For the first time in his life, he looked at the robe with affection. Then, laying it down on a table, he folded it carefully. The duty of the King’s Secretary lies in his heart not in his clothes, he thought. He would give it to Alaynor, to ‘do something with’, then he would lay it aside until it could be worn with renewed dignity and honour at some future time.
* * * *
Isloman stood very still. The two arrows still quivering slightly in the nearby tree were sufficiently close together to show that the archer knew his craft. Although he had no idea where the man was, he might have risked a sudden dive for cover had he been alone, but with the Queen and Hawklan in his charge, that was out of the question.
Gavor moved discreetly into his line of sight and, c*****g his head on one side, r
