“If they are unaware,” Heklatis said bitterly, “they must be complete idiots, and I had never heard that of them. Oh, they know. They just do not care—so long as what they wish is done. The Magi are too useful to them, for some reason, and they count the lives of mere Altan citizens of no account, I suspect. But they will never admit that they know what the Magi are doing, because then people would say that they did not care about untruth and injustice. And they will not welcome anyone who tries to enlighten them as to true conditions.”

“Oh—oh, no—” Aket-ten said in dismay.

“What?” both Heklatis and Kiron said sharply.

“Toreth—Toreth has gone to the Palace, to demand audience of the Great Ones by right of being the Heir,” she said, and clapped her hand over her mouth. “When the Eye was opened, he said that you had predicted this, and that the Great Ones must be told what the Magi have done!”

“The poor fool.” Heklatis slumped where he sat. “I only pray he has not signed his own death warrant.”

“But you fear he has,” Kiron said heavily. The Healer nodded, as Aket-ten looked from one to the other in horror.

“Surely not,” stammered Aket-ten. “He and Kaleth are the Heirs!”

But there are other Heirs, Kiron thought, and saw the same thought in Heklatis’ eyes.

“Well,” the Healer said, too heartily. “He and his brother are favored of the gods. Surely.”

“Surely,” said Kiron, who did not believe it at all.

Toreth did not return in time to feed his dragonet; they could not leave the poor thing alone, so Aket-ten did it for him, then brought in Wastet to play with her until they were both tired. At that point, Kiron decided that he had to tell the other boys of the wing just where Toreth had gone, and why.

Gan and Orest were the only ones who were truly concerned. The rest of them looked anxious for a moment, then Oset-re said, “Ah, he’s God-watched, that one! He can fall in the marsh and come up clean, with latas in either hand!” And the rest of the laughed, and each recounted some tale of how Toreth had always had the luck of ten men, and for most of them, their concern melted away.

Not for Kiron—and not for Gan and Orest either. He saw it in their faces and, no doubt, they saw it in his.

But Toreth did not return in time for dinner, and by that time, Kiron decided to go to Lord Khumun.