Erik swore.
‘Yes, sir,’ said Sergeant Harper. ‘That’s how I would have put it.’
The message was from Greylock, and Erik now understood why the attacks throughout the previous two days had been so intermittent. The attackers had filtered through the woods and were now attacking Greylock’s defenses, a half-day’s ride to the east. Greylock’s message was calm, and he indicated he was having little trouble with the attackers, but stated his concern for the refugees, who were probably being preyed upon along the route of their retreat.
Erik’s men were roughly organized in a camp at the moment the message arrived. The flow of people fleeing the city was down to a trickle. Erik had paused to talk to a few, but none of them could offer anything remotely like intelligence; they were too frightened, had no idea what they had seen, and were too concerned with escaping a city on the verge of being sacked.
One man was still slightly wet from having swum out through an underground street that he had known since he was a boy, his pitiful belongings in a pack on his back. He only knew that a major portion of the city was afire.
Erik didn’t need him to tell him that. He could see the column of smoke rising to the west. He had seen the smoke as the city of Khaipur had burned, from a distance of over a hundred miles, a column of black smoke that had risen thousands of feet into the air until it had flattened out like a grey umbrella. The wind had blown the scent of smoke to them for days, and a fine soot fell for hundreds of miles. Erik had no doubt that when Krondor fell she would meet the same fate.
Erik gave orders, and the men hurried to obey. He detailed half his company, the heavy lancers, to follow behind the civilians, supported by a squad of bowmen who had wandered into Erik’s area after being cut off from their own command. The light cavalry and horse-bowmen Erik took to ride to Greylock’s position.
As he had feared, Erik had gone no more than a mile when he encountered the first sign of raider activity. Two wagons burned, and the ground around them was littered with the dead. Several women were stripped and obviously had been raped before being killed, and not one pair of decent boots or trinket of any possible worth was left behind.
Erik inspected the wagons and noticed a grain trail leading away from one. ‘They’re hungry,’ he said to Sergeant Harper.
‘Shall we hunt them down, Captain?’
Erik said, ‘No. I’d love to, but we need to support Greylock. If they reach the foothills to the north they’ll turn eastward, and we’ll encounter the swine soon enough.’
Harper said, ‘Yes, sir.’
They rode as fast as they could, permitting the horses rest when absolutely necessary, as Erik was determined to reach Greylock by sundown if at all possible. He knew some of the horses would be lame by the end of the ride, but he also knew that if the plans for the defense of the Kingdom were to be realized, they couldn’t allow the enemy to quickly overrun the first positions of resistance.
Krondor was going to fall, and it had only three days. Erik surmised that the Emerald Queen and her magicians were desperate to get ashore. That meant stores were scarce. The use of magic to blow up the defenses of the outer harbor stunned Erik. The only time the Emerald Queen’s Pantathians had resorted to magic was the light bridge across the river Vedra, and Pug had destroyed that, causing thousands of injuries and death. Erik had heard the report from a messenger from William with disbelief, but the fires on the docks proved the enemy was in Krondor.
As they rode, Erik wondered how Roo was faring. Had he gotten safely to his estates?
Roo sat heavily on the chair, holding a mug of cold water freshly drawn from the well. He said, ‘Thank you, Helen.’
Helen Jacoby and the children were waiting in the anteroom of the estate house. Roo had just ridden up, after a desperate night of avoiding raiders, fighting, and keeping his wagons together. He had come to his estates the day before and, finding things peaceful, had returned down the road to join Luis in seeing the wagons safely home. The frequency with which he sighted invading soldiers, a full day’s ride east of the city, told him more than he wanted to know about the battle for Krondor. He had seen firsthand the sacking of a city by the Emerald Queen and had no desire to repeat that experience.
Three additional wagons had been sent ahead two days before, and now servants were busily filling them with household possessions for the journey eastward. Given the rapidity of the enemy’s advance, Roo was going to order them gone at sunrise, ignoring whatever was left behind. He now decided the entire train of wagons was going straight to Darkmoor, rather than stop at Ravensburg. He’d halt long enough to offer Erik’s mother and Nathan, and perhaps Milo, Rosalyn, and her family, the opportunity to come along. He owed Erik that much, at least. But he wouldn’t stop. The enemy was moving much too fast, and Krondor hadn’t held as he had hoped it would.
One more day, he thought as he drank deeply of the cool, fresh water. If the invaders had been delayed one more day, he’d be free of worry. He also knew he would have to ride out this evening to the Esterbrook estates and insist that Sylvia and her father leave at once. They would have no way to know the enemy was as close as it was. He could provide quarters for them in his inns in Darkmoor and Malac’s Cross without Karli becoming too suspicious, he thought; after all, half the population of Krondor was on the road eastward.
Finishing his water, he set it down and asked, ‘Where’s Karli?’
‘She’s upstairs with your cousin Duncan.’
Roo smiled. ‘I’ve been wondering where he’s been.’ He stood up. ‘I’d best go see what they’re doing.’
Helen looked concerned. ‘He said something about helping her move some things.’
Roo looked at her. ‘We still have plenty of time to get out of here. Stop worrying.’
She smiled and said, ‘I’ll try.’
Roo went upstairs and found them in Roo and Karli’s bedroom. Duncan was lifting a wooden box filled with Karli’s best clothing.
‘I have been looking for you for two days!’ said Roo to his cousin.
Duncan smiled. ‘Things got pretty confused in Krondor. I went looking for you at Barret’s, but you weren’t there. By the time I got to the office, Luis told me you were back at Barret’s, and then when I got back to the coffee house, and again found you not there, I headed back to our office.
‘Things were pretty nasty in the streets by then, and when I finally reached them, your wagon train had headed out. I saw the mess at the northern gate, so I doubled back to the southern gate and rode here. I figured you’d want a reliable sword here to protect your family.’ He grinned as he took the box and carried it past Roo, then down the stairs.
Karli said, ‘Do you believe him?’
‘No,’ said Roo. ‘He was probably with some whore when the panic set in, and he came straight here. But at least he’s right about my wanting you protected.’
Karli came and put her arms around her husband. ‘I’m afraid, Roo.’
He made reassuring noises and patted her shoulders. ‘Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.’
‘Krondor is the only home I’ve known.’
