'I did, didn't I?'
'Sir. But then, I think he expected it. I judged him to be a man unable to break an oath, so he was counting on you betraying him first when he took service with you.'
Kaspar laughed his barking laugh. 'So, had I not sold him out to set up Rodoski's murder, he might still be in my service and I might still be Duke of Olasko?'
'Possibly, Magnificence. Who am I to know such things? In any event, when it was obvious to me that the citadel was going to fall, I merely waited and stripped a dead Keshian soldier of his uniform. I left the citadel with the victorious troops, and I speak fair Keshian, so no one noticed. I was just another dog soldier with blood on his tunic. There was enough looting and drunkenness on the way out to the harbor that it was simple to vanish into an empty building, lie low for a few days, then emerge. I've been attempting to leave Opardum ever since you vanished, but unfortunately, I lack means.'
'A clever fellow like you? I would have thought it easy enough for you to get passage.'
Amafi sighed. 'Magnificence, I am past fifty years of age, and by trade I am an assassin. In my youth, you would never have made it to the table, let alone pushed me back before I could kill you.'
'But now I am reduced to this low estate, and the only other trade to which I may lay claim is body-servant to nobility, and how might I gain employment when the only reference I have is a man who would most happily kill me?'
Kaspar laughed. 'Well, I have a proposition. As I said in the commons, I may have a way to keep Hawkins from cutting either of our throats, and more, get you safely away from here to somewhere you might retire.'
'I have some small savings in Salador. If I could get there . . . ?' He shrugged.
'Help me get to Tal Hawkins and I'll get you to Salador. And there'll be more in it than whatever pitiful savings you might have. I'll set you up for life.'
Amafi looked at Kaspar with a jaundiced eye. 'That wouldn't take much if my life is measured in days.'
Kaspar laughed. 'You are a rogue, Amafi, and I should have your throat cut on general principle, but while I hardly trust you to be loyal, I do trust you to have a strong self-interest.'
'So, you may not harbor any ill-will because I deserted you in your hour of need—you are, after all, a wise and understanding man—'
Kaspar laughed. 'Never, in my forty-odd years has anyone called me that.'
Amafi shrugged, 'In any event, you may forgive me my slight indiscretion, but my former master may not. After all, it was I who betrayed him to you.'
'And I obliterated his nation, yet he forgave me. I think he'll be inclined to let you get out of the city rather than hang you once you've got us together. He'll have far more important things on his mind.'
'Well, then, I am your man again, Magnificence. It has been a hard year, and from the look of you, for both of us. It took me nearly ten minutes to recognize you.'
'Really?'
'You don't know how much you've changed? You must see yourself in a mirror, Magnificence. You will hardly recognize yourself.'
'I could use a bath and new clothing,' said Kaspar.
'Then instruct me as to what I must do, and then while I do it, go to the bathhouse tomorrow and then to a tailor. If I can find my former master, you should look your best when you meet.'
'What do you mean "find him"? I thought he would be here in the city, running things.'
'Hardly. He left your former Captain Quentin Havrevulen, along with Counts Stolinko and Visniya to form a triumvirate to rule in your sister's name until they sorted things out. Which was accomplished when the King of Roldem named Duke Rodoski as the new Duke of Olasko and married him to your sister.'
'The King of Roldem? And Kesh and Isles let that pass?'
'They had to: Hawkins made Olasko a province of Aranor, and both of them vassals to Roldem.'
Kaspar sat back. 'So we're part of Roldem now?'
'Yes, and so far it seems to be working. At least taxes haven't gone up, and no foreign armies march through the streets, so the populace is content.'
'I underestimated Hawkins on more than one front. But where did he go?'
'Rumor is that he found a girl of his people and went back into the mountains. I will need a little gold to get information.'
'You'll have it. And while I improve my appearance, I expect you to spend it wisely. Find out where my old enemy has gone. It is imperative I find him.'
'Yes, Magnificence, though I find it odd you're so anxious to find your former vassal and have no wish to kill him.'
