"Pirmence?"

Pirmence pursed his lips. "We are there! Difficult if not impossible to disengage now with honour."

"Langlark?"

"Your arguments are compelling."

"Witherwood?"

"I feel that we have cast our dice on a very long roll. I hope that good luck goes with us."

"Foirry?"

"Our ships own the sea. So long as this is the case, Troicinet need not fear."

"Sir Tristano, what is your opinion?"

Tristano hesitated a moment, then: "Let me ask this: what might be the consequences if indeed we relinquished Kaul Bocach and Tintzin Fyral and departed South Ulfland?"

Aillas said: "The hour in which we abandoned South Ulfland, King Casmir, after pinching himself to make sure that he was awake and then dancing a brief jig of sheer joy, would march his troops north on the double-quick. Later, at leisure, with all his armies at the ready, he would attack Dahaut from two directions, and in a month King Audry must flee to Aquitania or die. Casmir would then bring Cairbra an Meadhan the Table and Evandig the Throne to Lyonesse Town, and name himself King of the Elder Isles. In the Mermeil estuary he could and would build a flotilla adequate to land his troops on Dascinet, and we would be lost. By moving into South Ulfland we have thwarted Casmir's plan, and have forced him to a more difficult program."

"You have quite convinced me," said Sir Tristano. "Lord Sion-Tansifer, what of you?"

"In all due respect, the premises are at fault. At this moment Casmir can march north up the Trompada and never set foot into South Ulfland."

"Not so," said Aillas. "He would find himself immediately at war with us, and his logistics would be impossible. So long as we held South Ulfland and the Teach tac Teach, Casmir would never dare the Trompada. Using only local troops, we could interdict him with ease."

Maloof spoke almost querulously: "Why all this talk of menace and hostility? Have we not ratified treaties of peace with Lyonesse? Why presume the worst case? If we show Casmir that we truly want peace, then he will reciprocate in kind, and there need be no more bluster, or clanking and clashing of weapons, which can only exacerbate the case."

"Cast your mind back a few years," said Aillas. "Granice was king of Troicinet. Ivar Excelsus of Dascinet thought to punish us by a war and called on Casmir for help. Casmir was only too anxious to bring his armies across the Lir, and if our ships had not smashed his armada, none of us would be dining here today at Miraldra. Has Casmir changed his spots? Obviously not."

Maloof was not convinced. "Still, South Ulfland is not Dascinet."

Witherwood asked him drily: "You believe, then, that if we are polite to Casmir, he will cause us no trouble?"

"We have nothing to lose," said Maloof with dignity. "Anything is preferable to war."

"Not anything," said Langlark.

Aillas said: "None of us wants war, not even Casmir, who would prefer to build his triumph upon our weakness and folly. While I am king this will not be; still, I will work to keep the peace. You may be interested to learn that King Casmir and Queen Sollace are coming to Domreis for a state visit."

"I consider that good news!" declared Maloof. "When will this be?"

"In about a month."

Foirry gave a hoot of sardonic laughter. "What a farce is diplomacy!"

Aillas smiled. "As king I must be the very model of propriety, no matter how my guts roil inside me... .I have said more than I chose to say."

The banquet came to an end. Aillas and Yane, with Glyneth and Dhrun, went to sit before a fire in one of the small parlours.

Aillas asked, "So then: what is the general consensus?"

Yane looked long into the flames. "It is hard to judge. Langlark and Foirry are unlikely because of the glass-merchant episode. Sion-Tansifer is no doubt brave, if perhaps a trifle single-minded. A traitor? Unlikely. Maloof? Witherwood? Pirmence? My intuition settles upon Maloof. He is anxious for peace and so is ready to make concessions. Many such folk are known to history; Maloof might even consider himself a great hero of secret diplomacy, appeasing Casmir and so fostering some farfetched concept of goodwill.

"Then there is Pirmence. He seems flexible and might be induced to spy for gold or from sheer boredom. He is one of that deceptively dangerous sort who, in the name of tolerance, will condone any sort of strange behavior—especially in himself.

"Witherwood? If he is a spy, his motives are hard to guess."

IV

AT NOON OF THE DAY after the banquet, Lord Maloof reported to King Aillas upon the condition of the royal exchequer. Maloofs demeanor was somber and he brought bad news: "By reason of the incursion into South Ulfland, together with the costs of naval construction at the Tumbling River yards, our financial reserves have been reduced to a critical level."

"Hmm," said Aillas. "This does not make for good hearing."

"I have long given warnings in this direction." Maloof spoke with gloomy satisfaction. "Now the crows have come home to roost."

"So it may be. ... What of our Dascinet revenues: have they arrived?"

"Not yet, sir, nor the Scola moneys. Neither are due until next week."

"For a week, then, we must live on the cheap. Before long, or so I hope, South Ulfland will be paying its own way. I have sent mining engineers to examine the old mines, which, so I am told, were never worked out, but simply abandoned because of bandits and robbers. Also, there may be alluvial gold in the rivers. They have never been worked and may eventually yield a large return: enough to pay all our expenses. What do you say to that?"

"So far, this flood of wealth is all hypothetical, and no doubt will require a substantial investment before we can so much as prove its existence."

Aillas grinned. "Maloof, you have a most dampening habit of practicality! If worse comes to worst we shall rely for funds on that method known far and wide as ‘Old Infallible': taxes! Squeeze them till their shoes squeak! Kings alone should be allowed the use of money! It is far too good for the common people."

Maloof said sadly: "Sir, I suspect that you jest."

"Not altogether. I intend to impose port taxes at Ys; so far they have gone unscathed. Also, we must start to collect those revenues from the Evander Valley which were formerly paid to Carfilhiot. So there is profit in sight! And sooner or later we will shake the barons loose from the hoarded gold they have gained by robbing from each other."

Maloof frowned at what he considered flaws in the idea, but again decided that Aillas was indulging his humour. "A formidable program!" said Maloof.

Aillas laughed. "But in practice very simple. I shall dictate laws which I know they will break; then I will fine them large sums, which they must pay or be turned out upon the moors. I only wish I could do the same for King Casmir and his illicit warship, but I fear he would not pay his fines."

Maloof raised his eyebrows in wonder. "You are not entitled to levy fines upon King Casmir!"

"Sadly true. Therefore I must use stronger measures."

Again Maloof frowned in puzzlement. "How so?"

"Exactly two weeks from tonight a party of raiders will descend upon the shipyard at Sardilla and burn Casmir's illicit hulk to the ground. In times to come Casmir will take his commitments more seriously."

Maloof shook his head. "Risky business!"

"Less risky than allowing Casmir a fleet of warships."

Maloof had no more to say and took his leave. Later in the day Aillas spoke with Lord Pirmence to whom he imparted the same information.

Still later, toward the end of the afternoon, Aillas let slip to Lord Witherwood and Lord Sion-Tansifer together that the raid at Sardilla would occur in precisely ten days.

Meanwhile, Sir Tristano assured Foirry and Langlark that the raid would take place in twenty days, even though these two were not considered prime suspects.