with the crisis.\u201d We have all the resources of Interior and whole armies of Atans at our disposal, Subat. Why do we need the Church Knights? What possible reason is there to bring the most ruthless force in the entire world to Tamuli? Would the word \u201cinvasion\u201d startle you? That\u2019s all that the famous coup really was, you realize\u2014an excuse for the Elene Church to invade Tamuli, and quite obviously it\u2019s been with the Emperor\u2019s full cooperation.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Why would the Emperor conspire with the Elenes to topple his own government?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I can think of any number of reasons. Maybe this so-called queen threatened to deny him her favors. Most probably, though, she\u2019s been spinning fairy-tales for him, telling him about the joys of absolute power. That\u2019s a common fiction in Eosia. Elene rulers like to pretend that they\u2019re the ones who make all the decisions in their kingdoms rather than permitting the government to do it for them. We both know how ridiculous that idea is. A king\u2014or in our case, the Emperor\u2014only has one function. He\u2019s a symbol of government, nothing more. He serves as a focus for the love and loyalty of the people. The imperial government\u2019s been engaged in a selective-breeding program for the past thousand years. The Emperor\u2019s Tamul wife\u2014the one who produces the heir to the throne\u2014is always selected for her stupidity. We don\u2019t need intelligent emperors, only docile ones. Somehow Sarabian slipped past us. If you\u2019d ever really taken the trouble to pay attention to him, you\u2019d have discovered that he\u2019s frighteningly intelligent. Kolata blundered there. Sarabian should have been killed long before he ascended the throne. Our revered Emperor\u2019s beginning to hunger for real power, I\u2019m afraid. Normally, we could deal with that, but we can\u2019t get at him to kill him as long as he\u2019s inside that blasted fortress.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You weave a convincing story, Gashon,\u2019 the Prime Minister conceded with a troubled frown. \u2018I knew it was a blunder to invite that Sparhawk savage to come to Matherion.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We all did, Subat, and you\u2019ll recall who it was who overrode all our objections.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Oscagne,\u2019 Subat spat.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Precisely. Is it beginning to fit together for you now?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Did you devise all of this by yourself, Gashon? It\u2019s a little elaborate for a man who spends all his time counting pennies.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Actually, it was Teovin, the Director of the Secret Police, who brought it to my attention. He provided me with a great deal of very concrete evidence. I\u2019ve summarized it for you here. Interior has spies everywhere, you know. Nothing happens in the Empire that doesn\u2019t generate a report for those famous files of theirs. Now, Pondia Subat, what does our esteemed Prime Minister propose to do about the fact that our Emperor\u2019s being held prisoner\u2014willingly or unwillingly\u2014not a hundred paces from where we sit? You\u2019re the titular head of government, Subat. You\u2019re the one who has to make these decisions. Oh, and while you\u2019re at it, you might want to give some thought to how we\u2019re going to prevent the Church Knights from sweeping across the continent, marching into Matherion and forcing everyone to bow down to their ridiculous God\u2014and butchering the entire government in the process.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018They\u2019re trying to stall, your Majesties,\u2019 Stragen reported. \u2018When supper-time comes, they escort us to the door, push us outside, and lock the door behind us. The building stays locked for the rest of the night\u2014although there are always plenty of lights moving around in there after dark. When we go back the next morning, everything\u2019s been rearranged. The files migrate from room to room like ducks in the autumn. I wouldn\u2019t actually swear to it, but I think they move walls as well. We found a room just this morning that I don\u2019t really think was there last night.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019ll send in Engessa\u2019s Atans,\u2019 Sarabian said darkly. \u2018We\u2019ll chase everybody out and then tear the building apart brick by brick.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018No,\u2019 Ehlana said, shaking her head. \u2018if we make an overt move against the Ministry of the Interior, every policeman in the Empire will scurry down a rabbit-hole.\u2019 She pursed her lips. \u2018Let\u2019s start to do inconvenient things to the other ministries as well. Don\u2019t make it obvious that we\u2019re concentrating all of our attention on the Ministry of the Interior.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018How can you possibly make things any worse than they already are, your Majesty?\u2019 Oscagne asked in a broken voice. \u2018You\u2019ve disrupted centuries of work as it is.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Can anyone think of anything?\u2019 Sarabian asked, looking around.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018May I speak, your Majesty?\u2019 Alcan asked in a small, timidsounding voice.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Of course, dear,\u2019 Ehlana smiled.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I hope you\u2019ll all forgive my presumption,\u2019 Alcan apologized. \u2018I can\u2019t even read, so I don\u2019t really know what files are, but aren\u2019t we sort of letting on that we\u2019re rearranging them?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That\u2019s what we\u2019re telling everybody,\u2019 Mirtai replied. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018As I said, I can\u2019t read, but I do know a bit about rearranging cupboards and such things. This is a little like that, isn\u2019t it?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Close enough,\u2019 Stragen replied.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Well, then, when you\u201dre rearranging a cupboard, you take everything out and spread it on the floor. Then you put all the things you want in the top drawer in one pile, the things you want in the second drawer in another, and so on. Couldn\u2019t we do that with these files?