The first arrest had been made before sunrise.
By noon, the palace guards had taken seven more people into custody.
By evening, the number had grown again.
Paris stood over a table covered with reports, listening as a captain finished listing the latest names. Servants, messengers, two guards assigned to the palace corridors, and a clerk who had handled correspondence for several members of the royal household. Every name had come from the information Paris obtained from the man captured during Queen Hecuba's funeral.
The list had opened doors.
It had not yet revealed who stood behind them.
"Have all the prisoners been separated?" Paris asked.
"Yes, my prince. None of them has been allowed to speak with the others."
"And the servants who worked in the Queen's chambers?"
"We questioned them. Two are being held for further examination. The others have been released, though we are keeping them under observation."
Paris studied the report.
