Setisia took a scrap of parchment from her pocket, and read out loud as she and Telli walked away from the Dullai house.

" 'Astell is my name, and I can be found in Kellmarsh at Tarin House in Jessel Street.' The easiest way to find her would be to get a river taxi. What was my cousin being so mysterious about?"

"I think he didn't wish to talk about last night to us, but had to warn me that he and I would have been noticed for our size in the raid. He also talked of the Meldrith priests, as I said, and thinks they may be able to tell you and me something about ourselves. That taxi is free." Telli pointed below as they crossed a bridge.

The boatman knew the street they wanted, and twenty minutes later, Setisia and Telli were knocking on the canal door of a large house in a part of the city new to them. An elderly man answered the door and, when Setisia asked for Astell, requested her name.

"Will you say it is the red haired boat captain she met in Mother Raidy's." The man left, and returned after several minutes, asking them to come in. They entered a hall, beautifully decorated with painted cloth, and followed the doorman up two flights of stairs. He knocked on a door and opened it without waiting for an answer, beckoning them into the room behind. The priestess, Astell, rose from a window seat to greet them.

"Greetings, captain, I'm so glad you have come and could bring one of your crew with you." She said this in a way that sounded as if she meant the words and was not merely being polite or formal. "Stillet, will you bring us some of that soft white wine I brought from Meldrith, and a few of the cakes your wife makes so well." The old man left, and Astell indicated three chairs around a small table in the centre of the room, asking her guests to be seated and taking one herself. The room was decorated with the same painted cloth as the hall downstairs, and the priestess saw that her guests were interested.

"Do you like my pictures? They are paintings from scenes in history. History is my speciality. Ask me anything you wish to know of the history of the Kingdom, and I shall try and tell you of it." Something came immediately to Telli's mind when their hostess said this.

"May I ask, which people from the Kingdom, speakers of Allenth like ourselves, would have built a fort outside its western borders many centuries ago?" Telli thought that she must be surprised by his question, but Astell hardly showed it.

"No one from the Kingdom of Tellimakis the First that I know of. The ancient Empire of Allenth, from which our language comes, had some settlements west of the mountains and would have built forts to protect them if necessary. To protect them from pale skinned, pink eyed cave creatures, for example. You are from the lands west of the Great Western Range, is it not so?" It was Telli's turn to be surprised, although he had expected to be questioned on how he knew of a castle outside the Kingdom's borders.

"Apart from my question, how did you know?"

"We have been expecting a young man of about your age to arrive in Kellmarsh with a story of enslavement in the western mountains. I learnt of the story on my arrival here, but made no connection with the crewman I had seen at Mother Raidy's a few days earlier until yesterday, when news of your arrival came to us from two different sources." The priestess smiled. "The order I belong to has big ears."

Telli thought quickly. Two days before, he had told his story to the King's officers, then again in the Mendai tavern the day after, Sabhytt and Abhyll being the only ones there to hear it for the first time.

"Sabhytt sent you a message to say I was here, and so did someone in the service of the King." Telli trusted Sabhytt not to have mentioned his flying, but remembered that he had been less surprised by it than the others present.

"No one sent a message to me personally, but yes, Sabhytt sent a note last night informing one of my colleagues that he had met someone who had escaped from slavery in the western mountains and would try to send this young man to us. Do not be angry with him, as he knows we can do a great deal to help your cause. You would certainly have found us anyway, or we would have found you. In another note the night before he mentioned that he had just found an interesting cousin who was travelling with a mysterious westerner. He sent this because she had told a story of a plot against the King, and he knows that such things are of interest to us. But we knew of Setisia, also, for some time now, and again it was inevitable that she should find us, or we would find her. One of us would meet you and become interested, as I did, or we would have searched you out, Setisia, because of information sent to us by one of our many friends. Had we known you were a cousin of the good Mendai giant, we would have told him of the little red haired doctor of West Hartlet." The youngsters absorbed this then Setisia smiled and said:

"I knew you were a witch, but how did you hear of the two of us before we arrived in Kellmarsh. Did you read our minds so well at Mother Raidy's?" Astell laughed at the word 'witch'.