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s a nice i-dee, little dorlin\u2019,\u2019 Caalador drawled, \u2018but they ain\u2019t e-muff floors in the hull buildin\u2019 fer spreadin\u2019 out all them there files.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018There nne lots of lawns around the outside, though, aren\u2019t we just take all the files from every government building outside there?\u2019 Alcan kept her eyes downcast as she spoke. \u2018Couldn\u2019t and spread them around on the lawns. We could tell the people who work in the buildings that we want to sort through them and put them in the proper order. They couldn\u2019t really object, and you can\u2019t lock the door to a lawn at night, or move things around when there are seven-foot-tall Atans standing guard over them. I know I\u2019m just a silly servant girl, but that\u2019s the way I\u2019d do it.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nOscagne was staring at her in absolute horror.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nChapter 4<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThe soil on the western side of the Isle of Tega was thin and rocky, and since there was plenty of fertile ground farther inland, the citizens of the Republic had made no effort to cultivate here. Tough, scrubby bushes rustled stiffly in the onshore breeze as Sparhawk and his friends rode along a rocky trail leading to the coast.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018The breeze helps,\u2019 Talen observed gratefully. \u2018At least it blows away that stink.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You complain too much,\u2019 Flute told him. The little girl rode with Sephrenia as she had since they had first encountered her. She nestled in her older sister\u2019s arms with her dark eyes brooding. She straightened suddenly as the sound of surf pounding on the western shore of the Isle reached them. \u2018This is far enough for right now, gentlemen,\u2019 she told them. \u2018Let\u2019s have some supper and wait for it to get dark.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Is that a good idea?\u2019 Bevier asked her. \u2018The ground\u2019s been getting rougher the farther west we come, and the sound of that surf seems to have rocks mixed up in it. This might not be a good place to be blundering around in the dark.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I can lead you safely to the beach, Bevier,\u2019 she told him. \u2018I don\u2019t want you gentlemen to get too good a look at our ship. There are certain ideas involved in her construction that you don\u2019t need to know. That\u2019s one of the promises I had to make during those negotiations I was telling you about.\u2019 She pointed to the lee-side of a rocky hillock. \u2018Let\u2019s go over there out of this wind and build a fire. I have some instructions for you.\u2019 They rode away from the ill-defined trail and dismounted in the shelter of the hill. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Whose turn is it to do the cooking?\u2019 Berit asked Sir Ulath.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Yours,\u2019 Ulath told him with no hint of a smile. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You knew he was going to do that, Berit,\u2019 Talen said. \u2018What you just did was almost the same thing as volunteering.\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nBerit shrugged. \u2018My turn will come up eventually anyway,\u2019 he said. \u2018I thought I\u2019d get it out of the way for a while.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018All right, gentlemen,\u2019 Vanion said, \u2018let\u2019s look around and see what we can find in the way of firewood.\u2019 Sparhawk concealed a smile. Vanion could maintain that he was no longer the Preceptor as much as he wished, but the habit of command was deeply ingrained in him.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThey built a fire, and Berit stirred up an acceptable stew. After supper, they sat by the fire watching as evening slowly settled in.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Now then,\u2019 Flute said to them, \u2018we\u2019re going to ride down to a cove. I want you all to stay close behind me, because it\u2019s going to be very foggy.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s a perfectly clear evening, Flute,\u2019 Kalten objected.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It won\u2019t be when we reach the cove,\u2019 she told him. \u2018I\u2019m going to make sure that you don\u2019t get too much chance to examine that ship. I\u2019m not really supposed to do this, so don\u2019t get me into trouble.\u2019 She looked sternly at Khalad. \u2018And I want you in particular to keep a very tight rein on your curiosity.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Me?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Yes, you. You\u2019re too practical and too clever by half for my comfort. Your noble friends here aren\u2019t imaginative enough to make any educated guesses about the ship. You\u2019re a different matter. Don\u2019t be digging at the decks with your knife, and don\u2019t try to sneak off to examine things. I don\u2019t want to drop by Cimmura someday and find a duplicate of the ship anchored in the river. We\u2019ll go down to the cove, board the ship, and go directly below. You will not go up on deck until we get to where we\u2019re going. A certain part of the ship has been set aside for us, and we\u2019ll all stay there for the duration of the voyage. I want your word on that, gentlemen.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSparhawk could see some differences between Flute and Danae. Flute was more authoritarian, for one thing, and she didn\u2019t seem to have Danae\u2019s whimsical sense of humor. Although the Child Goddess had a definite personality, each of her incarnations seemed to have its own idiosyncrasies. Flute looked up at the slowly darkening sky. \u2018We\u2019ll wait another hour,\u2019 she decided. \u2018The crew of the ship has been told to stay away from us. Our meals will be put just outside the door, and we won\u2019t see the one who puts them there. It won\u2019t do you any good to try to catch her, so don\u2019t even try.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Her?\u2019 Ulath exclaimed. \u2018Are you trying to say that there are women in the crew?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018They\u2019re all females. There aren\u2019t very many males where they come from.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Women aren\u2019t strong enough to raise and lower the sails,\u2019 he objected.