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‘Yes, ht faded into gray Then they were back in bright autumn sunshine on the road a fewat the?’ Sephrenia asked Flute

‘Our glorious leader here ool-gathering,’ Flute replied with heavy sarcasm ‘We just took a little sidetrip to Demos’

‘Demos!’ Vanion exclaireed ‘It’s the ht now We were on the road to Kurik’s farm Maybe our stalwart co’

‘I can live without these "stalwart colorious leaders",’ Sparhawk told her tartly

‘Then do it right’

There was a certain desperation in the flicker of darkness at the edge of Sparhawk’s vision this time, and a faint flicker of harried confusion Sparhawk did not even stop to think ‘Blue Rose!’ he barked to the Bhellios touched the deep blue petals, ‘destroy that thing!’

He felt a brief jolt in his hands and heard a sizzling kind of crackle behind hi, which they had thought at first to be Azash and then the Troll-Gods, gave a shrill shriek and began to babble in agony Sparha Sephrenia’s eyes widen

The shadoas crying out, not in Zemoch or Trollish, but in Styric

Chapter 8

‘Well now, yer Queenship,’ Caalador was saying, ‘I don’t know ez I’d stort a-dancin’ in the streets jist yet The but a-nailin’ th’ doors shet t’ keep us from a-puttin’ our hands on this yere pertic’ler set o’ files, an’ now they turns up sorta unexpected-like ast a hull buncha others – which I’d swear a oath to that I already looked over ‘bout four er five times my own self Don’t that smell jist a bit like a dead fish t’ you?’

‘What did he say?’ Emperor Sarabian asked

‘He’s suspicious,’ Ehlana translated ‘He thinks that our discovery of these files was too easy He ain in the royal apartenerally called ‘Ehlana’s Castle’ to discuss the surprising discovery of a hithertoset of personnel files The files themselves were stacked in heaps upon the tables and the floor of the s, Master Caalador?’ The Ehtly pained As he habitually did now, Sarabian earing western-style clothes Ehlana felt that this rey hose was not a happy one Black velvet made Sarabian’s bronzetinted skin look sallow and unhealthy

‘I’m a professional swindler, your Majesty,’ Caalador replied, dropping the dialect ‘I’ve learned that when soen was looking into one of the files ‘What an a,’ he said ‘Someone in the Ministry of the Interior seems to have discovered the secret of eternal youth’

‘Don’t be cryptic, Stragen,’ Ehlana told hiown ‘Say what you mean’

He took a sheet of paper out of the file he was holding ‘This particular document looks as if it were only written last week – which it probably was The ink’s barely dry’

‘They are still using those files, Milord,’ Oscagne said, ‘despite the inconvenience It’s probably just a recently filed docuen took out another sheet of paper and handed both docu unusual about these, your Excellency?’

Oscagne shrugged ‘One of thee, and the ink’s faded so badly you can hardly read it’

‘Exactly,’ Stragen said ‘Don’t you find it just a little odd that the faded one’s supposed to be five years younger than the fresh one?’

Oscagne lookedto say that they falsified an official document?’ he exclaimed ‘That’s a capital offense!’

‘Let ne handed him the documents

‘Oh, yes,’ Sarabian noted, ‘Chalba Kolata’s been singing his praises for the past fifteen years’ He held up the suspicious document ‘This purports to be his appointment to the ministry It’s dated no en ‘You think this has been substituted for the original?’

‘It certainly looks that way, your Majesty’

Sarabian frowned ‘What could there possibly have been on the original that they’d have wanted to conceal?’ he asked

‘I have no idea, your Majesty There h the file ‘This Chalba’s rise in the etting promoted every time he turned around’

‘That sounds a bit like the sort of thing one does for a close friend,’ Oscagne mused, ‘…or a relative’

Sarabian sne seene ne’s not a career officer of the Foreign Ministry I press hiencies, and he always extorts pro to do with him at all, but he’s so brilliant that I don’t have any choice My younger brother’s intensely competitive, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that he has his eye on ht give us a place to start,’ Caalador mused Caalador frequently dipped in and out of the dialect like a leaping trout ‘If Kolata took a cluster of friends and relatives into the ministry with him, wouldn’t it stand to reason that they’d be the ones he’d trust the reed, ‘and we’d be able to tell from the dates on their appointments just who these cronies of his are, and his cronies would have been the people he’d have been most likely to confide in when he decided to take up treason as a hobby I’d guess that anybody whose appointment coincided with Kolata’s elevation to office is probably involved in this business’

The ones ez is still alive, anyway,’ Caalador added ‘A feller what turns down the chance t’ join soot too much in the way o’ life-expectancy after he sez no’

‘May I speak, your Majesty?’ Alean asked Ehlana ti one of the files in her hands ‘Does ink always fade and paper turn yellow as the docuets older?’ she asked them in a barely audible voice

‘Indeed it does, child,’ Sarabian laughed ‘It drives librarians crazy’

‘And if there was soes of paper that the people at the Inferior Ministry didn’t want us to…’

Oscagne suddenly hoith laughter

Alean blushed and lowered her head ‘I’ silly,’ she said in a very tiny voice ‘I’m sorry I interrupted’