Darellon interlaced his slender fingers on the table in front of him. ‘There are Styrics and then there are Styrics,’ he noted. ‘As Abriel pointed out, there’s been a great deal of Styric activity in the central kingdom of late-much of it coming out of Zemoch. If Annias sought out a Styric to instruct him in the secrets, he might possibly have contacted the wrong one.’

‘I think you’re overcomplicating things, Darellon,’ Dolmant said. ‘Not even Annias would have dealings with Otha.’

‘That’s presuming that he knows he’s dealing with Otha.’

‘My Lords,’ Sephrenia said very quietly, ‘consider what happened this morning.’ Her eyes were very intent ‘Would any of you – or the kings you serve – have been deceived by the transparent accusations of the Primate Annias? They were crude, obvious, even childish. You Elenes are a subtle, sophisticated people. If your minds had been alert, you’d have laughed at Annias’ clumsy attempts to discredit the Pandions. But you didn’t. Neither did your kings. And Annias, who’s as subtle as a serpent, presented his case as if he believed it was a stroke of genius.’

‘Exactly what are you getting at, Sephrenia?’ Vanion asked.

‘I think we should give some consideration to Lord Darellon’s line of thought. The presentation this morning would have overwhelmed a Styric. We are a simple people, and our magicians do not have to work very hard to persuade us to their way of thinking. You Elenes are more sceptical, more logical. You are not so easily deceived – unless you’ve been tampered with.’

Dolmant leaned forward, his eyes betraying his eagerness for a contest at logic. ‘But Annias is also an Elene, with a mind trained in theological disputation. Why would he have been so clumsy?’

‘You’re assuming that Annias was speaking in his own voice this morning, Dolmant. A Styric sorcerer – or some creature subject to one – would present his case in terms that would be understood by a simple Styric and then rely upon magic to induce belief.’

‘Was someone using that kind of magic in that room this morning?’ Darellon asked, his face troubled.

‘Yes,’ she replied simply.

‘I think we’re getting a bit far afield,’ Komier said. ‘What we need to do right now is get Sparhawk on his way to Borrata. The quicker we find a cure for Queen Ehlana’s illness, the quicker we can eliminate the threat of Annias altogether. Once we cut off his supply of ready cash, he can consort with anybody – or anything – he wants to, for all I care.’

‘You’d better get ready to ride, Sparhawk,’ Vanion said. ‘I’ll write down the Queen’s symptoms for you.’

‘I don’t think that’s necessary, Vanion,’ Sephrenia told him. ‘I know her condition in much greater detail than you do.’

‘But you can’t write, Sephrenia,’ he reminded her.