‘I couldn’t see their faces, your Majesty.’

‘A shame, really,’ the old king sighed. ‘It would appear that the plot was fairly widespread. The two who came before us to testify would also seem to have been a part of it, and at some prearranged signal were to have stepped forward with their obviously well-coached lies.’

‘That same thought had occurred to me, your Majesty,’ Sparhawk agreed.

‘But who was behind it? And against whom was it really directed? Count Radun, perhaps? Or King Dregos? Or even Lord Vanion?’

‘That might be impossible to determine – unless the so-called witnesses can be persuaded to identify their fellow plotters.’

‘Excellent point, Sir Sparhawk.’ King Obler looked sternly at the Primate Annias. ‘It lies upon you, your Grace, to ensure that the merchant Tessera and the serf Verl are available for questioning. We would all be most distressed should anything of a permanent nature happen to either of them.’

Annias’ face grew stiff. ‘I shall have them both closely guarded, your Majesty,’ he assured the King of Deira. He gestured to one of his soldiers and muttered some instructions to the man, who blanched slightly, then hurried from the room.

‘Sir Sparhawk,’ Lycheas blustered, ‘you were ordered to Demos and told to remain there until you received permission to leave. Why is it that you –’

‘Be still, Lycheas,’ Annias snapped at him.

A slow flush crept up the pimpled young man’s face.

‘I would say that you owe Lord Vanion an apology, Annias,’ Dolmant said pointedly.

Annias paled and then turned stiffly to the Pandion chief. ‘Please accept my apologies, Lord Vanion,’ he said shortly. ‘I was misled by liars.’

‘Of course, my dear Primate,’ Vanion replied. ‘We all blunder from time to time, don’t we?’

‘I believe that more or less concludes this matter then,’ Dolmant said. He cast a sidelong glance at Annias, who was obviously making a great effort to control his emotions. ‘Be assured, Annias,’ the Patriarch of Demos said to him, ‘I will cast this entire matter in as charitable a light as I can when I make my report to the Hierocracy in Chyrellos. I’ll try my very best not to make you look like a complete idiot.’

Annias bit his lip.

‘Tell us, Sir Sparhawk,’ King Obler said, ‘could you in any way identify the people who approached the count’s castle?’

‘The man who was leading them is named Adus, your Majesty,’ Sparhawk told him. ‘He’s a thick-witted savage who does the bidding of a renegade Pandion named Martel. Many of his men were just ordinary mercenaries. The rest were Rendors.’

‘Rendors?’ King Dregos said, his eyes narrowing. There have been tensions of late between my kingdom and Rendor, but this plot seems a bit involuted for the Rendorish mind.’