‘The commander of the Archprelate’s personal guard, perhaps?’ Ortzel suggested.

‘The very man,’ Emban agreed, snapping his fingers. ‘If we can get him down into the cellar where he can hear Martel and Annias talking, it might give me something to place before the Hierocracy.’

‘Aren’t you overlooking the fact that when Martel comes through that aqueduct, he’s going to have a small army with him, Your Grace?’ Vanion asked. ‘He said something about wanting to get Annias to safety before the fighting starts. That sounds to me as if he plans to lead a surprise attack into the Basilica itself. Your witness won’t find a very attentive audience if all the Patriarchs are running for their lives.’

‘Don’t trouble me with these details, Vanion,’ Emban said airily. ‘Just post some men down there.’

‘Gladly, but where do I get the men?’

‘Take some of those fellows off the walls. They’re not doing anything useful anyway.’

Vanion’s face turned very red, and a thick vein started to throb in his forehead.

‘You’d better let me tell him, Vanion,’ Komier suggested. ‘We don’t want you to come down with the apoplexy.’ He turned casually to the fat little Patriarch. ‘Your Grace,’ he said mildly, ‘when you’re planning a surprise attack, you usually want to divert your enemy’s attention. Doesn’t that sort of make sense?’

‘Well –’ Emban said a bit dubiously.

‘At least that’s the way I’d do it, and Martel’s had a great deal of training. I sort of suspect that what’s going to happen is that Martel’s going to wait until he gets those mangoes built –’

‘Mangonels,’ Preceptor Abriel corrected.

‘Whatever,’ Komier shrugged. ‘Then he’s going to start bashing down our walls. Then he’s going to attack the walls with every man he can muster. Believe me, Your Grace, the men on the walls – or what’s left of the walls – are going to be very, very busy. That’s when Martel’s going to come into the cellar, and we’re not going to have any men to spare to meet him.’

‘Why do you have to be so blasted clever, Komier?’ Emban snapped.

‘What do we do then?’ Dolmant asked them.

‘We don’t have any choice, Your Grace,’ Vanion replied, ‘We’re going to have to collapse that aqueduct so that Martel can’t get through.’

‘But if you do that, we won’t have any report of the meeting between Annias and Martel!’ Emban protested shrilly.

‘Try to look at the whole picture, Emban,’ Dolmant said patiently. ‘Do we really want Martel voting when we elect a new Archprelate?’

Chapter 14

‘They’re ceremonial troops, Your Grace,’ Vanion objected. ‘This isn’t a parade or a formal changing of the guard.’ The four of them, Vanion, Dolmant, Sparhawk and Sephrenia were gathered in Sir Nashan’s study.