kutzkattherine.the bishopsheir-第2节

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ldane；　and　over　lands　by　no　means　less　fair。
But　Jolyon；　the　last　Mearan　prince；　had　sired　only　daughter？　by　the　time　he　lay　dying　a　century　before；　and　the　eldest；　Roisian；　was　only　twelve。　To　prevent　the　rending　of　his　lands　by　avaricious　guardians；　regents；　and　suitors；　Jolyon　willed　his　coronet　and　the　hand　of　Roisian　to　the　strongest　man　he　could　find：　Malcolm　Haldane；　newly　crowned　King　of　Gwynedd；　a　respected　former　adversary。
But　Jolyon's　final　act　found　little　favor　with　Meara's　native　sons；　the　prince　had　read　his　nobles　well。　Before　Malcolm　could　even　bed　his　young　bride；　dissident　Mearan　knights　abducted　both　of　the　queen's　sisters　and　proclaimed　the　elder；　Roisian's　twin；　Meara's　sovereign　princess。　Malcolm　put　down　the　ensuing　rebellion　in　less　than　a　month；　capturing　and　hanging　several　of　the　ringleaders；　but　he　never　did　locate　the　stolen　princesses　…　though　he　encountered　their　heirs　many　times　in　the　years　which　followed。　He　moved　Meara's　territorial　capital　from　Laas　to　the　more　central　Ratharkin　the　following　summer；　both　for　greater　ease　of　administration　and　to　lessen　the　importance　of　Laas　as　a　symbol　of　former　Mearan　sovereignty；　but　the　ancient　city　remained；　from　time　to　time；　a　rallying　point　for　cadet　lines　of　the　old　royal　house　which　waxed　with　each　new　generation　and　as　swiftly　waned　whenever　Haldane　expeditions　swept　into　the　principality　to　quash　the　beginnings　of　revolt　…　and　execute　pretenders。　Malcolm　and　his　son　Donal　were　scrupulous　about　their　periodic　〃Mearan　housecleaning；〃　as　Donal　called　it；　but　King　Brion　had　taken　such　action　only　once　during　his　reign；　shortly　after　the　birth　of　his　own　son。　The　venture；　while　necessary；　had　been　so　personally　distasteful　that　he　had　avoided　even　considering　the　need　for　a　repeat　campaign　a　generation　later。
Now　Brion's　softness　was　likely　to　cost　his　son　a　throne。　The　current　Mearan　Pretender　had　no　cause　to　love　King　Kelson；　for　she　had　lost　a　husband　as　well　as　a　child　the　last　time　a　Haldane　flexed　his　strength　in　Meara。　It　was　even　rumored　in　Meara　that　an　impassive　Brion　had　watched　the　baby　prince　put　to　the　sword　…　a　lie　promulgated　by　Mearan　dissidents；　though　it　was　true　that　the　child　had　died。　Soon　afterward；　the　self…styled　Princess　Caitrin　of　Meara；　descendant　of　Queen　Roisian's　twin；　took　as　husband　and　consort　the　ambitious　younger　brother　of　one　of　Gwynedd's　earls　and　disappeared　into　the　mountains　to　breed　rebellion　and　more　pretenders　…　until　Brion's　death　brought　them　out　of　hiding。　It　was　one　of　Caitrin's　agents　who　had　contacted　Loris。
Sighing；　Loris　pressed　his　nose　against　the　glass　of　his　prison　and　watched　an　autumn　squall…line　crawl　toward　the　shore　from　the　northwest；　well　aware　that　many　would　regard　what　he　was　about　to　do　as　treason。　He　did　not。　It　was　a　means　to　an　end。　If　he　had　learned　one　thing　in　more　than　half　a　century　of　service　to　his　faith；　it　was　that　the　integrity　of　Holy　Mother　Church　depended　upon　temporal　dealings　as　well　as　spiritual　ones。　Higher　loyalties　than　those　binding　him　to　any　temporal　lord　bound　him　to　his　future　course；　for　as　bishop　as　well　as　priest　he　was　duty…bound　to　root　out　evil　and　corruption。　Inevitably；　the　source　of　that　corruption　lay　in　the　devil's　brood　called　the　Deryni。
