The jewel was secure, and he knew that the drawstring on the pouch was tightly tied. It appeared that his reasoning had been slightly faulty. The shadow could make an appearance independently of the Bhelliom. It was even here inside the most consecrated building of the Elene faith. He had thought that here of all places he would be free of it, but it was not so. troubled, he continued with his friends from the room which now seemed dark and chill.
The attempt on Sparhawk’s life came almost immediately after he saw the shadow. A cowled monk , one of the many in the crowd at the door, spun suddenly and drove a small dagger directly at the big Pandion’s un-visored face. It was only Sparhawk’s trained reflexes that saved him. Without thinking, he blocked the dagger stroke with his armoured forearm and then seized the monk. With a despairing cry, the monk drove his little dagger into his own side. He stiffened abruptly, and Sparhawk felt a violent shudder pass through the body of the man he was holding. Then the monk’s face went blank, and he sagged limply.
‘Kalten!’ Sparhawk hissed to his friend. “Give me a hand. ~keep him on his feet.’
Kalten stepped swiftly to the other side of the monk’s body and took his arm.
‘Is our brother unwell?’ another monk asked them as they half-carried the body out through the door.
‘Fainted,’ Kalten replied in an offhand manner. ‘Some people can’t stand crowds. My friend and I will take him into some side chamber and let him get his breath.’
‘Slick,’ Sparhawk muttered a quick compliment.
‘You see, Sparhawk, I can think on my feet.’ Kalten jerked his head towards the door of a nearby antechamber.
‘Let’s take him in there and have a look at him.’
They dragged the body into the chamber and closed the door behind them. Kalten pulled the dagger from the monk’s side. “Not much of a weapon,’ he said disdainfully.
‘It was enough,’ Sparhawk growled. “One little nick with it stiffened him up like a plank.’
“Poison?’ Kalten guessed.
‘Probably – unless the sight of his own blood overpowered him. Let’s have a look.’ Sparhawk bent and tore open the monk’s robe.
The monk’ was a Rendor.
‘Isn’t that interesting?’ Kalten said. “It looks as if that crossbowman who’s been trying to kill you has started hiring outside help.’
“Maybe this Is the crossbowman.’
‘No way, Sparhawk. The crossbowman’s been hiding in the general population. Anybody with half a brain would recognize a Rendor. He couldn’t have just mingled with the crowd.’
‘You’re probably right. Give me the dagger. I think I’d better show it to Sephrenia.’
‘Martel really doesn’t want to meet you, does he?’
‘What makes you think Martel’s behind this?’
‘What makes you think he isn’t? What about this?’
Kalten pointed at the body on the floor.
‘Leave it. The caretakers here in the Basilica will run across it eventually and dispose of it for us.’
Many of the church soldiers submitted their resignations when they discovered that they were being placed under the command of the Church Knights – the officers did, at any rate. Resignation is not an option available to common soldiers. These resignations, however, were not accepted, but the knights were not totally insensitive to the feelings of the various colonels, captains and lieutenants who felt strong moral compunctions about commanding their forces under such circumstances. They graciously divested such officers of their rank and enrolled them as common soldiers. They then marched the red-tunicked troops to the great square in front of the Basilica for deployment on the walls and at the gates of the inner city.
“Did you have any trouble?’ Ulath asked Tynian as the two of them, each leading a sizeable detachment of soldiers, met at an intersection.
“A few resignations was about all,’ Tynian shrugged. “I have a whole new group of officers in this batch.’
‘So do I,’ Ulath replied. ‘A lot of old sergeants are in charge now. ‘
“I ran across Bevier a while back,’ Tynian said as the two rode towards the main gate of the inner city. ‘He doesn’t seem to be having the same problem for some reason.’
