Tynian nodded. ‘We thought he’d go south to Umanthum, but we found out later that he’d moved his fleet to Sarrinium after the burning of Coombe – probably because Wargun has ships patrolling the straits of Arcium. He’s most likely back in Rendor by now.’

Sparhawk grunted. He unhooked his sword-belt, laid it on the table and sat down. ‘What did Lycheas tell you?’ he asked Vanion.

‘Quite a bit. It’s fairly obvious that he didn’t know everything Annias was doing, but surprisingly, he’s managed to pick up a great deal of information. He’s brighter than he looks.’

‘He’d almost have to be,’ Kurik said. ‘Talen,’ he said to his son, ‘don’t do that.’

‘I was just looking, father,’ the boy protested.

‘Don’t. You might be tempted.’

‘Lycheas told us that his mother and Annias have been lovers for years now,’ Vanion told them, ‘and it was Annias who suggested to Arissa that she attempt to seduce her brother. He’d come up with a rather obscure bit of Church doctrine that appeared to permit a marriage between them.’

‘The Church would never permit such an obscenity,’ Sir Bevier declared flatly.

‘The Church has done many things in her history that don’t conform to contemporary morality, Bevier,’ Vanion said. ‘At one time, she was very weak in Cammoria, and there had been a tradition of incestuous marriages in the royal house of that kingdom. The Church made allowances in order to continue her work there. Anyway, Annias reasoned that Aldreas was a weak king, and Arissa would be the real ruler of Elenia if she married him. Then, since Annias more or less controlled Arissa, he’d be the one making the decisions. At first that seemed to be enough for him, but then his ambition began to run away with him. He started eyeing the Archprelate’s throne in Chyrellos. That was about twenty years ago, I gather.’

‘How did Lycheas find out about it then?’ Sparhawk asked him.

‘He used to visit his mother in that cloister at Demos,’ Vanion replied. ‘Arissa’s reminiscences were rather wideranging, I understand, and she was quite candid with her son.’

‘That’s revolting,’ Bevier said in a sick voice.

‘Princess Arissa has a peculiar kind of morality,’ Kalten told the young Arcian.

‘At any rate,’ Vanion said, ‘Sparhawk’s father stepped in at that point. I knew him very well, and his morality was much more conventional. He was greatly offended by what Aldreas and Arissa were doing. Aldreas was afraid of him, so when he suggested a marriage to a Deiran Princess instead, Aldreas rather reluctantly agreed. The rest is fairly well known. Arissa went into an absolute fury and ran off to that brothel down by the riverside – sorry about that, Sephrenia.’

‘I’ve heard about it before, Vanion,’ she replied. ‘Styrics are not nearly as unworldly as you Elenes sometimes believe.’