Both men stared at the prince severely, as if a child had interrupted adults.Tempus bowed low in his saddle, arm out-swept. The rider in reds with theburnished cuirass tucked his helmet under his arm and approached the chariot,handing the second horse's tether to Tempus as he passed by.

'Abarsis, presently of Ranke,' said the dark, cultured voice of the armouredman, whose hair swung black and glossy on a young bull's neck. His line was old,one of court graces and bas-relief faces and upswept, regal eyes that weredisconcertingly wise and as grey-blue as the huge horse Tempus held with somedifficulty. Ignoring the squeals of just-met stallions, the man continued: 'LordPrince, may all be well with you, with your endeavours and your holdings,eternally. I bear reaffirmation of our bond to you.' He held out a purse, fatwith coin.

Tempus winced, imperceptibly, and took wraps of the grey horse's tether, drawingits head close with great care, until he could bring his fist down hard betweenits ears to quiet it.

'What is this? There is enough money here to raise an army!' Scowled Kadakithis,tossing the pouch lightly in his palm.

A polite and perfect smile lit the northern face, so warmly handsome, of theRankan emissary. 'Have you not told him, then, 0 Riddler?'

'No, I thought to, but got no opportunity. Also, I am not sure whether we willraise it, or whether that is my severance pay.' He threw a leg over thesorrel's neck and slid down it, butt to horse, dropped its reins and walkedaway down the beach with his new Tros horse in hand. The Rankan hooked hishelmet carefully on one of the saddle's silver rosettes. 'You two are notgetting on, I take it. Prince Kadakithis, you must be easy with him. Treat him

as he does his horses; he needs a gentle hand.'

'He needs his comeuppance. He has become insufferable! What is this money? Hashe told you I am for sale? I am not!'

'He has turned his back on his god and the god is letting him run. When he isexhausted, the god will take him back. You found him pleasant enough,previously, I would wager. He has been set upon by your own staff, men to whomhe was sworn and who gave oaths to him. What do you expect? He will not resteasy until he has made that matter right.'

'What is this? My men? You mean that long unexplained absence of his? I admit heis changed. But how do you know what he would not tell me?'

A smile like sunrise lit the elegant face of the armoured man.

'The god tells me what I need to know. How would it be, for him to come runningto you with tales of feuding among your ranks like a child to his father? Hishonour precludes it. As for the ... funds ... you hold, when we Sent him here,it was with the understanding that should he feel you would make a king, hewould so inform us. This, I was told you knew.'

'In principle. But I cannot take a gift so large.'

'Take a loan, as others before you have had to do. There is no time now forcourtship. To be capable of becoming a king ensures no seat of kingship,these days. A king must be more than a man, he must be a hero. It takesmany men to make a hero, and special times. Opportunities approach, with theup-country insurrection and a new empire rising beyond the northern range. Wereyou to distinguish yourself in combat, or field an army that did, we whoseek a change could rally around you publicly. You cannot do it with what youhave, the Emperor has seen to that.'

'At what rate am I expected to pay back this loan?'

'Equal value, nothing more. If the prince, my lord, will have patience, I willexplain all to Your Majesty's satisfaction. That, truly, is why I am come.'

'Explain away, then.'

'First, one small digression, which touches a deeper truth. You must have someidea who and what the man you call Tempus is. I am sure you have heard it fromyour wizards and from his enemies among the officials of the Mageguild. Let meadd to that this: Where he goes, the god scatters His blessings. By thecosmological rules of state cult and kingship. He has invested this endeavourwith divine sanction by his presence. Though he and the god have theirdifferences, without him no chance remains that you might triumph. My fatherfound that out. Even sick with his curse, he is too valuable to waste,unappreciated. If you would rather remain a princeling forever, and let theempire slide into ruin apace, just tell me and I will take word home. We willforget this matter of the kingship and this corollary matter of a small standingarmy, and I will release Tempus. He would as soon it, I assure you.'

'Your father? Who in the God's Eye are you?'

'Ah, my arrogance is unforgivable; I thought you would know me. We are all sofull of ourselves these days, it is no wonder events have come to such a pass. 1am Man of the God in Upper Ranke, Sole Friend to the Mercenaries, the Hero, Sonof the Defender, and so forth.'

'High Priest of Vashanka.'

'In the Upper Land.'

'My family and yours thinned each other's line,' stated Kadakithis baldly, noapology, no regret in his words. Yet he looked differently upon the other,thinking they were of an age, both wielding wooden swords in shady courts whilethe slaughter raged, far off at the fronts.

'Unto eradication,' remarked the dark young man. 'But we did not contest, andnow there is a different enemy, a common threat. It is enough.'

'And you and Tempus have never met?'

'He knew my father. And when I was ten, and my father died and our armies weredisbanded, he found a home for me. Later, when I came to the god and themercenaries' guild, I tried to see him. He would not meet with me.' Heshrugged, looking over his shoulder at the man walking the blue-grey horseinto blue-grey shadows falling over the blue-black sea. 'Everyone has hishero, you know. A god is not enough for a whole man; he craves a fleshlymodel. When he sent to me for a horse, and the god approved it, I was elated.Now, perhaps, I can do more. The horse may not have died in vain, after all.'

'I do not understand you. Priest.'

'My Lord, do not make me too holy. I am Vashanka's priest: I know many requiemsand oaths, and thirty-three ways to fire a warrior's bier. They call meStepson, in the mercenaries' guild. I would be pleased if you would call methat, and let me talk to you at greater length about a future in which yourdestiny and the wishes of the Storm God, our Lord, could come to be the same.'

'I am not sure I can find room in my heart for such a god; it is difficultenough to pretend to piety,' grated Kadakithis, squinting after Tempus in thedusk.

'You will, you will,' promised the priest, and dismounted from his horse toapproach Tempus's ground-tied sorrel. Abarsis reached down, running his handalong the beast's white-stocking'd leg. 'Look, Prince,' he said, craning hisneck up to see Kadakithis's face as his fingers tugged at the gold chain wedgedin the weight-cleat on the horse's shoe. At the end of the chain, sandy butshining gold, was an amulet. 'The god wants him back.'

3

The mercenaries drifted into Sanctuary dusty from their westward trek or bluelipped from their rough sea passage and wherever they went they made hellishwhat before had been merely dissolute. The Maze was no longer safe forpickpocket or pander; usurer and sorcerer scuttled in haste from street todoorway, where before they had swaggered virtually unchallenged, crime lords infear of nothing.

Now the whores walked bowlegged, dreamy-eyed, parading their new finery in theearly hours of the morning while most mercenaries slept; the taverns changedshifts but feared to close their doors, lest a mercenary find that an excuse totake offence. Even so early in the day, the inns were full of brawls and thegutters full of casualties. The garrison soldiers and the Hell Hounds could notbe omnipresent: wherever they were not, mercenaries took sport, and they werenot in the Maze this morning.