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Durakkon, looking out the window of the queen's reception room and picking with his finger-nail at the skin down one side of his thumb, paused for a reply. Fornis, however, said nothing and after some moments the High Baron reluctantly turned to meet her eyes. To all appearances she was waiting for him to continue. He had no more to say-indeed, in his tension and embarrassment he had

already repeated himself, regretting and extenuating to an extent consistent, perhaps, with the manners of a nobleman but scarcely with the authority of the High Baron of Bekla. So potent and disconcerting, however, was the Sacred Queen's silent self-possession and air of not, as yet, having heard anything worth the time she had had to spend in listening, that Durakkon-actually against his own better judgement-found himself speaking again.

"You've done a great deal for t!$ empire, esta-saiyett. There can be no one who's not fully aware of that. I know you'll understand that it wouldn't be possible-that the people themselves wouldn't accept-a Sacred Queen of- er-well, of the degree of maturity-" He broke off. "Of course, you'll realize that Sacred Queen is one thing and Saiyett Fornis, ruler of Paltesh, is another. One's no more than an appointment-almost nominal-just for a fixed term. The other's what you actually are and always will be. There's no reason whatever for you to feel-er-well, in any way dispossessed."

Still Fornis made no reply. They were both standing by the window and her eyes-though she was directly facing the late afternoon sunlight-looked steadily and unblink-ingly into his own.

"Well, that's all I have to say, esta-saiyett, and I must say I'm glad to have finished saying it." He laughed selfconsciously. "It's not always easy for me to-well, to carry out the duties of the High Baron. You've heard me very patiently. Thank you. If I can help you in any way at the end of this year-"

The Sacred Queen laid her hand on his arm. "You suppose that you will depose me."

From her inflection, it might or might not have been a question. Durakkon found himself answering it.

"I've explained to you, esta-saiyett, that there's no question of deposition-"

He broke off, but spoke again as a thought occurred to him. "Perhaps you would like to hear the Lord General and the Council-"

At this Fornis burst into a peal of laughter. "Perhaps you would like to hear the Council, would you? What they think of you?"

Suddenly she was grave once more. "Master Durakkon-may I call you Firebug, since everyone else does and we have known each other so long?-I am the Sacred

Queen of Airtha, the intermediary of the gods. It is for me to say what will happen to you at the end of this year- to you and those of your fellow-conspirators who may still be left. Sencho, of course, is no longer a problem."

"Conspirators? And pray, esta-saiyett, were you not also a conspirator, since that's the word you've chosen?"

"Did you come here to waste my time playing stupid games with words?" answered the queen. "Well, I'm not altogether surprised: that's about all you've ever been fit for these past seven or eight years. Still, it's as well you did come, since it enables me to tell you what's going to be done and what part you'll play. At the end of this year, you will abdicate as High Baro-"

Durakkon bowed coldly. "I'll leave you, esta-saiyett: you're plainly not yourself. Kindly think over what I've said and let me know when you're ready to talk with me again. For the time being-"

Suddenly Fornis took a step towards him, so that they were nearly touching each other. Durakkon almost threw up a hand to defend himself. When she spoke, it was in a hissing whisper.

"If regard is not paid to what I say, innocent people are going to suffer."

"Esta-saiyett," said Durakkon, with all the force at his command, "I rule here. I am sorry to be obliged to remind you of it."

"And you know, of course, that half the Council want to get rid of you?" she asked. Turning on her heel, she walked away from him towards a cabinet on the opposite side of the room. "You can hardly blame them, after all. The empire's full of disaffection as things are, and it hardly helps when the High Baron's universally known to be an ineffective dupe who commands no respect whatever."

"It will do you no good to talk in this way, esta-saiyett," said Durakkon. "Remember, too, that if you compel me to take action against you, it will be in neither your interest not the public interest."

"The public interest?" cried Fornis, her eyes for the first time bright with anger. "Oh, yes, you've always had the public interest so much at heart, haven't you? You were going to do so much for the empire, weren't you? So much for the common people!" She fixed on him a look of such evil malevolence that he stared back at her appalled. "You really make me laugh! Why, the peasants-yes, the very