Off Armageddon Reef

by David Weber

  Merlin studied him from behind impassive eyes. His SNARCs and their parasite bugs had observed and listened to this man often over the past few months, but that wasn't quite the same as finally meeting him face-to-face.

  Rayjhis Yowance, Earl of Gray Harbor, was Haarahld VII's first councillor, the senior member of the Privy Council—effectively, Charis' prime minister, although the term (and office) hadn't been invented yet on Safehold. He was of less than average height for a Charisian, but he carried his neat, compact frame with the confidence of a man who knew his worth. He was a few years older than Haarahld, and, unlike the king, he was clean-shaven. The long hair pulled back in the old-fashioned sort of ponytail favored by the more rustic members of the minor nobility and serving sea officers was liberally streaked with silver, but his dark eyes were bright and alert. The chain of office around his neck was less elaborate than Haarahld's, without the glittering gem sets of the king's, and his tunic's embroidery was more subdued, although its fabric was just as rich and he, too, wore the golden scepter of the Pilgrimage.

  Despite the superb tailoring and obvious cost of his clothing, he carried an air of physical toughness, as well as the mental toughness one might expect out of the kingdom's first councillor. Which probably owed something to the twenty years he'd spent as an officer in the Royal Navy before his childless older brother's death had dropped the Gray Harbor title on him and forced his resignation. The present earl had gone to sea as a midshipman officer cadet at the ripe old age of eleven and risen to command his own ship by the age of twenty-eight, and he'd seen his share of sea fights and bloodshed before he'd become an effete politician.

  Gray Harbor looked back at Merlin, his face equally impassive, and Merlin smiled mentally. The first councillor had to be alive with curiosity, given all the rumors about the assassination attempt and the crown prince's mysterious rescuer which had been swirling about the Palace. No doubt Gray Harbor had been considerably better informed than almost anyone else, but that wasn't saying a great deal.

  The king had just opened his mouth to say something more when the council chamber door opened again. Another man came through it, his step considerably more hurried than Gray Harbor's had been.

  The newcomer was at least a head taller than the earl, and although his clothing was made of rich fabric and jeweled rings glittered on his fingers, he lacked the first councillor's air of polish. He was also younger than Gray Harbor, and considerably more weathered-looking, and he was already going bald. His hooked beak of a nose was high-arched and proud, and his eyes were a lighter shade of brown—almost amber—than most Charisians'.

  "Your Majesty," he said just a bit gruffly. "I apologize. I came as quickly as I could when my secretary gave me your message."

  "There's no need to apologize, Bynzhamyn," Haarahld said with a smile. "I understood you wouldn't return from Sand Shoal until late this evening or tomorrow. I didn't expect you to be able to attend at all, or we would have waited for you."

  "I've just returned, Your Majesty," Bynzhamyn Raice, Baron Wave Thunder, replied. "The matter I'd gone to attend to required considerably less time than I'd anticipated."

  "I'm glad to hear it," Haarahld told him. "It will be much more convenient to discuss this with you and Rayjhis at the same time. Please, be seated."

  Wave Thunder obeyed the polite command, seating himself in what was obviously his regular place, two chairs down from Gray Harbor, to the earl's left. Haarahld waited until he'd settled fully into position, then waved his right hand in Merlin's direction.

  "Rayjhis, Bynzhamyn, this is the mysterious Merlin the two of you have undoubtedly heard so much about. Seijin Merlin, the Earl of Gray Harbor and the Baron of Wave Thunder."

  Gray Harbor's eyes grew narrower and even more intent as Haarahld gave Merlin the "seijin" title, but the king continued calmly.

  "Rayjhis manages the Privy Council for me and does most of the hard work of running the kingdom. Bynzhamyn, not to put to fine a point on it, is my spymaster. And very good he is at it, too."

  The three men nodded courteously, if warily, to one another, and Haarahld smiled.

