DeWar secured the triggering post on his catapult and carefully unhitched the winding mechanism, then selected a stone from the pile between the two model weapons and, once Lattens had climbed down from the balustrade, loaded the stone into the cup at the end of the machine's arm. He repositioned the catapult according to chalk marks on the black tiles, stood, eyes narrowed, to survey his target area, squatted to adjust the catapult's 'position once more, then took the stone out of the cup and reconnected the winding mechanism to let out a little of the strain before re-latching the triggering post.

"Oh, come on, DeWar!" Lattens said, jumping up and down and shaking his telescope. He was dressed as a noble general, and the servant who was tensioning and repositioning his catapult was in the uniform of a Ducal bombardier.

DeWar closed one eye and made a fearful grimace as he turned to the boy. "Har," he said, in a voice a rather unsubtle actor might employ when asked to impersonate a worthy rustic, «beggin» the young massur's pardin to be sure, sor, but I has got to be doin" me adjussmints, don't ye know, har!"

"Providence, the fellow's a fool indeed," BiLeth muttered. However, UrLeyn laughed, and BiLeth found it in him to affect a smile.

Lattens squealed with delight at this nonsense and put his hands to his mouth, nearly sticking his telescope into his eye.

DeWar made a few final adjustments to his catapult, then, with a look round to make sure Lattens was well out of the way, said, "Fire, me boys!" and flicked the triggering latch away.

The rock whistled into the blue sky. Lattens howled with excitement and ran to the balustrade. DeWar's rock landed almost in the centre of one of the smaller lakes in Lattens" territory. The boy shrieked.

"Oh no!"

DeWar had already landed a hefty projectile in the other small lake on Lattens" side, swamping all the towns and the single city on its shores. Lattens had hit one of DeWar's lakes too, but not the other. The rock sent up a great tall fountain of water. The waves from the impact rippled quickly out, heading for the shore. "Aargh!" Lattens cried. The waves made landfall, causing the water first to retreat from the miniature beaches and ports and then rear up and wash against the flimsily made buildings of the lake-side towns, washing them all away.

"Oh, unlucky, young sir, unlucky," Doctor BreDelle said, then in a low voice to UrLeyn added, "Sir, I think the boy grows over-excited."

"Fine shot, DeWar!" UrLeyn called, clapping. "Oh, let him be excited, Doctor," he said to BreDelle in a lower voice. "He has spent long enough swaddled in his bed. It's good to see a bit of colour in his cheeks again."

"As you wish, sir, but he is still not fully recovered."

"Mr DeWar would make a fine bombardier," Commander ZeSpiole said.

UrLeyn laughed. "We could use him in Ladenscion."

"We could dispatch him forthwith," agreed BiLeth.

"Things go better there, don't they, brother?" RuLeuin said, letting a servant refill his glass. He glanced at BiLeth, who assumed a grave expression.

UrLeyn snorted. "Better than when they were going badly," he agreed. "But still not well enough." He looked to his brother, then back at his son, who was anxiously supervising the loading of his own catapult. "The boy grows better. If that keeps up I may take it as my signal to assume command of the war myself."

"At last!" RuLeuin said. "Oh, I'm sure that would be the best thing, brother. You are our best general, still. The war in Ladenscion needs you. I hope I may accompany you there. May I? I have a fine company of cavalry now. You must come and see them train some day."

"Thank you, brother," UrLeyn said, smoothing a hand over his short grey beard. "However, I am undecided. I may ask you to stay on here in Crough and be my regent, in equal partnership with YetAmidous and ZeSpiole. Would you rather that?"

"Oh, sir!" RuLeuin reached out and touched the Protector's arm. "That would be a singular honour!"

"No, it would be a treble honour, brother," UrLeyn told him with a tired smile. 'ZeSpiole? What do you say?"

"I heard what you said, sir, but I can scarcely believe it. Would you honour me so?"

"I would. If I depart for the borderlands. It is still not certain yet. BiLeth, you will advise my trio of proxies as well as you have me on matters foreign?"

BiLeth, whose face had taken on a frozen expression when he had heard what the Protector was proposing, let his features relax somewhat. "Of course, sir."

"And General YetAmidous is agreeable?" RuLeuin asked.

"He will stay if I ask him to, or like you he will gladly come to Ladenscion with me. I could use each of you in both places, but that cannot be."

"Sir, excuse my interruption," the lady Perrund said. "The ladder."

A wooden library step-ladder was carried forward by two servants and deposited on the balcony's tiled surface near the viewing platform.

"What? Ah, yes. Lattens! UrLeyn called to his son, who was still fussing over the degree of tension in the catapult and the size of rock to throw. "Here. This might be a better observation point for you! Position it as you see fit."

Lattens looked uncertain for a moment, then appeared to take to the idea. "Ah-ha! A siege engine!" He wagged the telescope at DeWar, who scowled at the ladder as the servants brought it forward, closer to the edge of the terrace. "I have the measure of you now, bad baron!" Lattens cried. DeWar growled and retreated with comedic fearfulness from the steps as they approached.

Lattens climbed up the steps to the top, so that his feet were about level with the head of his nurse, who had remained on the balcony but followed him round as he'd ascended, watching anxiously. DeWar sidled up to the steps as well, glowering up at the boy.

"That will do nicely, bombardier," Lattens yelled. "Fire when ready!"

The rock hurtled up and out and for a moment seemed to hang above the coast-line of the part of the inland sea which held most of DeWar's remaining cities. "Oh no!" Lattens cried.

The rules were that each player could drop only one stone into the inland sea. Lattens and DeWar each had, accordingly, one very large stone apiece to be used for this very purpose in the hope of swamping a handful of his enemy's cities with one strike. The stone Lattens had caused to be lobbed on this occasion was a medium-sized projectile. If it landed in the sea, especially in one of the shallower areas near the coast, it might do very little damage on its own while at the same time preventing the boy from landing his one big rock where it might cause the most destruction.

The rock whacked into a coastal city, causing a small splash from the harbour but sending up a greater cloud of dust and scattering splintered wood and bits of delicate clay buildings across the landscape and splashing out across the water.

"Yes, boy!" UrLeyn said, jumping to his feet.

RuLeuin rose too. "Well done!"

"Fine shot!" called BreDelle. BiLeth clapped decorously.

ZeSpiole thumped his seat-arm. "Magnificent!"

DeWar clenched his fists and let out a roar of anguish.

"Hurrah!" Lattens yelled and whirled his arms about. He overbalanced and began to fall off the steps. Perrund watched DeWar dart forward, then check himself as the nurse caught the boy. Lattens frowned down at his nurse then struggled in her arms until she put him back where he had been standing.

"Mind yourself, boy!" UrLeyn called, laughing.

"I'm sorry, sir," Perrund said. Her hand was at her throat, just beneath the red veil, where her heart seemed to have lodged. "I thought he'd be safer-"

"Oh, he's fine!" UrLeyn told her with a sort of jovial exasperation. "Never you fear." He turned back. `Damn fine shot, lad!" he shouted. "More of those, if you please, then the great-grand-dad rock in the centre of his sea!"