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018These females are ten times stronger than you are, Ulath, and it wouldn\u2019t matter anyway, because the ship doesn\u2019t have sails. Please stop asking questions, gentlemen. Oh, one other thing. There\u2019ll be a sort of humming sound when we get under way. It\u2019s normal, so don\u2019t let it alarm you.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018How…\u2019 Ulath began.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nShe held up her hand. \u2018No more questions, Ulath,\u2019 she told him quite firmly. \u2018You don\u2019t need to know the answers. The ship\u2019s here to take us from one place to another in a hurry. That\u2019s all you need to know.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That brings us to something we really should know,\u2019 Sparhawk said. \u2018Where are we going?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018To Jorsan on the west coast of Edam,\u2019 she replied. \u2018Well, almost, anyway. There\u2019s a long gulf leading inland to Jorsan. We\u2019ll put ashore at the mouth of the gulf and go inland on horseback. Now, why don\u2019t we talk about something else?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThe fog seemed almost thick enough to walk on, and the knights were obliged to blindly follow the misty light of the torch Sephrenia held aloft as they rode down a steep bank toward the sound of unseen surf.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThey reached a sandy beach and groped their way down toward the water. Then they saw other lights out in the fog filmy, mist-shrouded lights which stretched out for what seemed an impossible distance. The lights did not flicker, and they were the wrong color for torchlight.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Good God.\u2019 Ulath choked. \u2018No ship could be that big!\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Ulath.\u2019 Flute said sharply from out of the fog ahead. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Sorry,\u2019 he mumbled.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nWhen they reached the water\u2019s edge, all they could see was a dark, looming shape lying low in the water several yards out, a shape outlined by those unwinking white lights. A ramp reached from the ship to the beach, and Ch\u2019iel, Sephrenia\u2019s white palfrey, stepped confidently onto That ramp and clattered across to the ship.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThere were dim, shrouded shapes on the deck, cloaked and hooded figures that were all no more than shoulder high, but strangely squat and blocky.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What do we do with the horses?\u2019 Vanion asked as they all dismounted.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Just leave them here,\u2019 Flute replied. \u2018They\u2019ll be taken care of. Let\u2019s go below. We can\u2019t start until everybody\u2019s off the deck.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018The crew stays up here, don\u2019t they?\u2019 Ulath asked her. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018No. It\u2019s too dangerous.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThey went to a rectangular hatchway in the deck and followed an inclined ramp leading down.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Stairs would take up less space,\u2019 Khalad said critically. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018The crew couldn\u2019t use stairs, Khalad,\u2019 Flute told him. \u2018They don\u2019t have legs.\u2019 He stared at her in horror. \u2018I told you that they\u2019re not human,\u2019 she shrugged. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThe companionway they reached at the bottom of the ramp was low, and the knights had to half stoop as they followed the Child Goddess aft. The area below decks was illuminated by pale glowing spots of light recessed into the ceiling and covered over by what appeared to be glass. The light was steady, unwinking, and it definitely did not come from any kind of fire. The quarters to which their little guide led them were more conventionally illuminated by candles, however, and the ceilings were high enough for the tall knights to stand erect. No sooner had Ulath closed the heavy door to what was in effect to be their prison for the next five days than a low-pitched humming sound began to vibrate in the deck beneath their feet, and they could feel the bow of the strange vessel start to swing ponderously about to point at the open sea. Then the ship surged forward.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What\u2019s making it move?\u2019 Kalten asked. \u2018There\u2019s no wind.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Kalten.\u2019 Aphrael said sharply.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Sorry.\u2019 he mumbled.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018There are four compartments here,\u2019 she told them. \u2018We\u2019ll eat in this one, and we can spread out and sleep in the other three. Put away your belongings, gentlemen. Then you might as well go to bed. Nothing\u2019s going to happen for five days.\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSparhawk and Kalten went into one of the cabins, taking Talen with them. Talen was carrying Khalad\u2019s saddle-bags as well as his own.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What\u2019s your brother up to?\u2019 Sparhawk asked the boy suspiciously. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018He wants to look around a bit,\u2019 Talen replied.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Aphrael told him not to do that.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018So?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThey all staggered a bit as the ship gave another forward surge. The humming sound climbed to a whine, and the ship seemed to rise up in the water almost like a sitting man rising to his feet.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nKalten threw his saddle-bags onto one of the bunks and sat down beside them. \u2018I don\u2019t understand any of this,\u2019 he grumbled.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You aren\u2019t supposed to,\u2019 Sparhawk replied.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I wonder if they\u2019ve got anything to drink aboard. I could definitely use a drink about now.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I wouldn\u2019t get my hopes up too high, and I\u2019m not sure you\u2019d care to drink something brewed by non-humans. It might do some strange things to you.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nKhalad came into the tiny compartment, his eyes baffled. \u2018I don\u2019t want to alarm you, gentlemen,\u2019 he said, \u2018but we\u2019re moving faster than a horse can run.