Never mind that. Right now I have to get some sense out of Daren. She held Daren against her shoulder and let him cry himself out; that was the best thing she could do for him right now. As the pink light of dawn filled the room, he got a little better control over himself, and groped after a handkerchief. As usual, he’d forgotten one. She’d never been quite so conscious before of the fact that he was younger than she by at least a year. At this moment he felt more like her brother than her lover.

“Th-thanel,” he stammered at last. “It was all Thanel. He’s dead. A week or so ago. He tried to murder his wife.”

He what? But his wife- “He tried to assassinate the Queen of Valdemar?” she exclaimed. “Dearest gods—but what does that have to do with your father?”

“When they told Father, he—I don’t know, something happened. Maybe his heart g-g-gave out on him. There’s a branch of Kethry’s mage-school not far from the capital; they sent word there and one of the mages sent word to Kethry and she w-w-woke me.” He choked up again, and couldn’t get anything more past his tears. She patted his back absently, one part of her intent on comforting him as best she could, but the rest of her mind putting together all the possible ramifications.

Valdemar isn’t particularly warlike, and they just finished that mess with the Tedrel Companies. Tedrel “Companies, ” indeed. Trust Karse to find an entire nation of low-life scum, and hire them on as free-lancers ... then complain when Valdemar routs them and they turn back on Karse to loot their way home. Serves them right—

She gave herself a mental shake and got back on the right trail. But that was just before Daren came. Valdemar took some pretty severe losses, and they can’t possibly have recovered enough to declare war.

Right. So-Thanel tries to take out his wife, I assume so that he can take the throne. He must have failed. I need to know who caught him and what they did with him. The King gets the news, and promptly collapses, then dies, which puts Thanel’s brother on the throne ... no love lost there, which means he could possibly placate Valdemar.

Damn. I need to know how Thanel tried, and whether or not he had any help, either from here, or from inside Valdemar itself.