A Crown Imperiled (47 page)

Jim said, ‘No one expects you to be named, but if you are not there . . .’ He glanced at Duke James. ‘Grandfather is right. You may be able to hold enough votes to prevent the sort of deals that will ultimately harm the Kingdom. Some of the eastern lords will care not a whit that your duchy is occupied by Keshian Dog Soldiers nor that the city of Ylith is split down the middle, one half Empire, the other Kingdom. They will be looking for patents of title and grants of land in the east in exchange for their votes. Some of the eastern lords have friends in Great Kesh who would count it a personal favour if the new king merely grants Kesh her conquests and moves on.’ Pointing his finger at Hal, he said, ‘You would then be a duke without a duchy. You could move to Krondor, I guess, and become a court noble, but who knows who the new prince in Krondor will be and what sort of role he might see for you?’

‘My personal circumstance is of no importance to me,’ said Hal. ‘The plight of my people is. Crydee must be restored.’

‘Only the King can do that,’ said Jim. ‘You must speak to Oliver and Montgomery and Chadwick and see where they stand regarding the Far Coast and the West.’

‘And realize they’ll be lying to you every time you see their mouths open,’ added James. ‘But promises are political capital in Rillanon and if the new king reneges on promises to gain the office, he will have none and his reign will be bumpy. All three know that. Plan your move wisely, and pick the man you think will help you get your duchy back, and pledge your allegiance to him.’

Hal looked at Jim who nodded in agreement. ‘Very well,’ said Hal. He turned and looked at Ruffio. ‘What about you?’ Ruffio had told Hal of the Conclave and its role in Kingdom history, and after a long discussion the night before, Hal now considered himself more rural and ignorant than he had on the first day of classes at the University at Roldem. His view of the world had grown so much bigger in the last two days that he wasn’t sure he was equal to the task.

Ruffio smiled. ‘The Conclave has other concerns than who sits the throne of the Isles, but we will have agents there to ensure the election of a new king goes without magical interference. The political manipulation of the last few years and the war show that our enemies seek to reduce this continent, perhaps the entire world, to a state of chaos.’

‘What about your master, Pug?’ asked Hal.

‘I have prepared a report which is making its way to him even as we speak, and I am sure he will act with appropriate haste to enable us to seek out those behind the atrocities committed in the Great Hall.’ When the carnage was over, a duke of Roldem, several nobles of Kesh and the Kingdom, half a dozen retainers and eight guards had been slaughtered by the death-dancers.

As King Carol was in his own apartment surrounded by his personal guards, and Emperor Sezioti was guarded in his apartment preparing for departure, all communication between the three nations had been handled by the Dukes of Roldem and Rillanon, and the Prince of Great Kesh.

Ruffio said, ‘I will accompany you, if you have no objection, Lord Henry, and there will be others there as well to protect and serve the Crown.’ With a confidence Hal wished he possessed as well, the young magician said, ‘No death-dancer or other agent of mayhem will disturb the Congress of Lords.’

‘I’ll have to find a ship,’ said Hal. ‘The King’s is at capacity, I’ve been told.’

James laughed. ‘Ha, that bastard Chadwick, no doubt.’ He put his hand on the younger man’s shoulders. ‘You’re a duke, Hal. From a line of kings. No man in the Kingdom stands above you, but your lord king and his appointed prince in Krondor. Other than that, you can tell the rest of us to go dance if you’ve a mind to.’ Hal smiled. ‘No one tells you there’s no room on the King’s ship. If you have to pitch some vassal baron over the side to make room, that’s what you do.’

Hal laughed at that. ‘Then I best see to it.’

‘No need,’ said Ruffio. ‘I can get you to Rillanon in a moment.’ With a smile and a slightly theatrical bow, he added, ‘Whenever it suits you. We can linger here three more days and still arrive in Rillanon before the King’s ship.’

James tilted his head as he looked at his grandson. ‘Planning?’

‘Needed,’ answered Jim. ‘Let’s school this lad and then we’ll all go to Rillanon together.’

‘You’ll all go,’ said James, motioning for a page to bring him his cloak. ‘As Duke of Rillanon, my place is beside my king, as tedious as this next journey may be. I will sit the death watch with him from here to the family vault.’ He kissed his grandson lightly on the cheek. ‘You were always a sweet boy, Jimmy, despite being a constant pain in the backside.’

Jim hugged his grandfather in return. ‘If Father’s stories are to be believed, no more so than you and Great-uncle Dash were to Great-grandfather Arutha.’

