When I knocked at the episcopal palace, the acolyte who answered first tried to make us go away, saying the bishop was busy and that we should present ourselves and whatever business we had to the priest who would be on duty at the cathedral office in mid-afternoon. When I showed no signs of leaving, he gestured to someone I could not see for reinforcements.
But then I heard Joachim’s voice from within. “Is that the wizard? Send him in, and bring more tea.”
The acolyte fell back, defeated, and Joachim’s silent servant led us into the dining room. The bishop, still dressed in scarlet, sat at breakfast.
He rose and came forward to greet us. Theodora, abashed, knelt to kiss his ring. As she rose again, he took her by the shoulders and looked at her face. “Theodora,” he said. “I am delighted to meet you properly at last. I’ve seen you often before, of course, but I never knew your name. Isn’t this your embroidery on my sleeves?”
I hoped that Theodora realized that Joachim never said that he was delighted to meet someone unless he meant it. He brought up chairs for us, dismissed the servants, and poured us tea.
“Is that what you had in mind,” he asked me, spreading jam on his toast, “when you said you wanted priests and wizards to stop distrusting each other?” He spoke soberly, but something about the angle of his eyebrows made me think he was enjoying himself.
“I hope you understood what you’ve just done,” I said darkly. “Talking about how the city of Caelrhon needed to be defended didn’t fool anybody. You dared the renegade wizard to attack you next week in Yurt, using yourself as bait to draw him out!” This was, after all, Joachim’s own plan, and I knew he would sacrifice himself quite willingly if he thought it necessary. “And after putting yourself in danger like that, you then decided to preach on harmony between wizardry and the Church?”
“If there are important thoughts and attitudes that need to be changed, one should start changing them at once,” he replied calmly.
“You certainly got the attention of your cathedral priests. They’re standing out in the street wondering what they should now do differently-even Norbert, I’m sure. With someone else, they might have balked at the idea of becoming friends with the wizards, but they’re too much in awe of you to do anything but agree.”
“They’re not in awe of me,” said Joachim casually, and with what I thought was a thorough lack of insight, “just of the authority of my office.” He started to refill our teacups and looked concerned that mine was still full, though Theodora had retreated from the conversation by sipping hers.
“But how about the other bishops?” I demanded. “They won’t be in awe of your office. Aren’t they going to reprimand you for heresy?” At this rate, I thought, he might not even live long enough to be reprimanded.
Joachim cocked his head at me as though wondering what I meant. “I said nothing that could possibly be considered heresy. I only preached the brotherhood of mankind and told everyone that I wanted unfounded and untrue rumors to stop.” He broke into an unexpected smile. “There are advantages to being in the Church rather than connected to your wizards’ school. We don’t have the central organization you do; there isn’t a Master like the Master of your school to whom I have to answer.” There was no doubt about it, he was enjoying himself. “Bishops in council can of course discipline erring brethren, but no one could possibly call a council against me for urging priests and wizards to serve God’s purpose together.”
Considering how reluctant he had been to be elected bishop, I thought, he was not at all reluctant to exercise the authority of his position once he had it. “But how about you?” I persisted. “You’ve certainly told me enough times over the years how inferior magic is to religion.”
He gave me a long look from eyes in which a glint of humor lurked. “It is, of course,” he said. “But I’ve probably been too dismissive. After all, even wizards-strange as this concept may seem to you-are the children of God.”
I shouldn’t waste my time worrying about priests and bishops reacting to the new bishop of Caelrhon. Joachim as bishop might be hard for me to deal with. I gave up the effort and laughed. “All right, Joachim. I can tell your own personal safety is much lower on your list of concerns than it is on mine. I’ll try to protect you. I have to get back to Yurt now, but I’ll see you there very soon.”
“And you’ll be riding up with our party, I believe?” Joachim said to Theodora, who had been too overcome by the honor of drinking tea with the bishop to say anything. “Good. We shall be able to talk properly then.” He rose. “I do indeed have a lot I need to do, but I have an advantage that makes many things easier for me now than when I was dean.” The glint was back in his dark eyes. “I have a dean to help me!”
But before letting us out he rested a hand gravely on Theodora’s head. “Bless you, my daughter,” he said, “and the child that you carry.”
“So you did tell him everything,” said Theodora. I walked with her through the city streets to her house. It wasn’t exactly an accusation, but from someone who valued her privacy as much as she did it was also not an endorsement of my night-long conversation at the bishop’s palace.
“I already told you that,” I said. “I had to tell him I was going to be a father because he wouldn’t have let me go until he found out why I was so upset.” Although I had said highly insulting things to her just the day before, I now felt I had to phrase it diplomatically. “You did rather manipulate me, you know. But there are all sorts of things the bishop still doesn’t know about you. You can tell him yourself that you’re a witch, to keep him amused during your long ride to Yurt together.”
She looked at me as though wondering if I was serious. “You don’t seem very respectful toward the bishop.”
“Of course not. Even if we’re going to start working together now, I’m afraid my habits of disrespect toward the organized Church are too deeply ingrained to change.”
She started to smile in spite of herself. “I used to think it was a shame there weren’t more wizards like you. Now I’m beginning to think it’s just as well.”
“Many wizards would agree,” I replied. “But I must say I find it disturbing that you’re always teasing me but treat Joachim with awe. After all, we were at Yurt together for years, and we’re the same age.”
She shook her head, still smiling. “You two may have once been the same age, but you’ve stayed the same while he’s twenty years older. And he isn’t royal chaplain of Yurt anymore-he’s the bishop.”
As we walked, I kept glancing at her out of the corner of my eye, wondering if I dared ask her again to marry me. The picture of standing with her before Joachim to be married was so intensely real that I could not let myself believe it might never happen. But if I asked her too often it would become nothing but a joke between us, which she at any rate would never take seriously.
The royal party headed back through sunny valleys and hills toward the royal castle of Yurt. Paul rode his red roan stallion, but he had acceded to my concerns enough to stay within sight of the rest of us.
My eyes were starting to feel gritty from lack of sleep, and even though I knew I would be stiff at the end of the day from jouncing on an old mare, I still preferred to let her do the work of trans porting me home. There was a spell I could use against fatigue, but I hesitated to use it; after its effect wore off, I always felt worse than before. I hoped Joachim would be alert enough to attend to his new duties today. But maybe people with pure minds needed less sleep.