Shards of a Broken Crown

by Raymond E. Feist

  Erik nodded. “Tonight.”

  John said, “I’ll have a boat down at the smugglers’ cove. You’ll carry cargo, and the two men who we left down there will be happy to get back home.”

  Erik said, “Roo, look at this.”

  Roo stood and came to where Erik opened up his sketches. He moved them around until they formed a map of the region around the town of Sarth. “You’ll need to memorize this, so if you get back and I don’t, you can redraw it.”

  “What are you talking about?” asked Roo.

  “I can’t risk carrying these.” He looked at Roo and John. “If we get stopped, and we’re carrying these maps, we’re going to be dead before anyone blinks. If we don’t have them, we might be able to bluff our way out.” He looked at John. “If you hear we are caught, John, you’re going to have to try tomorrow night to get down to Krondor.”

  “Me?” said Vinci.

  Roo said, “That’s all right, John. It’s not going to happen.”

  “But if it does,” said Erik, “you’re going to have to carry word to Duke Duko and Owen Greylock.”

  He pointed to the assembled pieces of paper. “Look at this, and remember everything.

  “Natural terrain is the enemy,” said Erik. His finger showed a point where the checkpoint had been erected. “This is a bottleneck, this gap where the road runs atop the cliffs above the ocean and hard 52893_~1.QXD 8/30/2002 10:02 AM Page 273

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  against the steep hillside.”

  Sarth was built north of that gap, where the road swung suddenly westward and through the town.

  The southern edge of the town was hard against a cliff face, dropping down into a rocky beach where, even at low tide, there was no decent footing. The coast turned northwest after a while, and there Sarth’s harbor could be found, with a long sandy beach and several fishing villages to the north.

  “Even if we landed support troops at the smuggler’s cove, we are still south of that gap,” said Erik.

  His finger indicated the harbor. “They’ve only got one ship in the harbor, but look where it is.”

  Roo said, “So if anyone sees a Kingdom fleet rounding the point south of town, they can move the ship to the mouth of the harbor and sink it.”

  Erik said, “I’m no sailor, but I don’t think any ship we have can come from the south and make it through the harbor before they can move that ship and scuttle her.”

  Roo said, “Unless we take her first.”

  “We?” asked Erik.

  “Figure of speech,” said Roo with a grin.

  Erik shook his head. “We can’t get a message down to Krondor and return with a squad to take that ship. Owen will reach Krondor in three days’ time.

  We need to be down there in two, so we can give him the latest intelligence.”

  Roo said, “If you stay and use that band of thugs John hired, you could take that ship.”

  Erik said, “No. Orders. I’ve got to be back day after tomorrow.”

  Roo looked at Vinci. “John?”

  John held up his hands. “Not me!” He patted his 52893_~1.QXD 8/30/2002 10:02 AM Page 274

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  ample gut and said, “I’m an old fat man, Roo, and I never was a fighter on my best day.”

  Then Erik looked at Roo and said, “Would you care to volunteer for one last mission for King and Country?”

  Roo frowned. “To what good?”

  “You might save the lives of a lot of good men, shorten the war, and regain your lost wealth that much faster.” Erik pointed to the northeast end of town. “If we can chase Nordan’s soldiers up the coast and get ships up from Port Vykor into that harbor, we can resupply and move north that much faster.”

  Roo said, “How many men do they keep on that ship, John?”

  “A light crew, from what we can see. It’s been sitting there since winter. Every once in a while someone rows back and forth between the ship and the town, and we think they’ve loaded some ballast on it, but we’ve never seen any significant cargo; just a box of provisions now and again. So maybe it is a blockade ship.”

  Roo scratched his head. “I’m an idiot for this, but I’ll take that ship for you, Erik. When is Greylock supposed to get here?”

  “If he turns northward at sundown in three days, he’ll be here by dawn of the fourth.”

  “Three more days in that shed?”

  “We’ve slept in worse,” said Erik.