"No, I did not know who you were until I arrived here, and looked through our files. Do you remember treating a boatman who had fallen from the mast and had the misfortune to break his leg about three months ago? He was in great pain, and his captain put into West Hartlet rather than continuing on to Bhuin." Setisia nodded, and Astell continued. "He was lucky, this man, as he would not have found a doctor in Bhuin who could relieve pain by laying hands on a wound. He was impressed, and so was the captain, who had experienced this kind of treatment before from one of my colleagues here. When the boat next arrived in Kellmarsh, this captain sought out the man who had treated him, and told him of the red haired girl who had the talents of a Meldrith healer. Hardly witchcraft, you see. My colleague here sent some one to see you, and he returned just a few days ago by fast boat to say that you had left your village, and that your friends in the village were remarkably hostile to anyone making inquiries after you. But by then I had made my researches, and could tell the others that you were on your way here with your interesting crew. It would be impossible for someone of your talents to practice medicine in the Kingdom without us hearing of it sooner or later. We are always looking for such people, and can sometimes sense when we meet them. But my senses were somewhat confused at Mother Raidy's, because it is so rare to meet one such person by chance, and I was standing in front of two at the same time." The priestess paused, and a knock on the door announced the arrival of the old manservant with refreshments.

"Stillet, could you tell Azgar that my handsome pair of sailors have arrived. He will know what you mean." The old man left.

"Two? Telli is not a healer," said Setisia.

"It is unusual for Meldrith to develop their talents alone, as you have, and healing is far from being our only ability. I think Tellimakis probably has the potential to be a healer, but you also must have sensed something of his unusual mind. It is very unusual, as is your own. You are both far more powerful Meldrith than I am, or at least potentially so."

Telli knew that he had found what he had left his home in Elneside to look for, and he knew that the priestess's last statement was true, at least as far as Setisia was concerned. He had sensed Astell's powerful mind on meeting her, but when he had met Setisia, the same sort of feeling had been overwhelming. It had also been a great relief to know that there was at least one other person who was as unusual as he was, and he had been far more relaxed about his search for the reasons behind his strange powers since he had met her. He would otherwise have wanted to come to this house immediately on arrival at Kellmarsh. He smiled at Astell and said.

"Setisia certainly believed I had an unusual mind when she met me, and threatened to shoot an arrow into me for it, hardly surprising under the circumstances." He and Setisia both laughed at the memory before Telli went on. "How was it that the Meldrith were expecting my arrival in Kellmarsh?"

"We had no idea you might be a brother. We were expecting the arrival of a boy of about fourteen years, named Tellimakis, who had come over the mountains from the west and had alerted the people of Larisroot to the existence of strange creatures in the mountains who held human slaves. We have many agents around the country, but you seem to have a remarkable talent for making their acquaintance. Sabhytt was not the first you met. A few years ago, a merchant from Larisroot was here in Kellmarsh for the first time in his life. The poor man suffered in the southern heat, and contracted a serious illness. His life was saved in our healing houses here, and he was very grateful. We wished for an agent in that part of the country, and fat Flankis has served us well ever since. My colleagues who involve themselves with the affairs of the Kingdom knew about you the day the first fast boat from Bhuin reached Kellmarsh, and our leaders in Meldrith itself would have known at about the same time. Flankis had sent a runner over the hills to Bhuin at first light the morning after he met you. The Meldrith did not need to meet you to take your tale seriously, for they knew that a creature fitting the description you gave of your captors was known to exist at the time of the Allenth empire."

There was a knock on the door and a man let himself in. He was small, stocky and middle aged. His head was shaved completely, the round scalp gleaming in sunlight coming through the open windows. But his most striking feature was a broad smile, lighting up his face and eyes, and making the others in the room feel immediately well disposed towards him.

"Hello, hello, don't get up," he said, picking up a chair and joining them round the table. Astell introduced him as Azgar, a Meldrith priest who concerned himself with the politics of the Kingdom. She said that he knew who they were. The man's smile broadened.

