ourselves, and that’s been ruined now. No one ever really considered
joining with the enemy – even if we knew who he was – but Stragen
effectively bludgeoned us into going even further. Neutrality’s out of the
question now, since the Elene peasants would come to view neutrality as
very nearly the same thing as actually joining with our unknown opponent.
The Thousand will assist you, your Excellency. They’ll do all they can do if
only to protect our brothers and sisters in Eosia.’
‘you’ve put in a full day’s work, Stragen,’ Kalten said admiringly. ‘We
could have been here for a month trying to persuade the Styrics that it was
in their best interests to join us.’
‘My day isn’t finished yet,’ Stragen told him, ‘and the next group I have
to try to persuade is much more hard-headed. ‘
‘Might I be of some assistance?’ Zalasta offered. ‘I really rather doubt
it, learned one. As soon as it gets dark, Talen and I have to pay a visit
to the thieves of Sarsos.’
‘There are no thieves in Sarsos, Stragen!’ Stragen and Talen looked at
each other, and then they burst out with howls of cynical laughter.
‘I just don’t trust him, Sparhawk,’ Ehlana said later that night when they
were in bed. ‘There’s something about him that just doesn’t ring true.’
‘I think it’s his accent, love. I felt the same way until I realised that
while his Elene is perfect, his accent puts emphasis on the wrong words.
Styric and Elene flow differently. Don’t worry, though, Sephrenia would
know if Zalasta weren’t to be trusted. She’s known him for a long, long
time.’
‘I still don’t like him,’ she insisted. ‘He’s so oily he gleams when the
light hits him just right.’ She raised one hand. ‘And don’t try to shrug it
off as prejudice. I’m looking at Zalasta as a human being, not as a Styric.
I just don’t trust him.’
‘That should pass after we get to know him better.’ There was a knock at
the door. ‘Are you busy?’ Mirtai called. ‘What would we be doing at this
hour?’ Ehlana called back impishly. ‘Do you really want me to tell you,
Ehlana? Talen’s here. He has something you might want to know.’
‘Send him in,’ Sparhawk told her. The door opened, and Talen came into the
circle of light of their single candle. ‘It’s just like old times,
Sparhawk.’
‘How so?’
‘Stragen and I were coming back from our meeting with the thieves, and we
saw Krager in the street. Can you believe that? It was good to see him
again. I was actually starting to miss him.’
CHAPTER 18
‘We simply don’t have the time, Sparhawk,’ Sephrenia said calmly. ‘I’ll
take time, little mother,’ he replied bleakly. ‘It shouldn’t take me too
long. I’ll stay here with Stragen, and we’ll chase him down. Krager’s not
a Styric, so he shouldn’t be hard to find. We can catch up with you after
we’ve caught him and wrung every drop of information out of him. I’ll
squeeze him so hard that his hair will bleed.’
‘And who’s going to see to mother’s safety while you’re amusing yourself
here, father?’ Danae asked him. ‘She’s surrounded by an army, Danae.’
‘You’re her champion, father. Is that just some hollow title you can lay
aside when something more amusing than protecting her life comes up?’
Sparhawk stared helplessly at his daughter. Then he slammed his fist
against the wall in frustration. ‘You’ll break your hand,’ Sephrenia
murmured. They were in the kitchen. Sparhawk had risen early and gone
looking for his tutor to..advise her of Talen’s discovery and of his own
plans to make Krager answer for a long, long list of transgressions.
Danae’s presence was really not all that surprising. ‘Why didn’t you rack
him to death when you had your hands on him in Chyrellos, dear one?’
Sephrenia asked calmly. ‘Sephrenia!’ Sparhawk was more startled by the
coldblooded way she said it than by the suggestion itself. ‘Well, you
should have, Sparhawk. Then he wouldn’t keep coming back to haunt us like
this. You know what Ulath always says. Never leave a live enemy behind you.
‘
‘You’re starting to sound like an Elene, little mother.’
‘Are you trying to be insulting?’
‘Did banging your hand like that bring you to your senses, father?’ Danae
asked. He sighed regretfully. ‘You’re right, of course,’ he admitted. ‘I
guess I got carried away. Krager’s continued existence offends me for some
reason. He’s a loose end with bits and pieces of Martel still hanging from
him. I’d sort’ of like to tidy that part of my life up.’
