Page 174 of The Priory of the Orange Tree

No reply.

“If Sabran is revealed to be unable to bear a daughter, there will not only be civil war in Inys, but a dangerous schism will split Virtudom. Different factions will be for different members of the Dukes Spiritual. Even the Earls Provincial might try for the throne. Doomsingers will roam the cities. And amidst this chaos, Fýredel will seize power.”

The Prioress dipped her fingers into a dish of water, washing away the blood of the muskmelon.

“Eadaz,” she said, “the Priory of the Orange Tree is the vanguard against wyrmkind. It has been that for a thousand years.” She looked Ead in the eye. “It doesnotexist to hold up failing monarchies. Or to interfere in foreign wars. We are not politicians or bodyguards or mercenaries. We are vessels of the sacred flame.”

Ead waited.

“As Chassar said, there are records that indicate periods of scarcity in the Priory. If our scholars have it right, there will be another soon. We are likely to be at war with the Draconic Army up to and throughout that period. Perhaps with the Nameless One himself,” the Prioress continued. “We must be ready for the cruelest fight since the Grief of Ages. Consequently, we must concentrate our efforts on the South, and conserve resources wherever possible. Wemustweather the storm.”

“Of course, but—”

“Therefore,” the Prioress cut across her, “I will not be sendinganysister into the jaws of a civil war in Virtudom, to save a queen who has all but fallen. Neither will I risk them being executed for heresy. Not when they could be hunting the High Westerns. Or supporting our old friends in the courts of the South.”

“Prioress,” Ead said, frustrated, “surely the purpose of the Priory is to protect humankind.”

“By defeating the Draconic evil in this world.”

“If we mean to defeat that evil, there must be stability in the world. The Priory is the first shield against wyrms, but we cannot win alone,” Ead stressed. “Virtudom has great military and naval strength. The only way to hold it together, and to prevent it from destroying itself from within, is to keep Sabran Berethnet alive and enthro—”

“Enough.”

Ead said no more. There was a stillness in the room that seemed to go on for hours.

“You are strong-willed, Eadaz. Like Zala was,” the Prioress said, softer. “I respected our last Prioress in her decision to station you in Inys. She believed it was what the Mother wanted . . . but I believe otherwise. It is time to prepare. Time to look to our own, and make ready for war.” She shook her head. “I will not see you echoing repugnant prayers in Ascalon for another season.”

“Then it was all for nothing. Years of changing sheets,” Ead said tartly, “for nothing.”

The look the Prioress gave her chilled her to the soul. Chassar cleared his throat.

“More wine, Prioress?”

She gave a slight nod in return, and he poured.

“It was not for nothing.” The Prioress stopped him when her cup was almost full. “My predecessor believed the Berethnet claim might be true, and that the possibility made their queens worthy of protection—but whether they are or are not, you have told us that Sabran is now the last of the line. Virtudomwillfall, whether now or in the near future, when her barrenness is exposed.”

“And the Priory will makenoattempt to soften that fall.” Ead could not stomach this. “You mean to let us stand and watch as half the world descends into chaos.”

“It is not for us to change the natural course of history.” The Prioress picked up her glass. “We must look to the South now, Eadaz. To our purpose.”

Ead sat rigid in her chair.

She thought of Loth and Margret. Innocent children like Tallys. Sabran, alone and bereaved in her tower. All lost.

The last Prioress would not have brooked this indifference. She had always believed the Mother had meant for the Priory to protect and support humankind in all corners of the world.

“Fýredel is now awake,” the Prioress said, while Ead locked her jaw. “His siblings, Valeysa and Orsul, have also been sighted—the former in the East, the latter here in the South. You have told us of this White Wyrm, which we must assume is a new power, in league with the others. We must dispatch all four to quench the flame in the Draconic Army.”

Chassar nodded.

“Where in the South is Orsul?” Ead asked, when she could speak without an outburst.

“He was last seen close to the Gate of Ungulus.”

The Prioress dabbed the corner of her mouth with linen. A Son of Siyati took her plate.

“Eadaz,” she said, “you have completed an assignment of import for the Priory. It is time, daughter, for you to take the cloak of a Red Damsel. I have no doubt that you will be one of our finest warriors.”

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