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He had a set of new clothes, fashioned froether by the queen's own seamstress He swept his cloak about his shoulders and fastened it with the brooch While itsof skulls around the border identified him as the new Head Master of the Catti

The office was of a mainly ceremonial nature The queen had been at pains to explain that his real role was to act as adviser to the council of chieftains onon his experience in his former realm

He left his room in the royal apartments and headed for the council cha for him on the steps, ready to introduce him to the clan chieftains A dozen or so flamboyantly dressed individuals returned his salute when he entered and stared at him suspiciously

Their coolness contrasted with the enthusiastic reception he received frouessed that the chieftains felt threatened by hie to another and decided to adopt a low posture A die bulk onto a narrow bench and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible

A girl of the guard thustones The chieftains rose and the queen hobbled in The old woman looked more pained than usual She bade the of a war council Holding her head high, she gave a suon's appointury Master's prediction that Morgon was planning a ainst her people

From the looks on the chieftains' faces, Tom concluded that ence operations and had nothing to do with sticking swords into cri their death throes

She turned to Tom

'For the benefit of our new Head Master, I on is an officer in the Iion He is a southerner whose real naio DeBolino'

Tom rose and bowed

'I believe, Majesty, that I on's men when I visited the sanctuary of the Duideth I killed two before I was able tothe Grand Master to protect h the cha to make himself more acceptable to the chieftains The old woon has men stationed in the sanctuary They're there to protect the priests'