"We're not 'sneaking around,' Alenor," Jacinta corrected. "We're keeping a low profile. There is a subtle but distinct difference."

"Well, I'm glad you can see it. Do you think Alexin got away safely?"

"I'm sure Avacas would be abuzz with the news if he hadn't."

"Where do you suppose he went?"

Jacinta sighed. "Alenor, if I knew the answer to that, I would have told you. On one of the several thousand occasions you've asked me the same question in the past few days."

"I'm sorry. I just can't help but worry about him."

"Worry if you have to, Allie, but at least think up a new question every now and then."

"You're mad at me, aren't you?""Of course I'm not mad at you," she exclaimed in surprise. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"You've been really snappy ever since we left Bollow."

"That's probably because I've never been thrown out of a whole country before." Jacinta smiled.

"I've been thrown out of a university. And a tavern-don't ever tell my mother that- but not a whole country. I'm not sure if it means I'm moving up in the world, or down in it."

"Why don't you ever take anything seriously?"

"I do so take things seriously."

"Not the really important things," Alenor observed. "The more serious a thing is, the more you joke about it."

"Have I made any tasteless jokes about Alexin?"

"No," Alenor conceded. "And you haven't said a word about Dirk, either."

"What's to say?" Jacinta shrugged. "By now I imagine the Lord of the Suns is swinging in the breeze by a very long rope, feeding the ravens through his eye sockets. Unless Kirsh burned him, in which case they might use him for fertilizer."

"There!" Alenor exclaimed. "That's exactly what I mean. You're joking about it."

Jacinta looked back over the street, not willing to meet the young queen's alarmingly perceptive gaze. "It doesn't mean anything, Allie."

"It means you're worried about him. Seriously worried."

"Aren't you?"

"Of course I am, but then he's my cousin and my friend. I didn't realize he meant so much to you."

"Don't be absurd!" she snapped. "I spoke to Dirk Provin only a handful of times the whole time I was in Bollow."

"You like him, though, don't you?"

"It's really rather a moot point what I thought about him," she shrugged. "He's probably dead by now, swinging in the aforementioned breeze."

"There! You're doing it again!"

"Oh, do stop this nonsense, Alenor," she grumbled. "Making snide and rather tasteless remarks about Dirk Provin's execution does not imply that I feel anything for him."

"I never said you felt anything for him. Is there something you're not telling me?"

Jacinta was rescued from this decidedly bizarre and uncomfortable conversation by Tael's return from the docks. She called permission to enter before he'd even finished knocking on the door.

"Did you find a ship that will take us back to Kalarada?" she asked as soon as the captain stepped into the room.

"Yes and no, my lady," he replied. "I can get you and the queen a berth and perhaps a third of the men, but we'll have to find another ship to get the rest of the guard and the horses back to Dhevyn."

"When does this ship sail?"

"Just after first sunrise," Tael told her. "It's a Dhevynian trader. Not the grandest ship afloat, but I thought speed was more important than comfort."

"That's all right," Jacinta a.s.sured him. "We don't mind roughing it a bit, do we, your majesty?"She shook her head, but she wasn't really listening to the question. "Did you hear any other news, Captain?"

"If you mean about Captain Seranov, your majesty, then no, there's not a whisper about him.

There's news aplenty about what happened in Bollow, though."

"I can imagine," Jacinta agreed. "Is it anything new, or just the same rumors we've been hearing for days?"

"Mostly the same. The word on the streets is that nothing much will happen until Prince Kirshov and the Lord of the Suns return to Avacas tomorrow."

"Kirsh didn't waste any time finding a replacement for Dirk, did he?" Alenor said bitterly.

Jacinta stared at her in wonder. "But he can't."

"Can't what?"

"He can't replace the Lord of the Suns. That's Church business and not even the Lion of Senet can interfere in it. If Dirk was executed, that means he didn't die by natural causes and that means he can only be replaced by an election."

"The fastest election in the history of the Church by the sound of it," Tael remarked.