‘We’ll come back when this is over. I’ve made one fortune, and I can make another. We’ll rebuild. But first we must see the children to a safe place.’
At mention of the children, her own fear was put aside. ‘When do we leave?’
‘At first light. Luis is bringing up the last wagons, with as many mercenary guards as he could scrounge up, and we’re going to caravan to Darkmoor. I’ve got horses and equipment to repair wagons there, and once we’ve rested, we’ll head down to Malac’s Cross.’
‘Why there?’
Roo considered telling her what he knew, then decided it would only confuse and frighten her more. ‘Because the enemy will be stopped at Darkmoor,’ he said. ‘Malac’s Cross will be far enough away from the fighting for us all to be safe.’
Karli took Roo at his word and hurried downstairs to oversee the packing. Helen watched the children, and Roo was impressed with the calm manner in which she reassured them, keeping them diverted and entertained. He spent a few minutes with the four of them, listening to their prattle – children’s issues of importance, he assumed, little of which made sense to him.
Toward the end of the day, a cold meal was prepared, and everyone ate. The presence of Duncan seemed odd to Roo, as Duncan had almost no interest in Roo’s family, despite his attempts to charm Karli over the years. If anything, to Roo he appeared distracted.
When the meal was over, Roo said, ‘Duncan, I want you to wait down by the stable and let me know when Luis comes in with the last wagon.’
Duncan nodded amiably. ‘After he gets here, I’m going to take some of the men and sweep the grounds. You never know when some of those invaders might come wandering down from the hills, or if local bandits are going to try to take opportunity of the confusion.’
Roo glanced at the two women and the four children, shooting Duncan a black look.
Duncan quickly recovered by saying, ‘It’s almost certain they aren’t around, but it never hurts to be cautious.’
After he left, Helen said, ‘Rupert, is it dangerous?’
Her calm and frank manner kept the children from sensing distress, and Roo thanked the gods she was here. He said, ‘War is always dangerous, especially when the invader is hungry and far away from home. That’s why we’re taking everything with us that might serve him, and what we can’t take with us, we’ll destroy.’
‘Destroy?’ said Karli, looking confused. ‘Not my furnishings and things, certainly?’
Roo decided it best not to mention that the invaders would most likely smash everything in the house in frustration and burn it to the ground. He said, ‘No, merely that we’ll burn the food we can’t carry and make sure there are no weapons or tools left behind. If we can’t take a wagon with us, we’ll smash the spokes and break the yoke. If a horse goes lame, we’ll put it down, and poison the meat. We’ll dig up the garden tonight and make sure there’s nothing here to help the enemy.’
Karli looked very distressed at the news of losing her garden, but she remained silent.
Abigail said, ‘Father, where are we going?’
Roo smiled and said, ‘You’re going to ride on a wagon tomorrow, my darling. It’s a long trip, and you’ll have to be on your best behavior. But we’re going to the town where your father was born, and we’ll go on to see other interesting places. Won’t that be fun?’
‘No,’ said Abigail. ‘I don’t want to.’
Helen smiled and said, ‘She says that a lot these days.’
Roo looked at Karli, who said, ‘She doesn’t know what any of this is about.’
Roo said, ‘Children, we’re going on a journey, and it will be a grand adventure.’
Helmut grinned and drooled, while Helen’s boy, Willem, said, ‘Is this like the sagas?’
Roo grinned at him. ‘Yes, just like the sagas! We’re off on a great adventure, and you must be very brave and do exactly what your mother and Karli tell you. There will be men with swords all around, and you’ll see new places and great sights.’
‘Will there be fighting?’ asked the boy with wide eyes.
Roo sat back and said, ‘If the gods are kind, no. But if there is, we’ll protect you.’ He glanced from face to face, from the tiny perfection of the children to his wife’s nervous smile to Helen’s resolute expression, and said, ‘We will certainly protect you all.’
Erik reached Greylock’s position at nightfall. He had engaged the Emerald Queen’s forces a half-dozen times along the way, and had witnessed the carnage they had left behind. Bodies littered the roadside, and it was clear that their first concern had been food. A few items of value, coins, jewelry, and the like, were found scattered around, but not one edible item could be seen.
After exchanging the password, Erik and his company rode in. Owen greeted Erik. ‘How are things? Bad?’ he asked.
‘Worse,’ said Erik, dismounting. He allowed one of Greylock’s men to take the horse to tend to it and followed the former Swordmaster of Darkmoor to a campfire some distance behind the barricades they had erected across the road.
Erik left his own officers and sergeants to see to the horses and get the men fed. Greylock pointed to a pot of steaming stew and said, ‘Help yourself.’
Erik took a wooden bowl and spoon and suddenly realized he was starving. As he filled the bowl, Greylock fetched him a small loaf of bread and a wineskin. ‘Tell me what you know,’ he said after Erik had shoveled in a couple of heaping spoonfuls of the savory stew and taken a drink of wine.
‘If Krondor’s not fallen this day, it will by tomorrow, no doubt. The palace is gone.’
Both men knew that meant it was almost certain Knight-Marshal William was dead. Duke James might or might not have escaped. The Prince and the rest of his court, those nobles not in the field, were now safely in Darkmoor if everything had gone according to plan. Greylock said, ‘We’ve been pretty quiet. A few of the enemy’s scouts have come close, but we chase them away, and when they see our fortifications, they seem inclined to move on.’
Erik nodded as he chewed another mouthful of stew. After he swallowed he said, ‘If things are going according to plan, they’ll waste a lot of time wandering north and south before they realize they’ve got to come back this way. Maybe we can pick up some of the time we lost at Krondor.’
Greylock ran his hand over his face, and Erik could see that the older man was as tired as he was. ‘I hope so. There’s still a lot to be done.’
Erik put down his empty bowl and drank again from the wineskin. ‘Well, there are no more refugees behind us, so at least we no longer have to worry about a rear guard.’
Owen nodded. ‘Now we just defend, making the bastards pay for every inch of ground.’ Then he grinned at Erik. ‘No offense,’ he said, remembering Erik’s own sinister birth.
‘None taken,’ said Erik. ‘I’m a bastard by birth; these invaders work at it.’ He sighed. ‘I’ve been more tired, but I can’t remember when.’
Owen nodded. ‘It’s the pressure. The always being on guard. Well, as you and your boys have to take over here while I pull back tomorrow, we’ll take the watch this night. You should be able to rest for one night.’
