conspired with the foreign minister to have the husband of the secretary of states murdered in a brothel.'
Paet had promised no such thing, but Estiane didn't know that.
'That's preposterous!' said Estiane. 'I had no idea what Everess was planning!'
'Maybe not,' said Silverdun. 'But you know there are elements in Corpus who would be more than happy to see the Church fall on its face. It's not that long since Arcadianism was considered a dangerous cult by most Fae.'
'You'd bring down the Church to get your way,' said Estiane.
'No, but I would bring it down to save the Seelie Kingdom.'
'I could excommunicate you for this,' said Estiane.
'It wouldn't matter,' said Silverdun. 'I don't think you can excommunicate a dead man.'
'Are you serious about this?' asked Estiane.
'I've never been more serious about anything.'
'Aba will turn his back on you for this.'
'I believe that the ends will justify the means, Abbot.' He stood. 'You taught me that.'
The basis of the Chthonic faith is the mistrust of divinity. How fortunate we would be if all religions had the decency to lock up their gods!
-Beozho, Autobiography
ronfoot was desperate.
He'd stared at these documents a hundred times in the past two days. He'd read every single one of the books that Timha had brought with him, examined every bit of Hy Pezho's fake plans on the off chance that some bit of the actual mechanism might be concealed somewhere within them. The best lies, he knew, were based in truth.
It wasn't just that the Einswrath threatened the Seelie Kingdom. He understood that, of course. But that still seemed remote, a possible contingency. This was personal.
It was at times like this that he could not control his anger, when he was in the thick of a problem. At any moment the dark thoughts would creep in: You are not smart enough, or good enough. You are a shepherd's son. You don't deserve to be here. You will fail and then everyone will know who you really are.
He was fighting those dark thoughts when Sela came downstairs into the mission room carrying a stack of briefs. She'd begun sorting through intelligence from the Unseelie, trying to get some idea of where Hy Pezho had come from, and when.
'How is it going?' she asked.
Ironfoot looked up at her. 'How does it look like it's going?' he said blandly.
'I don't suppose there's anything I can do to help.'
'Not unless you know how to circumvent the exponential decrease of reitic force in unbindings.'
'Sorry,' Sela said.
'If only I could remember,' said Ironfoot. 'Something that's bothered me ever since I first came to Selafae.'
'What's that?' asked Sela.
'All around the crater, there was a smell. Sort of like roast meat, but acrid, like tar. I don't know how to explain it.'
'Do you remember the smell?' she said.
'I'll never forget it.'
'May I smell it?'
'It's a long way from here to Selafae, and I doubt the smell is still there anyway, after last spring's rains.'
'That's not what I mean,' she said. 'Open yourself up to me. Open your mind and think about the smell.'
'You can smell my memory with Empathy? That's new.'
'I have skills other Empaths don't,' she said.
He shrugged. 'Why not?' He closed his eyes, opened his mind. He felt something-not a presence, more like the sense of being watched by someone unseen. It made him wary.
'Relax,' she said. 'Think of that smell.' He did.
