There was a knock at the door and Silverdun braced for another assault by Tebrit, but instead it was Estiane who stepped into the cell. The abbot shut the door quietly, an odd expression on his face. He held an envelope in his hand, and Silverdun recognized the broken seal as that of Marcuse, the queen's chamberlain. Estiane sat at the edge of Silverdun's cot, turning the envelope in his fingers. He held it delicately, as if it were a dried flower or a piece of fine china.
'Let us be perfectly honest with one another, shall we?' said Estiane. 'No banter, no gamesmanship. No hidden agendas. We are both men of Aba, who do our best to serve the Good, and often fail miserably along the way. Agreed?'
Silverdun sat up. A witticism reared up in his mind and he choked it down. 'Fine,' he grunted.
'I know why Everess came to see you today,' said Estiane. 'He and I have had a number of rather serious conversations over the past few months.'
'Really?' said Silverdun. 'Is Everess an Arcadian? He never struck me as the type.'
'No, no,' said Estiane. 'These conversations were of a purely political nature. We don't like to advertise it, of course, but the Church is as immersed in the world of politics as any other large organization. We have power and influence and knowledge, and it has to be wielded.'
Estiane tapped the envelope gently against his fingers. 'As you may know, the Church has a rather sizable network of believers among the Unseelie. Not even we know exactly how many of us there are across Mab's empire because the Bel Zheret enjoy torturing names out of Arcadians, and we like to offer them as few as possible.
'Much of the useful information our queen possesses regarding the Unseelie comes from us. We have believers at almost every level of government and at every rank in the military. Sometimes their consciences guide them to reveal certain things.'
Silverdun smiled. 'And you barter that knowledge for influence at Corpus and with the queen's court.'
'Of course we do,' said Estiane, his voice rough. 'We'd be fools not to. This all has very little to do with serving Aba, but the Church is not itself holy. The Church is an organization that exists in space and time, and it must do what it must in order to survive and thrive. If you'll recall, when you were a boy, Arcadianism was practically illegal.' Estiane unsuccessfully attempted to hide the guilt he clearly felt. 'And that brings us to you, Perrin Alt. Lord Silverdun.'
Silverdun sighed. 'I was wondering when something would bring us to me. What's this about?'
'I'm not exactly sure, to be honest,' said Estiane. 'I know that Everess is very keen to bring you back to the capital, but I don't know why. Something to do with the Foreign Ministry, I should imagine.'
'Honestly, Abbot!' said Silverdun. 'Where's the holiness in that?'
'Holiness?' Estiane hissed the word. 'Holiness is a privilege granted to blessed souls like Tebrit, your tormentor. Tebrit doesn't have to make decisions about how the Church's influence is used to direct affairs, or whether those affairs ought to be directed, or what the dire outcome for the Church and its followers will be if those affairs are ignored. Tebrit will not have any blood on his hands if a new war begins because there is nothing he could do to help prevent it.
'I, however, am required to make those decisions. There is no way for me to do this without getting blood on my hands. I don't have the luxury of being spotless.'
Silverdun leaned back again, nodding. 'I understand now. Everess needs your information, and you've decided to exact payment. He agrees to take me on in whatever role he's dreamed up for me, knowing that I'll be acting as your proxy, and in return you'll provide information.'
'Not just information,' said Estiane.
'Money as well?' Silverdun was shocked.
'We're being honest, are we not? Silverdun, you don't read the reports that I read, the list of martyrs' names that come across my desk day in and day out. The Unseelie take perverse joy in hunting down and murdering Arcadians. What do you think would happen if they were to take down Regina Titania? The Church would cease to exist. Aba's work in Faerie would be finished.'
Estiane leaned in, and Silverdun could detect the faintest trace of brandy on his breath. 'I will not allow that to happen.'
Silverdun stood and pulled his sword down from the shelf above the bed. He unsheathed it and flicked it back and forth in frustration. 'And what if I refuse? What if I just want to be a monk?'
Estiane stood and smoothed his robes. 'You never wanted to be a monk, Perrin. You just needed a place to hide for a while. Your hiding time is over-I'm kicking you out.'
'You can't do that!'