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018How do you know that?\u2019 Talen asked him.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Those curtains in that central cabin are hanging over openings that are sort of like portholes\u2014they\u2019ve got glass over them, anyway. I looked out. There\u2019s still fog all around us, but I could see the water. We passed a floating log, and it went by like a crossbow bolt. There\u2019s something else, too. The hull curves back under us, and it isn\u2019t touching the water at all.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We\u2019re flying?\u2019 Kalten asked incredulously. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nKhalad shook his head. \u2018I think the keel\u2019s touching the water, but that\u2019s about all.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I really don\u2019t want to know about this,\u2019 Kalten said plaintively. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018He\u2019s right, Khalad,\u2019 Sparhawk said. \u2018I think this is one of the things Aphrael told us was none of our business. Leave those curtains closed from now on.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Aren\u2019t you the least bit curious, my Lord?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I can live with it.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You don\u2019t mind if I speculate just a bit, do you, Sparhawk?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Go right ahead, but keep your speculations to yourself.\u2019 He sat down on his bunk and began to pull off his boots. \u2018I don\u2019t know about the rest of you, but I\u2019m going to follow orders and go to bed. This is a good chance to catch up on our sleep, and we\u2019ve all been running a little short on that for quite some time now. We\u2019ll want to be alert when we get to Jorsan.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Which only happens to be about a quarter of the way around the world,\u2019 Khalad added moodily, \u2018and which we\u2019re going to reach in just five days. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m put together right for this kind of thing. Do I have to be a Pandion Knight, Sparhawk?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Yes,\u2019 Sparhawk told him, dropping his boots on the deck. \u2018Was there anything else you wanted to know before I go to sleep?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThey all slept a great deal during the next five days. Sparhawk strongly suspected that Aphrael might have had a hand in that, since sleeping people don\u2019t wander around making discoveries. Their meals were served on strange oblong trays which were made of some substance none of them could identify. The food consisted entirely of uncooked vegetables, and they were given only water to drink. Kalten complained about the food at every meal, but, since there was nothing else available, he ate it anyway.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nOn the afternoon before they were scheduled to arrive, they gathered together in the cramped central compartment. \u2018Are you sure?\u2019 Kalten dubiously asked Flute when she told them that they were no more than ten hours from their destination. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nShe sighed. \u2018Yes, Kalten, I\u2019m sure.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018How do you know? You haven\u2019t been up on deck, and you haven\u2019t talked to any of the sailors. We could have been…\u2019 His words sort of faded off. She was looking at him with a long-suffering expression as he floundered on. \u2018Oh,\u2019 he said then.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I wasn\u2019t thinking, I guess. Sorry.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I do love you, Kalten\u2014in spite of everything.\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nKhalad cleared his throat. \u2018Didn\u2019t Dolmant tell you that the Edomish have some strong feelings about the Church?\u2019 he asked Sparhawk.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSparhawk nodded. \u2018As I understand it, they look at our Holy Mother in almost the same way that the Renders do.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Church Knights wouldn\u2019t really be welcome then, I gather. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Hardly.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We\u2019ll need to disguise ourselves as ordinary travellers, then. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018More than likely,\u2019 Sparhawk agreed.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nVanion had been looking at his map. \u2018Exactly where are we going from jorsan, Aphrael?\u2019 he asked Flute. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Up the coast a ways,\u2019 she replied vaguely. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That\u2019s not very specific.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Yes, I know.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nHe sighed. \u2018Is there any real need for us to go on up the Gulf of Jorsan to the city itself? If we were to land on the north shore of the gulf, we could avoid the city entirely. Since the Edomish have these prejudices, shouldn\u2019t we stay away from them as much as possible?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We have to go to Jorsan,\u2019 she told him. \u2018Well,\u2019 she amended, \u2018Jorsan itself isn\u2019t that important, but we\u2019re going to see something along the way that will be.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Oh? What\u2019s that?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I have no idea.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You get used to that,\u2019 Sparhawk told his friend. \u2018Our little Goddess here gets hunches from time to time\u2014no details at all, just hunches.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What time will we make our landfall?\u2019 Ulath asked. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018About midnight,\u2019 she replied.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Landing on a strange shore at night can be a little tricky,\u2019 he said doubtfully.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018There won\u2019t be any problems.\u2019 She said it with absolute confidence. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019m not supposed to worry about it. Is that it?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You can worry if you want to, Ulath,\u2019 she smiled. \u2018It\u2019s not necessary, but you can worry all you like, if it makes you feel better.