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emperor’s question: Why was all imperial magic being blocked, as a man’s vision is blocked by a fog bank?
    He stroked his chin, picked up his wineglass, then set it down untouched.
    “The war between Kallio and the rest of Numantia shook this world and beyond. There was greater magic used by man than ever before in history. Even I could sense this, with what small talent Irisu gave me.
    “Before I was arrested, after the war ended, and brought into this dungeon I found great difficulty in working even minor spells. I assume I was in the backwash of greater energies than I can understand or evoke myself, energies, echoes if you will, from the confrontation between Mikael Yanthlus and the Seer Tenedos. And I can still feel them. The sounding of those days hasn’t disappeared yet.
    “That would be my primary theory,” he went on, his dramatic tones fading into those of a pedant. “There might be another explanation, and this will shake your seer-emperor a trifle, and that is that there’s another great wizard in the world who wishes him harm. Perhaps someone previously unknown, in Numantia, or maybe someone beyond our borders. I can’t say,” he said. “But if you wish to give me access to certain materials, I could experiment.”
    I laughed. “Seer Hami, I’m not so green-as-grass looking, so I’m most unlikely to let you work any spells of any sort.” I rose. “Thank you for your time.”
    The man hid a smile of his own, then got to his feet, a little unsteadily.
    “We should do this again. You have good taste in wine.”
    • • •
    Contrary to what the Kallian advised, I told the emperor exactly what had happened. Halfway through my report, the mercury image blurred, and I thought we’d lost contact, but the emperor’s image became steady once more. When I finished, he sat motionless, his face a blank. I cleared my throat, and he came back to himself.
    “Hmm. Interesting,” he mused. “So there
is
something out there. Very, very interesting. I’ll wager it’s in the present, not the dead past, though.”
    “You have a clue, sir?”
    “I certainly do. But it’s not within Kallio, so you needn’t worry about it. That’s for me to deal with in the future. The very near future.”
    After a time, I chanced it: “Sir, may I ask another question?”
    The emperor’s expression grew cold. “I assume about this price the Kallian spoke of?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “You may not. Not now, not ever. Damastes, you are a good soldier and a better friend. You are the last because you don’t step beyond the limits of the first. Not that that bookish fool would know anything of what must be done, what must be paid, in the
real
world.”
    He suddenly stood and strode out of the chamber.
    Perhaps I should have pressed the question, then or later. Numantia was my country as well as his, and as commander of the armies this was something I should have known. Instead, a little frightened, I put the matter out of my mind.
    The gods failed me at that moment: Irisu the Preserver; Panoan, god of Nicias; Tanis, my family god; Vachan, my own monkey god of wisdom — they turned their backs.
    The only god present was Saionji, and now, in my mind, I can see her gleeful capering as she anticipated the horror to come.

THREE
S KIRMISHING
    I’d been in the field with one of my justice patrols, and been well satisfied at how the young legate handled matters, even though he was quite nervous with me in attendance. It was a long and dusty ride back to Polycittara, and I was more than ready for a very hot bath, about three pounds of barely cooked beef, and six hours of uninterrupted sleep. The bath and the steak I could have, but there was paperwork waiting that would keep me awake until past midnight, so I wasn’t in the best of tempers.
    There were two surprises waiting. The first was Landgrave Amboina, sitting at ease in our reception room with a glass of wine, chatting amicably with my wife, and the other was a huge