“What’s happening?” he asked in a low voice, as he edged alongside his cousin.

Duncan raised an eyebrow. “Dear Coz, you will not believe what I’m about to tell you. Corrigan was so upset about what happened in the crypt, he threatened to call off the coronation. Kelson managed to soothe his ruffled feathers, and then Loris started in. He wanted to arrest you, suspend me, and was seriously considering taking Kelson before a heresy tribunal.”

“Good God, what next?” Morgan murmured under his breath, rolling his eyes.

“Don’t worry,” Duncan continued. “Kelson straightened him out. He threatened to banish him and strip away his temporal powers for even thinking such a thing. And then he hinted to Corrigan that any further dissent, and he might end up banished, too. You should have seen old Corrigan. Even the thought of Arilan or some other bishop taking over Rhemuth and its estates was enough to scare him speechless.”

Morgan let out a sigh of relief. “Do you think they’ll cause any more trouble? We don’t need a religious confrontation today, on top of everything else.”

Duncan shook his head. “I don’t think so. They backed off muttering indignantly about heresy and other bad things. And I can guarantee they’re not happy I’m still in the ceremony. But there isn’t much they can do, if they want to keep their own positions. Even Loris isn’t that much of a fanatic.”

“I do hope you’re right,” Morgan said. “I assume you were able to stay out of their way until we arrived.”

“Only by means of some judicious shuffling. I’m hoping to avoid that confrontation indefinitely.”

An altar boy in gleaming white surplice and red cassock scurried up beside Duncan and tugged at his sleeve urgently, and Duncan moved off to take his place in the procession. Even as he left, a page appeared at Morgan’s elbow with the sheathed Sword of State and indicated where Morgan should stand in the line.

As Kelson passed on his way to his appointed place, Morgan tried to flash him an encouraging smile, but the boy was evidently too shaken to notice. Loris and Corrigan were on either side of him, and they glared at Morgan as they passed. But Arilan, behind them, nodded pleasantly to Morgan with a little secret smile that seemed to tell him not to worry.

Damn those archbishops anyway! They had no right to upset the boy this way. He had a lot on his mind—more than any fourteen-year-old should be expected to contend with. And two dour and hostile archbishops were certainly not doing anything to ease the situation.