‘Thanks, Owen.’
Greylock smiled, his narrow face looking almost sinister in the firelight. ‘I guess you should know. Prince Patrick has named me a Knight-General.’
‘Congratulations, I think,’ said Erik, ‘sir.’
‘Commiserations are more like it. I’ve got Calis’s charge, defending the entire range from the Dimwood to Dorgin, and I think I’m going to wish you had the job before I’m done.’
Erik said, ‘I’m in over my head already. I can’t begin to understand what it is I’m supposed to do from here.’
‘You’re just tired. Get some sleep and in the morning you’ll have a better grasp on things. If you forget everything else, just remember you’ve got to slow the bastards down. We’ve got to hold them in the mountains for the next three months.’
Erik sighed. ‘Until winter.’
‘When the snows fall, and they’re on the west side of the mountains, we’ll know we’ve won. They’ll starve and die while we wait for spring, when we can chase them back where they came from.’
Erik nodded, but he found his eyes were getting heavy and he couldn’t think. ‘I’m going to find where that soldier took my horse, get my blanket, and go to sleep.’
‘No need,’ said Owen, pointing to a bedroll that had been made ready a short distance away. ‘I had that made up for you. Your men are also being told to get some rest. You just forget your worries this night, Erik.’
‘I won’t argue,’ said Erik, moving toward the bedroll. He removed his sword and got his boots off, but he didn’t remember anything after that as he rolled himself in the blanket and fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.
Roo kissed Karli on the cheek.
‘I don’t like this, Rupert,’ she said, near tears as she spoke.
‘I know, but I have to see that everything is ready. Don’t wait up for me, and take care of Helen and the children. I’ll be back before sunrise.’
They stood at the door of their estate house, and Roo kissed his wife on the cheek, then stepped through the door and closed it behind him. He hurried down to the servants’ building and barn, where a dozen of his wagons had been gathered when they had arrived after sundown.
Luis de Savona, one of his old companions from Calis’s army and now one of his most trusted aides, was seeing to the refitting. Luis had spoken little of his past prior to the day Roo met him in prison, save that he had once served a function in the court of Rodez, the easternmost duchy but one in the Kingdom. Roo didn’t press him. Like many of those who had redeemed their lives in service to the Crown, Luis preferred to forget what had gone before and Roo respected that.
There was something dark in Luis’s nature, an anger that threatened to erupt at the oddest times, but Roo trusted him, one of the few men he did trust. And Roo felt the need of someone dependable at that moment.
Three times the mercenary guards and Rupert’s drivers had fought off raiders. Two drivers had been injured, and a couple of the mercenaries had deserted when the fighting looked as if it was going badly, but while possessing a crippled right hand, Luis was still a fearsome foe with a knife in his left hand. He had killed three raiders personally, forcing the others to rethink their assessment of taking his wagon.
Roo said, ‘Luis, are we going to be ready at sunrise?’
Luis nodded. ‘Yes. We should probably leave an hour before, though, to steal a march on anyone coming down the highway.’
‘It’s not the highway I’m worried about,’ said Roo. ‘Erik and the King’s Army are holding the highway. It’s the raiders coming through the hills we have to worry about.’
Roo’s estate, like many of those settled to the east of the city, was far enough off the highway that they couldn’t know the condition of the highway once they had left it. ‘I’ve got to see Jacob Esterbrook,’ he said, motioning for a fresh horse. ‘I’ll swing back by the highway and see if we still hold it, or if we need to find another route.’
‘Find another route?’
Roo nodded. ‘Yes, I know another way.’
‘Why don’t you tell me now, just in case?’ asked Luis.
Roo didn’t like the idea of what ‘just in case’ implied, but he agreed. ‘There’s a road Erik and I used to reach Krondor, years ago. It’s a small trail, really, but it will take wagons. You’ll have to drive them in single file.’ He outlined how to get to the trail, little more than a goat path in places, but one over which he had taken wagons more than once. ‘You’ll find a branch in the trail as you reach the foothills; take the southeastern one and you’ll see the farms and vineyards to the north of Ravensburg. Pick up the King’s Highway there if you can.’
Luis nodded. ‘When will you be back?’
‘If I don’t encounter trouble, I’ll be back before sunrise. If I’m not here an hour before sunrise, start without me. Tell Karli I’ll catch up with you.’
Luis looked around. ‘Duncan?’
‘He’s supposed to be conducting a sweep around the estate, making sure we’re not bothered for a while.’
Luis nodded. He and Duncan had shared quarters for almost a year, and during that time had developed an abiding dislike for each other. Luis didn’t trust Duncan and put up with him only for Roo’s sake.
The horse was brought over to Roo, who mounted.
‘I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.’
Luis waved good-bye as Roo rode out, knowing what was unsaid: that if Luis didn’t see Roo tomorrow, it meant Roo was dead.
Miranda said, ‘I don’t like this at all.’
They had gathered in the cave of the Oracle of Aal, after Macros and Miranda had returned to Midkemia, summoning the others.
Pug answered, ‘Who does, but we’ve got to be in two places at the same time.’
Hanam growled and said, ‘Time grows short. My ability to contain the rage of this creature and not eat is about at its limit.’ The Saaur magician in demon form turned to Pug. ‘You know what must be done, what must be said.’
Calis had sat listening to the exchange, silently observing the other four in the room. He finally said, ‘There is a chance none of you will return.’ While he spoke of all of them, his eyes focused on Miranda.
She nodded. ‘We know the risk.’
He sighed. ‘I should be at Darkmoor.’
Pug said, ‘No. I can’t tell you why.’ He glanced at Macros and Miranda. ‘Things are hidden from us, and we sense that it is necessary to have these things hidden, for our own protection and that of others, but I know down to the fiber of my being that you must remain here.’
Miranda and her father had found the door in the Hall and had entered it to the cave on Shila. They had watched from the mouth of the cave as demon flyers sped across the sky, and as demons of all sizes could be seen coming from the direction of where they had been told the city of Ahsart lay. After seeing far more demons than they could defeat, they had retreated to the Hall, returned to Midkemia and sought out Pug.
