King of Foxes (16 page)

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Tal had been astonished to discover new clothing waiting for him. Amafi had laid everything out. The jacket was sewn with seed pearls and what appeared to be garnets, on a fabric of lavender hue. The leggings were white, and a pair of ankle boots with silver buckles stood by the bed. A new belt for his sword from the King of the Isles completed the ensemble. There was no hat, so Tal went bare-headed.

The Duke’s hall was huge, almost as large as the King of Roldem’s. Tal recognized that once this had been the central keep of the citadel, a huge single room in which an ancient noble and all his retinue once lived. A massive fireplace housed a huge fire behind the Duke’s chair, far enough away that Kaspar and those at his table were comfortable. The Duke’s table sat on a raised platform; two lower tables running perpendicular to the head table, forming a U. From his elevated vantage point, Kaspar could see every guest at his table. Sitting at Kaspar’s right hand was Natalia, and at his left was the Lady Rowena.

Tal caught Natalia’s eye and smiled slightly, but purposely ignored Rowena, though he marked her. Once again he found himself amazed at her ability to be whoever she wished to be, and yet at the same time the beautiful girl who had beguiled him on Sorcerer’s Isle, overwhelming him to the point of his thinking he was in love with her, only to discover she was completely without compassion or affection. Now, effortlessly, she was a lady of Kaspar’s court, a lovely trophy for the lord’s arm, and one who enthusiastically shared his bed. Tal wondered if it was possible that Kaspar suspected the woman he bedded was one capable of plunging a dagger into his throat without feel-

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ing an echo of remorse.
Probably not
, Tal concluded. For if he had, Rowena would be dead already.

Tal was escorted to the left flanking table near the Duke. He sat next to a man of middle years who introduced himself as Sergey Latimov, the Duke’s Assessor, or collector of taxes.

The dinner went on quietly, without the entertainers in other courts. As the last dishes were being removed, Duke Kaspar stood up. “My friends,” he said, loudly.

“There is an addition to our company I would now like to introduce. He is a clever young man of many talents who will be an asset to Olasko. Squire Hawkins, please stand.”

Tal stood, and Kaspar said, “It is my pleasure to introduce you all to Squire Talwin Hawkins, late of the Kingdom of the Isles and Champion of the Masters’ Court in Roldem. Tonight he enters our service.”

There was a polite round of applause. Lady Rowena displayed just the right amount of interest, then returned her attention to the Duke. Tal noticed one significant member of the Duke’s table was not applauding. Special Captain Quint Havrevulen, most senior of Kaspar’s officers, sat silently, observing the young stranger. As Tal resumed his seat, he wondered if the Captain’s lack of enthusiasm stemmed from a general dislike of Islemen or because at the Masters’ Court Tournament he had killed one Lieutenant Campaneal, Havrevulen’s aide-de-camp.

As the meal ended, Kaspar stood up, and said, “Squire, please attend me.” He walked away from the table, leaving the Lady Rowena unattended.

Tal nodded to Amafi—who had stood behind his chair throughout the meal—to return to their quarters, then hurried to the Duke’s side. Kaspar put a large hand on Tal’s shoulder and said, “Now is as good a time as any to get the matter of your oath taken care of. Come with me: _______________

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there’s someone I want you to meet.” Over Kaspar’s shoulder, Tal could see Natalia’s expression was drawn as if she were concerned.

To Tal’s surprise, no servants or guards accompanied them as Kaspar led Tal through a series of hallways. Then Tal saw they were at the flight of stairs that Rudolph had said were forbidden. Kaspar said, “This area of the citadel is not to be entered unless you are summoned by myself, Squire. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

They climbed the stairs and went down a hall to a large wooden door. Without knocking, Kaspar opened the door and motioned for Tal to enter.

The room was large but sparsely furnished, containing just one table and a chair. Tapestries covered the wall against the cold, but otherwise the room was without comfort. A fire burned in a large hearth, and three men were waiting.

Two were guards, who quickly came to stand on either side of Tal and grip his arms. “Tie him in the chair,” said Kaspar.

