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her marriage to the son of Duke Maudyn, lord of Panys, his commander on the riverside.
    In this manner and at one stroke he shone a light on his consort's generosity and his own reformed habits… and undermined the confidence of his opponents in each other. This marriage allied Murandys' interests with those of the lord of Panys, who firmly supported the Crown.
    In Amefel, meanwhile, in a reunion of a far different sort, Tristen rescued from prison a young thief, Paisi. This was a street boy who had once guided him to Cefwyn's justice: Paisi's fate, he was convinced, was linked to his own, simply because the whole web of incidents leading him to his present allies was a series of linkages, and those linkages were a likely target of hostile wizardry—simply put, those once connected to him at points of critical decision could connect to him again, at points of critical decision, for good or for ill.
    This one looked already to have a taint of ill about it — for in saving Paisi, Tristen had a falling out with the Guelen Guard, the garrison in Henas'amef, for it was from them that Paisi had stolen, and Tristen would not see him hanged. Instead, Paisi went to Emu-in' s tower to become his assistant… and certain guardsmen and even the patriarch of the local Quinalt left Tristen's court in anger. Tristen had been right: the boy once involved at a crisis of decision was involved again, and whatever would have happened had Paisi hanged, would not now happen. Some other event was now in progress in which Paisi had some part to play, and he trusted Emuin to keep as much order in that event as anyone could keep.
    The disgruntled soldiers and the patriarch went to Guelemara, and their reports when they reached Guelemara created a storm in the Quinalt. They accused Tristen of serious breaches of Crown law, fortress of dragons.html
    usurpation of royal authority, and the promotion of wizardry in Amefel. Strict northern priests, supported by Ryssand, had already preached doom in the streets, and as this further attack gained momentum, Cefwyn moved secretly to silence the most outspoken of these priests, one Udryn, as one of Ryssand's men.
    Meanwhile, regarding the charges now made public, he could do nothing but declare the laws themselves outdated, since his only other choice was to agree that Tristen was a lawbreaker. This in no wise comforted the orthodoxy, but the open expression of opposition to the king was a little quieter since the disappearance of the priest.
    Tristen and Cevulirn parted company, swearing to meet next with all the lords of their former alliance, on Midwinter Eve, in Henas'-amef.
    And for his part Tristen settled in earnest to the preparation of a winter camp for an army.
    That same Midwinter was to mark the marriage of Luriel to Lord Panys' younger son — in a capital seething with dissenting priests and fears of wizardry .
    And in the middle of the ceremony the Quinalt Patriarch was found murdered, with Eryaltine symbols about his person.
    The wedding fell apart in riot and religious frenzy, in which Ni-névrisë's unfortunate priest fell afoul of a mob and lost his life.
    Cefwyn countered quickly to gain the favor of the mob by diverting suspicion toward Tasmôrden's agents… though he himself suspected the zealot priests and an act of very local revenge. He took clear command of the capital and of the situation, at least for the day, and moved to counter Ryssand, whom he blamed above all others.
    Back in Ynefel, Tristen's guests had come, every one of them, and they settled to feast on a night Emuin had warned Tristen was the hinge not only of the year, but of a magical age of ages.
    At the stroke of midnight Auld Syes entered the hall in queenly guise and danced one dance with Tristen… after which the lights went out and the old haunt in the lower hall broke wide open.
    Tristen entered into it, in defense of all the rest, and found himself not in battle against shadows and dead wizards, but walking in