“He answered my questions with an air of willingness. He had left Belleger for Amika on instructions from the Archpriest. The priests in my realm had a task to perform for the Great God. When I asked what that task was, he may have meant to tell me. By chance, Magister Facile interrupted him.

“When she had examined him, she repeated her assertion that the Great God’s priests are not sorcerers. Then she questioned the servants. Their replies betrayed that they were his guardians—or his captors.

“They alarmed her. Those men, she insisted, were dangerous. Some vile theurgy had touched them.”

We serve the Great God Rile.

The Great God’s instructions are precise.

“I tried to question the priest again. His guards or captors were too quick. One killed Magister Facile with a single blow. The other slew the priest.

“My guardsmen dealt with those creatures before they could do more harm. But Magister Facile was gone.”

The assassin’s attention did not waver. As if Facile’s death was of secondary importance, she demanded, “Describe them, Queen.”

Angered by her memories, Queen Estie held the woman’s gaze. “I have seen you fight, Devotee. I know your speed. Those men were as fast. I did not see the second of them kill the priest. I clung to Magister Facile. But Crayn tells me his teeth were the fangs of a wolf. He ripped out the priest’s throat with one bite.”

As Estie spoke, an unusual frown twisted Lylin’s mien. She studied the Queen a moment longer. Then she turned to the monk.

“You are a discerning man, Father. What can you add to the Queen’s account?”

Without lifting his head, Third Father murmured, “You already know, Devotee, that the loss of Magister Facile is grievous. You may not know the extent of the loss. She has been the only means of communication with the Last Repository. Magisters there are able to observe events, but without her they cannot understand what has transpired.”

Lylin ignored the implicit reprimand. She had one of her own. “At another time, Father,” she countered, “perhaps you will tell me why she chose to forsake Belleger when so much hangs in the balance. For the present, I want to know what you saw in the priest and his killers.”

Third Father grimaced at the floor, a small twist quickly wiped away. His tone had an uncharacteristic edge. “The priest was a timid man, Devotee. He depended on his bond with the Archpriest. His men were empty vessels. They had no thoughts or desires of their own. They were given a purpose. They carried it out. They could not have explained themselves. Without their Great God’s commands, they would have been harmless.”

The devotee of Spirit nodded as if the monk had confirmed a suspicion. As the carriage crested the bridge and began to tilt down the far slope, she faced Queen Estie again.