"Not too likely," Sadi, who was crouched down behind a longboat, replied. "Salmissra knows who he is, and I know my queen. Her face doesn't show any emotion, but her curiosity is very strong. I’ve spent the last three days composing that letter. She'll see me. I can practically guarantee that. Could we go below, Garion? I'd really rather not have anybody see me."

It was perhaps two hours later when Silk returned accompanied by a platoon of Nyissan soldiers. The platoon leader was familiar.

"Is that you, Issus?" Sadi called out through the porthole of the cabin in which he was hiding. "I thought you'd be dead by now."

"Hardly," the one-eyed assassin said.

"You're working at the palace now?"

"Yes."

"For the queen?"

"Among others. I take on a few odd jobs for Javelin now and then."

"Does the queen know about that?"

"Of course. All right, Sadi. The queen's agreed to a two-hour amnesty for you. We'd better hurry. I'm sure you'll want to be gone from here before those two hours run out. The queen's fangs start to itch every time she hears your name, so let's go unless you'd like to reconsider and start running right now."

"No," Sadi said. "I'll be right up. I'm bringing Polgara and Belgarion with me, if that's all right."

"That's up to you," Issus said with an indifferent shrug.

The palace was still infested with snakes and with dreamy-eyed eunuchs. A pimply-faced official with broad hips and a grotesquely made-up face met them at the palace door. "Well, Sadi," he said in a piping soprano voice, "I see you’ve returned."

"And I see you’ve managed to stay alive, Y'sth," Sadi replied coldly. "That's a shame, really."

Y'sth's eyes narrowed with undisguised hatred. "I'd be a little careful about what I say, Sadi," he squeaked. "You're not Chief Eunuch anymore. As a matter of fact, I may soon hold that position myself."

"May the heavens defend poor Nyissa then," Sadi murmured,

"You've heard of the queen's command that Sadi be given safe conduct?" Issus asked the eunuch.

"Not from her own lips."

"Salmissra doesn't have lips, Y'sth, and you've just heard about it from me. Now, are you going to get out of our way? Or am I going to have to slit you up the middle?"

Y'sth backed away. "You can't threaten me, Issus."

"I wasn't threatening you. I was just asking a question." Then the assassin led the way up the polished stone corridor leading to the throne room.

The room they entered was unchanged and probably unchangeable. Thousands of years of tradition had seen to that. Salmissra, her coils stirring restlessly and her blunt, crowned head weaving sinuously in front of her mirror, occupied the throne.

"Sadi the eunuch, my Queen," Issus announced with a bow. Issus, Garion noted, did not prostrate himself before the throne as did other Nyissans.