  Roo nodded. “Don’t remind me.” He sighed.

  “Four days from now, just before dawn, I’ll row out and take that ship.”

  Erik said, “Good. Now, John, you’ve got to memorize this map, because you’re coming with me.”

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  “Me?” said Vinci.

  Erik smiled, and it was a smile filled with menace. “Your choice: come with me, or take the ship.”

  Vinci swallowed hard. “I’ll visit Krondor.”

  “Wise choice,” said Erik.

  Roo said to John, “I need at least a dozen reliable men, twenty would be better.”

  John shrugged. “I can get a dozen. Twenty? I’ll see.”

  “I’ll need two large skiffs hidden nearby until it’s time to leave.”

  “I have a warehouse near there. I’ll have the boats taken there tonight.”

  Roo said, “Well, then, I guess it’s decided. At least it will be over in five more days.”

  “With luck,” said Erik.

  His finger stabbed at the road leading from the town to the abbey. “If Arutha and his company can neutralize Nordan’s forces up there. From the lack of troops down here I must assume he’s got at least three or four hundred soldiers up there. If they come down that road and hit Owen from behind as he’s trying to get into the city, they could throw us back south of the gap, and that would cost us dearly.”

  Roo sighed. “We can only hope. That’s all we ever could do, even when we were running for our lives across Novindus: do our best and hope.”

  Erik was forced to agree. “A prayer might be in order, too.”

  Roo fell silent.

  Arutha listened at the door. On the other side he heard voices. For the last day they had scouted out the lower basements of the abandoned library at 52893_~1.QXD 8/30/2002 10:02 AM Page 276

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  Sarth. Dominic had estimated that as many as a thousand men could be housed at the abbey if they filled every empty chamber, even though the dormitory in the abbey itself was built for only forty monks.

  They had calculated that stabling of horses dictated that the majority of soldiers in the abbey be foot soldiers, as no more than forty or fifty horses could be crowded into the courtyard of the abbey.

  The problem of providing fodder for the horses, and wagons full of hay or grain every week, probably kept the number down to a couple of dozen animals.

  They had reached the second level of halls below the abbey proper before encountering any soldiers.

  Through the door at which Arutha listened they heard voices in casual conversation. Arutha moved back to where Dominic waited, and whispered, “Is there any way around this room?”

  Dominic shook his head and quietly replied, “If we go back down two levels and return up the other side, we’ll still come into that room, but through a different door. There are three doors, the third being to a stairway to the level above.”

  Arutha nodded. He had memorized the drawing Dominic had made. “We’ll wait here, then storm the room when it’s time to take the abbey.”

  He glanced at one of Subai’s soldiers, who carried a timing glass, filled with sand. At sundown the day before, he had turned it, starting the time-keeping. Within the dark confines of the basement under the abbey, there was no natural way to mark the passing of time. And timing was critical.

  “I
wish I could get a look and see how many soldiers were there.”

  Dominic said, “We could chance one late at 52893_~1.QXD 8/30/2002 10:02 AM Page 277

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  night, when they’re all asleep.”

  Arutha turned to a soldier and said, “Tell Captain Subai I want him to send half the men back down two levels, and up the other side, to the second door into this chamber ahead.” The soldier saluted and hurried off to carry out his orders. To Dominic, Arutha said, “It occurs to me we’ve encountered no barriers to the lower chambers, but this door or the other may be blocked. I’d not want this raid to fail because someone moved a bunk in front of this door.

  Whoever gets in first can insure the other door is quickly opened.”

  Dominic nodded. He glanced over at the soldier holding the sand clock. “Another day and a half.”

  Roo waited impatiently. The last two days had dragged, moment by moment, second by second, until he thought he would lose his mind. Then suddenly it was time to leave.

  He looked at the men John had rounded up. There were sixteen of them. All looked disreputable, but none looked particularly fearsome. Still, he had seen enough harmless-looking men who turned out to be killers in his days to judge too much on appearances.