"No, you don't understand," she said. "We're not talking about a show of hands by anybody who happens to be in the room, Captain. We're talking every Sundancer and Shadowdancer in Senet. And Dhevyn. And Damita. Even as far away as Galina, if there are any of them there. It's something that takes months to arrange."

"What are you saying, Jacinta?" Alenor asked with a puzzled frown. "That Kirsh has defied Church law?"

"That or he's changed his mind about executing the current Lord of the Suns."

Hope suddenly flared in Alenor's eyes. "Then Dirk is alive?"

"I don't know," Jacinta shrugged. "I guess we won't know until they get here tomorrow."

"Oh, Jacinta! That's wonderful news! But what made Kirsh change his mind?"

"We don't know that he has, Allie," she warned. Jacinta wasn't quite as ready to believe the unbelievable. It was far too dangerous to allow that sort of hope to grow, only to have it dashed again when they learned the truth. "All we have is a rumor we can't substantiate until tomorrow."

"And your ship sails tonight, your majesty," Tael reminded her.

"But we can't leave now," Alenor cried. "Not if Dirk is still alive."

"Whether he's alive or dead, you must get back to Kalarada, Alenor," Jacinta advised. "Senet is a tinderbox waiting to explode and we are sitting far too close to the kindling. There is no question of you staying in Avacas."

"But..."

"The Lady Jacinta speaks the truth, your majesty," Tael added.

"Then you must stay, Jacinta," the queen decreed.

"Kirsh ordered me out of Senet, Alenor. He'll not be too pleased to discover I didn't leave."

"You're not afraid of Kirsh," she scoffed. "Anyway, two-thirds of the guard will still be here until they can find another ship. You can always claim you sent me on ahead because you couldn't find a berth. And if Dirk is alive, I'm certain he won't let you come to any harm."Jacinta shook her head doubtfully. "I don't know, Allie..."

"I'm not asking your advice, my lady," Alenor told her regally. "I am ordering you, as your queen, to stay here in Avacas and find out if the rumors are true. If they're not, then you can come straight home to Kalarada on the next available ship."

"And if your cousin lives?"

"Then ask Dirk what he needs of us."

"Your majesty..." Tael ventured uncertainly.

"Yes, Captain?"

"There may be another explanation. One a little less palatable, but a tad more believable than the notion Prince Kirshov suddenly changed his mind about the High Priestess Belagren being murdered and simply let the Lord of the Suns go."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you considered the possibility that if Dirk Provin lives, it's because he may have bought his freedom?"

"With what?" Alenor demanded.

"With anything he could use as currency, your majesty," Tael suggested grimly. "Up to and including Dhevyn."

Chapter 70.

Dirk gave Kirsh little time to rethink his decision to release him, even though he thought Kirsh optimistic in the extreme to think he could conceal Antonov's current state of mind for long. Already, rumors circulated in Avacas about his behavior after the ceremony and the fact that he hadn't been seen publicly since then merely lent credence to the rumors.

But Kirsh wasn't interested in the long-term consequences of his attempts to preserve his father's reputation. He simply wanted to hold Senet together until Misha could be returned and then leave his brother to deal with the problem. So Dirk stepped in to relieve the prince of as much of the tedious detail involved in managing the crisis as he was able to, with little complaint from Kirshov.

Dirk found plenty of things to keep Kirsh busy. The riot in Bollow had proved one thing Dirk had always suspected: Kirsh was a cool head in a crisis. But when bogged down in the mundane day-to-day tasks of government, he grew morose, moody and difficult. So Dirk set Kirsh to tasks that used his talents best, which left Dirk free to deal with the rest of it.

Trouble flared up frequently in the days following the ceremony. There was trouble in both Tolace and Paislee and another riot in Talenburg-albeit on a much smaller scale than the Bollow riot-in which the Shadowdancers' temple was attacked. Most of the damage, however, came from looters taking advantage of the disturbance. Kirsh had no sooner arrived in Avacas than he was forced to turn around and head back to Talenburg with a sizable force, leaving Dirk to deal with Lord Palinov.