They had spent two days evolving a plan, and now it was determined that Macros and Miranda would return to the tunnels beneath the Ratn’gary Mountains, while Pug and Hanam would go to Shila. Hanam in demon form would not attract attention, while Pug could better keep himself invisible than Macros could himself and Miranda.
Miranda and her father would attempt to seal the rift into Midkemia permanently, as Macros had once done with the rift between Midkemia and Kelewan, while Pug and Hanam would attempt to close the entrance to the demon realm.
Miranda glanced at her father, then at Pug, and said, ‘I need to speak with Calis, alone.’
She rose and moved to where the half-elf warrior sat, indicating he should walk with her. They moved past the gigantic form of the sleeping oracle, a dragon of immense proportions who lay deep in a sleep of regeneration. Surrounding her were men, both young and old, the attendants who were also passing along their knowledge; the Oracles of Aal and their attendants would die in their time, but their knowledge would live on as long as new bodies could be found to contain their minds.
When they had walked far enough away from the others for some privacy, Miranda said, ‘What worries you?’
Calis laughed. ‘Everything.’ Then he said, ‘I fear I will never see you again.’
She sighed and touched his cheek. ‘If that is our fate, we must accept it. If not, we shall see each other again.’
With elven understatement, he raised an eyebrow slightly and said, ‘Pug?’
She nodded. ‘There are things that must be.’ She came close and put her head upon his chest, saying, ‘In time you will know so much more than you do now, and you will remember what we had as a gift, precious and wonderful, but you’ll also realize that it was a lesson, for us both, that we might better learn what it is that we truly needed.’
He gathered her into his arms and held her tightly for a moment, then slowly released her. When his arms were again at his sides, he said, ‘I will not claim to understand, but I do accept what you say as true.’
She touched his face again and, looking into his eyes, said, ‘Sweet Calis. Always willing to serve. Always willing to give. Yet you have never asked of anyone for yourself. Why is that?’
He smiled and shrugged. ‘It is who I am. I have much to learn. As you delight in reminding me, I am still young. I feel that by service I can learn, and through learning, I can discover who I am.’
‘You are someone wonderful and unique,’ she said softly, kissing his cheek.
He nodded. ‘While I wait in this cave, can you at least give me a hint to what it is I’m to do?’
Miranda said, ‘I know only what Pug has told me.’
‘Then let me ask him one more time.’ He stepped past her and walked to where Pug and Macros were waiting with Hanam.
Calis said, ‘If you do not know why I’m here, can you at least tell me what you suspect?’
Pug turned and pointed to a huge dais that sat on the stone floor, within a few feet of the slumbering dragon. ‘That is why,’ he said, and everyone in the room felt a shift, as if they were moving slightly, yet no one budged. But where the empty dais had been, now a giant glowing green gem rested, a golden sword embedded in it. It pulsed with a life of its own and Calis instantly felt drawn to it and went over to it. ‘The Lifestone,’ he said quietly.
Pug said, ‘One has to be shifted slightly in time to see it.’
Calis looked at the sword. ‘My father’s sword.’
‘That portion of the Valheru which sought to seize this, embodied in the form of Draken-Korin,’ said Pug, ‘threw itself across this stone, and your father drove that sword deep into it. I do not know why, but that ended the Riftwar. The Valheru were drawn deep within its facets, and your father refused to risk retrieving his sword.’
Calis nodded, not taking his eyes from the gem. ‘I will study this thing.’
Miranda turned to Pug and said, ‘We can wait no longer.’
Pug, Macros, and Hanam gathered, and Pug went to stand next to the demon. In his mind’s eye he pictured the device over the door into Shila, the distinctive glyph that indicated which doorway they needed in the Hall. Miranda had memorized it, then given that memory to Pug, so it was if he himself had stood before it. He nodded once and blinked out of existence with the demon.
Miranda cast one last look at Calis, then nodded to her father, took his hand, and willed herself and Macros to the tunnels under the mountains across the sea.
‘Message from Captain Breyer, sir.’
Erik rubbed his eyes and blinked. He had managed an hour of sleep after the fighting. Since the day before, when Greylock had departed for the East, they had been attacked three times, the most recent being at sundown. They had easily defeated the forces thrown at them, thanks in part to Greylock’s having left a squad of fifty additional archers behind, footmen with longbows. Erik knew he’d have to send them on ahead at least a day’s march before he withdrew, for they could never keep up with the cavalry, but he was very pleased with their presence.
His mission was to hold at the road until it was clear that pressure along the front was roughly equal, then to pull out, leaving an obvious weakness in the defensive line. Prince Patrick and Lord William’s plan was for the enemy to gain ground between Krondor and Darkmoor, but only where the Kingdom wanted them to.
Erik read the message. ‘So far, so good,’ he commented.
He dismissed the soldier and regarded the messenger, a Hadati hillman. ‘Get something to eat and rest, then leave at first light.’
The hillman nodded and left, and Erik turned over, pulled his blanket around him, and tried to return to sleep. He lay there for a while, thinking of Kitty and wondering if she was well. He was almost certain she had left early enough to avoid the dangers of the road now being faced by those out there in the darkness. Then his thoughts turned to Roo. He wondered if he and his family were safe.
Jacob Esterbrook sat behind his desk, his face an impassive mask as Roo urged him to order his household packed and moved. ‘I understand the dangers, young man,’ he said at last. He rose and moved around the desk, pointing to a map of the Kingdom he kept on the wall nestled between two large bookcases. ‘I have been doing business with the Empire of Great Kesh since before you were born. I have done business with Queg. If the politics of the area are about to change, I suspect I can do business with whoever is in charge once things settle down.’
Roo’s eyes opened in naked astonishment. He had ridden into the night, reaching Esterbrook’s house two hours after sunset, and had asked to speak to the trader. ‘Jacob, no disrespect to your business acumen, but the point I’m trying to make is that an army of murderous thugs is heading this way. I know that army. I served with them for a time.’
At that Jacob raised an eyebrow in interest. ‘Really?’
‘Yes, and I don’t have time to tell you the details, but trust me when I say these people have no interest in making deals; they will come here and burn this house to the ground after they strip it of everything worth more than a copper piece.’
