"The Jursan envoy is back, Your Illustrious Sublimity."
Vyrtl sighed.
"Tell General Wilkins to bring her here immediately."
He turned away and sat upon a flat stone beside the pool.
After a while, he noticed that the ground was liberally supplied with pebbles for casting into the water. He was watching the spreading ripples about fifteen minutes later when he heard approaching voices behind him.
A glance over his shoulder showed him Wilkins and two guards escorting the old woman. He turned away, tossing another pebble into the pool with a half-hearted motion of his arm.
When Wilkins coughed discreetly behind him, he told the aide and the guards to withdraw. He listened to the footsteps until he knew they were beyond range of ordinary conversation.
"You are the same Daphne Foster?" he asked, still facing the pool.
"The same, Your Illustrious Sublimity."
"Let us dispense with formality. Tell me how you did it."