source. It surprised him perhaps more than Jacques's outburst.

"We are ordered to present ourselves to our Emperor for service," Jaume said. "Loyalty and love as well as law bind us to this duty. Do you ask us to defy that, Brother Manfredo?"

"Yes," the Taliano said. His beautiful head was high, his jaw squared. "This is crime. Such wholesale murder by torture violates the Empire's own laws as well as the Creators' clear edicts in the BOOKS OF THE LAW."

Jaume let his chin hand fall to the sun-heated steel of his cuirass for a moment. He felt the slightly rough texture of the white enamel that coated it against his chin. He drew in deeply and sighed.

"You're right," he said softly. "You're all of you right."

He raised his facethings now in the Creators' name. We'll lay this damned sedition and heresy to rest, and forestall any such terrible thing as a Grey Angel Crusade."

"It's an outcome I fervently desire," said Jaume. Truly: for he didn't want a Grey Angel Crusade. No sane man or woman could.

As for the rest—well, weeks remained of the march to Providence. Maybe he could talk some sanity into his uncle in the interim.

Felipe turned to his right. "You know my new captain of bodyguards, of course."

Felipe said, turning to his right.

"Duke Falk," Jaume said.

"Constable." The black-bearded man stepped forward, extending a forearm thick as a normal man's thigh. Jaume gripped firmly it as Falk took and squeezed his own arm. If Jaume did a thing, he did it without reserve.

It still