Jacob smiled and Roo didn’t like the smile. ‘You are a very talented boy, Rupert, and I suspect you would eventually have done well enough for yourself, even without Duke James’s help. Nothing like you managed to do with his help, but that business with the grain shortage in the Free Cities, that was brilliant.’ He sat down behind the desk and opened a drawer. Removing a parchment from within it, he placed it upon the table. ‘Of course, had you not had his help, I probably would have ordered your death when you became a nuisance, but as things worked out the way they did, I have no complaints.’ He sighed. ‘To put matters in the open, this is a commission’ – he pointed to the parchment – ‘to negotiate with the invaders and to establish discussions with an eye toward ending hostilities.’
Roo said, ‘After they burned Krondor?’
Jacob’s smile broadened. ‘What concern does Great Kesh have with the destruction of a Kingdom city?’
‘Great Kesh?’
Jacob said, ‘Rupert, don’t be thick. You must have deduced I had something besides my not inconsiderable business skills in my favor when it came to trading to the south. I have friends in high places in the Emperor’s court, and they have made it easy for me to keep you off the Keshian trade routes. Now they wish to come to a quick accommodation with the invaders, this Emerald Queen, and formalize a new border.’
Roo sat stunned. ‘New border?’
‘Prince Erland negotiated a treaty for noninterference with Great Kesh, in exchange for land concessions in the Vale of Dreams.’ He pointed at Roo. ‘Which I think you knew, given that sale of property to me in Shamata. You didn’t realize that the new governor of Shamata would be more than happy to recognize my claims to those businesses, I know.
‘But the point of the treaty is that while we are pledged not to invade the Kingdom, we agreed to nothing that prevents us from coming to a quick understanding with the new rulers of the land to the north of the Empire. Toward that end, a rather large army is marching now, even as we speak, seeking to occupy all lands in the Vale, not just those granted to us by the treaty, and we shall continue to hold those lands after this unpleasantness is over.’
‘You’re a Keshian,’ said Roo softly.
Jacob spread his hands and shrugged. ‘Not by birth, dear Rupert; by profession.’
‘You’re a spy!’
‘I prefer to think of it as being a facilitator, one who conducts all manner of trade between the Kingdom and Great Kesh, goods, services, and … information.’
Roo stood. ‘Well, you can burn in hell for all I care, Jacob. But I won’t let Sylvia die here with you.’
‘My daughter is free to leave should she wish,’ said Jacob. ‘I have long since ceased attempting to control her. If she wants to travel with you, she may.’
Roo left the old man in his study without another word. He hurried up the stairs toward Sylvia’s room. Without knocking, he opened the door.
Sylvia was sitting on the bed while Duncan stood over her, one foot up on the bed beside her as he leaned forward. He had one hand on her shoulder, in a familiar fashion, and he was smiling his most charming smile. Sylvia appeared angry at whatever Duncan was saying, and they were so lost in their debate they didn’t notice Roo for a moment.
‘No!’ said Sylvia. ‘You’ve got to go back and do it tonight, you fool. After he leaves the estate, it’s too late!’
‘What’s too late?’ said Roo.
Sylvia jumped to her feet as Duncan stepped away.
‘Why, Cousin,’ said Duncan, ‘I was just trying to convince Miss Esterbrook that she should evacuate.’
Roo studied the tableau a long moment and slowly drew his sword. ‘Now I see just how much of a fool I’ve been.’
‘Roo!’ said Sylvia. ‘You can’t think … not Duncan and I?’
Duncan put up his hands in a gesture of conciliation. ‘Cousin? What do you think you’re doing?’
‘Since this has begun, I have never understood why I could never gain an advantage over Jacob. Now I discover that he’s an agent of Great Kesh and that my own cousin has been feeding my lover information.’
Duncan looked as if he was going to say something, then suddenly his smile turned to a snarl and he yanked his sword out. ‘Damn it, I have had enough of this charade.’
He lashed out. Roo parried, then riposted. Duncan easily avoided the blade.
Roo said, ‘That makes two of us.’
Duncan grinned, and it was an evil, hate-filled expression. ‘You have no idea how much I’ve looked forward to this moment, Cousin. Taking your table leavings, running your errands, while you favored that one-handed Rodezian dog. Well, this will end that insult and I will no longer have to share Sylvia with you.’
‘That’s the way it is, then?’
‘Of course, you idiot!’ screamed Sylvia. She rolled off the bed as a flurry of sword blows came perilously close to striking her.
Duncan said, ‘My love, I don’t need to kill the fat cow. I’ll kill Rupert here, then I’ll marry Karli. When time enough has passed, we’ll get rid of her and then you can marry me.’
Rupert struck out with a blow aimed at Duncan’s head, and as Duncan’s sword came up to parry, Roo snapped the blade around to a side attack. Duncan merely turned his wrist, bringing his blade down to catch Roo’s blade. ‘Nicely done, Cousin,’ said Duncan. ‘But you were never my equal with the blade, and you know it. Eventually, you’ll make a mistake and I’ll kill you.’
Roo said nothing. Hate filled his eyes at the realization of just how badly he had been played for an idiot. He feinted left, then came around from the right with a snapping blow that almost connected with Duncan’s left arm, but the taller swordsman danced nimbly back. ‘Karli would never marry you, you swine. She hates you.’
Smiling, Duncan said, ‘She just doesn’t know me. She doesn’t appreciate my better qualities.’ He lashed out with a full extension and almost took Roo in the shoulder. Roo ducked slightly and beat aside his cousin’s blade, then he also tried a thrust, backing Duncan away.
Sylvia stood behind the bed, in the corner, clutching the curtains. ‘Kill him, Duncan!’ she screamed. ‘Don’t play with him.’
Duncan said, ‘With pleasure,’ and suddenly attacked with more speed than Roo would have thought possible.
Roo did his best to defend, and he found his speed matched his cousin’s, but Duncan was the more experienced swordsman. One advantage Roo had was he had fought a duel to the death only a year before, while Duncan hadn’t faced a serious foe in years. Duncan began to improvise his attacks, and Roo saw his advantage. If he could wear his more skilled cousin down, tire him, he could eventually survive this duel. Roo then set about not, as Duncan closed to kill.
Back and forth they moved, slashing and thrusting, blocking and parrying. A pair of candles threw dancing shadows across the room as the fury of movement caused the flames to flicker and gutter. The sound of steel on steel brought servants to the door of Sylvia’s room. A wide-eyed maid looked in, and Sylvia screamed, ‘Get Samuel!’
