In the complex of halls, chambers, and stairs which apparently filled the whole mountainside, Estie and the Commander lagged behind their escort. Privately, Crayn murmured, “You were right, Majesty. Peace teaches people to assume peace. This place has no defense against treachery.”

Estie nodded. She had already done what she could to aid the search for Magister Marrow’s killer. That burden was now the librarian’s responsibility. And she, Estie, was still held by her first sight of the library. If Truly led her back to her quarters by a different route, she did not know it.

After a while, however, she realized that dawn must be near. She began to encounter occasional servants in the corridors or on the stairs. One and then another Magister passed her walking purposefully in the opposite direction. A blue-skinned woman clad entirely in feathers fluttered by, apparently oblivious to her own destination. From one chamber, Estie heard a distinct metallic clanking. It was brief, and she did not inquire about it.

Eventually, Crayn remarked, “Almost there, Majesty.” With an effort, she looked around. She was in a hall one corner away from the corridor leading to her apartments.

A moment later, she heard a voice. Loud with indignation, a man declared, “This is intolerable.”

With a flinch, Estie recognized Magister Avail’s ire.

At once, the Commander left her side. Striding briskly, he moved ahead of Truly.

Behind her guide, Queen Estie turned the last corner and entered the passage.

It was a long, straight stretch marked by a number of doors, but she knew hers by the two guardsmen standing outside it. They were armed with their swords and daggers, but not their rifles. They may have regretted leaving their guns in their rooms. Estie saw at a glance that they felt threatened.

She understood their alarm. They were facing Magister Avail and Magister Rummage. Every sorcerer they had ever known could have destroyed them with a thought. Nevertheless they stood their ground, protecting the privacy of her rooms in her absence.

She doubted that they had done or said anything to provoke the two Magisters. Their refusal to stand aside was provocation enough.

Commander Crayn was already a dozen paces ahead of the Queen. He was unarmed himself, still wearing the wrapped shirt that covered his damaged chest, but he approached Avail and Rummage as if he had nothing to fear. In a crisp tone, a nice blend of authority and politeness, he asked, “Is there some difficulty, Magisters?”

While the hunchback tapped on the plump, rumpled Magister’s forearm, Avail looked past Crayn, spotted Estie. Almost shouting, he called, “This is intolerable, Queen.”

Crayn stopped directly in front of the deaf sorcerer. “What is intolerable, Magister?” he asked without raising his voice. “I ordered my men to guard Queen Estie’s rooms until she returned. You cannot fault them for their faithfulness.”

One of them give him a quick look of gratitude and relief.