The　Deryni　must　be　eradicated　…　every　last　one　of　them。　The　time　was　past　for　leniency；　for　trying　to　save　their　souls。　Though　Loris'　mind　recoiled　at　the　thought　of　raising　hand　against　an　anointed　king　…　Kelson；　whom　he　himself　had　crowned　…　the　thought　of　not　raising　hand　against　a　servant　of　darkness　on　the　throne　repelled　him　even　more。
The　boy　had　put　on　a　bold　charade；　but　blood　would　always　run　true；　in　the　end。　For　the　sake　of　every　soul　in　Gwynedd；　the　Deryni　heresy　must　be　stamped　out　…　　and　Edmund　Loris　would　use　whatever　means　he　must　to　acplish　that　end。

CHAPTER　ONE
He　made　him　a　lord　of　his　house；　and　ruler　of　all　his　substance：　to　bind　his　princes　at　his　pleasure。
Psalms　105：21…22

The　Bishop　of　Meara　was　dead。　In　more　stable　times；　that　fact　might　have　elicited　little　more　than　academic　interest　on　the　part　of　Duke　Alaric　Morgan；　for　his　duchy　of　Corwyn　lay　far　on　the　other　side　of　Gwynedd；　well　beyond　the　reach　of　any　Mearan　prelate's　influence。　Bishops　there　were　whose　passing　would　have　meant　a　personal　loss　to　Morgan；　but　Carsten　of　Meara　was　not　one　of　them。
This　is　not　to　say　that　Morgan　had　regarded　Carsten　as　an　enemy。　On　the　contrary；　even　though　the　old　bishop　had　been　of　a　very　different　generation；　bred　in　an　age　when　fear　of　magic　had　made　far　greater　men　rabid　in　their　intolerance　of　such　as　Corwyn's　Deryni　duke；　Carsten　had　never　succumbed　to　the　open　hostility　displayed　by　some。　When；　on　the　premature　accession　of　Kelson　Haldane　to　the　throne　of　Gwynedd；　it　had　bee　increasingly　clear　that　the　young　king　was　somehow　heir　to　magical　abilities　which　the　Church　had　e　to　condemn　as　heretical　over　the　years　…　powers　that　Kelson　intended　to　use　for　the　protection　of　his　kingdom　…　Carsten　had　retired　quietly　to　his　episcopal　holdings　in　Meara；　rather　than　choose　between　his　fanatically　anti…Deryni　archbishop　and　his　more　moderate　brethren　who　supported　the　king　despite　the　questionable　status　of　his　Deryni　soul。　The　king's　party　had　eventually　prevailed；　and　the　deposed　Archbishop　Loris　languished　even　now　in　the　secure　Abbey　of　Saint　Iveagh；　high　in　the　sea　cliffs　north　of　Carbury。　Morgan　himself　thought　the　sentence　far　too　lenient　to　balance　the　harm　Loris　had　done　human…Deryni　relations　by　his　venom；　but　it　had　been　the　remendation　of　Loris'　successor；　the　scholarly　Bradene　of　Grecotha；　and　was　actively　supported　by　the　majority　of　Gwynedd's　other　bishops。
No　such　majority　prevailed　in　the　consistory　Morgan　now　watched　in　the　chamber　below；　assembled　in　Culdi　to　elect　old　Carsten's　successor。　The　unexpected　vacancy　in　the　See　of　Meara　had　touched　off　old；　old　controversies　regarding　its　tenure。　Mearan　separatists　had　been　agitating　for　a　Mearan…born　prelate　for　as　long　as　Morgan　could　remember；　and　had　been　agitating　in　vain　through　the　reigns　of　at　least　three　Haldane　kings。　This　was　the　first　time　that　young　Kelson　had　had　to　face　the　ongoing　argument；　but　with　the　king　less　than　a　fortnight　past　his　seventeenth　birthday；　it　was　not　likely　to　be　the　last。　Even　now；　he　was　addressing　the　assembled　bishops　in　the　chamber　below；　outlining　the　factors　he　wished　them　to　consider　in　weighing　the　many　candidates。
