The Diamond Throne

for the sake of just a few!’ With some effort she controlled her anger. ‘Do you know of any other such objects?’ she asked him.
    ‘A few.’ He shrugged. ‘There’s a great spear in the imperial palace in Tamul, several rings in Zemoch, though I doubt that they’d be much good in healing people. It’s rumoured that there’s a jewelled bracelet in Pelosia somewhere, but that might be only a myth. The sword of the King of the Island of Mithrium was reputed to have great power, but Mithrium sank into the sea aeons ago. I’ve also heard that the Styrics have quite a few magic wands.’
    ‘That’s also a myth,’ she told him. ‘Wood is too fragile for that kind of power. Any others?’
    ‘The only one I know of is the jewel on the royal crown of Thalesia, but that’s been lost since the time of the Zemoch invasion.’ He frowned. ‘I don’t think this will help very much,’ he added, ‘but Arasham has a talisman that he claims is the most holy and powerful thing in all the world. I’ve never seen it myself, so I can’t say for sure, and Arasham’s wits aren’t so firmly set in his head that he’d be any kind of an authority You’d never be able to get it away from him in any case.’
    Sephrenia reattached her veil across the lower part ofher face. ‘Thank you for your candour, Doctor Tanjin,’ she said. ‘Be assured that no one will learn of your secret from us.’ She thought a moment. ‘I think you should splint this,’ she said, holding out her arm. ‘That should prove to the curious that we had a legitimate reason for this visit, and it should protect you as well as us.’
    ‘That’s a very good idea, madame.’ Tanjin fetched a couple of slats and a long strip of white cloth.
    ‘Would you take a bit of friendly advice, Tanjin?’ Sparhawk asked him as he began to splint Sephrenia’s arm.
    ‘I’ll listen.’
    ‘Do that. If it were me, I’d gather up a few things and go to Zand. The king can protect you there. Get out of Dabour while you still can. Fanatics make the jump from suspicion to certainty very easily, and it won’t do you much good if you’re proved innocent after you’ve been burned at the stake.’
    ‘But everything I own is here.’
    ‘I’m sure that’ll be a great comfort to you when your toes are on fire.’
    ‘Do you really think I’m in that much danger?’ Tanjin asked in a weak voice, looking up from his task.
    Sparhawk nodded. ‘That much and more. I’d estimate that you’ll be lucky to live out the week if you stay here in Dabour.’
    The doctor began to tremble violently as Sephrenia slipped her splinted arm back into the sling. ‘Wait a minute,’ he said as they started towards the door ‘What about that?’ He pointed at the fairy swooping through the air near the window.
    ‘Oh,’ Sephrenia said. ‘Sorry I almost forgot about her.’ She mumbled a few words and made a vague gesture.
    The bumblebee went back to batting its head against the window.
    It was dark when they emerged from the apothecary’s shop into the nearly deserted square.
    ‘It’s not very much,’ Sparhawk said dubiously.
    ‘It’s more than we had before. At least we know how to cure Ehlana. All we need to do now is to find one of these objects.’
    ‘Would you be able to tell if Arasham’s talisman has any real power?’ ‘I think so.’
    ‘Good. Perraine says that Arasham preaches every night. Let’s go and find him. I’ll listen to a dozen sermons if it puts me close to a cure.’
    ‘How do you propose to get it away from him?’
    ‘I’ll think of something.’
    A black-robed man suddenly blocked their path. ‘Stop right there,’ he commanded.
    ‘What’s your problem, neighbour?’ Sparhawk asked him.
    ‘Why are you not at the feet of holy Arasham?’ the robed man asked accusingly
    ‘We were just on our way,’ Sparhawk replied.
    ‘All Dabour knows that holy Arasham speaks to the multitudes at sundown. Why are you deliberately absenting yourselves?’
    ‘We arrived only today,’ Sparhawk explained, ‘and I had to seek medical attention for my sister’s injured arm.’
    The fanatic scowled suspiciously at Sephrenia’s sling. ‘Surely you did not consult with the wizard Tanjin?’ he said in an outraged tone
    ‘When one is in pain, one does not ask to see the healer’s credentials,’ Sephrenia told him. ‘I can assure you, however, that the doctor used no witchcraft. He set the broken bone and splinted it for me in the same way any other