‘Well,’ said the old Duke, ‘I was younger then.’

They laughed and the Duke departed. Jim turned and rubbed his hands together, looking out of the window. Then he turned to a servant and said, ‘Wine, please, chilled white. Fruit, cheese, hot bread, a roasted chicken and once it’s served we are not to be disturbed unless it’s by royal order.’

‘Yes, my lord.’

‘We have a very short time and much to teach you about Kingdom politics, Hal,’ Jim said. ‘I hope you’re a good student.’

Hal sat, shaking his head. ‘That would be Martin. I’m the brawler.’

Jim nodded. ‘As long as you’re not a stupid brawler, and you listen closely to what Ruffio and I will try to teach you, we should have a chance.’

‘Chance for what?’ asked Hal.

‘A chance to save the Kingdom from its own worst impulses.’

Martin looked up as Brendan walked into the room. Life in Ylith was beginning to return to something close to normal, or as normal as it could get with half the city occupied with Keshians. But some townspeople had returned from the forests, and the first ship from Sarth had put in a few hours before.

A Keshian cutter had also arrived, but anchored outside the harbour and sent a longboat ashore to the Keshian side of the docks.

‘Orders from the Prince,’ said Brendan, dropping the packet on the table before Martin.

‘Finally, something to do,’ he said. The terror and chaos of the battle had been replaced at first by relief, then boredom as the two sides stared at one another across a thirty-foot wide patch of city market that acted as a no-man’s land between the lines.

He opened the packet, breaking the seal of the Prince of Krondor and read. After a minute, he shook his head. ‘This is amusing. I am named Acting Commander of the garrison.’

‘Congratulations,’ said Brendan wryly.

‘And I’m relieved of duty.’

‘What?’

Martin stood up. ‘We are ordered to Krondor to report in person to the Prince.’

Brendan said, ‘Is that a good idea?’

‘As long as our Keshian friends don’t start any trouble, Bolton should be able to handle things.’

Brendan suddenly looked concerned and Martin smiled. ‘Give it up. She’s been playing the two of you off against each other, but she’s got her eyes set on our young captain. Besides, not only are you too young to settle down, you’re the younger brother to a Duke and you’ll do as you’re told.’

Brendan fixed his older brother with a sardonic expression. ‘Really, and just who gave you leave to woo Lady Bethany?’

‘I’ll sort that out with Hal when I see him,’ said Martin, fastening his sword belt around his waist. ‘Now, you find yourself a girl like her, and I’ll fight to the death for your right to wed her.’

Brendan chuckled. ‘Fair point.’ Then he grinned. ‘Still, I don’t envy you being the one to tell her you’re leaving and she’s staying here.’

‘She’ll understand. Besides, someone has to make certain Bolton doesn’t foul things up.’

‘How do we travel?’

‘Horse,’ said Martin. ‘Our mounts are growing lazy. We’ll each take two and switch as we go. Five days to Sarth, perhaps six, then a fast boat to Krondor to see what Prince Edward wishes of us.’

Bethany was not pleased to be left behind, as Brendan had predicted, but as the brothers were getting ready to ride out early the next day, a guard came running to the stables behind the mayor’s house. ‘Sir, Captain Bolton needs you at the barricade!’

Both brothers mounted up and rode to the barricade.

‘The Keshians appear to be withdrawing, sir,’ the captain reported as they arrived.

Martin stared beyond the barricade and indeed, the Keshians were marching in formation towards the city gate. Martin called for two soldiers to make an opening in the barricade and they quickly pulled them away. Even so, Martin rode impatiently over two remaining levels of bags before they could finish. Seeing no opening in the corresponding Keshian barricade he spurred his mount on, shifted his weight forward and urged his horse to jump the barricade.

He trotted up behind the marching Keshians and passed them. Reaching the main gate he found the Keshian commander and his officers gathered nearby watching as troops from his half of the city were exiting. Reining in, he said, ‘Leaving?’

The Keshian commander nodded. ‘Such are our orders, young lord. It is the pleasure of His Majesty, the Emperor of Great Kesh, blessings be upon him, that we return Yabon to you, and withdraw to the border of Bosania.’ He pointed at a hill top. ‘Which is over there, if the ancient maps are correct.’ With a rueful smile he said, ‘Congratulations on your victory, young lord. You have achieved the reclaiming of Yabon without losing a man.’

