As they always did when the weather was bad, Sparhawks thoughts drifted back to the years he had spent in the sun-blasted city of Jiroch on the arid north coast of Render where the women, all veiled and robed in black, went to the well in the steely first light of day and where the woman named Lillias had consumed his nights with what she chose to call love. He did not, however, remember that night in Cippria when Martels assassins had quite nearly spilled out his life. He had settled that score with Martel in the Temple of Azash in Zemoch, so there was no real purpose in remembering the stockyard of Cippria nor the sound of the monastery bells which had called to him out of the darkness.
That momentary sense of being watched, the sense that had come over him in the narrow street while he had been on his way to the palace still nagged at him. Something he did not understand was going on, and he fervently wished that he could talk with Sephrenia about it.
2
Your Majesty, the Earl of Lenda protested, you cant address this kind of language to the Archprelate. Lenda was staring with chagrin at the piece of paper the queen had just handed him. Youve done everything but accuse him of being a thief and a scoundrel.
Oh, did I leave those out? she asked. How careless of me. They were meeting in the blue-carpeted council chamber as they usually did at this time of the morning.
Cant you do something with her, Sparhawk? Lenda pleaded.
Oh, Lenda, Ehlana laughed, smiling at the frail old man, thats only a draft. I was a little irritated when I scribbled it down.
A little?
I know we cant send the letter in its present form, my Lord. I just wanted you to know how I really felt about the matter before we rephrase it and couch it in diplomatic language. My whole point is that Dolmants beginning to overstep his bounds. Hes the Archprelate, not the emperor. The Church has too much authority over temporal affairs already, and, if someone doesnt bring Dolmant up short, every monarch in Eosia will become little more than his vassal. Im sorry gentlemen. Im a true daughter of the Church, but I wont kneel to Dolmant and receive my crown back from him in some contrived little ceremony that has no purpose other than my humiliation.
Sparhawk was a bit surprised at his wifes political maturity. The power structure on the Eosian Continent had always depended on a rather delicate balance between the authority of the Church and the power of the various kings. When that balance was disturbed, things went awry.
Her Majestys point may be welltaken, Lenda, he said thoughtfully. The Eosian monarchies havent been very strong for the last generation or so. Aldreas was He groped for a word.
Inept, his wife coolly characterised her own father.
I might not have gone quite that far, he murmured. Warguns erratic, Saros is a religious hysteric, Oblers old, and Friedahl reigns only at the sufferance of his barons. Dregos lets his relatives make all his decisions, King Brtsant of Cammorta is a voluptuary and I dont even know the name of the current King of Render.
Inept, his wife coolly characterised her own father.
I might not have gone quite that far, he murmured. Warguns erratic, Saros is a religious hysteric, Oblers old, and Friedahl reigns only at the sufferance of his barons. Dregos lets his relatives make all his decisions, King Brtsant of Cammorta is a voluptuary and I dont even know the name of the current King of Render.
Ogyrin, Kalten supplied, not that it really matters.
Anyway, Sparhawk continued, sinking lower in his chair and rubbing the side of his face thoughtfully, during this same period of time, weve had a number of very able churchmen in the Hierocracy. The incapacity of Cluvonus sort of encouraged the patriarchs to strike out on their own. If you had a vacant throne someplace, you could do a lot worse than put Emban on itor Ortzelor Bergsten, and even Annias had a very high degree of political skill. When kings grow weak, the Church grows strongtoo strong sometimes.
Spit it out, Sparhawk, Platime growled. Are you trying to say we should declare war on the Church?
Not today, Platime. We might want to keep the idea in reserve, though. Right now I think its time to start sending some signals to Chyrellos, and our queen may be just the one to send them. After the way she stampeded the Hierocracy during Dolmants election, I think theyll listen very carefully to just about anything she says. I dont know that Id soften her letter all that much, Lenda. Lets see if we can get their attention.
Lendas eyes were very bright. This is the way the games supposed to be played, my friends,. he said enthusiastically.
You do realise that its altogether possible that Dolmant didnt realise that he was stepping over the line, Kalten noted. Maybe he sent Sparhawk to Lamorkand as the interim preceptor of the Pandion Order and completely overlooked the fact that hes also the prince consort. Sarathis got a lot on his mind just now.
If hes that absent-minded, hes got no business occupying the Archprelates throne, Ehlana asserted. Her eyes narrowed, always a dangerous sign. Lets make it very clear to him that hes hurt my feelings. Hell go out of his way to smooth things over, and maybe I can take advantage of that to retrieve that Duchy just north of Vardenaise. Lenda, is there any way we can keep people from bequeathing their estates to the Church?
