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‘I un’s erratic, Soros is a religious hysteric, Obler’s old, and Friedahl reigns only at the sufferance of his barons Dregos lets his relativesBrisant of Cammoria is a voluptuary and I don’t even know the nayrin,’ Kalten supplied, ‘not that it reallylower in his chair and rubbing the side of his face thoughtfully, ‘during this same period of time, we’ve had a number of very able churchmen in the Hierocracy The incapacity of Cluvonus sort of encouraged the patriarchs to strike out on their own If you had a vacant throne someplace, you could do a lot worse than put Esten, and even Annias had a very high degree of political skill When kings groeak, the Church grows strong – too strong sorowled ‘Are you trying to say we should declare war on the Church?’

‘Not today, Platiht now I think it’s tinals to Chyrellos, and our queen may be just the one to send the Dolmant’s election, I think they’ll listen very carefully to just about anything she says I don’t know that I’d soften her letter all that et their attention’

Lenda’s eyes were very bright ‘This is the way the game’s supposed to be played, my friends,’ he said enthusiastically

‘You do realise that it’s altogether possible that Dol over the line,’ Kalten noted ‘Maybe he sent Sparhawk to Lamorkand as the interim preceptor of the Pandion Order and completely overlooked the fact that he’s also the prince consort Sarathi’s got a lot on his ot no business occupying the Archprelate’s throne,’ Ehlana asserted Her eyes narrowed, always a dangerous sign ‘Let’s o out of his way to se of that to retrieve that Duchy just north of Vardenaise Lenda, is there any e can keep people fro their estates to the Church?’

‘It’s a long-standing custoinally comes from the crown Shouldn’t we have some say in who inherits it? You’d think that if a nobleman dies without an heir, the estate would revert back to me, but every time there’s a childless noble in Elenia, the churchiving theested ‘Make it a law that if a man doesn’t have an heir, he doesn’t keep his estate’

‘The aristocracy would go up in flaasped

‘That’s what the ared, ‘to put out fires I’ll tell you what, Ehlana, you pass the law, and I’ll arrange a few very public and very messy accidents for the ones who screaet the point – eventually’

‘Do you think I could get aith that?’ Ehlana asked the Earl of Lenda

‘Surely your Majesty’s not seriously considering it?’

‘I have to do sodom acre by acre, and once she takes possession of an estate, the land’s removed from the tax rolls forever’ She paused ‘This could just be a way to do what Sparhawk suggested – get the Church’s attention Why don’t we draw up a draft of soeously repressive law and just "accidentally" let a copy fall into the hands of soyman It’s probably safe to say that it’ll be in Dolmant’s hands before the ink’s dry’

‘That’s really unscrupulous, lad you approve,else this ot so in the ross, black-bearded on and goblet at his elbow His doublet rinkled and food-spotted, and his shaggy hair hung down over his forehead, al his eyes Plati formal titles, but the queen chose to overlook that

‘Unauthorised?’ Kalten sounded arowled ‘They don’t have perion, and they’re breaking all the rules I’m not positive, but I think they’re some of the former henchmen of the Primate of Cimmura You blundered there, Ehlana You should have waited until you had them in custody before you declared theed ‘Nobody’s perfect’ Ehlana’s relationship with Platime was peculiar She realised that he was unable to mouth the polite formulas of the nobility, and so she accepted a bluntness from him that would have offended her had it co into a gifted, alreatly ‘I’m not surprised to find out that Annias’ old cronies have turned to highway robbery in their hour of need They were all bandits to begin with anyway There have always been outlaws in those h, so I doubt that another band will hed, ‘you’re the same as norant An authorised bandit knows the rules He knohich travellers can be robbed or killed and which ones have to be left alone Nobody gets too excited if soets his throat cut and his purse lifted, but if a govern nobleman turns up dead in those mountains, the authorities have to take steps to at leasttheir jobs That sort of official attention is very bad for business Perfectly innocent crihway robbery’s not an occupation for amateurs And there’s another proble all the local peasantry that they’re not really robbers, but patriots rebelling against a cruel tyrant – that’s you, little sister There’s always enough discontent a the peasants toYou aristocrats haven’t any business getting involved in crime You always try to mix politics in with it’