The hour was late. There was a moon, almost full, high in the centre of a bejewelled sky. Despite the surrounding village being in both darkness and silence, the corridors of the palace were alive with torch light and the sound of Hapsid footsteps.
King Seronisis and Pan dressed and hurried to the Great Hall in silence. Pan dare not break the silence. The king’s outburst of anger when he had revealed the identity of the would-be killer had put an end to their conversation.
The king burst into the Great Hall with Pan hurrying a short distance behind. Once again Pan joined his lover at the front of the hall while the harem boys and palace staff were ushered in, bleary-eyed and yawning. Once the assembly had been settled, the Hapsid troopers took their place at the edges of the group.
For