Suppressing　a　cough；　Morgan　shifted　forward　on　the　hard　stone　seat　in　the　listening　gallery　and　eased　aside　the　heavy　curtain　to　peer　down。　He　could　see　only　Kelson's　back　from　this　angle；　stiff　and　formal　in　a　long　scarlet　court　robe；　but　Conall；　Prince　Nigel's　eldest　son　and　second　in　line　to　the　throne　after　his　father；　was　visible　in　profile　to　Kelson's　right；　looking　very　bored。　The　bishops　themselves　seemed　attentive　enough；　but　many　of　those　watching　from　the　tiered　benches　along　the　walls　wore　stormy　faces。　Morgan　could　identify　several　of　the　principal　aspirants　to　the　vacant　Mearan　See。
〃We　wish；　therefore；　to　reassure　you　that　the　Crown　will　not　interfere　unduly　in　your　election；　my　lords；〃　the　king　was　saying；　〃but　we　enjoin　you　to　consider　well　the　candidates　who　shall　e　under　your　examination　in　the　ing　days。　The　name　of　the　individual　eventually　chosen　matters　little　to　us；　personally；　but　the　peace　of　Meara　matters　a　great　deal。　That　is　why　we　have　spent　this　past　season　progressing　through　our　Mearan　lands。　We　recognize　that　a　bishop's　principal　function　is　to　provide　spiritual　guidance　…　yet　we　would　be　naive　in　the　extreme　if　we　did　not　also　acknowledge　the　temporal　power　wielded　by　the　incumbent　of　any　such　office。　All　of　you　are　well　aware　of　the　weight　your　opinions　carry　in　our　own　secular　deliberations。〃
He　went　on；　but　Morgan　released　the　curtain　with　a　bored　sigh　and　folded　his　arms　along　the　railing；　allowing　his　attention　to　drift　as　he　laid　his　head　on　his　crossed　forearms　and　closed　his　eyes。
They　had　gone　over　all　of　this　before。　Morgan　had　not　been　along　on　the　royal　progress；　having　business　of　his　own　in　Corwyn；　but　he　joined　the　king　as　soon　as　word　arrived　of　old　Carsten's　death。　His　first　night　back　in　the　royal　entourage。　Archbishop　Cardiel　had　briefed　him　on　the　political　ramifications　and　acceptable　successors；　while　Kelson　listened　and　Duncan　occasionally　added　。his　own　observations。　Duncan　was　down　there　now　at　Cardiel's　side；　poised　and　attentive　in　his　clerical　black　…　at　thirty…one；　young　even　to　be　serving　as　a　bishop's　secretary；　much　less　an　incipient　bishop　himself；　though　he　had　shown　sufficient　promise　even　a　full　five　years　ago　to　be　appointed　the　then　…　Prince　Kelson's　chaplain　and　given　the　rank　of　Monsignor。
Not　that　Duncan　would　be　Carsten's　successor　…　　though　many　might　have　feared　that；　had　they　known　of　his　impending　change　of　status。　Fortunately；　most　did　not。　The　bishops　knew；　of　course。　Cardiel　had　determined　to　make　Duncan　his　assistant　even　before　Carsten's　death；　and　had　spearheaded　his　election　as　one　of　the　first　items　of　business　when　the　convocation　convened　a　few　days　earlier。
But　partially　because　Duncan's　secular　status　already　presented　plications　in　the　deliberations　ahead；　and　p