Seregil had nearly talked himself into going out to look for him when Alec slipped in.

"Well?" Seregil demanded.

Alec was frowning. "You're not going to like it. Ulan found out about Phoria and Barien: the whole business of the forged papers, the Leran gold, everything."

"Bilairy's stinking codpiece!"

"And he did a fine job of painting our new queen as an honorless

liar," Alec went on as he changed into his own clothing. "You know what this means, don't you?"

"Yes." Seregil sighed. "Come on, let's find Thero and get this over with."

Klia entered Thero's room clad in a soft velvet robe, her hair loose and tousled about her shoulders. She looked anything but sleepy, however, as she noted the three of them standing uneasily by the hearth. Thero closed the door and wove a spell, sealing the chamber off from prying eyes and ears.

Klia raised an eyebrow at him, then took a seat in the room's only chair."Well, out with it."

Seregil leaned an elbow on the mantel and launched into a tale he'd never intended to tell.

"It has to do with Phoria, and your mother's late vicegerent."

"Barien? The man's two years dead, and by his own hand. What on earth could—?"

Seregil held up a placating hand. "This will take some explanation. You know that your sister and Barien were lovers?"

"I'd always suspected, though I never understood why they kept it such a secret. She was devastated when he died."

"Were you aware of any new tension between your mother and Phoria after his death?"

"I suppose so, though neither of them would speak of the reason. Why are you dredging all that up now, and at this hour?"

Seregil sighed inwardly; so much for his hope that Idrilain had confided in her daughter before Klia's departure for Aurenen. Who'd have guessed there'd ever be reason to?

"My lady, Phoria and the vicegerent unwittingly betrayed the queen. Barien had a nephew, Lord Teukros. Several years before Barien's death, Teukros was duped into treason by the Lerans. This came out when we were tracking down the woman who nearly killed you and Alec."

"Kassarie." Klia touched the faded scars on her cheek, eyes darkening as angry disbelief set in. "Barien and Phoria were involved with her? With those filthy insurrectionists?"

"Unwittingly, I promise you."

"What we must tell you now was known only to Nysander, Seregil, Alec, and myself," Thero assured her. "Nysander had it from your mother and Phoria just after Barien died. He confided it

to us because it directly impacted the work Seregil and Alec were carrying out for Nysander."

"Seregil was in prison when Barien died," said Klia.

Seregil gave her a sheepish grin, studiously not looking at Thero. "Not exactly. Thero here kindly gave me the loan of his body, and kept mine company while Alec and I looked into things—"

Klia held up a hand. "Just get on with it."

"We found the forger who'd made documents that led to my arrest and the execution of other Skalan nobles whose blood was less than pure. We also stumbled onto evidence of a deeper plot to discredit your mother. Three years earlier, certain Leran sympathizers had lured that young fool Teukros into accruing massive debts, knowing that the vicegerent could be manipulated into protecting him. Barien turned in desperation to Phoria, who aided him in the rerouting of a treasury shipment to cover the debt. They used forged copies of Queen's Warrants to do it, documents forged by the same man Alec and I tracked down. Neither Phoria nor Barien had any idea who was behind the plot, I assure you. Teukros had handled all that. The moneys were to be repaid as soon as possible and everyone thought they'd seen the end of it, never knowing that the misplaced gold had gone directly into the coffers of the Lerans. When Alec and I cornered this forger, it all came out. Barien couldn't bear the shame and killed himself. Phoria confessed all to your mother and Nysander."

Klia's hands clenched on the arms of her chair. "And no one thought I might need to know of this?"

"In all honesty, no, my lady," Seregil assured her. "The few of us who knew were sworn to secrecy by Idrilain and Nysander. We expected to take the story to our graves. What we hadn't counted on was someone among the queen's enemies knowing the secret."

"That's where I come in, my lady," Alec said, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "I got word today that Ulan i Sathil was holding a secret parley at his house, and that certain khirnari who support you or seem like they're leaning in that direction were the ones invited. Forgive me, but I disobeyed your orders and spied on them."

"With my permission," Seregil added quickly.

"Go on," Klia sighed.

"Somehow Ulan i Sathil came into possession of one of these forged warrants, and the secret about Phoria's involvement," Alec continued. "I saw the documents myself. He had some other papers, too, but I was too far away to tell what they were. At any rate, he

used them to put Phoria in the worst possible light—you know what store the 'faie set by honor and family. He made Phoria out to be untrustworthy, a traitor almost, and a threat to deal with. He also suggested that your mother had lacked judgment in not casting her out of the line of succession."

"That's the least any khirnari would do, if not outright exile," added Seregil. "Hereditary rule makes no sense to my people. This isn't going to raise their opinion of it much."

"Who was there?" Klia asked, pinning Alec with an unfathomable glare.

Alec listed off those he'd seen.

"And what was their response to this revelation of Ulan's?"

"I couldn't see everyone, but from what I heard, confusion. Silmai argued in your favor; the Haman sounded pleased."

"Just what Ulan i Sathil intended, I'm sure," said Thero.

Klia nodded. "How do you think he came by this information?"

"I've been considering that," said Seregil. "There are several possibilities. He could have had it from the Plenimarans. They keep an ear or two among the Lerans. Perhaps someone involved in the Teukros debacle let something slip? Or Ulan may have known about this for years, and simply bided his time until he could make the best use of the information."

"I can well imagine," Klia said. "But you think there are other explanations?"

Seregil cast a quick glance at Alec, who nodded slightly and turned away.

"Lord Torsin, my lady—"

"Torsin?"

"Torsin met secretly with someone in Khatme tupa one night, about two weeks after our arrival," said Seregil. "At least one person at that meeting was a Viresse. There's evidence that Ulan summoned him to that meeting. It was only by chance that Alec discovered he'd gone out."

Klia gave Alec a dubious look that made the younger man color guiltily. "When I ordered you two not to spy without my permission, that included spying on our own people."

Seregil started to reply but she cut him off abruptly. "Hear me, both of you. You needn't concern yourself with Torsin. Wherever Ulan may have gotten this damaging information against my sister, I assure you, it did not come from Torsin. I suggest you concentrate on learning where it did come from."

She knows about her envoy's midnight meetings, or thinks she

does, thought Seregil, smarting under the unexpected reprimand. It hadn't occurred to him that Klia might keep secrets from him. On the other hand, he was fairly certain Torsin knew nothing of his or Alec's true talents. If that were so, then Klia was playing a more complex game than he'd guessed. He glanced at the wizard, wondering how much Thero knew. He didn't appear much surprised by this exchange.

"If it came from Plenimar, then that might also explain those Plenimaran warships that ambushed us in the Ea'malies," Thero mused. "Perhaps the honorable khirnari paid for information with information."