The Dragon's Path

the one to bring the bad news, but it’s all through the navy. If it weren’t for Lord Skestinin encouraging the captains to lay on the lash and drop troublemakers for the fish, we’d have had a mutiny by now. At least one.”
    “I can’t believe that,” Clara said. “Mutiny’s such a rude, shortsighted thing. I’m certain that our men in the king’s navy wouldn’t stoop so low.”
    Barriath laughed.
    “Mother, if you want truly inappropriate dinner conversation, I can tell you something about how low sailing men stoop.”
    “But Simeon is the king and Aster’s still a boy,” Jorey said. It was, Dawson thought, a brave attempt to keep the subject from veering again. “You can’t expect them to be different people than they are.”
    “I agree with you, my boy,” Dawson said. “I wish I didn’t.”
    “Best thing,” Barriath said, “would be for Simeon to find a protector with a spine to watch over Aster, and then abdicate. A regency could last eight or ten years, and by the time Aster took the crown, the kingdom would be in order.”
    Jorey snorted his derision, and Barriath’s face went hard.
    “Spare me,” Jorey said. “A regent who could solve all the kingdom’s conflicts in a decade wouldn’t be likely to give up his regency. He’d be king.”
    “You’re right,” Barriath said. “And that would be just terrible, would it?”
    “That’s starting to sound awfully like the people we’re working against, brother.”
    “If you two are going to start fighting, you can leave the table now,” Clara said. Barriath and Jorey looked at theirplates, muttering variations on
I’m sorry, Mother.
Clara nodded to herself. “That’s better. Besides, it’s a waste of effort to argue about the problems you don’t have at the expense of the ones you do. We simply have to convince Simeon that poor Feldin really has gotten himself in too deep with those terrible Asterilhold people.”
    “It isn’t as easy as that,” Dawson said.
    “Certainly it is,” Clara said. “He’s certain to have letters, isn’t he? That’s what Phelia said. That he was always off at his meetings and letters.”
    “I don’t think he’ll be writing to his foreign friends with detailed accounts of treason, Mother,” Barriath said.
“Dear Lord Such-and-so, glad to hear you’ll help me slaughter the prince.”
    “He wouldn’t have to say it, though. Not outright,” Jorey said. “If there was evidence he was corresponding with this cousin who’d lay claim to the throne, it might be enough.”
    “You can always judge people by who they write to,” Clara said with satisfaction. “There’s the inconvenience of actually getting the letters, of course, but Phelia was so desperately pleased to see me last time, I can’t think it will be particularly difficult to arrange another invitation. Not that one can rely on that, of course, which is why I’ve sponsored that needlework master to come show us his stitching patterns. Embroidery seems simple just to look at, but the more complex work can be quite boggling. Which reminds me, Dawson dear, I’m going to require the back hall with the good light tomorrow. There will be about five of us, because after all it seemed a bit obvious to only bring Phelia. That won’t be a problem, will it?”
    “What?” Dawson said.
    “The back hall with the good light,” Clara said, turning her head to him and raising her eyebrows without actuallylooking up from cutting her meat. “Because really needlework can’t be done in gloom. It—”
    “You’re cultivating Phelia Maas?”
    “She lives with Feldin,” Clara said. “And with the close of court coming so soon, waiting seems unwise, don’t you think?”
    There was a glitter in her eye and a dangerous angle at the corner of her mouth. Dawson found himself quite certain that his wife was enjoying herself. He found his mind dashing to keep up with hers. If Phelia could be convinced to allow access to the house for a few men…
    “What are you doing, Mother?” Barriath asked.
    “Saving the kingdom, dear,” she said. “Eat your squash. Don’t just move it around on the plate and pretend you’ve done anything. That never worked when you were a boy, I can’t imagine why you still try it.”
    “He won’t believe us,” Dawson said. “After all the objections I’ve raised, Maas will claim forgery. But it might be enough to sway Simeon from giving Aster over.”
    “More swaying from the king?” Barriath said.