"I have been looking forward to meeting you." He offered his hand to Setisia first, then Telli. " We have been expecting you both. I am hoping that you can come with me tomorrow to see the King at Tellui. Would that be possible? I think you both have important stories to tell him." Azgar beamed at the youngsters, and both were aware of his Meldrith mind behind the smile. Setisia answered him.

"We have not been here fifteen minutes, but this seems a house full of surprises. Do you also know my cousin, Sabhytt?"

"Indeed, I have known him for years and am very fond of him. He wrote me a note concerning you two days ago."

"If we can see the King, I wish for him to come too, and perhaps three other friends. They may have some important news for him by then. We shall know shortly when we return to the house we have just come from." Setisia smiled back at the little man. "How is it that you can arrange for us to see the King? We have an audience with his lieutenant of supplicants in two days time, but it was not easy to arrange this."

"I am assistant to one of his counsellors, but it is your own experiences and actions which have earned you such a quick audience. We are fortunate that Tellimakis is good at telling his unlikely story, and caused quite a stir in Larisroot. The Lord there has put out an order that children of the area should not go out alone at night." Azgar turned to Astell and asked her what she had told her guests about the Meldrith order. On learning that she had not yet had time to tell them much, other than that they had Meldrith talents themselves, he asked Setisia and Telli if they would tell the story of how they came to be in Kellmarsh looking for an audience with the King. Telli started the story with his childhood in Elneside, not hesitating to give a detailed account of his discovery that he could fly. He wished to find out what they could tell him about this, so could not be secretive. He left off after describing his meeting with Setisia in the Bhuin-side forest, and she continued their story from there in typical style, making a joke of their meeting with Astell ( 'a radiantly beautiful witch walked into the long room with her servants behind her') and of their interviews with the King's officer. She did not tell of the capture of Grenwald as it involved their Mendai friends and Keoch in a crime, and she would have to ask their consent before doing this.

Astell and Azgar listened without interrupting, exchanging glances at several points. Astell spoke first when Setisia had finished.

"Well, you certainly have the right to know of the Meldrith, but we ask your discretion when speaking of us to those who are not members of the order. We do have enemies, your red-robed priests amongst them. Eat, and drink a little of this good wine, and I shall tell you an ancient history, but briefly, as you can read it in detail later.

About fifteen centuries ago, two young people with unusual abilities, such as ours, met each other, each one then realising that they were not alone in the world. They examined their powers, teaching each other all they knew, then set off around the land searching for others with similar talents. These two were Mericles and Mestia, man and woman, and lovers as well as founders of an Order, which was the ancestor or parent of our own. During their long lives, they identified eleven other people with the rare and unusual minds that can in some way control and influence their environment. All were pleased to find they were not freaks, often feeling separate from the world around them, and if they were indiscreet about their gifts, risking persecution from others, accusations of practising witchcraft and sorcery made by people who feared what they could not understand. All eleven joined Mericles and Mestia, continually searching for new brothers and sisters, and teaching each other all they knew. This was the beginning of the Order of Mestia, and once the seeds had been sown, it grew steadily in numbers and in knowledge and wisdom. They became known as healers, finding their way into the hearts of all good people by their work. They were dedicated to truth and what we call science, the discovery of the truths about the world, about all aspects of our environment.

Mestia was from a tribe known as the Allenth, speaking a language that was an early version of our own. Her people dominated an area about two hundred and fifty miles north from here, and west of the Great River, about halfway between here and your homeland, Setisia, as the crow flies. The Order based themselves there, and used the language of the Allenth. Some peoples expressed their languages with picture writing at this time, although most tongues were merely spoken and had no written form. The Order of Mestia developed the first system of writing with symbols that represented sounds, the great system we still use, and therefore Allenth became the only language that could be fully expressed in writing. With the influence of the Order, often subtle but sometimes direct, the Allenth became the most sophisticated of the peoples in Ahn-Eph-Setisia, as the lands we now call the Kingdom were then known. 'Home of Setisia' this means, in early Allenth, because the great waterways of the Goddess were so important to it, as they are now." The priestess paused for a moment, and poured her guests some more wine.

"So, I have the name of the land as well as a Goddess," Setisia smiled at the priestess. "Why is this history not better known?"

