His arm was starting to drive him to distraction. Two nights ago he had taken off the bandage to bathe the stump again and found it transformed. The five little bumps had lengthened and what appeared to be a tiny hand was growing on the end of his stump. It didn’t look so much like a baby’s hand as it did a tiny replica of his own before it had been severed. He wondered how long it would take to grow to full size, if it ever did. Given Nakor’s quirky nature, discovering the priest did a half-baked job wouldn’t surprise Tal.
By the end of the second month at the farm, Tal had recruited a core of seasoned fighters. He had decided to hire only the very best, both in terms of experience and reliability. He wanted a cadre of men around him he could rely upon, and knew that if things turned sour in battle, many mercenaries would throw down their weapons rather than fight to the death. He also knew that if his core fighters were the sort of men who could be counted on to fight until the end, those around them might be more resolute in the face of adversity.
It was midsummer, a week before the festival of Banapis, when one of the young former slaves ran into the farmhouse shouting, “Captain! Riders to the north.”
Tal stood up from the table where he had been reading messages and went outside. He looked northward and saw that a large company of riders was indeed approaching. By the time he could make out any details, he saw there were close to two hundred in the party. “Get everyone ready,” said Tal.
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The youngster ran off and spread the word. As the company approached, Quint came to stand at Tal’s side.
“Trouble?”
“If they keep riding in a file, no. If they spread out, they’re going to hit us.”
The column stayed in a file, and at last the lead rider could clearly be seen. Tal put his sword away and said,
“It’s all right. It’s a friend.”
Tal walked forward and waved his left hand. The lead rider urged his horse forward to a trot. He was a brawny man with a drooping mustache and an oft-broken nose.
When they reached one another, the rider reined in and said, “Tal Hawkins!”
“John Creed,” Tal answered. “You got my message.”
Creed got down from his horse. “Indeed. Though I’ll tell you it was delivered by the most irritating little man I’ve ever met.” They embraced, and Creed asked, “What happened to your arm?”
“Long story.”
“Well, your man said you were down here looking to build an army and could I bring some bullyboys from the north. I’ve got two hundred of the best I could find.” He motioned for his men to dismount, and they did.
Tal turned to his own people, and shouted, “Help them get those horses cared for!”
A dozen of his young mercenaries ran forward and started directing Creed’s men toward a large pasture area.
Tal introduced Creed to Quint and said, “What did you mean, the messenger was irritating?”
“He was a funny little fellow, looked almost like he might have been a monk or priest, but he was a demon with a deck of cards. Took most of my gold before he left.”
“Nakor,” said Tal, shaking his head. “Well, gold is the least of my problems.”
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Creed said, “Given how well you paid last time, I had no trouble getting this lot to come along. I hope that’s enough for you.”
“It’s a start,” said Tal as they entered the farmhouse.
“Before I’ve finished, I’m going to need a thousand more, perhaps two thousand.”
“What are you thinking of ?”
“I’m going to sack Opardum,” said Tal.
Creed stopped and stared at Tal, an expression of be-wilderment on his face. “You don’t think small, do you?”
“As I said, it’s a long story,” said Tal. “I’ll explain over a drink. Wine? Ale?”
“Whatever’s close.”
They sat at the table, and Tal fetched a wine bottle.
He poured drinks for himself, Quint, and Creed, and said,
“Kaspar’s got out of control, and there are two, perhaps three nations ready to jump him any day now. When that happens, I plan on being there for the kill.”
“Well, that’s all well and good,” said Creed after taking a drink, “but revenge doesn’t pay the bills.”
“Same as last time. Pay while you’re waiting and booty when the fighting’s over.”
“That’s enough,” said Creed. “I can get more men if you need them.”
“Send messengers. I want them here by the end of summer.”
“I can do that.”
“How many men?” asked Quint.
“A hundred or so down in Inaska; that’s where I was born, and I’ve still got friends there. Another two or three hundred from along the borders of the disputed lands. I can have them meet up at Olasko Gateway and sail here from Opardum. As long as no one there knows what the coming fight is, they should have no trouble passing through.”
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“It might be a good way to get some intelligence about what Kaspar is doing, too,” opined Quint.
“Is there one man in the area you can trust?” Tal asked Creed.
“I’ll see if I can find an old comrade of mine, Daniel Toskova. He’s smart and will keep his mouth shut. If I can get word to him, he’ll have a thing or two to tell. Last I heard he was up in Far Reaches. Getting word to him will be the trick.”
“Leave that to me,” said Tal. “I can get messages out there.”
Creed said, “So what is the plan?”
“I want at least five hundred swords here before we leave, and I’d like to have made contact with two or three reliable companies we can join up with for the assault.”
“That’s a full battalion,” said Quint. “The logistics will be a nightmare if you’re out in the field for more than a week or two.”
Tal said, “I don’t plan on being out in the field that long. I plan on no more than a week from the time we touch down on Olaskan soil until we’re inside the citadel.”