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nIt was foggy when they came up on deck again\u2014a dense, obscuring fog\u2014and this time the strange ship showed no lights. Their horses, already saddled, were waiting, and they led them down the ramp to a pebbly beach.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nWhen they looked back out toward the water, their ship was gone.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Where did she go?\u2019 Ulath exclaimed.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018She\u2019s still there,\u2019 Aphrael smiled.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Why can\u2019t I see her, then?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Because I don\u2019t want people to see her. We passed a number of ordinary ships on our way here. If anybody\u2019d seen her, there\u2019d be wild talk in every sailors\u2019 tavern in every port in the world.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s all in the shape of the keel, isn\u2019t it?\u2019 Khalad mused. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Khalad.\u2019 she said sharply. \u2018You stop that immediately.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019m not going to do anything about it, Flute. I couldn\u2019t if I wanted to, but it\u2019s that keel that accounts for her speed. I\u2019m only mentioning it so that you won\u2019t make the mistake of thinking I\u2019m so stupid that I can\u2019t put it together.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nShe glared at him.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nHe bent slightly and kissed her cheek. \u2018That\u2019s all right, Flute,\u2019 he smiled. \u2018I love you anyway\u2014even if you do underestimate me at times.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018He\u2019s going to work out just fine,\u2019 Kalten said to Vanion.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThe hillside rising from the gravel strand was covered with thick, rank grass, and by the time they had reached the top of the hill, the fog had entirely dissipated. A broad highway of reflected moonlight stretched out across the calm waters of the gulf. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018My map shows a kind of track a mile or so inland,\u2019 Vanion told them. \u2018It seems to run up the gulf in the general direction of Jorsan.\u2019 He looked at Flute, who was still glaring darkly at Khalad. \u2018Pending instructions to the contrary from higher authority, I suppose we can follow that track.\u2019 He looked inquiringly at the Child Goddess again. She sank a little lower in Sephrenia\u2019s arms and began to suck her thumb. \u2018You\u2019ll make your teeth crooked.\u2019 She pulled her thumb out of her mouth and stuck her tongue out at him.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Shall we press on, then?\u2019 Vanion suggested. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThey rode on across a broad, rolling meadow covered with the rank salt-grass. The moon washed out all color, making the grass whipping at the horses\u2019 legs seem gray and the forest beyond the meadow a formless black blot. They rode slowly, their eyes and ears alert and their hands never far from their sword-hilts. Nothing untoward had happened yet, but these were trained knights, and for them the world was always filled with danger.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nAfter they rode in under the trees, Vanion called a halt.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Why are we stopping?\u2019 Flute demanded a little crossly. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018The moon\u2019s very bright tonight,\u2019 Vanion explained, \u2018and our eyes need a little time to adjust to the shadows here under the trees. We don\u2019t want to blunder into anything.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Oh.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Her night isn\u2019t going too well, is it?\u2019 Berit murmured to SParhawk.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018She seemed to be very upset with Khalad.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s good for her. She gets over-confident sometimes, and a little too much impressed with her own cleverness.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I heard that, Sparhawk,\u2019 Flute snapped.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I rather thought you might have,\u2019 he replied blandly. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Why is everyone mistreating me tonight?\u2019 she complained. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018They\u2019re only teasing you, Aphrael,\u2019 Sephrenia assured the little girl, \u2018clumsily, of course, but they\u2019re Elenes, after all, so you can\u2019t really expect too much from them.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Shall we move on before things start to turn ugly?\u2019 Vanion said.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThey rode at a walk through the shadows, and after about half an hour they reached a narrow, rutted track. They turned eastward and moved on, riding a little faster now. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018How far is it to Jorsan, my Lord?\u2019 Bevier asked Vanion after they had gone a ways.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018About fifty leagues,\u2019 Vanion replied.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018A goodly ways, then.\u2019 Bevier looked inquiringly at Flute. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What?\u2019 she said crossly.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Nothing, really.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Say it, Bevier.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I wouldn\u2019t offend you for the world, Divine Aphrael, but could you speed the journey the way you did when we were travelling across Deira with King Wargun\u2019s army?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018No, I can\u2019t. You\u2019ve forgotten that we\u2019re waiting for something important to happen, Bevier, and I\u2019m not going to fly past it just because you\u2019re in a hurry to get to the taverns of Jorsan.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018That will do,\u2019 Sephrenia told her.