“Yes, those are things to consider. He is a danger because he has a gift for oratory. He is one of the people; and when he speaks to them, he makes them believe that all their grievances are caused by us. They’re not, of course. We expect much from our subjects. In return we give them the stability of a prosperous nation. Commoners rarely understand that, and they forget it when a man like this comes into their midst. So his danger is that he blends together a host of grievances and directs it at one target—the Akaran line. At you, Aaden. What is he threatening to do? Destroy us. He believes his peasants could do better at governing the world than we. Or he believes that he will be empowered by our downfall. I’m not sure which. Either way, he would see me deposed. Likely killed after some mockery of a trial. So what do we do with him?”

“We stop him from talking?”

“Perhaps, but that would not undo the things he has said and the emotions he has stirred. What is better than silencing him?”

“If he must talk … we should have him say what we want him to, instead of what we don’t.”

A smile slowly bloomed on Corinn’s face. The answer did not surprise her—she had thought of it herself already—but it did please her. She reached out and mussed his hair and said, “Clever boy.”

Aaden accepted the praise with a shrug.

“You may go now,” Corinn said. “I’ll tell you later what this criminal had to say for himself.”

But Aaden had more on his mind. “Grae said he would go riding with me tomorrow, all the way out to Haven’s Rock. He claims he has a fishing line long enough to reach the water from the top. There’s no way that’s possible. He must be joking! I can go, can’t I?”

“You like Grae, don’t you?” Corinn asked, trying to make the question sound light and casual. “You’ve spent even more time with him than I have.”

“He fenced with me. Not like the others but steel to steel. I could’ve gotten cut.” The prospect of this seemed to delight the boy.

“Is that so?” Corinn raised an eyebrow. This was not actually news to her. Very little that Aaden did went unreported to her. For that matter, very little that Grae did during the last few weeks escaped her either. She knew what Aaden did not mention about this sparring: that the blades they used were light, with no edge at all. Grae could certainly have hurt him nonetheless, but ten pairs of Marah eyes had been pinned to him the entire time, ready to repay any injury with a quick death. Corinn asked, “Don’t you think that’s dangerous?”

“No. Not really. He said I was quicker than him. Quicker than he ever was, he said.” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “He wouldn’t hurt me, anyway. He likes me.”