"My lords," said Hissune.

Divvis, scowling, pushed a long sheet of paper across the table toward him. "Read this," he muttered.

"Unless you already know."

"I know only that there is a message from Tunigorn."

"Read it, then."

To Hissune's annoyance there was a tremor in his hand as he reached for the paper. He glowered at his fingers as though they were in rebellion against him, and forced them to grow steady.

Clusters of words leaped from the paper at him.

—Valentine gone off to Piurifayne to beg the forgiveness of the Danipiur—

—a Metamorph spy discovered traveling in the Coronal's own entourage—

—interrogation of the spy reveals that the Metamorphs themselves have created and spread the pestilences wracking the farmlands—

—a great sandstorm—Elidath dead, and many others—the Coronal has vanished into Piurifayne—

—Elidath dead—

—the Coronal has vanished—

—a spy in the Coronal's entourage—

—the Metamorphs have created the pestilences themselves—

—the Coronal has vanished—

—Elidath dead—

—the Coronal has vanished—

—the Coronal has vanished—

—the Coronal has vanished—

Hissune looked up, appalled. "How certain is it that this message is authentic?"

"There can be no doubt," said Stasilaine. "It came in over the secret transmission channels. The ciphers were the correct ones. The style of phrase is certainly Tunigorn's, that I will warrant myself. Put your faith on it, Hissune: this is altogether genuine."

"Then we have not one catastrophe to deal with, but three or four," Hissune said.

"So it would appear," said Divvis. "What are your thoughts on these matters, Hissune?"

Hissune gave the son of Lord Voriax a slow, careful look. There seemed to be no mockery in his question. It had appeared to Hissune that Divvis's jealousy of him and contempt for him had abated somewhat during these months of their working together on the Council of Regency, that Divvis had at last come to have some respect for his capabilities; but yet this was the first time Divvis had gone this far, actually showing what looked like a sincere desire to know Hissune's point of view—in front of the other high lords, even.

Carefully he said, "The first thing to recognize is that we are confronted not merely by a vast natural calamity, but by an insurrection. Tunigorn tells us that the Metamorph Y-Uulisaan has confessed, under interrogation by Deliamber and Tisana, that the responsibility for the plagues lies with the Metamorphs. I think we can have faith in Deliamber's methods, and we all know that Tisana can see into souls, even Metamorph souls. So the situation is precisely as I heard Sleet express it to the Coronal, when they were at the Labyrinth at the beginning of the grand processional—and which I heard the Coronal refuse to accept: that the Shapeshifters are making war upon us."

"And yet," said Divvis, "Tunigorn also tells us that the Coronal has responded by shuffling into Piurifayne to convey his royal apologies to the Danipiur for all our unkindnesses to her subjects down through the ages.