‘My hands are completely clean, Your Grace,’ Talen replied innocently. ‘I haven’t personally stabbed a single soldier in the back. What the villains from the street do out there isn’t my responsibility, is it?’ The boy’s eyes shone with innocence.

‘Give it up, Ortzel,’ Emban chuckled. ‘None of us are worldly enough to argue with this young fellow.’ He paused. ‘Dolmant,’ he said, ‘tithing is a well-established practice, isn’t it?’

‘Of course,’ the Patriarch of Demos said.

‘I was sure it was. Given the unusual circumstances here, I’d say that the young fellow should contribute a quarter of his profits to the Church, wouldn’t you?’

‘It sounds about right to me,’ Dolmant agreed.

‘A quarter?’ Talen exclaimed. ‘That’s highway robbery!’

‘Actually, we aren’t on a highway, my son,’ Emban smiled. ‘Would you like to settle up after each of your excursions? Or should we wait until you’ve gathered all your profits and we can take care of it all at once?’

‘After you’ve settled up with the Patriarch Emban, Talen,’ Vanion said, ‘I have this burning curiosity about this secret way you’ve found to get in and out of the city.’

‘It’s not really much of a secret, Lord Vanion,’ Talen said deprecatingly. ‘About all it really consists of are the names of a squad of enterprising church soldiers who have the night watch in one of the towers on the wall. They’ve got a nice long rope with knots tied in it to make climbing up and down easy. They’re willing to rent out the rope, and I‘m willing to rent out their names and the location of the tower they’re guarding. Everybody’s making a nice profit.’

‘Including the Church,’ Patriarch Emban reminded him.

‘I was sort of hoping you’d forgotten about that, Your Grace.’

‘Hope is a cardinal virtue, my son,’ Emban said piously, ‘even when it’s misplaced.’

Kurik came in carrying a Lamork crossbow. ‘I think we may be in luck, My Lords,’ he said. ‘I happened to look into the armoury of the Archprelate’s personal guard in the Basilica. They’ve got racks and racks of these down there, and barrels of bolts.’

‘An eminently suitable weapon,’ Ortzel approved. Ortzel was a Lamork, after all.

‘They’re slower than a longbow, Your Grace,’ Kurik pointed out, ‘but they do have an extraordinary range. I think they’ll be very effective in breaking up charges against the inner city before they can pick up much momentum.’

‘Do you know how to use this weapon, Kurik?’ Vanion asked him.

‘Yes, Lord Vanion.’

‘Start training some church soldiers then.’

‘Yes, My Lord.’

‘A number of things are turning our way, my friends,’ Vanion said. ‘We have a defensible position, a parity of weapons a;

‘I’d still be happier if Wargun were here,’ Komier said.