But the prince wasn't receiving, and Tempus's mood was ill -just as well; he hadbeen going to confront the young popinjay, as once or twice a month he was surehe must do, without courtesy or appropriate deference. If Kadakithis was holedup in conference with the blond-haired, fish-eyed folk from the ships and hadnot called upon him to join them, then it was not surprising: since the gods hadbattled in the sky above the Mageguild, all things had become confused, worsehad come to worst, and Tempus's curse had fallen on him once again with its fullforce.
Perhaps the god was dead - certainly, Vashanka's voice in his ear was absent.He'd gone out raping once or twice to see if the Lord of Pillage could be rousedto take part in His favourite sport. But the god had not rustled around in hishead since New Year's day; the resultant fear of harm to those who loved him bythe curse that denied him love had made a solitary man withdraw even furtherinto himself; only the Froth Daughter Jihan, hardly human, though woman inform, kept him company now.
And that, as much as anything, irked the Stepsons. Theirs was a closedfraternity, open only to the paired lovers of the Sacred Band and distinguishedsingle mercenaries culled from a score of nations and diverted, by Tempus'sservice and Kitty-Cat's gold, from the northern insurrection they'd driftedthrough Sanctuary en route to join.
He, too, ached to war, to fight a declared enemy, to lead his cohort north. Butthere was his word to a Rankan faction to do his best for a petty prince, andthere was this thrice-cursed fleet of merchant warriors come to harbour talking'peaceful trade' while their vessels rode too low in the water to be filled with