"Partly because few people concern themselves with history, and when they do, this is largely with the story of the modern Kingdom, from the Unification of Tellimakis the First onwards. Also, for other reasons, which will become clearer to you as you hear the story of the Empire of Allenth.

The Allenth people developed great building techniques, creating the first city of the land, called Allenthia, about three hundred years after Mericles and Mestia had sowed the first seeds of this civilisation. The Order itself, growing in numbers by each generation as they scoured the whole of Ahn-Eph-Setisia for new talent, was always to some extent involved in the growth and power of the culture of the Allenth. However, its members never sought to dominate or rule the growing Kingdom, which owed its beginnings to their talents and their science. A great trading empire grew up with Allenthia as its hub. A thousand years ago, the city had become far larger and grander even than modern Kellmarsh, and other cities had developed around the empire in imitation of it. You can see the ruins of one just two miles from here, on the other bank of the Great River where it enters the lake. The language of the Allenth became dominant, other groups using it as a second language because it had a written form and was the language of trade and diplomacy over all the Empire. In many areas, it eventually replaced other languages. Our tongue is perhaps the most obvious legacy left to the modern Kingdom from this great civilisation.

At the height of its power, the Allenth Empire covered all of the area now covered by our own Kingdom, and even developed settlements outside, over the mountains both west and east, as Telli can testify, having seen the ruin of one of their forts. An impressive building considering how far from the centre of the Empire it was, and when we know that it must have been deserted at least eight hundred years ago, when the Empire finally fell, but by your account, could still easily be repaired, and used again.

The reasons for the fall of the Empire were many and complex, but one thing that was certainly of importance was the fact that the Order of Mestia became increasingly divorced from its government. They occupied themselves increasingly with their own scientific and spiritual searches, and chose, we now know unwisely, to leave the ruling classes of the Empire to their own devices. Self-interest and corruption grew amongst these rulers, until finally a series of foolish and decadent Emperors brought about the collapse of the city of Allenthia, followed quickly by the fall of its Empire into chaos and violent anarchy. The last and worst of these Emperors, Beracles, knew that the Order disapproved of his actions, and plotted to destroy it. He invited its leaders to his palace for a conference on the affairs of state then sprung a trap, and had them all murdered. Never has the world lost such intelligence and talent so quickly. In one hour of bloodshed, they were destroyed. At the same time, he had soldiers out searching for all other members of the Order, and, taken by surprise, few survived this slaughter, and those that did were hunted the length and breadth of the Empire during the following years.

One survivor of this catastrophe, and perhaps the most powerful and talented, was a young priestess named Helenthia. She had been in the far north at the time of the attack, in the lands of the Treochim. She eventually came south, managing to search out and gather four other survivors round her, and found refuge in a remote corner of south-eastern Ahn-Eph-Setisia by a river known to local tribes as the Meldrith. She became the founder of our Order, and we sometimes call it the Helenthiat amongst ourselves, others naming us for the river by which we still have our centre.

Just thirteen years after the slaughter of the old Order, Allenthia had declined to the point where tragedy of some kind was inevitable. This struck in the form of a virulent plague, the worst ever known in these lands. The drainage and sewerage systems of the huge city had been neglected for decades, and there was now no organisation amongst the healers of the city after the death of the Order. This state of affairs was similar in the other main cities of the Empire. About half the population of Allenthia died directly from this plague, and many more from the ensuing chaos. The pestilence spread quickly to other cities by the trading boats, and when these ceased to function, by people fleeing from one area to another. The cities were deserted, the population perceiving them, correctly, as being sources of the deadly illness. Rats carried the plague, and these now flourished on the remnants of human occupation, grain stores having been left, as well as the bodies of thousands of unburied victims. These great cities became such places of fear that none were ever re-populated. Many of the survivors had lost their knowledge of how to live by the fruits of the rich forests around them. The fields and orchards on which they depended were left untended, and it is probable that as many died from starvation as from the plague itself. The population of Ahn-Eph-Setisia was reduced to less than half its numbers, and has never been so great since.