Roo knew Samuel, the coachman, was a bull-necked thug of a man, and, now that he knew Jacob worked on behalf of Great Kesh, suspected Samuel might be one of Jacob’s agents. He knew that if Samuel got into the room, Roo would be distracted enough that Duncan would probably kill him.
Roo tried to look hesitant, and when Duncan took the bait, overextending his attack, Roo launched a furious counteroffensive, forcing his cousin back against the far wall. Then Roo turned and hurried to the door, slamming it shut and throwing the bolt before Duncan could recover. ‘You’ll have no help for a while, Duncan,’ he said, panting from exertion.
‘I don’t need any,’ said Duncan and began to stalk Roo across the room. Roo crouched low and waited.
Sylvia stood motionless in the corner, her face a mask of naked hatred as she watched the two men circle slowly.
Blows were exchanged, but no injury was done. Each man had the measure of the other; they had spent too many hours practicing with each other. While Duncan might be the better swordsman, Roo had spent more time drilling with him than any other; they were evenly matched.
Perspiration poured down both men’s faces and drenched their shirts. In the close air of the room on this hot summer night, they were quickly out of breath.
Back and forth to no advantage, the men fought across the room. Roo watched Duncan closely for any sign he was changing his style or tiring. Duncan’s frustration was mounting, for while he had regularly defeated Roo in practice, this time the little man was holding his own, and if anything seemed to be gaining an edge.
Pounding on the door signaled the arrival of Samuel, the coachman. ‘Miss!’ he cried through the door.
‘I’m being attacked!’ she screamed. ‘Rupert Avery is trying to kill me. His cousin Duncan is defending me. Break down the door!’
A moment later a thud signaled the assault on the door. The coachman and probably another male servant were throwing their shoulders into the door. Roo knew that the door was heavy oak, locked with an iron throw bolt; he had locked it himself enough times. They would have to find something to use as a ram; their shoulders would give out before the heavy door did.
Then Roo saw a flicker of movement and realized Sylvia was trying to run across the bed, past him, so she could unlock the door. He leaped backward and snapped a wild blow in her general direction, causing her to shriek and fall back. ‘Not so fast, my love,’ he said. ‘You and I have accounts to settle.’
Duncan let out a sound of pure frustration as he lunged and drove Roo back to the side of the bed opposite Sylvia. He glanced at the door as if gauging his chances of opening it. When his gaze flicked to the door, so did Roo’s blade, and a crimson stain spread on Duncan’s white silk shirt, as he took a nick in the right shoulder.
Roo smiled. He knew that while it was a tiny wound, the blow to Duncan’s vanity was immense. Roo had scored first blood, and Duncan would become even more dangerous and reckless.
Duncan swore and started to attack Roo as fast as he could, ignoring the door. He pushed Roo back to the corner, then lunged at him with a move designed to skewer the shorter man. Roo had anticipated the move, knowing that Duncan would follow his usual style and come at him angling toward Roo’s right. The practice over the years had revealed Roo’s tendency to move toward his own right when dodging. Roo knew Duncan knew this, and as it was the only likely move he could make, Roo did the unexpected. He leaped atop the bed on his left, bouncing off it as if he were an acrobat. He heard rather than saw Duncan’s blade strike the wall. He leaped off to stand next to Sylvia, and he turned to see Duncan pull back his own blade and leap atop the bed.
Sylvia shrieked as she pulled a dagger from behind her pillow and struck at Roo. Roo’s attention was fixed upon Duncan, but he saw movement in the corner of his eye and dodged forward slightly. Pain exploded in his shoulder as the blow, intended for his neck, missed, and the dagger point slid down his right shoulder blade, skidding off bone.
Duncan drew back his blade again, to skewer Roo as he had intended to do the last time. Roo fell back without conscious intent, and he struck Sylvia, who stumbled into the path of Duncan’s lunge.
Both men froze a moment as Duncan’s sword point drove deep into Sylvia Esterbrook’s side. The beautiful young woman, her face contorted with hate and rage, suddenly went stiff and her eyes grew round with astonishment.
She looked down as if unable to comprehend what had just happened, and then she went limp. Duncan’s blade was pulled forward briefly, and as he attempted to wrench it from Sylvia’s dying body, Roo lunged. His aim was off and his arm weak from his injury, but Duncan was overbalanced and exposed, and the point of Roo’s sword took him straight in the throat.
Duncan’s eyes suddenly widened, his astonishment a match for Sylvia’s. He stumbled backward and fell upon the bed, his head resting on one of his lover’s pillows as his hands went to his throat. Blood flowed from his neck, mouth, and nose and he gurgled as he sought to stem the flow with his hands.
Roo stood there, bleeding, in pain, and out of breath as he watched his cousin lying on Sylvia’s bed, his blood staining the satin sheets and pillows. After a moment, Duncan’s hands went limp, falling from his throat, and his head rolled around to the left, as if he was staring at Roo and Sylvia, and the life fled from his eyes.
Roo looked down at Sylvia, who lay at his feet, staring up with eyes as vacant as Duncan’s. The pounding on the door took on a steady, hard sound, and Roo knew they were using a table base or some other heavy object as a ram.
He stumbled over to the door and shouted, ‘Stand back!’
He unlatched the heavy iron latch and found three male servants, Samuel, a stablehand whose name Roo couldn’t recall, and the cook, all standing there with weapons. The cook held a kitchen cleaver, but the other two men carried swords.
Roo glared at the three and said, ‘Stand aside or die.’
Looking at the blood-spattered carnage behind the little man with the sword in his hand, the three servants moved back. Roo stepped into the hall.
Behind the three men waited the other servants, maids, cooks, gardeners, and the rest. Roo said, ‘Sylvia is dead.’
One of the maids gasped, while another smiled in obvious satisfaction.
Roo said, ‘There’s an army heading this way. It will be here sometime tomorrow. Grab what you can and run east. If you don’t, by this time tomorrow night you’ll be raped and dead or slaves. Now stand aside!’
No one hesitated. All turned and fled down the stairway.
Roo staggered down the stairs, and when he reached the bottom, he saw servants were busy stripping the house of easily transportable items. He thought of returning to Jacob’s study and killing the traitor, but he was too tired. It would take all his strength to return home. His wound wasn’t critical, but it could be serious if it wasn’t tended.
