Querilous’s assistant dropped to his knees and averted his eyes as the Anointed Lord came towards them.

“You are dismissed,” Makennon said.

“Anointed One, without meaning to question your wisdom,” Querilous said, “I am somewhat at a disadvantage without Yuri’s aid.”

“I do apologise. For some reason I keep forgetting about the extent of your… condition.”

“May I ask what brings you this far below Scholten?”

“I think, Querilous, that we need to employ a different tactic in our hunt for the fugitives. Have our two prisoners been adequately broken?”

Querilous looked at the unconscious form of Emuel and smiled. “I believe so. And the radicalisation of Ignacio is proceeding according to plan.”

“Then there is a sorcerer who may be able to help us. Although he is getting on in years, he’s one of the most powerful practitioners of magic known to the Faith. What is more, he has offered to give up his life in order to perform one last, overwhelming rite.”

The manipulator said nothing for a moment. The only sound was the hiss and wheeze of his breathing regulator as he stared at the Anointed One.

“What of Brother Sequilious?”

“He is sadly no longer with us. I do somewhat regret my punishment of him. But we all have our off days, do we not?”

Querilous wheezed in agreement.

“You have two days to prepare the prisoners. After that time they will be departing for the Drakengrat mountains with a contingent of the Order of the Swords of Dawn. We will have our fugitives, Querilous, and more importantly we will have Silus Morlader. The Final Faith could certainly use a man of his talents, in these uncertain times.”

CHAPTER FIVE

The inhabitants of the desert settlement surrounded them; reaching for their clothes, stroking their hair, tugging at their hands, all as they chattered in a staccato, high-pitched language. A finger prodded Silus painfully in his side and he slapped the hand away, only for another to tug at his shirt. It wasn’t that these people were being aggressive — that much was obvious from their expressions of happy curiosity — they just hadn’t seen folk quite like the ragged crew of the Llothriall before.