“Why did you not press him on where he’d heard it?” snapped Laneus. Alec could hear him pacing. “That is the greater question.”

“I had the impression that he’d heard it from Duke Reltheus.”

“Ah, yes, his new friend. Lord Seregil and his boy are quite popular in those circles these days.”

“All the better for us to make use of them, don’t you think?” asked Malthus. “Why else would he have come to me?”

“Don’t be a fool, Malthus! Seregil could just as easily have been sounding you out for Reltheus and his pack. It might be time for your friends to suffer an unfortunate accident.”

To Alec’s horror, Malthus said nothing to this.

“Go home, and keep this to yourself,” said Laneus. “I’ll see to the details.”

“Don’t you think the others should know? We’re all in danger.”

“He didn’t name any names except yours. Did you have any indication that he thought there were others?”

“Yes, but not who.”

“I’ll take care of this, Malthus. Go home.”

The two men parted company on strained terms. Alec waited until the room went dark, then crept back the way he’d come.

He was just lighting the lamps when Seregil entered their rooms at the inn and flopped down in one of the chairs by the empty fireplace to pull off his boots. “Not a bad night. How did you make out?”

“Malthus went straight to Laneus’s house,” Alec told him. “Laneus wasn’t very happy with his news. He suspects you didn’t tell Malthus all you know, and that you might be working for Reltheus. And it sounds like he—Laneus, that is—means to have us killed.”

“Does he really? He’s a sharp one, all right. Anything else?”

“That’s all you have to say? He means to kill us, Seregil!”

“Well, he won’t be the first, will he? We’ll worry about that when it happens. What were the exact words?”

“Only that Laneus said he’d take care of things.”

“We should certainly avoid eating with him. Not that he’ll dirty his own hands.”

“What did you say to Malthus to bring all this on?”

“I made out that I knew more than I did, and gave the idea of assassination a gamble. Malthus went pale, and though he denied it, I’m pretty certain he was lying.”

“But who? Phoria or Elani?”

“I don’t know. Both? I did my best to warn him off the idea.”

“Do you think he’ll listen?”

Seregil sighed. “I have no idea. If he’s telling Laneus about it, probably not.”

“I still say you’ve put yourself at too much of a risk, talking to him. They had you safely dismissed. Now they know that you know something. He didn’t come to you to be part of the plot so now you’re a danger to them.”

“We’ll see.”