Tal realized the futility of resisting, and let himself be lashed to the chair as the third man came to examine him.

He was slender, of middle height, with long dark hair that reached past his shoulders. His face was almost pinched, with a prominent nose that would have dominated his face had it not been for his eyes. The eyes were black, and something in them made Tal fearful. The man came to stand before Tal, and said, “Hello, young man. Duke Kaspar says you are a talented lad with great potential. I certainly hope so.” He looked past Tal at Kaspar for a moment, then back at Tal. “Because if you are not, you will not leave this room alive.”

He turned his back on Tal and went to the table. He _______________

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picked something up and returned to stand before Tal.

“Shall we begin?” he asked the Duke.

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Tal sat motionless. Behind him Duke Kaspar said,

“Begin.”

Suddenly there was a faint buzzing sound in Tal’s ears, just at the edge of being recognizable. It sounded like the distant murmuring of voices. He found his eyelids growing heavy and he felt his body become heavy, as if he were on the verge of sleep.

Then a voice said, “Your mind is mine, and you may not hide any falsehood.”

Tal felt an oddly familiar tingling along the base of his scalp, just above his neck, and recognized the use of magic. He had known such a sensation many times at Sorcerer’s Isle as he had been subjected to many different types of magic spells. He could only trust that whatever Pug, Miranda, and Magnus had done to him over the time he was there would see him through this ordeal.

Duke Kaspar came to stand within Tal’s field of vision. “Do you, Talwin Hawkins, swear an oath upon your life, to serve me and my line until such time as you are released by me? Do you serve freely, without reservation, emendation, or subterfuge? Do you offer your life if false?”

“I do,” said Tal, and his voice felt thick in his own throat. He thought of his father, near a fire late one night, and the words that he could still recall. “Never offer an oath lightly. For you pledge not only your life and sacred honor, but your people’s honor as well. To break an oath is to be without honor, to be without a spirit, and to be apart from the people.”

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“I do,” he repeated.

After a moment, the strange sensations vanished and the odd-looking man said, “He offers his oath truly.”

“Good,” said the Duke. “Untie him.”

Tal sat rubbing his wrists for a moment as the Duke said, “I have many enemies, Tal, and my enemies have many agents. You wouldn’t be the first of those to seek my service.” He smiled. “I had no doubt you would be found to be a man of your word.” Turning, he said, “This is my most trusted advisor, Leso Varen.”

The man inclined his head politely, but his eyes were fast upon Tal. “You are an unusual young man, Squire,” he said.

Tal stood up. “Thank you, sir.”

The Duke waved the guards away and took Tal by the arm. Steering him toward the door, he said, “Go now and rest for the night. I have business here with Leso. Tomorrow we have some tasks to set you on.”

“I thank Your Grace for the opportunity to serve.”

With a laugh, Kaspar opened the door and said,

“Don’t be so quick to thank me, young Hawkins. You haven’t heard the tasks yet. You may not be so grateful when you see what plans I have for you.”

With that, he ushered Tal through the door and closed it behind him. Tal set off down the stairway, thinking that whatever might have been said, Leso Varen had reservations, expressed in his eyes, if not his words. He would have to tread carefully around the magician, Tal knew.

Still, he had endured the first trial and was still breathing, and as it was said, so far, so good.

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EIGHT

TASK

Tal slogged through the swamp.

A company of Olasko soldiers wearing knee-high boots and heavily padded jackets were trudging through calf-deep water. Kaspar had given Tal his first task the month before;
by fast ship go to Inaska and dispose of a band
of smugglers who are causing problems for the local merchants.

They were also pirates, Tal discovered after two days in Olasko’s southernmost city. He had spent hours in seedy taverns and seedier brothels, but after two weeks of spreading gold around he had got the information he needed.

