Free Captain by Phil Geusz Page B

I'd like to claim otherwise," he finally said, "you're probably right." He sighed. "A monarch is all-powerful while he lives and rules. But once he's dead or infirm, his influence fades almost immediately to nothing. Even within his own household, it would appear. Where he should be most beloved of all." There was a long pause. "I'm putting Dr. Lambert's name down again, this time with my personal seal affixed alongside it. If that doesn't do the trick, David, I fear that I don't know what will."
     
    Suddenly all the anger melted away inside of me. Martijn was doing his best to cope with an impossible situation, it was clear. "Thank you, my friend."
     
    "No worries," he answered. There was a pause during which I overheard papers shuffling, then the stamp of a ring-seal. "Things are getting crazier and crazier every day here, David. It's almost as if there's no king at all. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it, but… Some of the palace fixtures are vanishing."
     
    "You mean that… that… that…" I stammered, unable to find words. "I mean…"
     
    "Oh, yes!" he replied, his voice flat and cold. "Bit by bit the Royal Palace is being pillaged. The lion has lost his bite, you see, so the jackals come out in full daylight." He sighed again. "David, my line is secure. Is yours?"
     
    "Yes," I replied. All House lines were always secure. Uncle Robert was a fanatic on the subject, and with good reason. "What is it, Martijn?"
     
    "Perhaps I'm a jackal too, because I'm not supposed to be giving advice or taking sides. But… You and your uncle had best move quickly, if you're going to move at all. Because at the rate things are going, I fear that the Royal Final Testament isn't going to be worth the paper it's written on by the time it's finally read."
     
    ***
     
    "A source," was all I could say to Uncle Robert when we met later that day in his apartment. "A most excellent and well-placed source indeed told me that. But I can't tell you who. It'd be dishonorable."
     
    My uncle looked out his window at the distant outer wall of the palace. "If things really are that bad over there," he muttered, "then..." But he never finished the sentence. Instead he lapsed off into silence.
     
    "Can they disregard the Royal Testament?" I asked. "I mean, is it even possible ?"
     
    "Of course!" he replied. "It'd be totally against tradition and all the rules. But then, so was the founding of the Empire. And so far that little project seems to have come along rather well." He turned to face me. "Don't let your military background blind you, David. In the mind of a legislator, laws are for everyone else. From his point of view, they're mutable things that can be and usually are altered as a matter of convenience, not rock-solid statements of morality." Then he turned back to the window. "For the first time, I begin to seriously wonder if you're right about them attempting to crown one of the cousins."
     
    I clenched my fists, feeling totally powerless. "What would we do if they did?" I demanded. "The House, I mean?"
     
    "I haven't even begun to think that through," he replied. Then he began to pace slowly. "And of course it'd be James's decision, ultimately."
     
    I closed my eyes and sighed. "But what would you advise?"
     
    "As I said, David. I'd have to think it through. However, there's obviously only two approaches. Well, three really. But the last one isn't a viable option, so I'll toss it aside up front." He crossed his arms behind his back, which somehow made his Lordly robes appear even more dignified. "The first is to accept the inevitable and cut the best deal we can. I mean, it's clear now that we're unlikely to ever get enough votes to crown James. So we could accept the cousin with a smile and play the long game as is our tradition. I can tell you right now that this is what Wilkes and Hashimoto will expect of us. Indeed, they'd see anything else as utter madness." He smiled, though the expression didn't reach his