‘If I were in the mood to appreciate the levity, sir, I would laugh. As it is, I’ve lost too many good men to your emperor’s adventure. Now, if I may ask, why is he conceding a hard-won victory?’

The commander held out his hands and shrugged. ‘I am not privy to such reasons, Lord Martin. I merely receive orders and obey them. It was never my wish to come to this land, but it was my duty. You do understand duty?’

Martin nodded. ‘As such things go.’ Turning his horse, he said, ‘Let us hope we never again need face one another on the field of battle, sir.’

‘If we do, I will count it an honour.’

Martin left the Keshians to their withdrawal and returned to his own lines. To Bolton he said, ‘The Keshians have orders to withdraw about three or four miles south-west, to the old border between Bosania and Yabon. As soon as they’re out of the city, sweep the area they occupied and make sure they left no spies behind, then rebuild that wall and gate as fast as you can. I’ll urge the Prince to send reinforcements back and perhaps even return the Duke here. The worst of this may be over. But it also may just be a lull. Be alert and take care of your city, Captain Bolton.’

‘Yes, sir!’ replied the eager young officer.

‘And take care of Lily,’ added Brendan with a wry smile.

‘Yes, sir,’ said Bolton with the grin of a victor.

The two brothers turned their mounts and started toward the east gates, and their trip to Krondor.

Pug and Miranda sat alone in the quarters put aside for the four humans – at least that’s how the Pantathians saw them – as Nakor had decided to explore this alien city. Magnus had not returned since his confrontation with his father.

Miranda felt her heart breaking to see her husband this way, and even though she knew those emotions were not her natural legacy, nevertheless they hurt.

‘Magnus was always . . . quiet,’ she said. ‘He kept things inside. But when he finally showed his feelings, they were always deep and powerful.’

Pug nodded. He struggled to adjust to the knowledge that the woman opposite him wasn’t the person in the world he most wanted her to be. Yet with each moment of comfort she brought, he felt another pang of emptiness, of longing for a time before her death. ‘I think he learned that from me.’

She smiled. ‘Well, he certainly didn’t learn it from me – from Miranda. My understanding is that Magnus’s mother was not one to hide her feelings on any subject.’

Pug said, ‘If it makes things easier, you can continue to refer to yourself as Miranda. I know those memories aren’t yours, but they must feel as if they are. I remember talking to your father – Miranda’s father—’ He laughed. ‘Now I’m doing it. I remember Macros not believing he hadn’t been reborn as a Dasati with all his memories intact. He was . . . in the end, Macros.’

‘Even the ancient Blind God of Chaos doesn’t play as fast and loose with people’s lives as Kalkin does. Mythar merely unravelled the fabric of existence and let the pieces fall where they might, but Kalkin, he picks his targets and has no concerns over their plight.’

‘Magnus is right on one count,’ Pug said.

‘Which?’

‘That I sacrifice others for what I believe is a “higher good”.’

She nodded. ‘Doing the right thing has always been the heart of who you are. Why do you think I built up my own little network of agents within the Conclave?’

‘I’ve always wondered. At times I questioned your agenda.’

‘It was to have a separate source of information, one that didn’t pass through that prism in your head, the one that always casts light a certain way, red at one end, violet at the other? Only your prism is always “right” at one end and “wrong” at the other.’

Pug nodded, sipping a cup of tea. ‘You always were more pragmatic.’

‘I’m older,’ she quipped. Both of them had lived over a century, but one of the continuing jests between them was that Miranda would never tell Pug exactly how much older she was. Nakor had married Miranda’s mother for a time, while she learned all she could of magic from him, then she had moved on to Macros, the master magician in the world at that time, to glean what she could from him. Miranda had been the offspring of that union, and with both her parents dead, she was the only person who knew the truth.

Pug laughed. ‘I have missed you.’

She held up her hand. ‘Be cautious, Pug. My feelings are as deep as your own and I would like nothing more than to drag you off to bed and relive some of the happiest moments in my life. But I suspect that would not be a good idea.’

Pug said nothing.

‘I ache to have Magnus embrace me as his mother, just one more time, and I hurt whenever I think of Caleb. But Kalkin did not bring my memories back and place them in his body just so you and I could have a joyful reunion. He placed them here so that Nakor and I can help with whatever needs to be done to save this world. For I am certain we are at a crux, and that the outcome of it all is going to determine the measure of life on this planet, and perhaps a larger portion of this universe.’