She returned their looks gravely. “Platitudes might satisfy for a short time, father—but soon or late, the people will realize they are being fed form without substance. What I tell them must be the truth, and I must believe it, and I must hold to it. That is what you have taught me. I have learned far more from you than that, but that is one of the important things you have taught me by your example.”

He nodded, and so did Talamir. :She knows. We’ve done our job, haven’t we?: he asked Taver.

:We have. She may not yet have all the skills, but she has the spirit and the heart. Skill will come with time.:

Now—if they could just be certain of having the time…

13

13

Alberich stood behind Selenay’s chair in an attitude that was a hair less than rigid attention. That slight degree of relaxation, he had noticed, tended to make peoples’ eyes slide right over him. He had taught Selenay’s Six (as they were calling themselves) that same trick; it was very useful to be ignored, especially for a bodyguard. The fact that he was in Whites rather than his own distinctive gray leathers was helpful there; people didn’t notice that it was the infamous Alberich there because they didn’t expect to see him in Whites.

Talamir would have been standing the same guard behind Sendar’s seat, except that he had his own seat on the Council; in this case, his place had been taken by Herald Jadus. Jadus managed to look as if he was no more than an interested bystander, and his guileless expression reinforced that impression. If one didn’t know better—and only a few people did—one might well assume that was the case.

Jadus was something of a surprise to Alberich. He would have expected the Bard-turned-Herald to be one of the lot remaining behind at the Collegium, not skilled enough in warfare to be of any use in the coming fight. He would never have guessed that Jadus was as grimly determined to strike his own blow against the enemies of Valdemar as any Guardsman, nor suspected that Jadus was a deadly swordsman. His skill with a blade was not something that had come to light until recently, as he had been out on circuit all this time. Dethor had remembered it since he had trained Jadus himself; he was the one who had recommended Jadus as one of Sendar’s bodyguards.