Delada coughed. ‘It’s no longer used,’ he said shortly. ‘There was a time when the Church would go to any lengths to stamp out heresy. Interrogations were conducted down here and confessions obtained. It wasn’t one of the brighter chapters in the history of our holy mother.’

‘Some stories about that have leaked out,’ Sparhawk nodded. ‘Wait here with the guardsmen, Kurik. The colonel and I have to go and get into place before either of our visitors arrive. When I whistle for the attack, don’t wait around, because I’ll really need you at that point.’

‘Have I ever let you down, Sparhawk?’

‘No, as a matter of fact, you haven’t. Sorry I even mentioned it.’ He led the colonel deeper into the labyrinthine cellar. ‘We’re going to go into a fairly large room, Colonel,’ he explained. ‘There are all sorts of nooks and crannies along the walls. The young fellow who found the place brought me down here and showed it to me. He tells me that the two men we’re interested in usually meet there. You’ll be able to identify at least one of them. Hopefully, their conversation will identify the other. Pay very close attention to what they say, please. As soon as the conversation’s over, I want you to go directly back to your quarters and lock your door. Don’t open it for anybody but me, Lord Vanion or Patriarch Emban. If it makes you feel better, for a brief period of time, you’ll be the most important man in Chyrellos, and we’ll set whole armies to protecting you.’

‘This is all very mysterious, Sparhawk.’

‘It has to be for now, my friend. I hope that when you hear the conversation, you’ll understand why. Here’s the door.’ Sparhawk carefully pushed the rotting door open, and the two of them entered a large, dark chamber festooned with cobwebs. A rough table and two chairs sat near the door, and the thick stub of a single candle sat on a cracked saucer in the centre of the table. Sparhawk led the way to the rear of the chamber and back into a deep alcove. ‘Take off your helmet,’ he whispered, ‘and wrap your cloak around your breastplate. We don’t want any chance of reflection to warn anybody that we’re here.’

Delada nodded.

‘I’m going to blow out our candle now,’ Sparhawk told him, ‘and we’ll have to be absolutely quiet. If we need to talk, we’ll have to whisper very softly into each other’s ears.’ He blew out the candle, bent and laid it on the floor.

They waited. Somewhere far off in the darkness, water was dripping slowly. No matter how tight any drain may seem, there is always seepage, and water, like smoke, will always find the place it is seeking.