The young man’s face displayed disappointment, but she saw no guile in that expression: no hint of darker regrets quickly hidden. Was he truly blind to his cousin’s unnatural attentions? ‘It would seem,’ she said, ‘that Calat Hustain no longer considers you a raw recruit, Spinnock. You are well measured by your deeds in saving my life, and it would not surprise me to hear of your promotion in rank before too long.’

His only response to that was an enigmatic smile.

* * *

Calat Hustain said, ‘It is my understanding that your betrothed rode with Sharenas Ankhadu to Kharkanas.’

Faror Hend nodded. ‘So I have been told, sir.’

‘In his zeal to discover your fate at the Vitr, Kagamandra Tulas revealed the virtues for which he is well known.’ The commander eyed her. ‘In failing to cross paths, Warden, you have missed an opportunity.’

She frowned. ‘I would not think it the last, sir.’

‘That does not help me now, however. Does it?’

It took a moment, but then she understood him. ‘Sir, my betrothed was elevated and now counts himself a noble.’

‘But he began as a captain in the Legion.’

‘Yes sir. He did.’

‘Then where, I wonder, does his loyalty lie?’

‘Perhaps, sir, Lord Ilgast Rend could better offer an opinion on that matter.’

‘You will ride with your captain to the Yannis Monastery, Warden, where she will deliver a message on my behalf. Immediately thereafter, you will part ways with her and ride to the Hust Legion encampment. While I have no doubt that Commander Toras Redone remains loyal to Mother Dark, it does not necessarily follow that she now sends her soldiers against Deniers. You will ascertain her stance and then return to me.’

‘Yes sir.’ It struck Faror, suddenly, that in Calat Hustain and his wife, Toras Redone, she saw a possible fate for her and Kagamandra Tulas. It seemed they knew little of each other and were content to keep it that way. That Calat did not know his wife’s mind on the matter of her faith, and what it might lead her to do with her legion, struck her as pathetic, and, in this instance, potentially disastrous.

‘One last thing,’ Calat Hustain said, ‘you are to bypass Kharkanas. Cross the river well downstream and avoid contact with Legion garrisons or troops.’

She thought back to her commander’s earlier words. ‘Sir, I could seek out my betrothed in the city, if only upon my return from the Hust Legion encampment.’

‘You could, but you shall not. Kharkanas is about to become a web. With an indifferent mistress at its centre, I foresee a convergence of … males, each one eager for her embrace.’

‘Sir, your analogy invites the notion that whoever wins will end up being devoured … by Mother Dark. This seems an odd victory.’

He grunted. ‘Yes, it does, doesn’t it?’

Neither spoke for a time, until Faror Hend began to wonder if she had been dismissed.