More than a century of chaos ensued, warlords fighting for territory, and the lives of the people in turmoil, most not living long, and failing to establish a stable environment for their children. Nearly all of the documents and the accumulated knowledge of Allenthian civilisation were lost in this period. But the chaotic and shifting population meant that the Allenth language became even more predominant because it was the only way of communication in areas where many tribes mixed. The nine Kingdoms emerged from this chaos, and for all their faults, their constant warring, at least established some stability. The Helenthiat had grown to more than one hundred members at this time. You know the story of the Unification of the nine Kingdoms under Tellimakis. Our order supported this, seeing the chance to establish peace and stability in the new Kingdom, and for most of the last five centuries, we have been successful in this. An exception was the civil war, three hundred years ago, which led to the departure of Telli's ancestors." Astell halted her history to drink some of the excellent wine, and Azgar spoke.

"We wish for you both to learn more about our order, and to join us if it pleases you. We can look after you, and make sure that you face no problems because of your unusual talents. Less than one person in ten thousand has the mind to qualify as Helenthiat, but we can tell that you both appear to have great potential. But first, we must deal with the problems you have encountered on your travels, so can I ask if you will meet us here tomorrow morning and come with us to Tellui? Then I must go and send word to the King that he must expect very important visitors." Setisia and Telli agreed to be at Astell's door two hours after sunrise on the following day and Azgar shook their hands once more, then left to make the arrangements for their audience with the King.

When he had gone, Setisia explained that they had many more questions to ask of Astell, but could not stay much longer, as they had an appointment with their Mendai friends who should by now have some important information about the conspiracy against Beranis. They thanked the priestess warmly for her hospitality and her help, and the manservant showed them out to the street below.

"What did you think of these Meldrith?" Telli questioned Setisia as they sat in a river taxi on their way back to Abhyll's house.

"I think that they are what we have both been looking for, in a way, for as long as we realised that we were different from the others around us. If it hadn't been for the importance of the information the others may have extracted from Grenwald, I would have wanted to stay and hear more about them, but there is plenty of time for this, and we shall see them tomorrow. So, goblin, we have found a quick way to Tellui. Just four days in Kellmarsh, and we have achieved what we came here for, but my heart is heavy, because we lost our best friend at the same time." They spent the rest of the journey in silence, both thinking of the Mendai fiddler, whom they had got to know so well in such a short time.

When they reached the Dullai house, Keoch and Helli were still there with their children. Setisia told them a little about their visit to the Meldrith, and that they had an audience with the King the next day.

"You have found powerful friends, and they are very good people," Helli said. "Their healing houses are excellent, I know. There are many here in Kellmarsh who owe their lives to the Meldrith doctors. I took Tseochy to them once when she had a fever, just a few months ago, and she had recovered the next day. They are dedicated, and even sent a doctor round to our house on the first two days after our visit, to make sure that all was going well. For this, they ask no money, but people give voluntarily what they can towards the upkeep of the healing houses. In this way, poor people can be as easily treated as the rich, and this is why you see so little sickness and suffering in this city, certainly less than in some parts of the Kingdom where their influence is less strong." As she spoke, Sabhytt came into the room and, realising what they were talking about, he asked if they had met his friend, Azgar. Setisia nodded.

"He will take us to see Beranis at Tellui tomorrow, cousin, and I would like it if you could come with us, all of you, as you are witnesses to the stories we have to tell."

"We should also take Grenwald, who has told us all he knows, and must tell it to the King's men, who will have a Tellui dungeon ready for him when they hear what he has been up to," said Sabhytt. "But we must be back by the evening, as it is Rhyll's funeral at sunset, by the Great River, where all Mendai wanderers who die in Kellmarsh are sent on their last journey. We send our people off in a burning boat on the nearest river."

Setisia replied that Rhyll's funeral was far more important to her than the visit to the King, and that they would only go if Azgar could promise that they would be back in time for it.

"I shall ask Mhyfait if they will use my boat for the pyre, as it was the last one he journeyed in. Is he still upstairs?" Sabhytt nodded, and Setisia went up to see Mhyfait, still keeping a vigil by his brother's body. He was touched by her offer of the boat.

"I don't think Rhyll would have wanted you to sacrifice the only valuable thing you have," he said.