‘Can you really make somebody’s hair bleed?’ his daughter asked him. ‘i’m
not really sure. After I finally catch up with Krager, I’ll let you know.’
He nursed his sore knuckles. ‘I Guess we really should get on to Matherion.
Sephrenia, just how healthy is Vanion, really?’
‘Would you like a personal testimonial?’ she asked him archly. ‘That’s
none of my business, little mother. All I’m really asking is whether or not
he’s fit to) travel.’
‘Oh, yes,’ she smiled. ‘More than fit.’
‘Good. I’ll be delighted to hand the rewards and satisfactions of
leadership back to him.’
‘No. Absolutely not.’
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Vanion carried that burden for too many years. That’s what made him sick
in the first place. You might as well ‘)’ accept the fact that you’re the
Pandion Preceptor now,. ”))’ Sparhawk. He’ll advise you, certainly, but
you get to make all the decisions. I’m not going to let you kill him.’
Then you’ll both be able to come with us to Matherion?’
‘:”)’!’)”’)””Of course they will, Sparhawk,’ Danae told him. ‘We
decided that a long time ago.’
‘It would have been nice if somebody’d thought to tell me about it.’
‘Why? you don’t have to know everything, father. Just do as we tell you to
do.’
‘What on earth ever possessed you to take up with this one, Sephrenia?’
Sparhawk asked. ‘Wasn’t there any other God available – one of the
Troll-Gods maybe?’
‘Sparhawk.’ Danae gasped. He grinned at her. ‘Zalasta will be coming with
us as well,’ Sephrenia said. ‘He’s been summoned back to Matherion anyway,
and we really need his help.’ Sparhawk frowned. ‘That might cause some
problems, little mother. Ehlana doesn’t trust him.’
‘That’s absolutely absurd, Sparhawk. I’ve known Zalasta all my life. I
honestly think he’d die if I asked him to.’
‘Has mother given you any reason for these suspicions?’ Danae asked
intently. ‘Hate at first sight, maybe,’ Sparhawk shrugged. ‘His reputation
as the wisest man in the world probably didn’t help matters. She was
probably predisposed to dislike him even before she met him.’
‘And of course he’s Styric.’ There was a brittle edge to Sephrenia’s
voice. ‘You know Ehlana better than that, Sephrenia. I think it’s time we
got you out of Sarsos. Some of the local opinions are starting to cloud
your thinking.’
‘Really?’ Her tone was dangerous. ‘It’s very easy to dismiss any sort of
animosity as simple prejudice, and that’s the worst form of sloppy
thinking. There are other reasons for disliking people too, you know. Do
you remember Sir Antae?’ She nodded. ‘I absolutely hated that man.’
‘Antae? I thought he was your friend.’
‘I couldn’t stand him. My hands started to shake every time he came near
me. Would you believe I was actually happy when Martel killed him?’
‘Sparhawk.’
‘
‘You don’t need to share that with Vanion, little mother. I’m not very
proud of it. What I’m trying to say is that people sometimes hate us for
personal reasons that have nothing at all to do with our race or class or
anything else. Ehlana probably dislikes Zalasta just because she dislikes
him. Maybe she doesn’t like the way his eyebrows jut out. You should always
consider the simplest explanation before you go looking for something
exotic.’
‘is there anything else about me you’d like to change, Sir Knight?’ He
looked her up and down gravely. ‘You’re really very small, you know. Have
you ever considered growing just a bit?’ She almost retorted, but then she
suddenly laughed. ‘You can be the most disarming man in the world,
Sparhawk.’
‘I know. That’s why people love me so much.’
‘Now do you see why I’m so fond of these great Elene oafs?’ Sephrenia said
lightly to her sister. ‘Of course,’ Aphrael replied. ‘It’s because they’re
like big, clumsy puppies.’ Her dark eyes grew serious. ‘Not too many people
know who I really am,’ she mused. you two and Vanion are about the only
ones who recognise me in this incarnation. I think it might be a good idea
if we kept it that way. Our enemy – whoever he’ is – might make a slip or
two if he doesn’t know I’m around.’
‘you’ll want to tell Zalasta though, won’t you?’ Sephrenia asked her. ‘Not
yet, I don’t think. He doesn’t really need to know, so let’s just keep it