‘He disobeyed my orders! I will make him pay!’

‘Are you so stupid that you didn’t expect this? I told you how devious the man was, but your mind’s so clogged with cobwebs that you wouldn’t listen.’

‘I gave him an order!’ Scarpa’s voice had risen to a squeal. He stamped his foot. Then he stamped the other. Then he began jumping up and down on the floor, quite literally dancing with fury. ‘I am the emperor! He must obey me!’

Zalasta did not even bother to use magic this time. He simply swung his staff and knocked his hysterical son to the floor, sending his crown rolling. ‘You sicken me,’ he said in a voice loaded with contempt. I have no patience with these temper-tantrums. You are not the emperor. When you’re in this condition, you’re not even meaningful.’ His face was unemotional, and his eyes were remote. ‘Have a care, Scarpa,’ he said in a dreadful voice. ‘There’s nothing in this world that I love now. You have freed me from all human attachments. If you annoy me, I’ll squash you like a bug.’

Scarpa scrambled away from the terrible old man, his eyes suddenly rational and filled with fear.

‘What’s happened?’ Ehlana asked anxiously.

‘One of my associates – Cyzada of Esos – just arrived from Cynesga,’ Zalasta replied calmly. ‘He brought us some news that we probably should have expected. Your husband’s a devious man, Ehlana. We thought that we had him, but he managed to wriggle free.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘We left him instructions when we abducted you. He was supposed to take his squire and set out on horseback for the town of Beresa in southern Arjuna. We had people watching, and he seemed to be obeying. He was not, however. Evidently he’s not as fond of you as we’d thought he was.’

‘He was simply following my orders, Zalasta. I told him that under no circumstances was he to give up the Bhelliom.’

‘How did you manage that?’ Zalasta seemed actually startled.

‘Your lunatic son here told Elron to kill Baroness Melidere. Elron’s a hopeless incompetent, so Melidere was able to deflect his sword-thrust. I have some remarkable people working for me, Zalasta. Melidere was able to play dead very convincingly. I feigned hysteria and managed to whisper instructions to her while I covered her with a blanket.’ She gave him a rather malicious sidelong glance. ‘Your mind must be slipping, Zalasta. You didn’t even notice that I no longer had my ring. I left that with Melidere as well.’

‘Very resourceful, Ehlana,’ he murmured. ‘You and your husband are stimulating opponents.’

‘I’m so glad you approve. How did Sparhawk trick you?’

‘We’re not entirely sure. We had people watching him from the moment he left the imperial compound in Matherion, and he followed our orders to the letter. We even diverted him a couple of times to prevent any tricks. Then Klæl escaped again and went looking for Bhelliom. The man we thought was Sparhawk was on a ship crossing the Sea of Arjun with his squire, Khalad. Klæl took one look and instantly knew that the man who appeared to be your husband was not Anakha. That’s the news that Cyzada just brought to us.’

She smiled almost beatifically at him. ‘And so now Sparhawk’s out there somewhere – with Bhelliom in his fist and murder in his heart – and you haven’t the faintest idea of where he might be, and quite probably not even what he looks like. You’ve got a big problem, Zalasta.’

‘You’re very quick, your Majesty. You think even faster than my colleagues.’

‘That isn’t very difficult. You’re surrounded with defectives. Which particular stroke of my genius is it that you admire?’

He smiled faintly. ‘I rather like you, Ehlana,’ he told her. ‘You have spirit. My assorted defectives haven’t yet fully grasped the implications of your husband’s ploy. If he’s somehow managed to make someone resemble him, he’s surely able to alter his own features as well.’

‘He does it all the time, Zalasta. He had a great deal of experience with disguises when he was in Rendor. It’s all falling apart on you, isn’t it? I’d suggest that you start running immediately.’

‘I’ll be leaving shortly, right enough, but you’ll be going with me. Tell your maid to start making preparations for a journey.’

‘What are you saying?’ Scarpa scrambled to his feet. ‘She can’t leave here!’ he shrieked. ‘We’re going to make the exchange here!’

‘You imbecile,’ Zalasta sneered. ‘You didn’t really think I was going to let you go through with that, did you? I never had any intention of letting you get within five miles of Bhelliom.’

Scarpa gaped at him.

‘It was a misguided attempt to save your life, idiot. Bhelliom would have destroyed you in the instant that you touched it.’

‘Not if I had the rings. They would have protected me.’ Scarpa’s eyes were wild again.

‘The rings are a fraud,’ Zalasta sneered. ‘They have no power over Bhelliom whatsoever.’

‘You’re lying!’

‘You desperately want to believe that, don’t you, Scarpa? You thought that all you had to do to gain control of the most powerful force in the universe was to put on a pair of rings. Ghwerig the Troll-Dwarf made the rings at Bhelliom’s instruction. They were designed to deceive a Troll into thinking he had some power over the jewel. Bhelliom induced Ghwerig to make the rings, and then it tricked Aphrael into stealing them. Everyone’s attention was so fixed on the rings that we didn’t even bother trying to steal Bhelliom from the royal crown of Thalesia.’

Scarpa suddenly sneered. ‘You just out smarted yourself, old man. If Bhelliom’s so deadly, how is it that the kings of Thalesia could touch it and not die?’

‘Because Bhelliom’s alive, you dolt. It has an awareness. It kills only those it wants to kill – and that would certainly include you. You’re my son, and even I want to kill you most of the time. You had some deranged, half-formed notion that you could just pick up Bhelliom and start giving it commands, didn’t you?’

Scarpa flushed guiltily.

‘Can’t you get it through your sick head that only a God – or Anakha – can safely take up Bhelliom and start giving it orders? I realized that over a century ago. Why do you think I made an alliance with Azash – or with Cyrgon? Did you think I was having religious yearnings?’ He smiled a cruel smile. ‘Did you really think Bhelliom would have made you a match for me, Scarpa? You were going to put on the rings, snatch up the Bhelliom, and order it to kill me, weren’t you? I almost wish the situation were different. I’d have loved to see the expression on your face as Bhelliom slowly turned you to stone.’ Zalasta straightened. ‘Enough of this,’ he said. He went to the door. ‘Come in here,’ he barked, ‘all of you.’