Antonov's chancellor was less than pleased to find himself taking orders from Dirk Provin, even if he was now Lord of the Suns. Palinov was an oily creature, whom Dirk had never liked much. He did everything he could to undermine Dirk's authority, even though Kirsh had made it patently clear before he left for Talenburg that Dirk spoke with the full authority of the Lion of Senet.The morning after Kirsh left, Dirk let himself into Antonov's study to meet with the chancellor for another conference that would no doubt turn into a subtle battle of wits between them. He understood Palinov's irritation. Although snide and condescending, the man was a capable bureaucrat and was used to being given a free hand during Antonov's frequent absences from Avacas. In that, Dirk had no quarrel with him. He was only interested in keeping Senet from falling into anarchy. This was the most powerful nation on Ranadon and if it fell, the rest of the world would tumble down behind it like a house of cards. To protect Dhevyn, Dirk had to protect Senet. But right now, he had no more interest in the size of next year's corn harvest than Kirsh did.

He stopped just inside the door for a moment. The second sun was shining brightly, illuminating Antonov's desk and bathing his empty chair in light. It was strange to think he was about to sit in that chair.

"You'll be wanting to read all of these, won't you, my lord?" Lord Palinov announced, pushing through the door behind Dirk. He was followed by two scribes carrying a mountain of doc.u.ments and several large ledgers. The scribes dumped their load on the desk, sketched a hasty bow and fled the office, leaving Palinov standing there with a faint sneer on his lips.

"What's all this?" Dirk asked.

"Everything requiring the Lion of Senet's attention, my lord," Palinov explained. "He has been away from Avacas for several weeks now, and if, as Prince Kirshov claims, you are authorized to act in his highness's absence, these matters must be dealt with immediately."

"And what have you been doing while the Lion of Senet was in Bollow, my lord?" Dirk asked, walking around the desk to stand behind the chair. He couldn't bring himself to sit in it. Not yet.

"I don't understand what you mean, my lord," Palinov replied with a wounded look.

"I mean, Palinov, if this is everything that required the Lion of Senet's attention in the past few weeks, what is it doing here?"

"Waiting for him to return, of course."

Dirk smiled. "You should get out more, Palinov. We have a road between Avacas and Bollow now.

And they've discovered it's possible to train pigeons to carry messages."

"My lord is trying to be witty, I think."

"Actually, I'm trying to understand how you've kept your job as long as you have, if this is your idea of efficiency."

Palinov scowled at him. "And your extensive experience makes you an expert in these things, I suppose, my lord?"

"I may not be an expert, Palinov, but I'm pretty good at smelling a rat. I suggest you get your little minions back in here to clear this desk and then come back when you've sorted out what really needs my attention from the rubbish you've dumped here to keep me busy while you do what you please."

Palinov bristled angrily. "I will not be spoken to in such a manner! My position as Chancellor of the Exchequer demands respect."

"Your position might, but you've got a way to go before you get any respect from me."

"I cannot believe Prince Antonov agreed to let you act for him in his absence," Palinov snorted.

"Even if you are now the Lord of the Suns. I intend to write to him in Omaxin immediately and protest this outrage."

"You do that. In the meantime, get rid of this," he ordered, indicating the mountain of parchment covering the desk.Palinov stormed out of the room, muttering to himself. Dirk winced as the door slammed behind him.

It was probably not a good idea to aggravate the man; he was an influential member of Antonov's court and had it in his power to make life quite difficult for Dirk. But there were some things that had always irritated Dirk about Avacas, and Lord Palinov was one of them.

Dirk looked down at Antonov's chair again, wondering what it would feel like to sit in it. He would find out eventually, he supposed. He couldn't do his job standing behind it until Kirsh got back from Talenburg. But it didn't seem right. He had set out to bring down a religion; to destroy an idea. He had never imagined he'd find himself back in Avacas, effectively ruling Senet.

Neris would have seen the irony, but everyone else would think this was just another part of his evil plan to rule the world. Then he smiled wryly, remembering something Wallin Provin had said to him once: something about reluctant rulers making the best kings, because they put duty before ambition.

Dirk's only ambition, if he had one anymore, was simply to survive this time of upheaval so he could finish what he'd started. That was the promise he'd made Neris Veran.