Ulath cuffed him across the back of the head. ‘Your Majesty,’ he prompted.

‘What?’

‘You call the queen “Your Majesty”,’ Ulath said, cuffing him again.

‘Y-your Majesty,’ Lycheas stammered.

‘There’s something else too, My Queen,’ Sparhawk continued. ‘Lycheas is Annias’s son, you recall.’

‘How did you find out about that?’ Lycheas exclaimed.

Ulath cuffed him again. ‘He wasn’t talking to you. Speak when you’re spoken to.’

‘As I was saying,’ Sparhawk went on. ‘Lycheas is Annias’s son, and he might be a useful bargaining chip in Chyrellos when we go there to try to keep Annias off the Archprelate’s throne.’

‘Oh,’ she said petulantly, ‘all right – I suppose – but as soon as you’re done with him, turn him over to Sir Ulath and Sir Kalten. I’m sure they’ll find a way to decide which one of them gets to send him on his way.’

‘Draw straws?’ Kalten asked Ulath.

‘Or we could roll the dice,’ Ulath countered.

‘My Lord Lenda,’ Ehlana said then, ‘why don’t you and Lord Vanion take this wretch somewhere and question him. I’m getting sick of the sight of him. Take Sir Kalten, Sir Perraine and Sir Ulath with you. Their presence might encourage him to be more forthcoming.’

‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ Lenda said, concealing a smile.

After Lycheas had been dragged from the room, Sephrenia looked the young queen full in the face. ‘You weren’t seriously considering that, were you, Ehlana?’ she asked.

‘Oh, of course not – well, not too seriously, anyway. I just want Lycheas to sweat a bit. I think I owe him that.’ She sighed wearily. ‘I think I’d like to rest now,’ she said. ‘Sparhawk, do be a dear and carry me in to bed.’

‘That’s hardly proper, Ehlana,’ he said stiffly.

‘Oh, bother proper. You may as well get used to thinking of me and beds at the same time anyway.’

‘Ehlana!’

She laughed and held out her arms to him.

As Sparhawk bent and lifted his queen in his arms, he happened to catch a glimpse of Berit’s face. The young novice was giving him a look of undisguised hatred. There was going to be a problem here, Sparhawk saw. He decided to have a long talk with Berit just as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

He carried Ehlana into the other room and tucked her into a very large bed. ‘You’ve changed a great deal, My Queen,’ he said gravely. ‘You’re not the same person I left ten years ago.’ It was time to get that out into the open so that they could both stop tiptoeing around it.

‘You’ve noticed,’ she said archly.