“How so?” asked Creed.
Tal said, “Because I know a way into the citadel that even Kaspar has no idea exists.”
Quint said, “I’ve been over every inch of the citadel, and I know every door and passageway. There is no such entrance.”
Tal said, “With due respect, you’re wrong. And if you were still commanding today, you’d not have a hint how we got in while my men were storming the walls from the inside in support of those who were scaling the walls.”
“You’ll have to tell me about this one,” said Quint.
“In due time. First I have some errands to run.” To _______________
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Creed he said, “Give me a list of mercenary captains you trust and where I might find them, and if they can be reached, we’ll have word to them by the end of this week.”
“What? Are you using magic?”
“In a word, yes,” said Tal. To Quint he said, “Make John here our third in command, then start getting his men into shape.”
“Where are you going to be?” asked Quint.
Tal grinned. “After I finish sending the messages, I’ve got to take a short trip.”
“Why? What are you going to do?” asked Creed.
Tal said, “Why, I’ve got to go and start a war.”
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EIGHTEEN
DECEPTION
Tal waited.
The tension in the court was palpable. That this was no conventional audience was made evident by the company of royal household guards lining the walls, and the dozen crossbowmen in the galleries on either side of the hall and above the throne.
King Ryan of the Isles sat motionless, his dress casual, for this meeting had been hastily called. To Tal’s right sto
od a man in black robes, who despite his short stature exuded power. Pug, the legendary Black Sorcerer and distant relative to the royal family by adoption, waited.
The King motioned for the two men to approach and they did, until a line of soldiers stepped before them, halting their progress.
The King looked at the two men and said at last, “My father warned me you might appear someday, Pug. From _______________
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what he said, I take it your parting with him was less than convivial.”
Pug smiled. “That’s an understatement, Majesty.”
“As he recounted things, you renounced your allegiance to the Isles, gave up your hereditary titles, and said some fairly unflattering things to him.”
“Again, an understatement, Your Majesty.” Pug paused, then said, “In his youth, King Patrick was not the patient and reflective man you knew in later years. He was given to hot temper and rash judgment. I acted out of al-truistic motives; I didn’t wish to see him plunge the Isles into a war with Great Kesh mere months after having seen half the Western Realm devastated by the armies of the Emerald Queen.”
“Yes,” said the King. “That’s something along the lines of what I heard. Nevertheless, your renunciation of your titles is considered treason by some. So, let’s put this aside for the time being and get to the point. Why are you here?” Then he pointed at Tal. “And why have you brought this assassin into my court?”
“Because Talwin Hawkins was a young man put at risk, then sacrificed by Duke Kaspar of Olasko for Kaspar’s own personal gains. He was duped, then betrayed, and by way of atonement, he wishes to warn Your Majesty of a grave threat to the Isles. I’m here on his behalf to vouch for him, and to reassure Your Majesty that what he will tell you is true.”
Tal bowed awkwardly, somewhat hampered by the sling holding his regenerating arm. He straightened and said, “Majesty, I am certain your own agents have kept you apprised of Kaspar’s seemingly endless plots and intrigues.
As you know, he was behind the death of Princess Svetlana of Salmater, and because of this has managed to convince the Prince to acknowledge Kaspar as his liege lord.”
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“I had not heard of that arrangement,” said the King.
Tal motioned to a guardsman, then to Pasko, who had come along with Pug from Sorcerer’s Isle. Pasko handed the guard a parchment. “This is a sealed copy, gained at much risk from Kaspar’s own archives, stipulating the conditions of the relationship under which Salmater and Olasko now exist.”
The King took the document from the guard. “How do I know this is authentic?”
“I’ll vouch for its authenticity, Majesty,” said Pug.
“And how did you come by this?”
Tal answered. “There are those still within Kaspar’s court who are sympathetic to former victims of his tyranny. If Your Majesty is familiar with Baron Visniya and Baron Stolinko of Olasko, you should know that they were imprisoned with me for a while by Kaspar’s personal order. They and other nobles have been murdered or imprisoned for imagined infractions, or for the personal gain of others in Kaspar’s service. Those wrongly imprisoned men still have friends within the court, friends who will undertake to keep us abreast of any conditions that may bear upon our coming assault on Opardum.”
“You mean to attack Opardum?” said the King. “I admire your candor, young Hawkins. And your courage.
Might you enlighten me as to where you have found an army to lead into such a battle?”
“Majesty, I will have three thousand dedicated soldiers at my command by the first week of autumn.”
“A significant force for raiding a border outpost or even sacking a minor garrison, but to take Opardum you will need”—he glanced at the Knight-Marshal, Lord Lawrence Malcolm, who mouthed a figure—“twenty thousand or more. Attacking by sea and land, if I’m right.”
He glanced again at his military advisor, who nodded.
