‘Well, she’s getting ready to leave for Cimmura.’

‘That’s nice.’ Sparhawk’s tone was flat.

‘And she’s very worried about you.’

‘I’m touched.’

‘She’s feeling well, though.’ The additions Talen was tacking on were growing more and more lame.

‘That’s good to know.’

‘She – um – she says that she loves you.’

‘And?’

‘Well – that’s all, really.’

‘It’s a strangely garbled message, Talen. I think maybe you’ve left something out. Why don’t you go over it again?’

‘Well – um – she was talking to Mirtai and Platime – and me, of course – and she said that she wished there was some way she could get word to you to let you know what she was doing and exactly how she felt.’

‘She said this to you?’

‘Well – I was in the room when she said it.’

‘Then we can’t really say that she ordered you to come here, can we?’

‘Well – not in so many words, I suppose, but aren’t we supposed to sort of anticipate her wishes? She is the queen, after all.’

‘May I?’Sephrenia asked.

‘Of course,’ Sparhawk replied. ‘I’ve already found out what I want to know.’

‘Maybe,’ she said, ‘maybe not.’ She turned to the boy. ‘Talen?’

‘Yes, Sephrenia?’

‘That’s the weakest, most clumsy and obviously false story I’ve ever heard from you. It doesn’t even make any sense, particularly in view of the fact that she’s already sent Stragen to do more or less the same thing. Is that really the best you could come up with?’

He even managed to look embarrassed. ‘It’s not a lie,’ he said. ‘The queen said exactly what I told you she did.’

‘I’m sure she did, but what was it that moved you to come galloping after us to repeat some idle comments?’

He looked a little confused.

‘Oh, dear,’ Sephrenia sighed. She began to scold Aphrael in Styric at some length.

‘I think I missed something there.’ Kalten sounded baffled.

‘I’ll explain in a moment, Kalten,’ Sephrenia said. ‘Talen, you have an enormous gift for spontaneous prevarication. What happened to it? Why didn’t you just cook up a lie that was at least a little bit plausible?’

He squirmed a bit. ‘It just wouldn’t have seemed right,’ he said sullenly.

‘You felt that you shouldn’t really lie to your friends, is that it?’

‘Something like that, I guess.’

‘Praise God!’ Bevier said in stunned fervour.

‘Don’t be too quick to start offering up prayers of thanksgiving, Bevier,’ she told him. ‘Talen’s apparent conversion isn’t entirely what it seems to be. Aphrael’s involved in it, and she’s a terrible liar. Her convictions keep getting in the way.’

‘Flute?’ Kurik said. ‘Again? Why would she send Talen here to join us?’