And they hailed him, bowing low.
Carse stood very still. For the moment he had even forgotten to be afraid.
“You fool,” said Hishah. “Rhiannon hated us at the end. For at the end he learned his folly, learned that the pupils to whom he gave the crumbs of knowledge had grown too clever. With the Veil, whose secret he had taught us, we made our city impregnable even to his mighty weapons, so that when he turned finally against us it was too late.”
Carse said slowly, “Why did he turn against you?”
Hishah laughed. “He learned the use we had for the knowledge he had given us.”
Ywain came forward, one step, and said, “What was that use?”
“I think you know already,” Hishah answered. “That is why you and Garach were summoned here—not only to see this imposter unmasked but to learn once and for all your place in our world.”
His soft voice had in it now the bite of the conqueror.
“Since Rhiannon was locked in his tomb we have gained subtle dominance on every shore of the White Sea. We are few in number and averse to open warfare. Therefore we have worked through the human kingdoms, using your greedy people as our tools.
“Now we have the weapons of Rhiannon. Soon we will master their use and then we will no longer need human tools. The Children of the Serpent will rule in every palace—and we will require only obedience and respect from our subjects.