said. ‘Pressing against ringmail, all bloody and sweaty too, can’t be good for a
complexion.’
Even if one rescues them, it is not wise to trifle with the wives of magnates.
Cappen had been busy himself. For the first time, he kissed Danlis on her lovely
mouth; then for the second time; then for the third. She responded decorously.
Thereafter she likewise withdrew. Moonlight made a mystery out of her classic
beauty. ‘Cappen,’ she said, ‘before we go on, we had better have a talk.’
He gaped. ‘What?’
She bridged her fingers. ‘Urgent matters first,’ she continued crisply. ‘Once we
get to the mansion and wake the high priest, it will be chaos at first,
conference later, and I – as a woman – excluded from serious discussion.
Therefore best I give my counsel now, for you to relay. Not that Molin or the
Prince are fools; the measures to take are for the most part obvious.
However, swift action is desirable, and they will have been caught by
surprise.’
She ticked her points off. ‘First, as you have indicated, the Hell Hounds’ – her
nostrils pinched in distaste at the nickname – ‘the Imperial elite guard should
mount an immediate raid on the temple of Ils and arrest all personnel for
interrogation, except the Arch-priest. He’s probably innocent, and in any event
it would be inept politics. Hazroah’s death may have removed the danger, but
this should not be taken for granted. Even if it has, his co-conspirators ought
to be identified and made examples of.
‘Yet, second, wisdom should temper justice. No lasting harm was done, unless we