"Yes. Good thinking. I'll come." He started toward the door.

"Not without we dress you proper," Mason protested. "Wait, Cap'n. I'll help you into your armor."

"I do not need armor."

"Hell you don't," Mason said. "Cap'n, now dammit I mean it, don't you go down there without your mail shirt. Here, take the pistol off. That's it. Now duck-" Despite Rick's protests, Mason eased him into a shirt woven of tiny metal rings.

"Damn thing's too heavy," Rick said.

"Wasn't heavy it wouldn't do much good," Mason said. "Here, lift your arm-" Deftly he buckled Rick's pistol and combat knife under his captain's left arm. "Now you look proper."

"And feel like an idiot."

"No, sir." Mason was emphatic. "You gotta be practical."

I've been practical all my life, Rick thought. I do the sensible, practical thing, and I feel like a coward half the time.

Mason saw Rick's expression. "Cap'n, you don't know what Murphy wants. I grant you, he probably didn't come to make trouble. Not coming inside the gates like that. But Christ, Cap'n, this whole place is about to explode. Ambassadors from both Roman outfits. That diplomat from the Five Kingdoms, he's nothing more than a spy-hell, they're still technically at war with us! Not to mention our own nobles. Wasn't an hour ago I had to disarm two of those barons, Dragomer and Kilantis-"

"Who?"

"Couple of the barons who went over to Sarakos," Mason said. "Took advantage of the amnesty after we beat Sarakos. They come from the north central hills."

"Yeah. I remember," Rick said. "Hard to blame them for going over, being that close to the Five Kingdoms and all. Why disarm them?"

"Fighting over something. I didn't bother to find out what. Just got their dirks."

"They drew steel in the palace?"

"Yeah."

"Where was Wanax Ganton?"

"Up watching the fireworks," Mason said. "Hell, Cap'n, if they'd drawn weapons while the kid or the old geezer was there I'd've done a lot more than disarm them, you know that."