. After all, what could these two do? There
could be little evidence they could offer. Well over twenty years had
passed. He had adopted the ways of the land. Now, he was one of the
Duke's powerful arms. And what could they give to offset that?

Here was no cause for fear. He could bluff his way out of this
accusation, discredit the searchers, and make his position permanently
secure. Possibly it was even better this way. He looked scornfully at
the two men who moved toward him.

They were dressed in the ornate court dress of the Western Empire, he
saw. Unquestionably, these were genuine men of the west. But he was now
of the east. And here, he had established himself, and would soon
establish himself more firmly, while they were mere foreigners. When it
came to it, the Duke would hardly dare be too critical of him.
Confidently, he pushed his way past the nearer of the two westerners, to
follow the Duke to the audience chamber.

As the Duke faced about, one of the newcomers stepped forward.

"There is the man, Excellency," he said positively. "Here is no man of
noble birth. This man is a serf--a mere scullery boy-who murdered his
noble master to steal his insignia. We have searched for many years, for
his crime was so monstrous that no effort could be too great to bring
him to justice." He faced Bel Menstal.

"Flor, serf of Budorn," he said sternly, "your time of reckoning has
come. Hand over the stolen insignia."

The Duke intervened.

"Aren't we going a little fast?" he asked mildly. "He claims to be a
younger son of the Earl of Konewar. Let him speak in his defense."

The stranger nodded. "That we learned, Excellency," he admitted. "And
that is what led us to him, for it is one of the great holes in his
story. We know of Konewar. True, he had two sons, but the younger was
killed several years ago." He paused.

"There is a further bit of evidence I might offer," he added. "And I
feel sure that some study by your chamberlain will bear me out." He
pointed at the coronet worn by Florel.

"That insignia of rank which this man profanes is never given to other
than the rightful heir to a great estate. And then, not until he
succeeds to his title. No younger member of any of our noble families
has ever been allowed the coronet or the belt. Even many large
landholders, such as I, do not have them. Those are reserved for the
heads of the great houses, and there are few of them in existence.
Certainly, no western Ea