Then the Pelosian lady emerged from the house. Her purple robe was carelessly open at the front, and beneath it she was naked. As she came into the torchlight, Sparhawk could see that her eyes were glazed and that her nude body was splattered with blood. Her hulking attendant made some effort to close the front of her robe, but she hissed at him, thrusting his hand away, and went off down the street shamelessly flaunting her body.

‘And that one is more than lost,’ Sephrenia said. ‘She will be dangerous now. Azash rewarded her with powers.’ She frowned. ‘I’m tempted to suggest that we follow her and kill her.’

‘I’m not sure that I could kill a woman, Sephrenia.’

‘She’s not even a woman any more, but we’d have to behead her, and that could cause some outrage in Chyrellos.’

‘Do what?’

‘Behead her. It’s the only way to be certain that she’s really dead. I think we’ve seen enough here, Sparhawk. Let’s go back to the chapterhouse and talk with Nashan. Tomorrow I think we should report this to Dolmant. The Church has ways to deal with this sort of thing.’ She rose to her feet.

‘Let me carry the sword for you.’

‘No, Sparhawk. It’s my burden. I must carry it.’ She tucked Lakus’ sword inside her robe and led the way towards the door.

They went downstairs again, and the shopkeeper came out of the back of his establishment rubbing his hands together. ‘Well?’ he said eagerly. ‘Will you be taking the rooms?’

‘Totally unsuitable,’ Sephrenia sniffed. ‘I wouldn’t keep my master’s dog in a place like that.’ Her face was very pale, and she was visibly trembling.

‘But-’

‘Just unlock the door, neighbour,’ Sparhawk said, ‘and we’ll be on our way.’

‘What took you so long, then?’

Sparhawk gave him a flat, cold stare, and the shopkeeper swallowed hard and went to the door, fishing in his tunic pocket for the key.

Outside, Faran was standing protectively beside Sephrenia’s palfrey. There was a torn scrap of rough cloth on the cobblestones under his hooves.

‘Trouble?’ Sparhawk asked him.

Faran snorted derisively.

‘I see,’ Sparhawk said.

‘What was that about?’ Sephrenia asked wearily as Sparhawk helped her to mount.

‘Someone tried to steal your horse,’ he shrugged. ‘Faran persuaded him not to.’

‘Can you really communicate with him?’

‘I more or less know what he’s thinking. We’ve been together for a long time.’ He hauled himself up into his saddle, and the two of them rode off down the street in the direction of the Pandion chapterhouse.