In which Syl Vor has a suggestion.
It occurs to me that, with all this talk of Syl Vor being old for his age, I’m not actually sure what his age is. He’s young enough to be considered a child, and, unlike his older cousins, not yet old enough to begin training for the duties of adulthood, but he’s not one of the characters for which we’ve been given anything like a specific birthdate.
It also occurs to me that his older cousins are each training to succeed their parents, so Syl Vor might be expected one day to succeed his mother — and if at that time she’s still stuck with this job, and Syl Vor will be asked in his turn to solve for the people of Surebleak, well, today’s work is not a bad start. (True, he was helped considerably by Mike Golden’s advice, but recognising good advice and knowing what to ask are both valuable skills in themselves.)
And a cultural note: Liaden good manners require Syl Vor to accept at least a drink from his host, even though he got a drink and food while he was waiting. (Come to think of it, I’ve been in houses like that in real life.) There was another hint of that back in Dragon Ship, when Theo had to be nudged in that direction during her first meal at Jelaza Kazone.
I too have been wondering about Syl Vor’s age. We know Liadens have other word for young people who are nearer adult (although I can’t remember them, currently) so presumably “child” would be what? Maybe 9? Younger even than that?