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to rats. There aren't many left in Mithrain. They're dangerous, so they got
hunted.'
Tanthe smiled warmly. 'Consider me impressed by your store of useless
knowledge, Jthery.'
'I think it's despicable that they're hunted. he said, and she realised he
was angry. 'They harm no one if they're left alone.'
Elrill, Tanthe and Jthery seated themselves, and the food began to arrive.
There were slabs of meat coated in fiery spices, fresh bread and a dozen
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different vegetables each in its own, piquant sauce. It was delicious. When
Elrill offered a handful of spinels to pay, the innkeeper waved his money
away. 'Oh, never mind that now. We'll settle up when you're ready to leave.
Meanwhile, make yourselves at home and anything you need, good lady and sirs,
just ask.'
The three looked at each other in complete amazement. 'I always heard the
people of Torith Mir were vile. Tanthe whispered. 'Maybe they're not so bad
after all.'
Jthery smiled. He was less reticent now they knew each other better. 'Have you
never heard of Torish hospitality? It's legendary.'
'Actually, Eld did mention it once. Tanthe said, taking a mouthful of
ruby-red ale. 1 didn't believe him.'
'It's true, they have their reputation as fierce fighters. said Elrill, 'but
on their home territory - so
Eldareth has told me - you couldn't hope to find a more welcoming people. The
rumour appears to be true - of ordinary folk, if not of officials.'
A draught of cold air surged in as the front door was thrown open, bringing
with it the sound of rain, horses' hooves and carts rattling along the cobbles
outside. The tapestries lifted, the fire wavered.
Striding in came the officer who had arrested Eldareth, with a handful of his
guards.
The officer's party caught sight of Tanthe's. The two groups stared at each
other in mutual shock. 'At ease. said the officer. 'We're off-duty. Only came
in for a few beers.'
Elrill rose and bowed gracefully to them. 'We have no quarrel with you, sir.
he said quietly. 'Come, sit with us. Allow me to purchase your drinks.'
The guards seemed transfixed by Elrill, so obviously un-human. Tanthe bristled
a little, wondering how it would be if they could see that she, too, was
Aelyr, but secretly she was glad that they took no special notice of her.
'No, no. said the officer. 'You're in our land now. Let me.'
'We take turns in Sepheret,' Tanthe said primly. Presently, when drinks had
been brought, she asked, 'Do you really know if our friend is guilty?'
With a jar of red ale in his fist, the officer was considerably more
forthcoming than he'd been earlier.
'Guilty as Ghaurthror of the Flies. he spat. 'There's a streak of madness in
Mordraken-son. Must have
turned even madder, to come back.'
'But what did he do?'
'Slaughtered his mother, his brother and his father. Caught very nearly in the
act, the sword still dripping blood in his hand. A great man, his father.
Tanthe thought of Ysomir, and shuddered. 'When did this happen?'
'Oh . . . twenty-five years ago, or more. His father Mordraken was a
jewel-mage in the employ of
Viceroy Drathnen; very clever man.'
'But you don't think Eldareth really did it, do you?' she said. The officer
looked narrowly at her. 'He's our friend, the Queen's friend! If you knew him,
you wouldn't believe it.'
'Since when have people been the same underneath as they seem on the surface?'
He leaned towards her. 'You think I'm a Goddess-forsaken, hard bastard. I can
see it in your eyes, lady. But my grandchildren love me well enough. They
don't see an officer in the uniform of Torith Mir. They see their granddad.
'Yes. said Tanthe, embarrassed. 'And whatever you think about us probably
isn't true, either. But if he's guilty - why did he do it?'
'You'd have to ask him.
'Then tell us how to get into the fortress. She turned the sea-coloured beams
of her eyes upon him. 'It must be possible for us to visit him, or to petition
someone on his behalf. Please. Tell us how to get in.
The officer exhaled through his teeth. 'Write a letter. A really polite
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letter. I mean, a sickeningly, humiliatingly, grovellingly polite letter.
Believe me, you can't overdo it. And I'll take it to the fortress governor
Ordrai for you.
Inside, the walls of Fortress Arabeth were glossy black, and torchlight danced
like oil on the surface.
Guards led Tanthe and Elrill along high, narrow corridors that all looked the
same; a labyrinth of basalt.
The prisoner was allowed only two visitors at a time, they'd been told, so
Jthery was waiting for them outside.
They'd left their weapons with Jthery, rather than risk them being
confiscated; Tanthe felt naked without her Shaelahyr sword.
Even with the officer's help and the lever of their royal connections, it had
taken ten days to gain access to the prison. It hardly seemed to matter that
Tanthe was in Torith Mir on the Queen's behalf, nor that Elrill was a Lord of
the Shaelahyr, nor that Jthery was the Queen's cousin and heir to Mithrain;
there was still endless bureaucracy to grind through before they finally
received grudging permission to enter the fortress.
Before they were allowed to visit their friend, though, they must undergo an
interview with the governor. They were taken to his office, which lay behind
huge ebony doors in the stately, outer part of
Arabeth. The guards ushered them into a large dark-panelled chamber that was
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