"He's got company. Know what Stern's trying to do, don't you?"
Don laughed uneasily. "I'm pretty well mixed up, to be truthful. From
what Dad told me, he's trying to turn Oredan into a Dictatorship, with
him at the head. Then, he'll take over the rest of the planet--a piece
at a time."
"Close. He's planned it pretty well, too. He's got the royal succession
pretty well balled up. He's almost ready to move in right now. Only one
stumbling block. Know what that is?"
Don shook his head.
"Youngster named Petoen Waern. He's old enough--older than he looks.
His mother's a niece of the last king. Conclave of the tribes could put
him on the throne tomorrow morning. He's a bet Stern missed a while
back. Now, he's trying to make up for it."