  He said, “Do any of you know how to work aboard ship?”

  Five of them held up their hands. Roo shook his head. Pointing to the first one, he said, “You, if you hear me shout, cut loose the anchor.” To the second, he said, “If you hear me shout, raise whatever sail you can reach.” To the last he said, “And you, head for the tiller and steer us for open water.” Glancing at the other men, he said, “The rest of you, do whatever those three tell you. If we take that ship, I want to 52893_~1.QXD 8/30/2002 10:02 AM Page 278

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  be able to get underway if anyone on shore tries to help.” To himself he silently added, and get the hell away from Sarth if the attack fails.

  “Ready?” he asked, and the men nodded. “Once we start moving, don’t stop for anything unless I tell you or we’re attacked.” He opened the door to Vinci’s store, and said, “Let’s go.”

  The men followed Roo into the predawn gloom, down the street where Vinci’s store sat, then around a corner that put them on the main street through the town, part of the King’s Highway. They followed it, moving quickly without running, and when the road turned north again, they followed a smaller street that led down to the southern end of the docks. To Roo’s mind, Sarth looked like nothing so much as a right hand slapped down on an otherwise northwest-running shoreline. The thumb was where the road turned west for a while, and the bulk of the town rested between, until the road turned north up the index finger. The docks started at the crook of the thumb and followed the highway for a distance, with several blocks of houses between the highway and the bay.

  As they reached the docks, Roo found Vinci had instructed other men to leave the warehouse unbolted. It was the last one on the lower dock, the west-ernmost part of the thumb in Roo’s imagination, and inside were two boats. Each boat was lifted by six men and quickly moved down a boat ramp, set in the water, and pushed off with eight men climbing into the first, and Roo and the other eight climbing into the second. They almost held their breath trying to be silent, but everything around them remained quiet.

  Two men in each boat put oars into the water and 52893_~1.QXD 8/30/2002 10:02 AM Page 279

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  rowed lightly, moving across the water to the ship, a dark silhouette against the grey of sky and water. As they neared, Roo felt a cold chill in his stomach.

  Softly he said, “Damn.”

  “What?” asked a man nearby.

  “It’s a Quegan trader.”

  “So?” asked a second man.

  “Nothing,” said Roo. “I’m in enough trouble with Queg that a little more won’t make me any more dead if they catch me.”

  A low cackle from a third man answered the remark, then the man said, “No, but it might make your dying a little nastier.”

  “Thanks,” said Roo. “That makes me feel so much better.”

  The first boat reached the stern of the ship, a two-masted trading vessel. A man in the bow of the first boat leaped to a rear anchor line and nimbly climbed to the gunwale. He peeked over, turned, and nodded down to those in the boats below.

  Silently, men started climbing aboard.

  Up on deck, the sailor assigned the night watch sat against the rail sleeping. Roo motioned, and one of the men struck the sleeping sentry hard on the head with the hilt of a sword. The man slumped over, unconscious.

  Roo motioned for the men to move fore and aft, and down into the ship they went. Things were quiet, then suddenly a shout from the bow of the ship sounded, answered quickly by the sound of blows.

  Other voices were raised, then it was quiet again. A minute later a group of downcast-looking sailors emerged from the fore hatch, followed a moment later by men coming up the aft. There were only 52893_~1.QXD 8/30/2002 10:02 AM Page 280

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  twenty-two men aboard, including the Captain and mate. All had been asleep and had been easily roused from their berths to find themselves facing armed men.

  Roo breathed a sigh of relief. The ship was his.

  Roo looked at one of the men, who didn’t look like a sailor. “Where did you find him?” he asked one of the smugglers.

  The smuggler said, “In a little cabin next to the Captain’s.”

  Roo came to stand before the man and said,

  “There’s something familiar about you. Who are you?”

  The man remained silent. Roo said, “Light a lantern.”

  One of the smugglers did so and brought it over.

  Roo held it close. “I know you! You’re one of Vasarius’s men. Your name is Valari.”