'Oh, I would love to kill him,' said Kaspar. 'I haven't changed that much, but there are far more important things than revenge afoot right now.'
'Then I will do what I can.'
Kaspar said, 'That is all one can ask. Now, you sleep on the floor, and don't try anything crafty—my motionless servant over there is quite capable of pulling your arms out of their sockets if you attempt to kill me while I sleep.'
Amafi glanced at the Talnoy and nodded. 'It is a thing of baleful aspect, and while it may be nothing more than a suit of armor you have in the corner for reasons I can't begin to imagine, I would never think of doing such a thing, Magnificence. At least not when there is no profit in it.'
Kaspar laughed, then lay down on the bed. 'Blow out the candle and get some sleep. We have much to do tomorrow.'
Amafi had been right. Few would recognize him. He regarded himself in the mirror, a fine piece of silver-backed polished glass. He had possessed one this fine up in the citadel, but he hadn't seen a good looking-glass since . . . He laughed.
The tailor said, 'Sir?'
'Nothing, just thinking what old friends might say if they saw me now.'
'They would say you're a man of unusually good judgment and rare taste, sir.'
He had gone to a bathhouse and had got as clean as he had been in a year. He then had a barber come and trim his hair to a respectable length, though shorter than he had worn it before his exile. His beard he had not trimmed as before, when he used to keep his upper lip shaved. It was thinned out and cut close, but he kept the moustache and wore the beard fuller along the jaw.
But his concerns over being recognized were considerably lessened. He hadn't been this thin since he was a youth. In the span of a well-lived lifetime, he had put on a certain bulk, though he prided himself on being fit. Now he was lean. He could see hollows in his cheeks and when he took off his old shirt and allowed the tailor to fit him with a new one, he could see his ribs.
Rather than wait for days, he had paid the tailor to make him a suitable ensemble in one day, though it meant standing for fittings repeatedly all afternoon. It didn't matter: he had nowhere to go and nothing else to do, so when it came time for him to confront those in power in Olasko these days, he might as well be presentable.
'That will do for the moment, sir,' said the tailor, a man named Swan. 'If you care to wait, I should have this finished within the hour.'
He had sent for a boot-maker who had measured his foot and was now returning. 'I have several that may do until I can finish the boots you ordered, sir.'
Kaspar had simply introduced himself as a gentleman from Sulth, which was true. He didn't think either merchant cared that they had never heard of the city of Sulth as long as the gold marked the touchstone correctly. It would probably be wise to find a moneychanger and exchange some of his Novindus gold for the local coin.
While he was trying on boots and selecting a pair, Amafi returned. Kaspar paid the boot-maker and arranged to have the custom-made boots delivered to the inn where he was staying; then he took Amafi into a corner of the tailor's shop. 'What have you found?'
'I have discovered a way to get a message to your sister, Magnificence. It will cost only a little gold, for the girl who works in the palace is a foolish child who is easily gulled. But it is dangerous, for should anyone discover she's bringing word to the Duchess from her brother she will babble like a brook.'
'Such is the risk,' said Kaspar. He
took a small piece of folded vellum out of his tunic. 'Send this to Talia tonight.'
'The girl will be in a tavern near the citadel, for she has family working there. She helps out in the citadel's kitchen and laundry, but she does not live there. It may take a day or two for her to find a means to slip the note to your sister, but she claims she is able.'
'Something troubles you, Amafi?'
The old assassin rubbed his hands as if they were cold. 'Ayee,' he said, a sound of pure exasperation, 'you'll forgive me, Magnificence, but I have had a poor run lately; I tend to be picking the losing sides. I served Talwin and you betrayed him, then you, and you were in turn betrayed. I'm hoping my luck is due for a change.'
'We both are,' said Kaspar dryly. 'Now go. Look for me tonight at the River House.' He tossed a small purse to the man. 'When you're done, come back and buy yourself some decent apparel. I can't have you coming to the River House looking like a rag-picker.'
