The old man stroked his beard, as he did when he was particularly unhappy. “This is how jockeying for position in the palace happens. Prince Astaylin wears the title of Exalted General of the Imperial Engineers, so she must know of the situation here. This, I guarantee. Therefore, if I have to propose an explanation, I must wonder if Prince Astaylin may have deliberately lied to Prince Gevulin. Prince Astaylin is also a prince of the Third Estate. Indeed, she and Gevulin are the only princes who hold that exalted rank, and only the crown prince stands above them. So if Prince Astaylin sees Prince Gevulin as a rival, it would make sense that she chooses to impede him, according to the battles fought inside the palace.”

“He does have quite a list of accomplishments,” Elen murmured. “Conqueror of the Ten Peaks. What are the ten peaks?” Uliana looked at her with alarm, surprised to hear her speak without permission. Elen hastily addressed the intendant’s young interlocutor as if she had meant to all along. “If I may present my question, with your gracious assistance, Worthy Venwith.”

The intendant raised a hand to forestall Venwith’s reply. “The deputy courier makes the correct point. I’ve seen Prince Gevulin’s name on the official festival thanksgivings that are read out every year, but I’ve not had any gossip come my way about him. He’s young to be named as prince-warden. It might be brilliance on his part. It might be a grab for power and influence by the Elegant Consort and her kin, if she is in favor with the emperor. Or it might be that giving him an exalted rank so early was a gambit to ruin him.”

“How so, Honored Father?” asked Uliana.

“By giving him authority beyond what he can command, in the hope he will fail. If he is competent enough that failure isn’t assured, then his rivals might have decided to concoct this flagrant ploy to make him look bad, or to prevent him from accomplishing whatever task he’s been assigned. About which, you’ll note, he has told us nothing except that he is going to Far Boundary Vigil. I do know my map of the empire,” he added with a faintly insulted air, “and I know perfectly well that Far Boundary Vigil stands at the end of the imperial road, on the northern edge of the empire.”

“Wasn’t there once an imperial province north of there?” Uliana asked.

“The Pall took it, covered all of it. Far Boundary Vigil might as well be the end of the world.”

So the empire believes, Elen thought, but she said nothing. It was the secret she and Aoving had kept.

Uliana twisted her fingers together nervously as she addressed her father. “We’ve heard no alarming news from the north. No uprising, no plague, no famine, no large-scale irruption, no raids.”