  The man politely said, “Mr. Avery.”

  Roo laughed. “Don’t tell me this is one of Lord Vasarius’s ships?”

  “It is,” said the high-placed servant. He had been the first Quegan to meet Roo on his first visit to that island. “Isn’t that something,” said Roo “Well, I’m sure Vasarius is holding me personally responsible for every injury done him since I last saw him, so this additional offense won’t surprise him.”

  Valari said, “He’ll eventually find out, Avery.”

  “You can tell him,” said Roo.

  “Me? Aren’t you going to kill us?”

  “No reason to,” said Roo. “In fact, we’re doing you a favor. Sometime in the next few hours a full-scale war is about to erupt around here, and by that time I plan on being safely out of this harbor and on 52893_~1.QXD 8/30/2002 10:02 AM Page 281

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  my way south.”

  “War?” said Valari.

  “Yes, the very one you were told was the signal for you to sink this ship in the harbor.”

  “Sink this ship?” said Valari. “Why would we do that?”

  “To keep Kingdom ships out of the harbor,”

  answered Roo.

  “We have no such orders,” said Valari.

  “Then what are you waiting here for?”

  The question was answered by silence.

  Roo looked as if he was turning away, then he rounded hard and slammed his fist into Valari’s stomach. The man collapsed to the deck, unable to breathe for a moment, then he crawled to his knees and vomited on the deck. Roo knelt and grabbed him by the hair, pulling his face up and saying, “Now, what are you waiting for?”

  Again the man looked at Roo but said nothing.

  Roo pulled his dagger and held it before Valari’s eyes. “Would you speak better if parts of you were missing?”

  “We’re waiting for another ship.”

  “What ship?”

  The man was silent until Roo put the point of the dagger in the mea
t of Valari’s shoulder and started to push, slowly increasing the pressure so that it became painful quickly, without doing serious damage.

  Valari winced, then his eyes watered, then he cried out. “Stop it!” he begged.

  “What ship?” asked Roo, letting the point dig deeper. He knew it was a light wound, but he also sensed that Valari wasn’t a man who knew that and 52893_~1.QXD 8/30/2002 10:02 AM Page 282

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  was not used to enduring pain.

  Valari sobbed, “My Lord Vasarius comes to Sarth.”

  “Vasarius! Here?” said Roo, wiping his blade and putting it away. “Why?”

  “To escort us back to Queg.”

  Roo stood up, eyes wide. Turning to the leader of the smugglers, he said, “Get ready to raise sail. If I shout to get underway, I want to be moving by the time I’m back up on deck.”

  Roo hurried to a hatchway and half-jumped down the companionway to the lower deck. He ducked through a low door into the main cargo hold and saw crates and sacks lashed down along both sides of the hold. He grabbed a large sack and tried to lift it. It was too heavy to move. He used his knife to cut loose a small cord tied around the top of the sack, and gold spilled out onto the deck.

  As loud as he could, Roo shouted, “Get underway.”

  Men shouted up on the deck, and the sound of a fist striking a jaw informed Roo the smugglers were insuring the captive sailors were obeying orders. He heard an ax fall and knew they had cut away the anchor and chain.

  Roo found a pry bar and opened a crate. Inside, in the gloom, he had no trouble recognizing riches.

  Gems, coins, jewelry, a bolt of expensive silk, all had been haphazardly dumped into the chest and it had been nailed shut.

  Roo knew what he had stumbled across; it was the booty of Krondor and Sarth, boxed and stored aboard this ship to send to Queg. As he made his way back up to the deck, Roo began to wonder. Why 52893_~1.QXD 8/30/2002 10:02 AM Page 283

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  would General Fadawah be sending riches to Lord Vasarius?

  He saw sails falling from the yards and his appointed man on the tiller as the ship slowly began to move forward, toward the mouth of the harbor.

  Roo moved to stand before Valari and said, “What is Fadawah buying from Queg?”