'Yes, Magnificence,' said Amafi with a grin. 'I shall serve.'
Kaspar watched him leave and sighed. The chances were even that the wily old killer would sell him to the constables the first chance he got if he thought he could somehow avoid being confronted with his own malefactions, but Kaspar had to take risks at this point. His sister was the only one with authority who might keep him alive long enough to fulfill his mission.
Kaspar could feel it. He was close. Close to taking that infernal thing in his room to the palace, close to explaining the situation and, hopefully, finding Talwin Hawkins and through him, the Conclave of Shadows.
The River House was one of the finest dining establishments in Olasko, according to all reports. It had been opened in the last six months, so Kaspar had obviously never dined there, but he felt the need of a good meal. An epicurean, Kaspar hadn't had what he considered a decent meal since before his capture. If his time was short, he at least would live well for the last few days. Besides, he was convinced no one would recognize him given his relatively new appearance.
The owners were a couple from the Kingdom, a cook and his wife, and this had become the place to dine among the wealthy commons and minor nobility. In past years it had been the estate of a noble whom Kaspar's father had ruined. The home had changed hands several times, and most recently it had been something of an inn, with a brothel upstairs. Now it had been completely renovated and was providing meals at midday and at night in the fashion that had come from Bas-Tyra. With no bar or common room, it was neither inn nor tavern. Rather it was called a restaurant, in that language, a place to be restored. It was proving so popular in the Bas-Tyra province of the Kingdom of the Isles, that similar establishments were appearing in major cities throughout the region. It was a perfect place to dine for those with homes which were too small to entertain in, or for those whose means prevented them from having a cook on their staff.
The room was crowded. If the throng desiring to be seated tonight was an indication, the food would live up to its reputation. Kaspar had been forced to give the manager a healthy bribe to find him a small table in the corner, and only because it was early in the evening.
The corner suited Kaspar, as he could easily watch who came and went. Several familiar faces dotted the room, not people he knew well, but rich commoners and minor nobles of his court. He found it amusing that none of them noticed him there. He started slowly, with a cold white wine imported from the Kingdom, while he dined on shellfish and raw shrimp. The dishes were superb.
As he ate, Kaspar saw more familiar faces come into the room, yet no one gave him a second glance. He realized something about human nature; people do not recognize one another outside a familiar context unless they are very well acquainted. No one for a moment considered that the man in the corner might be a thinner, sunburned, fitter Kaspar of Olasko, because no one expected ever to see the former duke sitting in the corner of this establishment, dining at his leisure. At most someone might say, 'I saw a fellow tonight who bore an uncanny resemblance to the old Duke. What do you think of that?'
The pretty woman who served him was named Magary, the cook's wife, and she was charming without being flirtatious—a welcome change from the coarse serving women he had encountered everywhere he had dined since his exile began. She recommended several dishes. By the second course, Kaspar was determined to at least taste everything she recommended, even if he couldn't finish every dish, for the flavors were stupendous.
The other woman serving customers was a regal-looking woman with reddish-blonde hair, who would have been called beautiful if it hadn't been for her aloof manner. She smiled, but there was little warmth in it.
Kaspar was trying a new dish—fresh field-greens with a vinegar and fruit compote on the side, covered in lemon juice and spices. The crunchy texture took some getting used to, but the flavors were wonderful. Magary poured Kaspar a different white wine and said, 'The tartness of the dressing on the salad clashes with most wine, but I think you'll find this one goes well with it.'
It did indeed, and Kaspar complimented her on the choice as he began another course, a whole stuffed squab with spices and a sauce that made him want to linger.
As he finished the bird, Kaspar saw Amafi enter the establishment, and point to Kaspar. The manager looked in Kaspar's direction and Kaspar waved the Quegan over to his table.
As Amafi sat down, Kaspar said, 'You must try the squab. It is amazing.'
'So I have heard, Magnificence.'
'You look good,' Kaspar said, indicating with a wave of his fork Amafi's new clothing.
'Thank you. It feels good to be clean again.'