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSince it was still early autumn, they had not brought tents with them, and after about another hour\u2019s travel they rode back into the forest and spread their blankets on beds of fallen leaves to get a few hours\u2019 sleep. The sun was well up when they set out again, and they travelled through the forest until late afternoon without encountering any local people. Once again they moved back into the forest about a quarter of a mile, and set up for the night in a narrow ravine where an overhanging bank and the thick foliage would conceal the light from their small cooking fire. Rather surprisingly, Ulath did the cooking without any of his usual subterfuge.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s not as much fun when Tynian isn\u2019t along,\u2019 he explained.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I miss him too,\u2019 Sparhawk agreed.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It seems strange to be travelling without all those suggestions of his.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018This cooking business has come up before,\u2019 Vanion observed. \u2018Am I missing something?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Sir Ulath normally keeps track of it, my Lord,\u2019 Talen replied. \u2018It\u2019s a very complicated system, so none of the rest of us really understands how it works.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Wouldn\u2019t a simple roster do just as well?\u2019 Vanion asked. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I\u2019m sure it would, but Sir Ulath prefers his own method. It has a few drawbacks, though. Once Kalten cooked every single meal for an entire week.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nVanion shuddered.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThey had smoked mutton-chops that evening, and Ulath received some hard looks from his companions about that. Flute and Sephrenia, however, complimented him on his choice. After they had eaten, they sought their makeshift beds. It must have been well past midnight when Talen shook Sparhawk awake, laying a cautious hand across his mouth to prevent his crying out. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018There are some people back near the road,\u2019 the boy whispered. \u2018They\u2019ve built a big fire.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What are they doing?\u2019 Sparhawk asked.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Just standing around waiting for somebody, it seems\u2014unless you want to count the drinking.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You\u2019d better rouse the others,\u2019 Sparhawk told him, throwing off his blankets and reaching for his sword. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThey crept through the forest in the darkness and stopped at the edge of a stump-dotted clearing. There was a large bonfire in the center of the clearing and nearly a hundred men\u2014peasants, for the most part, judging from their clothing\u2014sitting on the ground near the blaze. Their faces were ruddy from the reflected light and from the contents of the earthenware jars they were passing around.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Strange place to be holding a drinking-party,\u2019 Ulath murmured. \u2018I wouldn\u2019t come out this far into the woods for something as ordinary as that.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Is this it?\u2019 Vanion asked Flute, who was nestled in Sephrenia\u2019s arms, concealed by her sister\u2019s dark cloak. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Is this what?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You know what I mean. Is this what we\u2019re supposed to see?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I think so,\u2019 she replied. \u2018I\u2019ll know better when they all get here.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Are there more coming?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nShe nodded. \u2018One, at least. The ones who are already here don\u2019t matter.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThey waited as the peasants in the clearing grew progressively more and more rowdy. Then a lone horseman appeared at the far edge of the clearing, near the road. The newcomer wore a dark cloak and a slouch hat pulled low over his face.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Not again,\u2019 Talen groaned. \u2018Doesn\u2019t anybody on this continent have any imagination?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What\u2019s this?\u2019 Vanion asked.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018The one they call Sabre up in Astel wore the same kind of clothes, my Lord.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Maybe this one\u2019s different.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I wouldn\u2019t get my hopes up too high.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThe man on horseback rode into the firelight, dismounted, and pushed back his hat. He was a tall, gangly man with a long, pock-marked face and narrow eyes. He stepped up onto a tree-stump and stood waiting for the peasants to gather around him. \u2018Hear me, my friends,\u2019 he said in a loud, harsh voice. \u2018I bring news.\u2019 The half-drunk babble of the peasants faded. \u2018Much has happened since last we met,\u2019 the speaker continued. \u2018you will recall that we had determined to make one last try to resolve our differences with the Tamuls by peaceful means.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What choice did we have, Rebal?\u2019 one of the peasants shouted. \u2018Only madmen would attack the Atan garrison\u2014no matter how just their cause.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018So that\u2019s Rebal,\u2019 Kalten whispered. \u2018Not very impressive, is he?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Our cause was made just by Incetes himself,\u2019 Rebal was responding, \u2018and Incetes is more than a match for the Atans.\u2019 The mob murmured its agreement.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018There is good news, my friends,\u2019 Rebal declared. \u2018Our emissaries have been successful. The Emperor himself has seen the justice of our cause!\u2019 A ragged cheer went up. \u2018I rejoice even as you,\u2019 Rebal continued, \u2018but a new peril, far more grave than the simple injustice of the corrupt Tamul administrators, has arisen. The Emperor, who is now our friend, has been taken prisoner by the accursed Church Knights! The evil Archprelate of the Church of Chyrellos has reached half-way around the world to seize our friend!\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Outrageous!\u2019 a burly peasant in the crowd roared. \u2018Monstrous!\u2019 The rest of the peasants looked a bit confused, however. