Krager laughed. ‘Adus would do that anyway.’

‘Good, but tell him not to be self-conscious about it. Radun has several churchmen in his castle. We want them to witness it all. After Adus and the others finish with the women, cut their throats. Radun is to be tortured and then beheaded. Take his head with you when you leave, but leave enough personal jewellery and clothing on the body so that it can be identified. Butcher everybody else in the castle, except for the churchmen. After they’ve witnessed everything, let them go.’

‘Why?’

‘To report the outrage to King Dregos at Larium.’ The idea then is that Dregos will declare war on the Pandions?’

‘Not quite, no – although that’s possible, too. As soon as the business is finished, dispatch a man on a fast horse to me here in Cimmura to tell me that it’s been done.’

Krager laughed again. ‘Only an idiot would carry that kind of message. He’d have a dozen knives in him as soon as he finished talking.’

‘You are suspicious, aren’t you, Krager?’

‘Better suspicious than dead, and the people Martel will hire are likely all to feel pretty much the same way. You’d better tell me a little more about this scheme, Harparin.’

‘You don’t need to know any more.’

‘Martel will. He won’t be a cat’s-paw for anybody.’

Harparin muttered an oath. ‘All right then. The Pandions have been interfering with the primate’s activities. This atrocity will give him an excuse to confine them in their motherhouse at Demos again. Then he will personally carry a report of the affair to Chyrellos to lay before the Church Hierocracy and the Archprelate himself. They will have no choice but to disband the Pandion Order. The leaders – Vanion, Sparhawk, and the others – will be imprisoned in the dungeons beneath the Basilica of Chyrellos. No man has ever come out of those dungeons alive.’

‘Martel will like that idea.’

‘Annias thought that he might. The Styric woman, Sephrenia, will be burned as a witch, of course.’

‘We’ll be well rid of her.’ There was another pause. ‘There’s more, isn’t there?’ Krager added.

Harparin did not answer.

‘Don’t be coy, Harparin,’ Krager told him. ‘If I can see through all this, you can be sure that Martel will, too. Let’s have the rest of it.’

‘All right.’ Harparin’s voice was sullen. ‘The Pandions are likely to resist confinement and they’ll certainly try to protect their leaders. At that point, the army will move against them. That will give Annias and the Royal Council an excuse to declare a state of emergency and to suspend certain laws.’

‘Which laws are those?’

‘The ones having to do with the succession to the throne. Elenia will technically be in a state of war, and Ehlana is obviously in no condition to deal with that. She’ll abdicate in favour of her cousin, the Prince Regent Lycheas.’

‘Arissa’s bastard – the sniveller?’

‘Legitimacy can be bestowed by a decree of the council, and I’d really watch what I say about Lycheas, Krager. Disrespect for the King is high treason, and it can be made retroactive, you know.’

There was an apprehensive silence. ‘Wait a minute,’ Krager said then. ‘I’ve heard that Ehlana’s unconscious – and sealed in some kind of crystal.’

‘That’s no particular problem.’

‘How can she sign the instrument of abdication?’

Harparin laughed. ‘There’s a monk at the monastery near Lenda. He’s been practising the Queen’s signature for a month now. He’s very good.’

‘Clever. What happens to her after she abdicates?’

‘As soon as Lycheas is crowned King, we’ll give her a splendid funeral.’

‘But she’s still alive, isn’t she?’

‘So? If need be, we’ll entomb her throne and all.’

‘There’s only one problem then, isn’t there?’

‘I don’t see any problem.’

‘That’s because you’re not looking, Harparin. The primate is going to have to move very fast. If the Pandions find out about this before he can get to the Hierocracy in Chyrellos, they’ll take steps to counter his accusations.’

‘We’re aware of that. That’s why you have to send the message to me as soon as the count and his people are dead.’

‘The message would never reach you. Any man we send will realize that he’ll be killed as soon as he delivers it and he’ll find an excuse to go to Lamorkand or Pelosia instead.’ Krager paused. ‘Let me see that ring of yours,’ he said.

‘My ring? Why?’

‘It’s a signet, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, with the coat of arms of my family.’

‘All noblemen have rings like that, don’t they?’

‘Of course.’

‘Good. Tell Annias to pay close attention to the collection plate in the cathedral of Cimmura here. One of these days a ring will show up among the pennies. The ring will bear the coat of arms of Count Radun’s family. He’ll understand the message, and the messenger can slip away unharmed.’

‘I don’t think Annias will like that.’

‘He doesn’t have to like it. All right, how much?’

‘How much what?’

‘Money What is Annias willing to pay Martel for his assistance? He’s getting the crown for Lycheas and absolute control of Elenia for himself. What’s it worth to him?’

‘He told me to mention the sum of ten thousand gold crowns.’

Krager laughed. ‘I think Martel might want to negotiate that point just a bit.’

‘Time is important here, Krager’

‘Then Annias probably won’t be too stubborn about the price, will he? Why don’t you go back to the palace and suggest to him that a bit more generosity might be in order? I could wind up spending the whole winter riding back and forth between Annias and Martel carrying proposals and counterproposals.’

‘There’s only so much money in the treasury Krager.’

‘Simplicity in itself, my dear Baron. Just increase taxes or have Annias dip into church funds.’

‘Where is Martel now?’

‘I’m not at liberty to say’

Sparhawk swore under his breath and took his ear away from the wall.

‘Was it interesting?’ Naween asked. She still lounged on the bed.