The Ruby Knight

successor.’
    ‘The Primate of Cimmura, most likely,’ Wargun growled sourly. He took a tankard of ale from a servant. ‘That’s all right, boy,’ he said. ‘Just leave the keg.’ His voice was slurred. ‘This is the way I see it, Obler. We’d better get to Larium as quickly as we can. We’ll push the Rendors back into the sea so that the militant orders can go to Chyrellos and keep Annias from becoming Archprelate. If that happens, we may have to declare war.’
    ‘On the Church?’ Obler sounded startled.
    ‘Archprelates have been deposed before, Obler. Annias won’t have any use for a mitre if he doesn’t have a head. Sparhawk has already volunteered to use his knife.’
    ‘You’ll start a general civil war, Wargun. No one has directly confronted the Church for centuries.’
    ‘Then maybe it’s about time. Anything else happening?’
    ‘The Earl of Lenda and Preceptor Vanion of the Pandion order arrived no more than an hour ago,’ Obler said. ‘They wanted to get cleaned up. I sent for them just as soon as I’d heard that you’d arrived. They’ll join us in a bit.’
    ‘Good. We’ll be able to settle a lot of things here then. What’s the date?’
    King Obler told him.
    ‘Your calendar must be wrong, Obler,’ Wargun said after counting days off on his fingers.
    ‘What did you do with Soros?’ Obler asked.
    ‘I came close to killing him,’ Wargun growled. ‘I’ve never seen anybody pray that much when there was work to be done. I sent him down into Lamorkand to pick up the barons down there. He’s riding at the head of the army, but Bergsten’s actually the one in charge. Bergsten would make a good Archprelate, if we could ever get him out of that armour.’ He laughed. ‘Can you imagine the reaction of the Hierocracy to an Archprelate in a mail-shirt and a horned helmet and with a battle-axe in his hands?’
    ‘It might enliven the Church a bit, Wargun,’ Obler conceded with a faint smile.
    ‘God knows she needs it,’ Wargun said. ‘She’s been acting like a frigid old maid since Cluvonus fell ill.’
    ‘Would Your Majesties excuse me?’ Sparhawk asked deferentially. ‘I’d like to look in on Vanion. We haven’t seen each other for a while, and there are things I need to report to him.’
    ‘More of this everlasting Church business?’ Wargun asked.
    ‘You know how it is, Your Majesty.’
    ‘No, thank God, I don’t. Go ahead, Knight of the Church. Talk with your father superior, but don’t keep him too long. We’ve got important business here.’
    ‘Yes, Your Majesty.’ Sparhawk bowed to the two kings and quietly left the room.
    Vanion was trying to struggle into his armour when Sparhawk entered the room. He stared at his subordinate in some astonishment. ‘What are you doing here, Sparhawk?’ he demanded. ‘I thought you were in Lamorkand.’
    ‘Just passing through, Vanion,’ Sparhawk replied. ‘Some things have changed. I’ll give you the gist of it now, and we can fill you in on more detail after King Wargun goes to bed.’ He looked critically at his Preceptor. ‘You’re looking tired, my friend.’
    ‘Old age,’ Vanion said ruefully, ‘and all of those swords I made Sephrenia give me are getting heavier every day. You know that Olven died?’
    ‘Yes. His ghost brought his sword to Sephrenia.’
    ‘I was afraid of that. I’ll take it away from her.’
    Sparhawk tapped Vanion’s breast-plate with one knuckle. ‘You don’t have to wear this, you know. Obler’s fairly informal, and Wargun doesn’t even know what the word formal means.’
    ‘Appearances, my friend,’ Vanion said, ‘and the honour of the Church. Sometimes it’s boring, I’ll admit, but -’ He shrugged. ‘Help me into this contraption, Sparhawk. You can talk while you’re tightening straps and buckling buckles.’
    ‘Yes, My Lord Vanion.’ Sparhawk began to assist his friend into the suit of armour, briefly summarizing the events which had taken place in Lamorkand and Pelosia.
    ‘Why didn’t you chase down the Troll?’ Vanion asked him.
    ‘Some things came up,’ Sparhawk said, fastening Vanion’s black cape to his shoulder-plates, ‘- Wargun for one thing. I even offered to fight him, but Patriarch Bergsten interfered.’
    ‘You challenged a king ?’ Vanion looked stunned.
    ‘It seemed appropriate at the time, Vanion.’
    ‘Oh, my friend,’ Vanion sighed.
    ‘We’d better get going,’ Sparhawk said. ‘There’s a lot more to tell you but