‘As you command, Master,’ the servant replied, bowing.

They waited until the sound of the front door of the house closing announced that the servant had departed.

‘Nice enough fellow there,’ Voren observed. ‘Of course he’s fearfully stupid. I’m always careful to hire servants who aren’t too bright. An intelligent servant is usually a spy.’ Then his eyes narrowed. ‘Wait here a moment,’ he said. ‘I want to be sure he has really left the house.’ He crossed the garden and went back inside.

‘I don’t remember his being that nervous,’ Kurik said.

This is a nervous part of the world,’ Sparhawk replied.

After a few minutes, Voren returned. ‘Little mother,’ he greeted Sephrenia warmly, kissing her palms. ‘Will you give me your blessing?’

She smiled, touched his forehead, and spoke in Styric

‘I’ve missed that,’ he confessed, ‘even though I haven’t done much lately that deserves blessing.’ Then he looked at her more closely ‘Aren’t you well, Sephrenia?’ he asked her ‘Your face seems very drawn.’

‘The heat, perhaps,’ she said, passing a slow hand across her eyes.

‘Sit here,’ he said, pointing at his marble bench. ‘It’s the coolest place in all of Jiroch.’ He smiled sardonically. ‘Which isn’t saying all that much, I’ll grant you.’

She sat on the bench, and Flute clambered up beside her

‘Well, Sparhawk,’ Voren said, clasping his friend’s hand, ‘what brings you back to Jiroch so soon? Did you leave something behind, perhaps?’

‘Nothing I can’t live without,’ Sparhawk replied dryly

Voren laughed. ‘Just to show you how good a friend I am, I won’t tell Lillias that you said that. Hello, Kurik. How’s Aslade?’

‘She’s well, my Lord Voren.’

‘And your sons? You have three, don’t you?’

‘Four, my Lord. The last one was born after you left Demos.’

‘Congratulations,’ Voren said, ‘a little late, maybe, but congratulations all the same ’

‘Thank you, my Lord.’

‘I need to talk with you, Voren,’ Sparhawk said, cutting across the pleasantries, ‘and we don’t have much time’

‘And here I thought this was a social visit.’ Voren sighed.

Sparhawk let that pass. ‘Has Vanion managed to get word to you about what’s been going on in Cimmura?’

The lightly ironic smile faded from Voren’s face, and he nodded seriously ‘That’s one of the reasons I was surprised to see you,’ he said. ‘I thought you were going to Borrata. Did you have any luck there?’

‘I don’t know how lucky it was, but we found out something we’re trying to track down.’ He clenched his teeth together. ‘Voren,’ he said darkly, ‘Ehlana was poisoned.’