‘I wish you wouldn’t do that,’ Kalten complained. ‘It always makes me feel so inadequate.’

‘You should have paid attention to your lessons when you were a novice then.’ Sparhawk focused his attention on the white-haired man and wove the intricate Styric spell. ‘It sort of went to pieces on you, didn’t it, Martel?’ he asked in a conversational tone.

‘Is that you, Sparhawk?’ Martel’s voice was just as conversational as he too utilized the spell they had both learned as novices. ‘So awfully good to hear your voice again, old boy. I didn’t quite follow your comment, though. Things seem to be going fairly well from where I sit.’

‘Why don’t you see how many of your soldiers you can interest in an assault on these walls about now? Take as long as you want, old boy, I’m not going anywhere.’

‘It was really very clever to desert the city, Sparhawk. I wasn’t really expecting that.’

‘We sort of liked it. It must be causing you a great deal of anguish every time you think about all the loot that’s getting away from you, though.’

‘Who said it’s getting away? I made a few speeches to my men. Most of my army’s still under control – out there in the meadows on the other sides of those rivers. I pointed out to them that it’s much easier to let the enterprising types do all the work of looting. Then, when they come out, we take the loot away from them and put it all into a common pile. Everybody will share equally.’

‘Even you?’

‘Oh, good God no, Sparhawk,’ Martel laughed. ‘I’m the general. I take my share first.’

‘The lion’s share?’

‘I am the lion, after all. We’ll all grow very, very wealthy once we break into the treasure vaults below the Basilica.’

‘That’s going a little far even for you, Martel.’

‘Business is business, Sparhawk. You and Vanion stripped me of my honour, so now all I can do is solace myself with money – and satisfaction, of course. I think I’ll have your head mounted when this is all over, my friend.’

‘It’s right here, Martel. All you have to do is come here and claim it. It’s going to take your soldiers a long time to loot the city, and you don’t really have much time to waste.’

‘It won’t take them all that long, Sparhawk. They’re moving along at a very good clip, you know. A man who thinks he’s working for himself is always more industrious.’