‘That’s too bad. It looks as if someone’s managed to fish it out.’
‘It’s logical, Sparhawk,’ Ulath said. ‘That box was lined with gold, and Aphrael told us that the gold would keep Bhelliom from getting out on its own. Since the Troll-Gods can’t get out of Bhelliom, they were down there too. Somebody’s found that box.’
‘I’ve heard that the people who dive for pearls can go down quite deep,’ Stragen said.
‘Not that deep,’ Sparhawk said. ‘Besides, there’s something wrong.’
‘Are you just now realising that?’ Stragen asked him.
‘That’s not what I mean. When we were up in Pelosia, you could all see that cloud.’
‘Oh, yes,’ Ulath said fervently.
‘But before that – when it was just a shadow – only Ehlana and I could see it, and that was because we were wearing the rings. This was definitely a shadow and not a cloud, wasn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ Stragen admitted.
‘Then how is it that you and Ulath could see it too?’
Stragen spread his hands helplessly.
‘There’s something else too,’ Sparhawk added. ‘The night I came home from Lamorkand, I felt something in the street watching me – several somethings. They weren’t Elene or Styric, and I don’t think they were human. That shadow that just passed through here felt exactly the same.’
‘I wish there was some way we could talk with Sephrenia,’ Ulath muttered.
Sparhawk was fairly certain that there was a way, but he was not free to reveal it to any of them.
‘Do we tell anybody else about this?’ Stragen asked.
‘Let’s not start a panic until we find out some more about it,’ Sparhawk decided.
‘Right,’ Stragen agreed. ‘There’s always plenty of time for panic later – plenty of reason too, I think.’
The weather cleared over the next few days, and that fact alone lifted spirits in the palace. Sparhawk spent some time closeted with Platime and Stragen, and then the two thieves sent men into Lamorkand to investigate the situation there. ‘That’s what I should have done in the first place,’ Sparhawk said, ‘but Sarathi wouldn’t give me the chance. Our revered Archprelate has a few blind spots. He can’t seem to get it through his head that official investigators aren’t going to ever really get to the bottom of things.’
‘Typical aristocratic ineptitude,’ Stragen drawled. ‘It’s one of the things that makes life easier for people like Platime and me.’
Sparhawk didn’t argue with him about that. ‘Just tell your men to be careful,’ he cautioned them. ‘Lamorks tend to try to solve all their problems with daggers, and dead spies don’t bring home very much useful information.’
‘Astonishing insight there, old boy,’ Stragen said, his rich voice dripping with irony. ‘It’s absolutely amazing that Platime and I never thought of that.’
‘All right,’ Sparhawk admitted, ‘maybe I was being just a little obvious.’
‘We saw that too, didn’t we, Platime?’
Platime grunted. ‘Tell Ehlana that I’m going to be away from the palace for a few days, Sparhawk.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘None of your business. There’s something I want to take care of.’
‘All right, but keep in touch.’
‘You’re being obvious again, Sparhawk.’ The fat man scratched his paunch. ‘I’ll talk with Talen. He’ll know how to get in touch with me if the queen really needs me for something.’ He groaned as he hauled himself to his feet. ‘I’m going to have to lose some weight,’ he said half to himself. Then he waddled to the door with that peculiarly spraddle-legged gait of the grossly obese.
‘He’s in a charming humour today,’ Sparhawk noted.
‘He’s got a lot on his mind just now,’ Stragen shrugged.
‘How well-connected are you in the palace at Emsat, Stragen?’
‘I have some contacts there. What do you need?’
‘I’d like to put some stumbling blocks in the way of this accommodation between Avin and Count Gerrich. Gerrich’s beginning to get a little too much influence in northern Eosia. Maybe you ought to get word to Meland in Acie as well. Gerrich’s making alliances in Pelosia and Thalesia already. It doesn’t seem reasonable that he’d overlook Deira, and Deira’s a little chaotic right now. Ask Meland to keep his eyes open.’
‘This Gerrich’s really got you concerned, hasn’t he?’
‘There are some things going on in Lamorkand that I don’t understand, Stragen, and I don’t want Gerrich to get too far ahead of me while I’m trying to sort them out.’
‘That makes sense – I suppose.’
Khalad came to his feet with his eyes slightly unfocused and with a thin dribble of blood coming out of his nose.
‘You see? You over-extended again,’ Mirtai told him.
‘How did you do that?’ Sparhawk’s squire asked her.
‘I’ll show you. Kalten, come here.’
‘Not me,’ the blond Pandion refused, backing away.
‘Don’t be foolish. I’m not going to hurt you.’
‘Isn’t that what you told Khalad before you bounced him off the flagstones?’
‘You might as well do as I tell you, Kalten,’ she said. ‘You’ll wind up doing it in the end anyway, and it won’t be nearly as painful for you if you don’t argue with me. Take out your sword and stab me in the heart with it.’
‘I don’t want to hurt you, Mirtai.’
‘You? Hurt me?’ Her laugh was sardonic.
‘You don’t have to be insulting about it,’ he said in an injured tone, drawing his sword.
It had all begun when Mirtai had passed through the palace courtyard while Kalten was giving Khalad some instruction in swordsmanship. She had made a couple of highly unflattering comments. One thing had led to another, and the end result had been this impromptu training session, during which Kalten and Khalad learned humility, if nothing else.
‘Stab me through the heart, Kalten,’ Mirtai said again.
In Kalten’s defence it should be noted in passing that he really did try. He made a great deal of noise when he came down on his back on the flagstones.