Staggering outside, he found his horse where he had left it tied. He put his sword in its sheath, and by force of will he climbed into the saddle. Pointing the horse toward the gate, he put heels to sides, and the animal cantered off, heading home.
Luis dressed Roo’s shoulder while Karli fussed about, holding a basin of water. ‘It’s not bad,’ said Luis. ‘The bone’s laid bare, but it’s all over the shoulder blade.’ He was sewing up the wound with a piece of silk thread and a needle from Karli’s sewing kit. ‘Very messy, but nothing permanent.’ As Roo flinched, he said, ‘Must hurt like hell, though.’
Roo, pale from blood loss and pain, said, ‘It does.’
‘Well, if an artery had been cut you’d be dead by now, so count yourself fortunate.’ He pulled tight the last stitch and motioned for a cloth, cleaning off the wound. ‘We’ll change the dressing twice a day and keep the wound clean. If it festers, you’ll be very sick.’
Both men had been trained in dressing wounds, so Roo knew he was in good hands. Helen Jacoby said, ‘I’m sorry about Duncan.’
Roo had told them Duncan and he had been jumped by bandits, fleeing before the invading army. He looked at Karli and decided he’d tell her the truth when everything was over, when his family was safe and he could ask her forgiveness. He might never love his wife, but now he knew that what he had with her was a great deal more solid than the illusion of love he had felt for Sylvia.
All the way home, his wound pulsing with every heartbeat, he had cursed himself for a fool. How could he think she loved him? He had never been loved in his life, save perhaps by Erik and the other men who had served with him across the sea, and that was the love of comrades. He had never known the love of women, just their embrace.
Twice he had found tears running down his face as he thought of the number of times he had dreamed of that murderous bitch being the mother of his children, and his anger at himself mounted.
And his trust of Duncan … How could he have been so blind? He had let the fact of blood ties and easy charm mislead him about the man’s true nature: he was lazy, self-serving, and conniving. He was a true Avery, Roo decided.
Drinking the mug of water Helen gave him, Roo said, ‘Luis, if anything happens to me, I want you to run Avery and Son for Karli.’
Karli’s eyes grew round and tears began to form. ‘No!’ She knelt before her husband and said, ‘Nothing’s going to happen to you!’ She seemed almost desperate at the thought of losing Roo.
Roo smiled. ‘Something almost did, tonight. I don’t plan on leaving this world any time soon, but I’ve seen enough of war to know that a man’s not consulted about his time of death.’ He set down his mug and gripped her hands. ‘I’m talking about “in case,” nothing more.’
‘I understand.’
Then he looked at Helen and said, ‘I would like it if you’d stay with us for a while. After this is over, I mean. We’re all going to have to rebuild, and we’re going to need as many friends around to help as we can find.’
She smiled and said, ‘Of course. You’ve been most generous to me and the children. They look upon you as they would a father, and I can’t thank you enough for the care you’ve taken in conducting my business.’
Roo stood. ‘I’m afraid both our companies are going to be the worse for wear when this war is over.’
Helen nodded, and said, ‘We’ll survive. Then we’ll rebuild.’
Roo smiled and looked at his wife, who still looked afraid. ‘You two get some sleep. We leave in a few hours. Luis and I have a lot to discuss before then.’
‘Your wound,’ said Karli. ‘You need to rest.’
‘I’ll rest in the coach, I promise. I won’t ride for a day or two.’
‘Very well,’ she said, motioning for Helen to accompany her upstairs.
Both women had awakened when Roo returned, and were wearing their long night shifts. As they climbed the stairs, Luis’s eyes followed Helen until they vanished from sight. ‘She’s quite a woman,’ said Roo’s old companion.
Roo had admired the way the thin fabric of her nightdress had hugged the curve of her hip as she mounted the stairs, and said, ‘I have always thought so.’
Luis said, ‘So what really happened?’
Roo looked at Luis. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I know a dagger wound when I see one. I’ve given enough of them, and you were struck from the side and rear. Had that been a bandit who knew what he was doing, you’d have been dead.’ He sat down on a chair opposite Roo’s. ‘And bandits don’t jump armed men with nothing worth stealing.’
‘I went to the Esterbrooks’ estate.’
Luis nodded. ‘You found Duncan with Sylvia.’
‘You knew?’
The older fighter nodded. ‘Of course I knew. I’d have to be a blind idiot not to.’
‘I guess that makes me a blind idiot.’
‘Most men are when they think with that,’ he said, pointing to Roo’s crotch. ‘Duncan’s been bedding the wench for more than a year.’
‘You said nothing! Why?’
Luis sighed. ‘The reason I left the court of Rodez in shame was over a woman. I was made a fool of by a noble’s wife. I wounded him in a fight. By the time I reached Krondor and was captured, he had died and I was to be hanged for murder. That’s when I met you in the cell.’ He nodded in memory. ‘I know what it is to think you’re in love, to be blinded by beauty and made stupid by the soft touch and warm scent. I know the lady who ruined me was a calculating bitch who had no more use for me after I left her bed than she had for the servant who cleaned her shoes, but even now the thought of her in the warm candlelight can arouse my hunger.’ He closed his eyes in memory. ‘I can’t say that if she appeared outside now, inviting me once again to share her bed, I could be wise enough to say no.
‘Some men never learn, and some learn before it’s too late. Which are you?’
Roo said, ‘I never want to be that big an idiot again.’
‘Yet you gaze upon Helen Jacoby and wonder what it would be like to rest in those lovely arms, to rest your head upon that ample bosom, to feel her legs wrap around you.’
Roo looked at Luis and his gaze narrowed. ‘What are you saying?’
Luis shrugged. ‘Part of it is what any healthy man would wonder, for Helen is a beautiful woman, who has a warm and generous nature – I have thoughts about all such women, though I keep such thoughts to myself; all men do – but another part of it is Rupert Avery looking for something he doesn’t have.’
‘What is that?’
‘I don’t know, my friend,’ said Luis, standing. ‘But you won’t find it in the arms of another woman, any more than you found it in the arms of your wife or Sylvia Esterbrook.’ He reached over and touched Roo on the head. ‘You’ll find it here.’ Then he touched him on the chest. ‘And here.’
