The newly dubbed young knight commander required two armigers, so Feribor put forth his cousin as a suitable candidate-simply because he enjoyed the irony of having a spy of his own to spy on the wretch who'd come so close to disclosing Feribor's role in the irregular handling of the Royal Treasury funds.

Indeed, what this book tells us is that even the professional spies don't spy very well.

The system of spying becomes quite complex eventually because it is necessary to have spies to spy on spies and other spies to spy on the spies who spy on spies.

And what happens when a spy is spying on the people he's supposedly spying for?

Today, spies still spy, and kidnap clerics off the streets to send them away for "rendition."