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018He\u2019s going too fast,\u2019 Talen whispered critically. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What?\u2019 Berit asked.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018He\u2019s changing course on them,\u2019 Talen explained. \u2018I\u2019d guess that he\u2019s been cursing the Tamuls for the last year or so\u2014the same way Sabre was up in Astel. Now he wants to curse somebody else, but he\u2019s got to uncurse the Tamuls first. Even a drunken peasant\u2019s going to have some suspicions about the miraculous conversion of the Emperor. He made it all too fast and too easy.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Tell us, Rebal,\u2019 the burly peasant shouted, \u2018how was our friend, the Emperor, taken prisoner?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Yes, tell us!\u2019 another man on the far side of the crowd howled. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Planted henchmen,\u2019 Talen sneered. \u2018This Rebal\u2019s about as subtle as a club in the face.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It was clever, my friends,\u2019 Rebal declared to the crowd, \u2018very clever. The Church of Chyrellos is guided by the demons of Hell, and they are the masters of deceit. The Tamuls, who are now our friends, are heathens, and they do not understand the guile of the heretics of Chyrellos. All unsuspecting, they welcomed a delegation of Church officials, and among those foul heretics who journeyed to Matherion were Knights of the Church\u2014the armored minions of Hell itself. Once in Matherion, they seized our dear friend and protector, Emperor Sarabian, and they now hold him prisoner in his own palace.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Death to the Tamuls.\u2019 a wheezy-voiced old man,\u2019 far gone in drink, bawled. One of the other peasants rapped him sharply across the back of the head with a cudgel, and the slightly out-of-date demonstrator sagged limply to the ground.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Crowd control,\u2019 Talen sniffed. \u2018Rebal doesn\u2019t want people making any mistakes here.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nOther peasants, obviously more of Rebal\u2019s planted henchmen, began to shout the correct slogan, \u2018Death to the Church Knights!\u2019 They brandished crude weapons and assorted agricultural implements as they bellowed, emphasizing their slogan and intimidating the still-confused.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018The purpose of these monsters is all too clear,\u2019 Rebal shouted over the tumult. \u2018It is their plan to hold the Emperor as hostage to prevent the Atans from storming the palace. They will sit safe where they are until reinforcements arrive. And make no mistake, my friends, those reinforcements are even now gathering on the plains of Eosia. The armies of the heretics are on the march, and in the van there come the Church Knights!\u2019 <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nHorrified gasps ran through the ranks of the peasants. \u2018On to Matherion!\u2019 the fellow with the cudgel bellowed. \u2018Free the Emperor!\u2019 The crowd took up the shout.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nRebal held up one hand, \u2018My blood burns as hotly as yours, my friends.\u2019 he shouted. \u2018But will we leave our homes and families to the mercies of the Knights of the Church? All of Eosia marches toward Matherion, and what stands between accursed Eosia and fire-domed Matherion? Edam, my friends! Our beloved homeland stands in the path of the heretic horde!\u2019 What mercy can we expect from these savages? Who will defend our women from foul rape if we rush to the Emperor\u2019s aid?\u2019 Cries of chagrin ran through the crowd.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nRebal moved quickly at that point. \u2018And yet, my friends,\u2019 he rushed on, \u2018our defense of our beloved homes may yet aid our friend, the Emperor. The beasts of Eosia come to destroy our faith and to slaughter the true believers. I know not what course you may take, but I pledge to you all that I will lay down my life for our beloved homeland and our holy faith! But in my dying, I will delay the Church Knights. That spawn of Hell must pause to spill my blood, and their delay will give the Atans the time to rally. Thus may we defend our homes and aid our friend in one stroke!\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSparhawk began to swear, half strangling to keep his voice down. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What\u2019s your problem?\u2019 Kalten asked.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018We\u2019ve just been blocked. If those idiots out there accept what Rebal\u2019s telling them, the Church Knights are going to have to fight their way to Matherion foot by foot.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018They\u2019re very quick to exploit a changing situation,\u2019 Vanion agreed. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Too quick, perhaps. It\u2019s almost a thousand leagues from here to Matherion. Either someone has a very good horse, or our mysterious friend out there is breaking the rules again in order to get word out to the hinterlands of what happened after the coup was put down.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nRebal was holding up his hands to quiet the shouting of the crowd. \u2018Are you with me, my brothers?\u2019 he called. \u2018Will we defend our homes and our faith and help our friends, the Tamuls, at the same time?\u2019 The mob howled its assent.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Let\u2019s ask Incetes to help us!\u2019 the man with the cudgel shouted. \u2018Incetes!\u2019 another bellowed. \u2018Incetes! Call forth Incetes!\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Are you sure, my friends?\u2019 Rebal asked, drawing himself up and pulling his dark cloak tightly around him. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Call him forth, Rebal! Raise Incetes! Let him tell us what to do!\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nRebal struck an exaggerated pose and raised both arms over his head. He began to speak, intoning guttural words in a hollow, booming voice.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Is that Styric?\u2019 Kalten whispered to Sephrenia.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It doesn\u2019t sound like Styric to me.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It\u2019s gibberish,\u2019 she replied scornfully. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nKalten frowned.