Roo sighed. ‘Maybe you’re right.’
‘I know I’m right,’ said Luis. ‘Besides, Helen is as dangerous in her own way as Sylvia was.’
‘Why?’ asked Roo. ‘Sylvia betrayed me and was using Duncan to try to kill Karli and marry me, then kill me to get my fortune.’ He looked hard at Luis. ‘You can’t think Helen is like that.’
‘No,’ said Luis, with a sigh. ‘She’s dangerous in a different way. She really loves you.’ Turning toward the door, he said, ‘When this is over, you would do well to send her away. See to her care if you must, but let her go, Roo.
‘Now I must go see to the wagons. You rest. You need it.’
Roo sat alone in the chair and felt all strength drain from him. It was all he could do to rise and move to a divan a few feet away and lie upon it, face down so as not to put pressure on his shoulder. Helen in love with him? It couldn’t be possible. Like him, yes. Be grateful for his care of her and the children, yes. But love him? It couldn’t be.
Then Roo felt all the anger, pain, and loneliness of his life rush to the surface. He had never felt so stupid, inept, and ill-used. Two people he thought loved him had plotted to kill him and were dead.
Now Luis was telling him that the woman he admired the most in the world was in love with him, and he must send her away. Tears came unbidden as he lay there, feeling sorry for himself, and anger at his own shortcomings. Sleep came quickly as exhaustion overtook self-pity, and it seemed only brief moments of rest were his before Luis was waking him, telling him it was time to leave his home.
Roo rose on shaky legs and let Luis give him a hand to where the wagons were lined up. Roo blinked and realized Karli, Helen, and the children were all in his coach, ready to go. ‘I let you sleep to the last minute,’ said Luis, indicating that Roo should enter the coach.
Roo glanced to the west and saw the sun rising. ‘We should have been gone an hour ago,’ he said.
Luis shrugged. ‘We had much to do and little time to do it. An extra hour will not see us safe.’ He pointed to the west.
In the grey light of dawn, Roo saw towers of smoke in the distance. Burning homes. To the northwest faint glimmers of fire could be seen. ‘They’re close,’ he said.
‘Yes,’ said Luis. ‘Let us go.’
Roo entered the carriage and crowded in beside Karli. Helmut, his son, sat on his mother’s other side, while Helen was flanked by her two children. Abigail sat on the floor of the carriage, between Karli’s feet, playing with a doll and singing a little song. Roo let his head loll on his wife’s shoulder, closing his eyes.
The ride was bumpy and probably would not let him sleep, but he would rest his eyes awhile. As sleep returned to Roo, he wondered how Jacob Esterbrook would do in his negotiations with the invaders.
Jacob Esterbrook sat quietly behind his desk. He knew the first moments of his confrontation with these new invaders would be critical. If he showed fear or panic, any hint of uncertainty or hostility, they would react badly. But if he was calm and merely asked to speak to someone in authority, someone who could relay his message from key figures in the Keshian court to this Emerald Queen, he was certain his position would be protected.
He had experienced some surprising distress on discovering his daughter was dead. He had never liked the girl much, but she had proved useful, as had her mother before her.
Jacob wondered why some men felt so much concern over matters of children, who remained a mystery to him.
The sound of horses outside announced the arrival of the raiders, and Jacob composed himself. He had thought of what he would say. Footfalls echoed in the hall outside, and the door was thrown open.
Two oddly dressed men entered, one with a sword and shield, the other with a bow. Both had their hair heavily greased, with long braids that hung in a semicircle below their heads, and both wore scars on their cheeks, ritual in nature, Jacob decided, rather than from combat.
Jacob held up both hands to show he was unarmed, the scroll of credentials held in his left hand. His intelligence about the far continent had told him the denizens of that far land spoke a variant of the Keshian tongue, one used years ago in the Bitter Sea, related to the dialects of Queg and Yabon.
‘Greetings,’ said Jacob slowly. ‘I wish to speak to someone in authority. I have a message from the Emperor of Great Kesh.’
The two warriors looked at one another. The bowman asked a question of the other, in a language unlike anything Jacob had ever heard before, and the one with the shield nodded to the bowman. The archer raised his weapon and snapped off an arrow, which pinned Jacob to the back of his chair.
As the light fled from Jacob’s eyes, he saw the two men pull knives and approach him.
Later that morning a captain of one of the many mercenary companies serving the Emerald Queen rode up with a squad of twenty men. They fanned out, ten circling the estate, while eight dismounted and hurried inside, the remaining two holding the horses. Every man in the company was starving and anything besides food was going to be ignored for a while.
A few moments later one of the fighters came out of the house with a disgusted expression on his face. ‘What is it?’ asked the captain.
‘Those damn Jikanji cannibals. They’re in there eating someone.’
The captain shook his head. ‘Right now I’m half-tempted to join them.’ He glanced around. ‘Where’s Kanhtuk? He speaks their gibberish. We need to tell them to get down the road and find some food besides long pig.’
The men returned and one said, ‘There’s some livestock in back: chickens, a dog, and some horses!’ Another rider came up and said, ‘There’s cattle in the field, Captain!’
With a laugh, the captain dismounted. ‘Take the horses for remounts. And let’s slaughter those chickens. Get a fire going.’
Men ran to do as they were bidden. The captain knew the beef would have to go to the Queen’s quartermaster, but he and his men were going to have some chicken first. At the thought of hot chicken his stomach cramped. He had never been so hungry in his life.
As men started killing chickens, the captain shouted, ‘And slaughter that dog!’
He felt relief they had found food. How a land that looked so lush could be so devoid of anything to eat was a mystery. They had found gold and gems, fine cloth and items of rare beauty, everything that was usually hidden, and no food. Throughout his life as a soldier, those who ran took their gold and jewelry, valuables of every stripe, with them, but they didn’t carry off grain, flour, vegetables, and fowl. Even game animals were scarce, as if they had been driven away. It was as if the enemy were retreating and taking everything they could eat with them. It made no sense.
The mercenary captain sat down as a man emerged from the house holding bottles of wine. He greedily drank down the wine and absently wondered how long he could have resisted joining the Jikanji at their feast.
Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he realized he was free not to worry about that pass for a few more days. In the distance he heard the barking dog fall silent with a single whimper, and the squawk of chickens as their necks were wrung.