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“That would be true, Majesty, in a conventional assault. But my three thousand will be attacking Opardum from the rear.”
The King laughed. “The rear? Correct me if I’m wrong, young sir, but the citadel at Opardum is hard against a cliff face, and if I also remember correctly, there’s no way to get above it.”
“True, but there is a way in, Majesty. And that is where my army will attack.”
The King seemed to be growing impatient. “Well, then, that’s splendid. I wish you well in your endeavor.
Some nearby nations are bad neighbors, but Kaspar is something of a bully, and I will not shed a tear to see him gone. But what has this to do with the Isles?”
“I need a diversion.”
The King sat speechless for a full minute, then he said, “You need a diversion?”
“Sire, I can show you a course from within the Southern Islands, avoiding Inaska entirely, and you can land an army that would threaten either Opardum or Olasko Gateway. Kaspar would be forced to leave soldiers in Olasko Gateway, rather than bring them up for support.”
“Or he could march armies from both cities and crush my forces between them!”
“He’ll be too busy to risk it, Majesty.”
“Why?”
“Because the King of Roldem will have a fleet at anchor off Opardum, loaded with several thousand Keshian Dog Soldiers.”
“Kesh!” the King almost yelled. “What has Kesh to do with Kaspar?”
“Kaspar has been found out in the murder of Prince Phillip of Aranor.”
“That’s hardly news, Squire, since Princess Alena is _______________
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guesting here in Rillanon. We have dispatched strong messages to Kaspar on this subject, and expect he will see to her return and assure us that a regent will rule until the Prince is of an age to take the throne.”
“With respect, Majesty, that is hardly likely to happen with Kaspar in Olasko. The King of Roldem also realizes this, and he also knows that Kaspar removed Phillip, just as he attempted to remove Duke Rodoski, to put himself closer to King Carol’s throne. Kaspar means to see himself King of Roldem, Majesty.”
“So it seems, but it also hardly seems likely.”
“It will be very likely if Kaspar marches his army to Farinda and puts ten thousand men and horses on your border, sire. You will have no option but to march your forces up to meet him there. Meanwhile, he will be in Roldem being crowned.”
“And how will he accomplish this? By magic?”
Pug stepped forward. “Precisely, Majesty. And that is why you must act in concert with us in this matter, for if you do not, then I will wager that Kaspar will be sitting upon the throne of Roldem before year’s end, and more-over, he will not be content to stay there. He will move again, first against the other Eastern Kingdoms, bringing Miskalon, Roskalon, and the others into line with Salmater, forming up principalities and duchies loyal to King Kaspar of Roldem, and then he’ll move against Rillanon.”
The King was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “You paint a bleak portrait, gentlemen. Very well, I will hear more. You will meet with my council after the midday meal and present all your evidence. But I warn you, if it is not persuasive, you will be departing this palace instantly.
Neither of you is trusted here, sirs, and you must show us a great deal before trust will be forthcoming. Now, your _______________
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comfort will be seen to, and we will meet again this afternoon.”
Pug, Tal, and Pasko bowed and departed. Outside in the corridor, Tal turned to Pug and said, “So, that’s the first step.”
Pug said, “With many more steps to follow.”
They followed a page who had been sent to show them to guest quarters, where they might eat and freshen up before the afternoon meeting w
ith the King and his council.
Inside the room they found a large table set with refreshments and two day couches large enough to nap upon if they so desired. A servant there waited to act upon their every request, but Pug turned to him and said,
“Leave us.”
The servant bowed and left them alone. Pug closed his eyes, waved his hands, then declared, “We are safe from being overheard by magic.” To Pasko he said, “Wait outside the door and see we are not overheard by more mundane means.” Pasko nodded and left the room.
Tal poured a goblet of wine and inclined his head toward Pug, asking if he wished one. “Water will do,” Pug replied.
Tal poured water for Pug, handed it to him, then picked up the wine in his left hand. He flexed the small fingers on his right hand, under the bandages, and wondered again at the magic used. Every movement hurt, but at the same time, it felt wonderful to have true sensation back there. He knew the pain would fade; Nakor had reassured him that it would lessen in time, and that exercise would hasten the healing. He knew one thing: when he faced Kaspar it would be with his sword in his right hand.
Tal said, “So, then, it begins.”
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“Yes,” said the sorcerer. “We will have the Isles’ support before the day is out.”
Tal sat in a chair and put his feet up on another. Pug sat on one of the day couches. Tal asked, “Is there even a shred of truth in what we told the King?”
“Truth is a negotiable concept, I’ve learned over the years.”
“Do I have even an inkling of what is really at play here?”
Pug said, “I don’t know if any of us does, or if we’re capable of truly understanding.” He was silent for a moment, then added, “You’ve been through a lot, Tal. You’re not yet thirty years of age, but you’ve suffered more than most men do in two lifetimes. When this is over, if we survive, I will tell you as much as I can.”
“If we survive?”
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