6
THE FINAL TESTIMONY
A few of the priests tried to object, hoping no doubt to cite the blasphemy of being required to perform a heathen dance, but Venerati Magni Lazare’s icy glare silenced them, and the curt nod of his head sent them to the centre of the ballroom, where Coral directed them to their positions.
‘They’re as ready as they’re ever going to be,’ she told Estevar.
He motioned for her to come to his chair. When she did, he whispered to her something he’d forgotten to earlier. ‘My dear, I have a pair of daggers in my coat. Would you like to borrow th—‘
She opened the sleeve of her robes, and there he saw strapped to her forearm a stiletto blade. ‘I’ve been sleeping in a tiny stone cell surrounded by men for nearly six months,’ she said quietly. ‘You think I wasn’t ready in c
