:And I can see to it that Dethor stays here, no matter how much he wants to go South with the full army,: he decided, clenching his jaw. :He’ll fight me on it, but if the King orders him to stay, then no matter what happens to me, there will still be a Weaponsmaster at the Collegium.:

:He won’t like that, but it’s a sensible course of action.: Kantor sighed. :Mind, all he has to do is try one night in a tent to know that he’d only be a handicap and a liability. One night spent in something other than a warm bed would leave him a cripple.:

By that, Alberich knew that Kantor and the other Companions were already plotting ways to get Dethor to make the experiment. Quietly, of course. Without anyone else knowing, of course. There was no point in embarrassing the old man.

:Or hurting his feelings.:

:Good answer,: Alberich replied, and levered his own stiff, sore body up off the bench. A hot soak, something to eat, and then—:Do you think I’d be allowed to sit in on any strategy sessions?: he asked. Perhaps he wasn’t a great general, but there was only one way to get that expertise, and that was to watch an expert in the craft of war.

:Just slip in and stay in the background, and we’ll see to it that no one notices you,: Kantor replied.

Well! That was interesting.

And he’d better take advantage of it.

He limped toward the door to his shared quarters. It was going to be a long night.

The first of many, he suspected.

:The first of many,: Kantor agreed. :But it won’t be alone, Chosen. Never alone.:

* * *

Talamir clenched his jaw and told himself that it wasn’t wise to contemplate strangling his King.

He sat, rather stiffly, in the armchair that Sendar had nodded him toward. He knew that chair of old. It was seductively comfortable, and it was supposed to make him relax. He wasn’t going to allow it to.

And he wasn’t going to strangle his King. “Sendar,” he said instead, “I am fully aware that you are an accomplished King and leader, and under most circumstances you are perfectly able to defend yourself, but may I be bold and point out to you that you can neither remain awake from now until this war is over, nor can you do everything that you refuse to delegate, even though there are plenty of your humble servants who are perishing for something constructive to do. Therefore you can resign yourself to the fact that you will have to sleep now and again and will require bodyguards while you do so, and you will have to learn how to delegate.” He took a deep breath and waited for the inevitable reaction.

The King growled under his breath; something inaudible, but it sounded unflattering.