‘Who knows?’ Sephrenia laughed. ‘Maybe she likes him. Maybe it’s part of her obsession with symmetry. Maybe it’s something else – something she wants him to do.’

‘Then it wasn’t really my fault, was it?’ Talen said quickly.

‘Probably not.’ She smiled at him.

‘That makes me feel better,’ he said. ‘I knew you wouldn’t like it if I came after you, and I almost choked on all that truth. You should have spanked her when you had the chance, Sparhawk.’

‘Do you have any idea at all of what they’re talking about?’ Stragen asked Tynian.

‘Oh, yes,’ Tynian replied. ‘I’ll explain it to you someday. You won’t believe me, but I’ll explain it anyway.’

‘Did you find out anything about Martel?’ Kalten asked Sparhawk.

‘He rode out through the east gate early yesterday morning.’

‘We’ve gained a day on him then. Did he have any troops with him?’

‘Only Adus,’ Kurik replied.

‘I think it’s time for you to tell them everything, Sparhawk,’ Sephrenia said gravely.

‘You’re probably right,’ he agreed. He drew in a deep breath. ‘I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely honest with you, my friends,’ he admitted.

‘What’s new and different about that?’ Kalten asked.

Sparhawk ignored him. ‘I’ve been followed ever since I left Ghwerig’s cave up in Thalesia.’

‘That crossbowman?’ Ulath suggested.

‘He might have been involved, but we can’t really be sure. The crossbowman – and the people he had working for him – was probably something Martel came up with. I can’t be sure if it’s still a problem or not. The one who was responsible is dead now.’

‘Who was it?’ Tynian asked intently.

‘That’s not particularly important.’ Sparhawk had decided some time ago to keep Perraine’s involvement an absolute secret. ‘Martel has ways to force people to do what he tells them to do. That’s one of the reasons we had to get away from the main body of the army. We wouldn’t have been very effective if we’d had to spend most of our time trying to guard our backs from the attacks of people we could supposedly trust.’

‘Who was following you if it wasn’t the crossbowman?’ Ulath persisted.

Sparhawk told them about the shadowy form that had haunted him for months now.

‘And you think it’s Azash?’ Tynian asked him.

‘It sort of fits together, wouldn’t you say?’

‘How would Azash have known where Ghwerig’s cave was?’ Sir Bevier asked. ‘If that shadow’s been following you since you left the cave, Azash would almost have to have known, wouldn’t he?’

‘Ghwerig was saying some fairly insulting things to Azash before Sparhawk killed him,’ Sephrenia told them. ‘There was a certain amount of evidence that Azash could hear him.’

‘What sort of insults?’ Ulath asked curiously.

‘Ghwerig was threatening to cook Azash and eat him,’ Kurik said shortly.