I sat up abruptly. This gloom I could understand. “But if he did, you’d have to leave Yurt! How could you bear to leave the king and queen and the little prince?”

His huge dark eyes were turned toward me, but did not seem to see me. “That’s not the real issue. The issue is that I know I am not worthy of such an honor.”

“Wait a minute,” I said. “I don’t understand. Why would it be such an honor to be a cathedral priest? I thought you had been one already.”

Joachim looked at me soberly. “You really don’t know how the church works, do you.”

“Not me! We wizards prefer to have as little to do as possible with the details of organized religion.” If I had been the chaplain, I would have rolled my eyes at me. So far, I had never managed to make Joachim roll his eyes, but I still had hopes.

“I’ll explain it to you again,” he said patiently. “I went from the seminary where I was trained, two kingdoms away from here, to the cathedral of Caelrhon, the cathedral that also serves Yurt. The bishop who headed my seminary knew the bishop here and recommended me to him. Young priests are always sent away from the dioceses where they are trained.”

“I already knew that,” I said promptly.

“But I was never a member of the cathedral chapter, just one of the many young priests attached to the church. Only the most senior and spiritual priests of the diocese are chosen to join the chapter.”

“But the bishop of Caelrhon appointed you Royal Chaplain,” I objected. “Isn’t that more of an honor than being a priest in his cathedral chapter?”

His eyes became intense and distant again, no chance now of getting him to roll them. “To serve the cathedral is a much greater honor and a much greater responsibility. As chaplain, I am only responsible for the souls of the royal court, but the bishop and his cathedral chapter must mediate between God and all the people of the twin kingdoms of Yurt and Caelrhon. I fear I do not have a heart and mind pure enough to take on such a burden.”