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever heard of them,\u2019 he whispered. \u2018What part of the world do the Gibbers come from?\u2019 She stared at him, her face baffled. \u2018Did I say it wrong?\u2019 he asked. \u2018Are they called the Gibberese, or maybe the Gibberenians?\u2014the people who speak Gibberish, I mean.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Oh, Kalten,\u2019 she laughed softly, \u201cI love you. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What did I say?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nRebal\u2019s voice had risen to a near-shriek, and he brought both arms down sharply. There was a sudden explosion in the middle of the bonfire, and a great cloud of smoke boiled out into the clearing. \u2018Herren, Maisteres alls!\u2019 a huge voice came out of the smoke. \u2018Now hath the tyme for Werre ycom. Now, be me troth, shat alls trow Edomishmen on lyve to armes! Tak ye uppe the iron sword, gird ye your limbes alls inns the iron haubergeon and the iron helm, Smyte ye the feendes fouls, which beestes jerk do setts ham and fey in deedly peril. Gee ye to bataile ferse to fend the feendes of the acurset Chirche of Chyrellos! Follwe! Follwe! Follwe me, as Godes hondys geve ye force!\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Old High Elenic!\u2019 Bevier exclaimed. \u2018Nobody\u2019s spoken that tongue\u2019 in thousands of years!\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nI\u2019d follow him, whatever tongue it is,\u2019 Ulath rumbled. \u2018he makes a good speech.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThe smoke began to thin, and a huge, ox-shouldered man wearing ancient armor and holding a mighty two-handed sword above his head appeared at Rebal\u2019s side. \u2018Havok!\u2019 he bellowed. \u2018Havok and Werre.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nChapter 5<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018They\u2019ve all gone now,\u2019 Berit reported when he and Talen returned to the camp concealed in the narrow ravine. \u2018They spent a lot of time marching around in circles shouting slogans first, though.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Then the beer ran out,\u2019 Talen added dryly, \u2018and the party broke up.\u2019 He looked at Flute. \u2018Are you sure this was supposed to be important?\u2019 he asked her. \u2018It was the most contrived hoax I\u2019ve ever seen.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nShe nodded stubbornly. \u2018It was important,\u2019 she insisted. \u2018I don\u2019t know why, but it was.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018How did they make that big flash and all the smoke?\u2019 Kalten asked.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018One of the fellows near the fire threw a handful of some kind of powder onto the coals,\u2019 Khalad said, shrugging. \u2018Everybody else was watching Rebal, so they didn\u2019t see him when he did it.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Where did the one in the armor come from?\u2019 Ulath asked. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018He was hiding in the crowd,\u2019 Talen explained. \u2018The whole thing was at about the same level as you\u2019d find at a country fair \u2014one that\u2019s held a long way from the nearest town.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018The one who was pretending to be Incetes gave a fairly stirring speech, though,\u2019 Ulath noted.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018It certainly should have been,\u2019 Bevier smiled. \u2018It was written by Phalactes in the seventh century.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Who was he?\u2019 Talen asked.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Phalactes was the greatest playwright of antiquity. That stirring speech came directly from one of his tragedies, Etonicus. That fellow in the antique armor substituted a few words is all. The play\u2019s a classic. It\u2019s still performed at universities once in a while.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You\u2019re a whole library all by yourself, Bevier,\u2019 Kalten told him. \u2018Do you remember every single thing you\u2019ve ever read word for word?\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nBevier laughed. \u2018I wish I could, my friend. Some of my classmates and I put on a performance of Etonicus when I was a student. I played the lead, so I had to memorize that speech. The poetry of Phalactes is really very stirring. He was a great artist\u2014Arcian, naturally.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I never liked him very much,\u2019 Flute sniffed. \u2018He was as ugly as sin; he smelled like an open cesspool; and he was a howling bigot. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nBevier swallowed hard. \u2018Please don\u2019t do that, Aphrael,\u2019 he said. \u2018It\u2019s very unsettling.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What was the story about?\u2019 Talen asked, his eyes suddenly eager. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018Etonicus was supposed to be the ruler of a mythic kingdom somewhere in what\u2019s now eastern Cammoria,\u2019 Bevier replied. \u2018The legend has it that he went to war with the Styrics over religion.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018What happened?\u2019 Talen\u2019s tone was almost hungry. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018He came to a bad end,\u2019 Bevier shrugged. \u2018It\u2019s a tragedy, after all.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018But…\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018You can read it for yourself sometime, Talen,\u2019 Vanion said firmly. \u2018This isn\u2019t the story hour.\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nTalen\u2019s face grew sulky.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Read the full book by downloading it below.<\/p>\n

DOWNLOAD EPUB<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Preview \u00a0 The Shining Ones \u00a0 The Tamuli \u00a0 Book Two \u00a0 David Eddings \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Prologue \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Excerpted from Chapter Three of the \u2018Cyrga Affair: An Examination of the Recent Crisis\u2019. Compiled by the Contemporary History Department of the University of Matherion. \u00a0 A compilation such as this is the … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3748,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[213],"class_list":["post-3749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-david-eddings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}