Kael's opportunity to act arrived sooner than he expected, delivered not through careful planning but through the particular carelessness of a man who had grown too confident in his own security.
Halvard, still absent from council following Corwin's capture, finally reappeared before the assembled ministers with an explanation that struck Kael, listening from his usual seat near the king's own chair, as considerably too smooth to be entirely honest. "A family matter required my attention," Halvard said, his composure fully restored despite whatever anxiety had apparently kept him from court for several days. "I apologize for the disruption to council business."
Kael studied him carefully, understanding now exactly how much performance lay beneath that practiced ease. Halvard had not simp
