“As fortune would have it, even though you didn’t reach Kesh and became a Sister of the Order of the Shield of the Weak, I found other means to achieve my end.” He looked at her with a narrowing gaze. Her expression was one of open shock. “You know what this means?”

“The Upright Man…” She put her mace away. “It means I’m not leaving this island alive if I don’t agree to something.”

He grinned. “Creegan said the Goddess had plans for you that were better than mine, and I will not disagree. You are far too intelligent to let you wither in some Keshian lord’s bed, or retire to some small town to start a modest inn with the gold we would have given you.

“No, you are destined for greater things, Sandreena.” He took a folded parchment out of his belt and handed it to her.

She took it and saw the seal of the Order pressed into heavy wax. She cracked the seal and unfolded the message. She read it. Then she read it a second time. Softly she said, “He can’t be serious?”

Jim was forced to laugh at her response. “He said that would be your exact words. He knows you well, Sandreena. Or should I say, Mother-Bishop Sandreena.”

“Me, in charge of the Order in the west?”

“You already are. As you no doubt realize, we of the Conclave have not done as well recruiting agents within the various temples. We have none in several of the temples, Sung, Astalon, and Lims-Kragma being the most difficult—it’s that absolute mind-set, I think. I am as practical a man as you’ll meet, and there are times when I feel divided in my loyalties between the Kingdom and the Conclave.”

“Then why do it?” she asked.

“Because while I love my homeland, Pug is trying to save the world. It’s hard to argue for the Kingdom’s interest if the entire planet is conquered by demons.”

She took a deep breath and said, “What if I don’t want to be Mother-Bishop?”

“Well, you were wrong about not leaving here alive. You’ll wake up on a beach somewhere near Land’s End, and you’ll have a vivid memory of your boat overturning in rough water and you not reaching Sorcerer’s Isle. You’ll also decide that rather than try again, you’ll return to Krondor and seek out help there.

“After that, you’ll continue as Knight-Sergeant of the Order while waiting for Creegan to send a new Bishop to run things in the west, and…?” He shrugged. “Creegan will find another.”

“Another?”