‘Good thinking, Sparhawk. This show of unity could fall apart on us if Bevier starts sulking. I’ll have to admit that he can be a good man in a fight, though. Is he still carrying that Lochaber?’

‘Oh, yes,’ Kalten said.

‘Gruesome thing, isn’t it? I saw him practising with it at Larium. He cut the top off a post as thick as my leg with one swipe at a full gallop. I get the feeling that he could ride through a platoon of foot-troops and leave a trail of loose heads behind him ten yards wide.’

‘Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,’ Sparhawk said.

‘If that’s your attitude, Sparhawk, you’re going to take all the fun out of this excursion.’

‘I am going to like him,’ Kalten said.

Sir Bevier joined them in Nashan’s study after the completion of noon service in the chapel. As closely as Sparhawk could determine, Bevier had not missed service once since his arrival.

‘All right then,’ Sparhawk said, rising to his feet when they were all assembled, ‘this is sort of where we stand. Annias, the Primate of Cimmura, has his eyes on the Archprelate’s throne here in Chyrellos. He controls the Elenian Royal Council, and they’re giving him money out of the royal treasury. He’s trying to use that money to buy enough votes in the Hierocracy to win election after Cluvonus dies. The preceptors of the four orders want to block him.’

‘No decent churchman would accept money for his vote,’ Bevier said, his voice verging on outrage.

‘I’ll grant that,’ Sparhawk agreed. ‘Unfortunately, many churchmen are far from decent. Let’s be honest about it, gentlemen. There’s a wide streak of corruption in the Elene Church. We might wish it were different, but we have to face the facts. Many of those votes are for sale. Now – and this is important – Queen Ehlana is unwell; otherwise, she wouldn’t allow Annias to have access to the treasury. The preceptors agree that the best way to stop Annias is to find some way to cure the Queen and put her back in power. That’s why we’re going to Borrata. There are physicians at the university there who might be able to determine the nature of her illness and find a cure for it.’

‘Are we taking your Queen with us?’ Tynian asked.

‘No. That’s quite impossible.’

‘It’s going to be a little hard for the physicians to find out much then, isn’t it?’

Sparhawk shook his head. ‘Sephrenia, the Pandion instructor in the secrets, will be going with us. She can describe Queen Ehlana’s symptoms in great detail and she can raise an image of the Queen if the physicians need a closer look.’

‘Seems a bit roundabout,’ Tynian noted, ‘but if that’s the way we have to do it, then that’s the way we’ll do it.’