“The reason should be fairly obvious, Tynian,’ Ulath grinned. “Word of what he did to that captain who tried to keep us out of the Basilica has got around. ‘ Ulath pulled off his ogre-horned helmet and scratched his head. “I think it was the praying afterwards that chilled everybody’s blood the most. It’s one thing to lop off a man’s head in the heat of a discussion, but praying for his soul afterwards has a very unsettling effect on most people for some reason.’
‘That’s probably it,’ Tynian agreed. He looked back at the soldiers straggling disconsolately towards the site of what was very likely to be actual fighting. Church soldiers for the most part did not enlist in order to fight, and they viewed the impending unpleasantness with a vast lack of enthusiasm. ‘Gentlemen, gentlemen,’ Tynian chided them, ‘this won’t do at all. You must try to look like soldiers at least. Please straighten up those ranks and try to march in step. We do have some reputation to maintain, after all.’ He paused a moment. “How about a song, gentlemen?’ he suggested. ‘The people are always encouraged when soldiers sing as they march into battle.
It’s a demonstration of bravery, after all, and it shows a manly contempt “for death and dismemberment.’
The song which rose from the ranks was feeble, and Tynian insisted that the soldiers start again – several times – until the full-throated bawling of the column satisfied his need for a display of martial enthusiasm.
‘You’re a cruel sort of fellow, Tynian,’ Ulath noted.
“I know,’ Tynian agreed.
Sephrenia’s reaction to the news of the failed attack by the disguised Rendor was almost one of indifference. ‘You’re sure you saw the shadow behind the Archprelate’s throne just before the attack?’ she asked Sparhawk.
He nodded.
“Our hypothesis still seems quite valid then.’ She said it almost with satisfaction. She looked at the small, poison-Smeared dagger lying on the table between them. ‘Hardly the sort of thing you’d want to use against an armoured man,’ she observed.
‘A scratch would have done the trick, little mother.’
“How could he have scratched you when you were wrapped in steel?’
“He tried to stab me in the face, Sephrenia.’
‘Keep your visor closed then.’
.Won’t that look a little ridiculous?’
‘Which do you prefer? Ridiculous or dead? Did any of our friends see the attempt?’
‘Kalten did – or at least he knew that it happened.’
She frowned. “I was hoping that we could sort of keep this between ourselves – at least until we know what’s going on.’
‘Kalten knows that someone’s been trying to kill me they all do, for that matter. They all think it’s just Martel and that he’s up to his usual tricks.’
‘Let’s sort of leave it at that then, shall we?’
‘There have been some desertions, My Lord,’ Kalten reported to Vanion as the group gathered on the steps of the Basilica. “There was no way we could keep word of what we were doing from reaching some of those outlying barracks.’
‘It was to be expected,’ Vanion said. “Did anybody happen to look over the outer wall to see what Martel’s doing?’
‘Berit’s been keeping an eye on things, My Lord,’
Kalten replied. ‘That boy’s going to make an awfully good Pandion. We ought to try to keep him alive if we can. Anyway, he reports that Martel’s almost completed his deployment. He could probably give the order to march on the city now. I’m surprised that he hasn’t, really. I’m sure some of Annias’s toadies have reached him by now to report what happened in the Basilica this morning. Every.’
moment he delays just gives us more time to get ready “Greed, Kalten,’ Sparhawk told his friend. “Martel’s very greedy, and he can’t believe that his ~greed’s not universal. He thinks we’ll try to defend the whole of Chyrellos, and he wants to give us time to get spread so thin that he’ll be able to walk over us. He’d never be able to bring himself to believe that we’d abandon the outer city and concentrate on defending the inner walls.’
‘I suspect that many of my brother Patriarchs feel much the same way,’ Emban said. ‘The voting might have been much tighter if those of them with palaces in the outer city had been aware of the fact that we’re going to abandon their houses to Martel.’ Komier and Ulath came up the marble steps to join them. “We’re going to have to pull down some houses just outside the walls,’ Komier said. ‘Those are Lamorks to the north of the city, and Lamorks use crossbows. We don’t want any rooftops out there for them to shoot at us from.’