Two, Urien!’ ‘I know; that was not the plan.’ The old Escori sounded peeved. Kerin was beyond peeved. She had expected Urien to come and berate her, but by the time he finally arrived, Damaru was already asleep and Kerin had been through anger to panic and back to anger. ‘Then how did it happen? Who was this Ifanna am Nantgwyn anyway?’ ‘I believe there was – ahem – an administrative error.’ ‘A what?’ ‘The other Escorai and I were unaware that another girl had been put forward until she arrived here, at which point we had no choice but to proceed with both penitents.’ ‘How can that be? You always tell me the Tyr runs on respect and records.’ ‘To be honest, Kerin, right now I have no idea.’ In an emotional shift typical of him, Urien went from annoyed to resigned. ‘May I sit?’ he added. Kerin wondered, a little spitefully, if such mood swerves were deliberate, to disconcert opponents. She nodded, and he picked up the wooden chair from her desk and brought it over to the console.
