Behind the panels, Morgan prepared to make his move. Motioning Duncan and Kelson to draw near, he whispered a few words, then straightened and glanced through the spy hole again. As he did so, Duncan drew his sword and slipped away in the darkness to the left. Morgan let the wall-hanging fall and motioned Cardiel to come to him.

“We’ll go in now, Excellency. Follow my lead as much as possible. They have unwittingly set the stage for a very effective entrance, and I want to preserve the mood for as long as possible. Agreed?”

Cardiel nodded solemnly.

“Kelson?”

“Ready.”

As Warin and his lieutenants murmured over the restored Owen, helping him to his feet, some slight sound must have come from the direction of the fireplace. Only Paul was facing in that direction, and as his glance shifted toward the sound, he froze and gasped unbelievingly, his eyes wide with horror.

“My lord!”

At his exclamation, Warin and the others turned to see a shadowed doorway opening in the wall to the left of the fireplace, only faintly visible by the light of the low fire burning on the hearth. Blank disbelief froze them all in their places as Kelson emerged from the opening, his young face unmistakable in the red firelight. A collective gasp of anguish accompanied the appearance of Morgan, right behind the king; they did not recognize the third figure, whose steel-gray hair caught the firelight as the opening closed behind him.

All at once, Warin was glancing around wildly, his men scrambling toward the door only to pull up short at the sight of Duncan standing against the green-glowing doorway, a naked sword held across his body in a non-threatening but vigilant pose.

Warin froze and stared at Duncan wild-eyed for an instant, remembering his last encounter with this proud young Deryni who now stood so confidently before him, then closed his eyes and tried with a visible effort to compose himself. Only then did he turn to face his nemesis and his king.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Curse not the king, no not even in thy thought.”

ECCLESIASTES 10:20

“TELL your men to surrender, Warin,” Kelson said. “I am assuming command here.”

“I cannot permit that, Sire.” Warin’s brown eyes met the king’s without a flicker of fear. “Paul, summon the guards.”

“Paul, stay away from the door,” the king said before the man could move to obey.

The rebel lieutenant froze at the sound of his name on the royal lips, then glanced beseechingly at Warin. Behind Duncan, the door still glowed with a faint, greenish light, and the priest minutely shifted his grip on his bared sword in a gesture calculated to instill hesitation.

Warin glanced at the door, the look of indecision and fear on Paul’s face, the unreadable eyes of Morgan standing close by the king. Then, with a sigh, he dropped his gaze to the floor at his feet, his shoulders drooping dejectedly.

“We are undone, my friends,” he said in a weary voice. “Put aside your weapons and stand away. We cannot resist Deryni sorcery with mere steel.”