"Would you coerce the Coronal, Divvis?"

"I would advise the Coronal. It is our duty—yours, mine, Mirigant's, Tunigorn's, all of us who were in the government before the overthrow. We must tell him: it is time for him to move on to the Labyrinth."

"I think it is time for us to have our run," said Elidath stiffly.

"Listen to me, Elidath! Am I an innocent? My father was a Coronal; my grandfather held the post you hold now; I have spent all my life close to the heart of power. I understand things as well as most. We have no Pontifex. For eight or ten years we've merely had a thing more dead than alive, floating in that glass cage in the Labyrinth. Hornkast speaks to him, or pretends to, and receives decrees from him, or pretends to, but in effect there's no Pontifex at all. How long can the government function that way? I think Valentine is trying to be Pontifex and Coronal both, which is impossible for any man to carry off, and so the whole structure is suffering, everything is paralyzed—"

"Enough," Mirigant said.

"—and he will not move along to his proper office, because he's young and hates the Labyrinth, and because he has come back from his exile with his new retinue of jugglers and herdboys, who are so captivated by the splendors of the Mount that they will not allow him to see that his true responsibility lies—"

"Enough!"

"One moment more," said Divvis earnestly. "Are you blind, Elidath? Only eight years back we experienced something altogether unique in our history, when a lawful Coronal was overthrown without our knowing it, and an unanointed king put in his place. And what kind of man was that? A Metamorph puppet, Elidath! And the King of Dreams himself an actual Metamorph! Two of the four Powers of the Realm usurped, and this very Castle filled with Metamorph impostors—"

"All of them discovered and destroyed. And the throne bravely regained by its rightful holder, Divvis."

"Indeed. Indeed. And do you think the Metamorphs have gone politely back to their jungles? I tell you, they are scheming right this instant to destroy Majipoor and take back for themselves whatever is left, which we have known since the moment of Valentine's restoration, and what has he done about it? What has he done about it, Elidath? Stretched out his arms to them in love. Promised them that he will right ancient wrongs and remedy old injustices. Yes, and still they scheme against us!"

"I will run without you," said Elidath. "Stay here, sit at the Coronal's desk, sign those mounds of decrees.

That's what you want, isn't it, Divvis? To sit at that desk?" He swung about angrily and started from the room.

"Wait," Divvis said. "We're coming." He sprinted after Elidath, came up alongside him, caught him by the elbow. In a low intense tone quite different from his usual mocking drawl he declared, "I said nothing of the succession, except that it is necessary for Valentine to move on to the Pontificate. Do you think I would challenge you for the crown?"