Looking puzzled rather than alarmed — and it was clear to both Paschal and Alyce hat Zoë believed she was telling the truth — Zoë said patiently, «I have never seen Alyce conjure handfire, or kindle fire from the air. Father, why do you keep asking me this?»

«He asks to test both of us», Alyce replied, smiling as she came to put an arm around Zoë's shoulders. «And we've both passed. You may remember and speak freely now».

An odd look came over Zoë's face as her gaze flicked between Alyce and the priest, but when her lips parted to actually speak, Paschal shook his head and came to brush his fingertips lightly across her forehead, exerting control.

«Relax, don't speak», he murmured, letting Alyce help him guide the compliant Zoë into a chair.

He spent some little while probing his subject, testing the safeguards Alyce had set, tsking, adjusting, then withdrew, leaving Zoë drifting in trance.

«Very nicely done, my dear», he said quietly to Alyce. «I believe that only one of us could bypass what you have done — and that is hardly a danger, I think. I shall be quite interested to observe where all this leads.

«Of course, you must both be careful not to provoke undue attention», he went on, «for if it came to be suspected that you had interfered with her mind, you and she could both be in a good deal of danger; but here in the shelter of the convent, you should have little to fear. You have learned your lessons well — and better than that, you have applied them with both restraint and compassion. She is a true friend, Alyce».

«I know, Father — and thank you», Alyce murmured.

«Thank you», he replied, lightly touching Zoë's hand. «And now, perhaps dear Zoë might pass some of the those sweet cakes to a hungry old priest, for I find myself grown quite peckish with all this talk».

«Hear counsel, and receive instruction».[11]

Meanwhile, as Alyce and Marie made lives for themselves at Arc-en-Ciel, life at the court of Rhemuth settled into welcome domesticity. All through the first half of 1083, both Prince Brion and his secret half-brother continued to thrive; and early in July, shortly after their respective birthdays — Brion's second and Krispin's first — the queen was delivered of another prince, Blaine Emanuel.

«Sire, you have another fine son», Jessamy announced happily, emerging from the queen's bedchamber with a squalling, red-faced bundle wrapped in a coverlet of Haldane scarlet. «Methinks this prince will be another bold one, like his brother».

«But they shall be friends», Donal insisted, an arm around his own brother's shoulders as he and Richard came to inspect the newborn infant, followed by a handful of assembled ministers. «Brothers should always be friends».

A covert look passed between Jessamy and the king as he briefly folded back the coverlet, for both knew that the remark had included her Krispin as well as the two trueborn princes.

«The queen seemed not to labor overlong with this one», Donal observed. «Is she well?»

«Aye, well enough, Sire — given that birthing a baby is aptly termed 'labor. Would you care to return your new son to his mother's arms, and tender your admiration for the fruit of her labors?»

He gave a boyish grin and took the squirming bundle from her arms, leading the parade of courtiers into the queen's bedchamber, where Richeldis lay propped against a pile of snowy pillows in the great state bed, one of her ladies tidying the long braid lying over one shoulder.

«Madam, I am come to bring your son back to you», Donal said, bending to lay the child gently in the curve of her arm, «and I congratulate you on labors well spent. He is beautiful. I thank you».

Richeldis inclined her head with a hint of mischievous smile. «And I thank you, Sire», she replied, «though perhaps next time, you might give me a somewhat daintier daughter?»

He laughed aloud at that, echoed by the polite chuckles of the courtiers around him, then bent to kiss her forehead before shooing all of them out of the birthing chamber, himself following. Later that night, following on an informal supper in the upper council chamber, he and a few of his close associates drank the health of both mother and child.

«Gentlemen, I give you the new prince: Blaine Emanuel Richard Cinhil Haldane», he said, after Richard had toasted the queen. «May he have a long and happy life, and may he be a credit to his house».

Seisyll Arilan, included among their company, drank the toast dutifully enough, but his thoughts drifted, as they so often did, to another child of the royal household, and now he might gain proper access to that child. The Camberian Council's inquiries about young Krispin MacAthan cropped up with annoying regularity, and regularly he explained how it was not possible to make close examination of any child of the royal nursery without arousing suspicion.

Besides, he reminded them, even if their worst fears came to be realized and young Krispin proved to be the king's son, the child surely could constitute no threat to their designs for many years, and not without much training that certainly would come to light before it could constitute a real danger. Would they have Seisyll risk his own position of vantage within the royal household on only the possibility that the child was more than met the eye?

«An audacious possibility has occurred to me», Oisín Adair said thoughtfully, after yet another such discussion, some months after the birth of the new prince. As all eyes turned toward him in query, he shrugged.

«I travel a great deal, as you know. Last week, my business took me to Ratharkin, to deliver a pair of broodmares to the governor. R'Kassan creams they were — very fine specimens.

«While there», he went on, lifting a restraining hand at Vivienne's scowl of impatience, «I found myself dining at the governor's table. And who should I find seated across from me but Sir Morian du Joux, who once was known as Morian ap Lewys».

«No!» Vivienne said sharply, before Oisín could continue. «If you're thinking to send him to assess the boy, no».

«Well, he is the boy's uncle», Khoren said reasonably.

«I don't know», Seisyll said doubtfully. «Vivienne, I know that you've never trusted him, because of his bloodline, but he's been under our direction since the age of nine. It was Sief who kept him from court all these years, and who got Donal to go along with it, by suggesting that a Deryni placed at the Mearan court would be an extremely valuable asset».

«He is still Lewys ap Norfal's son», Vivienne said stubbornly.

«Yes, and he has acted competently as our agent for more than twenty years, and has never put a foot wrong», Michon pointed out. «I had part of his training, Vivienne. Oisín is right; I don't know why it hasn't occurred to us before».

«I regret that it has occurred to us now», Vivienne muttered.

«Would Jessamy allow access?» Dominy asked, ignoring the remark. «I know he's her brother, and Krispin is his nephew, but has he even been back to Rhemuth since the boy's birth?»

Seisyll shook his head. «He didn't come to Sief’s funeral — not that there was any love lost there, or that he could have heard the news and arrived in time. Besides, he and Jessamy probably haven't seen one another more than half a dozen times since before their father's death; he'd been fostered to court several years before that. After Sief married Jessamy, he did his best to poison the relationship between brother and sister, in hopes that this would keep her from corrupting him».

«Was there actually a danger of that?» Khoren asked.

Oisín gave a snort. «Who knows? If we were talking about horses, I'd say that blood will tell. But Michon is right. So far as Morian is concerned, he has never, ever put a foot wrong».