“She believes there is a jewelled cup that holds some sort of power –”

“Yes, yes, this power. Why does she want that? She already has her own sort of power, as everyone knows, and as she would be the first to tell you.”

He hesitated. “Her imprisonment is not severe, I grant you that, but,” he quoted, remembering, “‘it is still imprisonment’. She wants the power to bring herself free and once more to her brother’s side, to help him with her magic. She – you said everyone knows she has magic at her disposal.”

“Magic?” Surprisingly, there was contempt in Luned’s voice. “Oh yes, she has magic, skills of one kind and another. No one denies that! And least of all should you, my lord!”

“Madam –”

“Oh, no, I don’t mean her woman’s wiles. I mean the magic she used to make them work on you. The drugs she uses. Has used, almost daily, on you!”

“Lady Luned –”

“Wait. I am nearly done. I only came to tell you this because I am afraid of what she might do were she ever to get this extra power, a power that both Merlin and the High King held in such awe that they hid it from men’s sight. My lord –” the tremulous hand was on his arm again – “I beg you, I beg you, now that you are free, stay away! Never come back! Never! Do you understand?”

“How can I? I am pledged –”

“Even so. It would be better if you never went to look for this treasure, but if you should ever find it, I want you to think hard before you bring it back to her. She told you that she would never use it for the High King’s hurt?”

“Yes.”

She dropped the hand from his arm, and took a step away from him; another. When she turned to face him again, she looked older, frailer, honed down by fear. “Did she tell you what these ‘councils’ are that she holds in that private chamber in the east tower?”

“Of course. It’s all that is left to her of a court and a following.”

“And of course she invited you to join them?”

“She wanted to. She would have done soon. She said so.”

“Did she say what they discussed so secretly, up in the tower?”

“Since Ferlas came back she has been consulting with her knights about this quest that means so much to her.”

“Did she tell you that the knight who died, Count Ferlas’s brother Julian, was pledged to marry me?”

“Why, no! I didn’t know that. I’m sorry –” He began to stammer something, but she cut him short.

“She knew it, so she saw to it that he went on this quest of hers. And I believe,” said Luned, so calmly that against his will Alexander found himself believing it, too, “that if he did indeed die from some evil spell cast, it was she who cast it.”