Magary came over and when she saw Amafi her face froze and she hesitated. She turned and vanished into the kitchen.
Amafi sat motionless for a moment, then stood, 'Magnificence, we must leave, now!'
Kaspar sat back. 'What?'
Amafi reached over and took him by the arm. 'Now, sir, at once. I've been recognized.'
Kaspar was halfway out of his chair when the girl returned from the kitchen with two men behind her, both dressed in white cooks' clothing. Before either Amafi or Kaspar could draw a weapon, one of the two men had a sword leveled at them.
'Well, if this isn't the most unexpected surprise of my life, I don't know what is,' said Talwin Hawkins.
Chapter Eighteen
Confrontation
Kaspar stood motionless.
The gravity of the moment was not lost on him. He had found the man he sought, but if he said or did anything wrong he could be killed in an instant.
Pale blue eyes with cold murder in them regarded Kaspar. Tal Hawkins' mouth was set in a humorless grin. Diners saw his unsheathed sword and many began to rise from their tables nervously.
'Be seated and rest easy, my lords, ladies and gentlemen. This is just a simple misunderstanding over the cost of the meal,' said Tal. He motioned Amafi and Kaspar towards the kitchen door with his sword. 'In there, if you please, gentlemen.' And in a softer tone, 'Remember that I can gut you before you can make a move in the wrong direction.'
Kaspar edged towards the kitchen and said, 'Amafi, please don't try anything stupid. You're not as fast as you once were.'
'Yes, my lord,' said Amafi. 'A fact of which I am painfully aware.'
Once in the kitchen, Tal Hawkins motioned the two men to a table in the corner. 'Take your swords and knives out, slowly, and that includes the two in your boots and the one behind your belt-buckle, Amafi, and place them all on the table.'
The two men did so.
'I've witnessed many amazing things, Kaspar,' Tal said, 'but I confess, to have Magary come and tell me that she'd been serving Amafi for the last hour and then to come out and discover that he was dining with you, well, that is easily the most astonishing thing of all. How did you come back, and how could you be so brazen as to enter my establishment?'
'The truth is,' Kaspar replied, 'I had no idea you had become an innkeeper.'
'This is not an inn, it is a restaurant. Lucien and his
wife were my servants in Salador. When the war was over I sent for them and started this business, along with my wife.' He indicated the quiet woman Kaspar had seen serving tables earlier. Now, she stood in the corner holding a long knife. 'She knows who you are, Kaspar, and will happily gut you should I let her. Care to give me one reason why I shouldn't?'
'Because I have a very long, very strange story to tell you.'
'And why should I listen to anything you have to say? Why shouldn't I just call the constables and have them frog-march you both to the citadel and let Duke Rodoski decide what to do with you . . . assuming, of course, that Teal lets you leave here alive?'
Kaspar said, 'I need to whisper something to you.' He put his hands behind his back. 'On my word, I will not attempt to harm anyone in this kitchen, but when you hear what I have to say you will understand why no one else can know.'
'Lucien,' Tal said to the cook.
'Yes?'
'Take one of those swords and place the point against the neck of the former duke, here,' said Tal. 'Should he do anything, feel free to skewer him.'
Lucien lifted a blade and grinned. 'Yes, Tal.'
Kaspar leaned over and spoke softly into his enemy's ear, 'I need to take something to the Conclave of Shadows.'
Talwin Hawkins, once known as Talon of the Silver Hawk, the last man of the Orosini, stood motionless for a long moment, and then laid down his sword. He turned to Amafi and said, 'Sit here, and do not move.'
'Yes, Magnificence,' replied his former body-servant.
To his wife, Tal said, 'I will explain everything later.'
She didn't look happy, but she nodded once and put the knife down.
Then, to the others Tal said, 'Go back to work—if we have any customers left, they will want service.'
Lucien, Magary and Teal went back to work and the kitchen buzzed into action around them.
'I have a room at the back where we can speak privately,' said Tal.
'One favor.'
Exile's Return Page 22
