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Max's shtly stiff "Crassus is on the way back in He should be on deck in the next fewtea He doubted the rueling night of lessons with Alera, but he illing to try "Get nal the Trueblood and invite Varg to come to the Slive at his earliest convenience"
"Already done," Max said "Finish your biscuit, at least"
Tavi frowned at him but turned to pick up his breakfast, a plain square of ship's biscuit, a stiff and greyish bread made with some of the last of their flour and some of the less noxious portions of a taken leviathan "I a to miss these," he said, but he tore into it with a will If things went badly that day, he ," Max said "Kitai ht have a point"
Tavi shook his head "If so, I don't see it"
Max grunted "Look, Tavi You're otten blind spots"
"What do you mean?"
"You're the bloody Princeps of Alera, man," Max replied "You're the bloody role model - or at least, you're supposed to be"
"It's ridiculous," Tavi said
"Of course it is," Max returned "But like it or not, that's what the office demands That you comport yourself in all ways and at all ti Citizen of the Realhed "And, so?"
"And so the Princeps of the Real around to e Bastards are another"
Max's h Lord Antillus, had conceived Max with a dancing girl he had favored His second son, Crassus, had been born legiti Max bereft of any sort of title or clai his very limited acceptance from the Citizenry of the Realitimacy
"That really isn't an issue, Max," Tavi said "There's never been anyone but Kitai"
The big Antillan exhaled heavily "You'rethe point"
"Then s like who the Princeps is sleeping with matter," Tavi's friend replied "Rival claims to the Crown have caused wars before, Tavi And worse Crows, if old Sextus had left a bastard child or two running around Alera, great furies knohat ive you that," Tavi said "Itfor the point"
"The point is that the Realm didn't know you were Septimus's son until last year - and even then, you ay out in the hinterlands, fighting a can You didn't exactly attract a lot of visitors"
"No, I didn't"
"When we get back ho to be watching you like hawks They're going to pry into your life in every way you could possibly iine, and probably in souely close to the right age is going to be hoping to turn her into the next First Lady"