Its a long-standing custom, your Majesty.
I know, but the land originally comes from the crown. Shouldnt we have some say in who inherits it? Youd think that if a nobleman dies without an heir, the estate would revert back to me, but every time theres a childless noble in Elenia, the churchmen flock around him like vultures trying to talk him into giving them the land.
Jerk some titles, Platime suggested. Make it a law that if a man doesnt have an heir, he doesnt keep his estate.
The aristocracy would go up in flames, Lenda gasped.
Thats what the armys for, Platime shrugged, to put out fires. Ill tell you what, Ehlana, you pass the law, and Ill arrange a few very public and very messy accidents for the ones who scream the loudest. Aristocrats arent very bright, but theyll get the pointeventually.
Do you think I could get away with that? Ehlana asked the Earl of Lenda.
Surely your Majestys not seriously considering it?
I have to do something, Lenda. The Church is eating up my kingdom acre by acre, and once she takes possession of an estate, the lands removed from the tax rolls forever. She paused. This could just be a way to do what Sparhawk suggestedget the Churchs attention. Why dont we draw up a draft of some outrageously repressive law and just accidentally let a copy fall into the hands of some middle-level clergyman. Its probably safe to say that itll be in Dolmants hands before the inks dry.
Thats really unscrupulous, my Queen, Lenda told her.
Im so glad you approve, my Lord. She looked around. Have we got anything else this morning, gentlemen?
Youve got some unauthorised bandits operating in the mountains near Cardos, Ehlana, Platime rumbled.
The gross, black-bearded man sat with his feet upon the table. There was a wine flagon and goblet at his elbow. His doublet was wrinkled and food-spotted, and his shaggy hair hung down over his forehead, almost covering his eyes. Platime was constitutionally incapable of using formal titles, but the queen chose to overlook that.
Unauthorised? Kalten sounded amused.
You know what I mean, Platime growled. They dont have permission from the thieves council to operate in that region, and theyre breaking all the rules. Im not positive, but I think theyre some of the former henchmen of the Primate of Cimmura. You blundered there, Ehlana. You should have waited until you had them in custody before you declared them outlaws.
Oh well, she shrugged. Nobodys perfect.
Ehlanas relationship with Platime was peculiar. She realised that he was unable to mouth the polite formulas of the nobility, and so she accepted a bluntness from him that would have offended her had it come from anyone else. For all his faults, Platime was turning into a gifted, almost brilliant counsellor, and Ehlana valued his advice greatly.
Im not surprised to find out that Annias old cronies have turned to highway robbery in their hour of need. They were all bandits to begin with anyway. There have always been outlaws in those mountains, though, so I doubt that another band will make all that much difference.
Ehlana, he sighed, youre the same as my very own baby sister, but sometimes youre terribly ignorant. An authorised bandit knows the rules. He knows which travellers can be robbed or killed and which ones have to be left alone. Nobody gets too excited if some overstuffed merchant gets his throat cut and his purse lifted, but if a government official or a high-ranking nobleman turns up dead in those mountains, the authorities have to take steps to at least make it appear that theyre doing their jobs. That sort of official attention is very bad for business. Perfectly innocent criminals get rounded up and hanged. Highway robberys not an occupation for amateurs. And theres another problem as well. These bandits are telling all the local peasantry that theyre not really robbers, but patriots rebelling against a cruel tyrantthats you, little sister. Theres always enough discontent among the peasants to make some of them sympathetic toward that sort of thing. You aristocrats havent any business getting involved in crime. You always try to mix politics in with it.
But my dear Platime, she said winsomely, I thought you knew. Politics is a crime.
The fat man roared with laughter. I love this girl, he told the others. Dont worry too much about it, Ehlana. Ill try to get some men inside their band, and when Stragen gets back, well put our heads together and work out some way to put those people out of business.
I knew I could count on you, she said. She rose to her feet. If thats all we have, gentlemen, I have an appointment with my dressmaker. She looked around. Coming, Sparhawk?
In a moment, he replied. I want to have a word with Platime.
She nodded and moved toward the door.
Whats on your mind, Sparhawk? Platime asked.
I saw Naween last night when I rode into town. Shes working the streets.
Naween? Thats ridiculous! Half the time she even forgets to take the money.
I saw Naween last night when I rode into town. Shes working the streets.