The remains of the council were in disarray, but this time Tarfel was in the thick of their quarrelling. With Mira the seneschal as his mouthpiece, the scattered remnants of Arowan’s decision-makers found themselves cowed by the newly assertive prince. As he spoke, his fingers worried at the Keeper’s heavy chain. Like Matil, he seemed loath to string it around his neck while its official owner still lived.

The Keeper herself lay in the chamber beyond, bandaged and inert, in the same bed her mother had vacated only the day before. Kosh stood in the doorway, staring but going no further, suddenly small and utterly alone. Somewhere beyond the thick walls of the tower, soft booms heralded another barrage of demon eggs from the plateau.

Tarfel stomped over to where Chel leaned against a pillar. He looked flushed and angry, but also a little pleased with himself. ‘Constitutional crisis?’ he said. ‘It’s a crisis all right, but the constitution is clear, Vedren, not that they’ll hear it. Matil has granted me command of the city until she recovers and requests its return.’

Rennic was crouched on the pillar’s far side, keeping a critical eye on Foss and Lemon’s game of stones. ‘Or she dies.’

Tarfel pursed his lips. ‘Indeed. Then it would become a council matter once more.’

‘How much do you trust the guards at her chamber?’

Tarfel offered a hard smile. ‘The assignments are doubled and their shifts irregular.’

‘Looks bad for the city, either way,’ Rennic went on. ‘Losing two Keepers in as many days, smacks of carelessness.’

Even Lemon thought that was a little tasteless. Unconcerned, Rennic pushed himself to his feet against the pillar. ‘Well, Acting Keeper, what have you told them?’

The arguments were continuing in Tarfel’s absence; Mira the seneschal was a harried presence in their midst and while the words were unknown to Chel, the tone was unmistakable.

‘That I know my brother. That taking this city is part of his imperial dream, and the only way this army stops is if it is made to. The situation is more dire than any of those perfumed gadflies ever envisaged, but the collapse of the bridge at least buys us time.’

Rennic nodded, half a smile beneath the thick black beard. Either he agreed with the assessment, or he was amused by the prince calling the local nobility perfumed gadflies. ‘The lookouts say they’re building towers.’

‘Yes. Or something like it. We may only have a few days before they try to broach the gap.’

‘Assuming they don’t try something else in the meantime. There are more engines down there.’

‘Indeed.’

‘You know, if they’d brought the bridge down when I suggested it, many more people would be standing here today. Our friend the Keeper included.’

‘Oh, it’s easy to snipe, isn’t it? To criticize?’ Tarfel’s anger resurfaced. ‘You’ve never had to rule! To balance lives like a merchant!’