‘Platime’s the biggest thief in Cimmura,’ Talen told her. ‘I know that for a fact because I used to work for him. He controls every thief and beggar in the city – also the swindlers, cut-throats and whores.’

‘Watch your language, young man!’ Kurik barked.

‘I’ve heard the term before, Kurik,’ Ehlana said calmly. ‘I know what it means. Tell me, Sparhawk, what’s your reasoning behind this suggestion?’

‘As I said, Platime’s very clever – in some ways almost brilliant, and, though it’s a little odd, he’s a patriot. He has a vast understanding of the society of Cimmura, and he has ways of finding information that I can’t even guess at. There’s nothing that happens in Cimmura – or in most of the rest of the world, for that matter – that he doesn’t know about.’

‘I’ll interview him,’ Ehlana promised.

Then Ulath and Sir Perraine dragged Lycheas into the room. Lycheas gaped at his cousin, his mouth open and his eyes bulging in astonishment. ‘How –?’ he began, then broke off, biting his lip.

‘You didn’t expect to see me alive, Lycheas?’ she asked in a deadly tone.

‘I believe it’s customary to kneel in the presence of your queen, Lycheas,’ Ulath growled, kicking the bastard’s feet out from under him. Lycheas crashed to the floor and grovelled there.

The Earl of Lenda cleared his throat. ‘Your Majesty,’ he said, ‘during the time of your illness, Prince Lycheas insisted that he be addressed as “Your Majesty”. I’ll have to consult the statutes, but I believe that constitutes high treason.’

‘That’s what I arrested him for at least,’ Sparhawk added.

‘That’s good enough for me,’ Ulath said, raising his axe. ‘Say the word, Queen of Elenia, and we’ll have his head on a pole at the palace gate in a matter of minutes.’

Lycheas gaped at them in horror and then began to cry, pleading for his life while his cousin pretended to think it over. At least Sparhawk hoped that she was pretending. ‘Not here, Sir Ulath,’ she said a bit regretfully. ‘The carpeting, you understand.’

‘King Wargun wanted to hang him,’ Kalten said. He looked up. ‘You’ve got a nice high ceiling in here, Your Majesty, and good stout beams. It won’t take me but a moment to fetch a rope. We can have him dancing in the air in no time, and hanging’s not nearly as messy as beheading.’

Ehlana looked at Sparhawk. ‘What do you think, dear? Should we hang my cousin?’

Sparhawk was profoundly shocked at the cold-blooded way she said it.

‘Ah – he has a great deal of information that could be useful to us, My Queen,’ he said.

‘That might be true,’ she said. ‘Tell me, Lycheas, have you anything you’d like to share with us while I think this over?’

‘I’ll say anything you want, Ehlana,’ he blubbered.