phlegmatic of disposition. He wasnot as warm as Rohyrs other cousins but neither was he as overtlyhostile as Imcael. Ronuin, on the other hand, was very affable butquite dull. However, he was unequivocally loyal to Rohyr and for thatLassen would forgive him any amount of tedium borne in his company.Hewas unfamiliar with the youngest son, Tyrde, save for talk aroundcourt that, of all Imcaels progeny, he was the least close toRohyr. Lassen wondered if it was because Tyrde had presumably spenthis growing years being groomed to be Anjus Herun to the extentthat he did not even carry his sires surname but rather hisbirthing fathers. The term tharsimply designated the High House Tyrde alone of the Kardovas belongedto.Unlessit pertains to national security, Rohyr will grant no privateaudiences this week, Lassen informed them. Youll have toaddress him in public and the rolls of petitioners are long. Imnot certain if theyll accept further names at this point and onsuch short notice.TheElders looked distressed. The blockade has been in effect for nighfour weeks now and already we keenly feel its bite, Mykal said.Cant you help us, Lassen? Surely His Majesty will listen toyou.Lassenhesitated. He could do as they asked. But should word of hisintervention get out, and he had no doubt that it would, hisdetractors would pounce at the chance to besmear his name.Thusfar, Rohyr had ignored most of the rumors floated by his lemansnaysayers because they tended to be patently false. But let there beone grain of truth in any charge and he would be forced to examine itat the very least. A few had arisen in the past decade and all hadhad to do with the rare occasions when Lassen had acted on behalf ofhis province and its peoples. For this reason did the Idanas inhibitthemselves from making any requests through Lassen lest they invitedaccusations of nepotism as well. Throughout, Rohyr had maintained hisfaith in him. Lassen did not wish to give him reason to regret thattrust.Lassenmade his decision. Best to be open about his intentions that nofurther motives be attached to them other than the simple desire toassist his townsfolk and their neighbors. After all, it was commonknowledge that Rohyr had made Lassen the main proviso that had gainedTal Ereq its protectorate status. Lassens critics might still findfault but subterfuge would not be one of them.ChapterTenRumblingsLassenmade his way to the formal audience chamber. The fifth bell hadsounded and the days petitions were underway. He had consideredwaiting until the next day but eventually decided to get the matterover with soonest. There was no predicting Rohyrs temper afterlistening daily to a litany of complaints and requests from those ofhis subjects fortunate enough to be included in the supplicantslist. The chances of catching him in a fair mood were greatest today,when the more petty or unreasonable of the demands made on him hadnot yet annoyed him past his normal equability.Hehad dressed with care, choosing a dress tunic of forest green cut inthe sedyranfashion that would enable him to stand out among Rohyrs enyrdominated courtiers. Its short sleeves exposed the cream-hued shirtbeneath while the thigh-length hem, close-fitting