He had presented himself to the garrison commander at Inaska, shown his warrants from the Duke, and handpicked the twenty men who now were working their way toward the smugglers’ camp. Leading the locals was a sergeant who seemed to be the toughest of them, a snake-

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eater named Vadeski. He had a forehead like an anvil and a jaw that jutted like the ram on a Quegan war galley, and his shoulders were as wide as the Duke’s, though he was a full head shorter. Tal had seen his type in many a tavern: a brawler, a bully, and, probably, a murderer, but he was exactly the type of man Tal needed for a thankless job like this.

The other men had all been either trappers or hunters at one time, for Tal knew he would need men familiar with the local area. For the first time in his life, Tal found himself feeling lost. He had hunted in the mountains and lowland forests and across grasslands, but never in the swamps.

They had taken a boat from Inaska to a village called Imrisk, where they had secured provisions and comman-deered a pair of large shallow-draught boats. Those had been paddled to the windward side of the island, opposite where the pirates had their camp.

Two small coast-sailers were reputedly anchored on the lee side, along with a dozen or more of the shallow-draught boats identical to the ones Tal’s men used. Tal expected no more than thirty smugglers to be in camp. A quick attack, take some prisoners for questioning, fire the boats and base—such were his plans.

He motioned for Vadeski to hold the men in place, telling him, “I’m going to scout ahead.”

“Yes, Captain,” answered the sergeant.

Tal moved through alien-looking trees with their un-derwater roots, having no idea what they were called. He kept his eyes busy, looking for danger, human or otherwise. The swamp held many predators—alligators, lizards, and especially a ferocious big cat—most of which would give the soldiers a wide berth, but there was also a particularly deadly water snake that had no fear of men.

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water, moving as silently as possible to a rise before him.

He smelled the faint tang of smoke. Glancing over the rise, he saw a long depression running for nearly a quarter of a mile to another ridge. From the other side he saw the smoke from campfires, a faint haze against the sky, being blown away by the wind.

He returned and motioned for his men to follow, and led them down the shallow gully. At the far end, they halted, and Tal signaled for them to wait. He peered over the rocks and saw the pirates’ camp. Then he sat down and swore silently. He beckoned for the sergeant to join him, and when the old veteran was at his side, they both took a look.

Tal counted close to ninety or a hundred men, three large sailing boats riding at anchor off the beach, and more than a dozen of the shallow smugglers’ boats.

“See those?” said Vadeski, whispering in his ear, pointing to the boats. “They come rippin’ out of the islands and swarm ya. If’n they can, they’ll offload all the goods, then fire the traders’ boat to the waterline. Those three big’uns are to haul plunder.”

“How often do they move to new camps?”

“All the time,” said Vadeski.

Tal sat down quickly. Then he led the men back to the other end of the gully. When they were safely away from the camp, Tal said, “Who is that lying bastard who told us there would be about thirty or so smugglers here, Sergeant?”

“Jacos of Saldoma; he’s a trader o’ sorts, Captain,” answered the sergeant.

“Remind me to have him flogged when we get back, assuming we get back. There are close to a hundred men in that camp.” He turned and did a quick inventory. He had twenty men, and only four crossbows.

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“Five to one ain’t all that bad, is it?” said the sergeant with a grin.

“Only if we have an advantage,” said Tal. “Let’s head back to the water’s edge in case one of those lads decides to come over that rise to take a piss, and we can ponder this.”

Tal knew that to return for more men would be a waste of time. The smugglers moved their camp on a regular basis, so he assumed they’d scout around every once in a while. There was no way any experienced scout would miss the signs of twenty-one men down in that gully and on this beach. He glanced down as they reached the water’s edge.

“What’s this?” Tal asked, kneeling. The shore was covered in a crushed white substance that didn’t look like sand or rock.

One of the others said, “Looks like broken shells, Captain.”

“Shells?”

“Swamp oysters,” said another. “They’re common enough around here. Not much for eating unless you’re starvin’, but some do.” He pointed. “Look over there.”

Tal looked where the man indicated and saw a large mound of shells. Something started nagging at him. He remembered something about oyster shells but couldn’t recall what.

They walked over to the pile, and he said, “Someone put these here.”