"It's for me and Telli, we would like to think of the boat going on with him." Setisia insisted, and Mhyfait accepted her offer.

"Keoch brought Rhyll's bags here, as you probably know, and I think this is the statue he wished you to have." Mhyfait handed her the beautiful black Setisia she had first seen in Mother Raidy's tavern. They talked for a while, Mhyfait saying that he could not come with them to Tellui because, as the only family member in Kellmarsh at the moment, he must arrange his brother's funeral.

"Do not be sad at the thought of it, little princess, we Mendai see the sending of a good soul to paradise as an occasion to be celebrated. You know that Rhyll would like us to enjoy a party, as he so loved to, and you will see that I shall be dancing with the others of the clans present." Setisia hugged him, and went back downstairs to hear what Sabhytt had to tell about Grenwald's confession. The giant had been waiting for her, and started to tell what he knew.

"Grenwald was not central to the conspiracy, and his knowledge is limited, but is enough to convict most of the ringleaders if given as evidence to the King's judges. The conspiracy is an alliance between several very wealthy Kellmarsh merchants, and the Red Order of Hathur, followers of a God whom they believe to be the supreme God of all. Your new friends, the Meldrith, will be able to tell you more about these, but suffice it to say that many who control the order do not believe in it, but use it to control the minds of its adherents, and to extract money from them. It appears, my good cousin, that you are some kind of bane sent by the Gods to break this conspiracy, for you have already gathered enough information on them for the King to act. Chirtis and the other towns you found mentioned in the letter you stole, are the centre of the conspiracy. What Grenwald has given us in addition to this is that Chirtis is the only one of these towns where the existing Lord is involved in the plot. Even more important, Grenwald knows who the man is who would be declared King of this area, and would claim rightful Kingship of the entire Kingdom.

When Beranis's grandmother became Queen, it was by a decision of the Royal Council, who considered her older brother unsuitable. This was because the brother had a disease of the brain, and would have been incapable of ruling. This brother was a simple and gentle soul, who fully supported the decision, having no desire to take the throne, so there was no dispute over the Councils decision at the time. To the surprise of all, the poor fool of a prince found himself a wife, and managed to produce a son, who then produced a grandson. None thought to claim the throne, as the exclusion of the simpleton also applied to his descendants under the ancient laws of Tellimakis the First. But the grandson has now been persuaded by this conspiracy to make a claim. When they have taken Chirtis and as many of the neighbouring towns as possible, they will announce this claim. Grenwald also knows that they will try to appeal to the people by saying that they will only be required to pay half the rate of taxation under the new regime. This would mean that the organisation of the Kingdom would cease to function, but it is dangerous, because it could appeal to fools and the more selfish of the rich merchants.

Those are the main points of Grenwald's information that are useful to us. He could also confirm the names of the two fat merchant brothers in the house next to the one where we took him as being leaders of the conspiracy, and gave us two others that he knew of, also wealthy Kellmarsh merchants. The priest you saw with him, Setisia, is known as Ganith, and Grenwald fears him greatly, although not as much as he fears you, little witch. He thinks this Ganith is important amongst the plotters, and may well be the brains behind the whole thing, although Grenwald has only guessed this, and does not know."

"He is certainly evil, not in the way a plotter for power is, but in ways more profound," said Setisia. "I could tell that when I first looked into his eyes, and I wonder what his personal motives are for backing the conspiracy. I think he might be the most dangerous of our enemies."

The group discussed Grenwald's information for a while, old Abhyll joining them. Abhyll said that the prisoner had confessed to him that he personally had started the fire at Setisia's cottage, but denied all involvement in her father's murder, saying his gang had acted against his orders. They considered that this might possibly be true, as rash actions such as the murder had brought about his downfall, and he would have been aware of that risk.

It was getting late, and they arranged to meet the next morning at Astell's house. Sabhytt and Abhyll would bring Grenwald in a covered boat, and they would take him with them to Tellui if Azgar agreed that they should do so. The Treoch family, Setisia and Telli said goodnight and left to get some much needed sleep, knowing that they must face King Beranis the next day with their wits about them.