  "I realize all sorts of rumors about Seijin Merlin have been running around the palace ever since Cayleb got home. Fortunately, no one seems to have realized Merlin really is a seijin . . . or what that implies, at least. And for reasons I believe will become clear, I very much want to keep it that way. Given what happened out there in the woods, and the stories—many of them far wilder than the palace gossip, I'm sure—which have to be running about the city, as well, people will expect him to receive a certain amount of preference here at Court. That's only natural, yet it's important we not show him too much preference. In order to make best use of his services, however, I believe, it will be important for him to have access not simply to me, but also to the Council. Exactly how to reconcile those two opposed considerations puzzled me for a time, but I think I've come up with a solution.

  "I intend to name Seijin Merlin to the Royal Guard expressly to serve as Cayleb's personal guardsman and bodyguard. Lieutenant Falkhan will remain in command of Cayleb's normal Marine detail, but Merlin will be assigned directly to Cayleb, with the understanding that he'll be cooperating with Falkhan but not directly responsible to the Lieutenant. I'm sure some in the Marines will resent that, even see it as a slap in their service's face, but I also expect them to learn to live with it. And, after such a close escape, no one will be surprised if we make some changes in our long-standing security arrangements.

  "Assigning him permanently to Cayleb will keep him physically close at all times without officially admitting him to my inner circle of advisers. It's unlikely we'll be able to keep the fact that he's a seijin from leaking out, of course. When it does, I suggest we all emphasize the tales of the seijin's martial abilities . . . and downplay any reference to any other unusual talents."

  Gray Harbor and Wave Thunder nodded, almost in unison, although it seemed to Merlin that it was more in acknowledgment of Haarahld's instructions than from any understanding of why the king might have given those instructions in the first place. Which, he reflected, wasn't very surprising, after all.

  "As part of the effort to divert attention from him," Haarahld continued, "the two of you are the only members of the Council who will know he's anything more than the exceptionally capable warrior assigned to protect Cayleb which he appears to be. Maikel also knows, of course, but I intend to restrict that information as much as possible to the three of you, Cayleb and myself, and our personal bodyguards. In time, we'll have to broaden that circle, but I want the minimum possible number of people admitted to the secret. In addition to keeping any of our . . . less friendly neighbors, shall we say, from suspecting the true extent of his talents, that should also prevent him from becoming an object of the sorts of court suspicion and jealousy which would be inevitable if a complete stranger rose abruptly to a position of high power here in Charis."

  The king's expression turned briefly grim.

  "Nonetheless, the truth is that his talents extend far beyond the field of battle," he said. "I'm strongly of the opinion that those other talents will be of far greater importance to us in the long run, and I expect the three of you are likely to spend quite a bit of time working together."

  He paused, as if to allow that to sink in, then looked directly at Gray Harbor.

  "Rayjhis, Seijin Merlin managed to impress me even more during our interview yesterday morning than his intervention to save Cayleb's life had already done. I went to that meeting prepared to be both skeptical and suspicious; I emerged from it with the belief that Seijin Merlin both means Charis well and has the ability to be of great service to us. I'm sure you'll form your own opinion of him—I value you and Bynzhamyn for your independence of thought as much as for your loyalty and ability—but I want the two of you to listen very carefully to what he has to say. Before I turn all of you loose together, though, let me tell you exactly why he's impressed me as much as he has.


  "To begin with—"

  * * *

  "—and since every single thing he told me matched perfectly with everything you've been able to confirm, Bynzhamyn," the king finished his briefing of his councillors several minutes later, "I had no choice but to accept that he truly does possess the Sight. Of course, as I told him at the time, both his abilities and his trustworthiness must be proven before I can consider relying upon him as I already rely on the two of you. Seijin Merlin was courteous enough to accept that without rancor."

  He paused, and both of the councillors looked at Merlin with thoughtful expressions. Wave Thunder looked fascinated, if still faintly skeptical, which wasn't much of a surprise. Gray Harbor also looked skeptical, but unless Merlin was seriously mistaken, at least half of the first councillor's skepticism was reserved for the mysterious stranger's real motives and ambitions.

  "Since Seijin Merlin is clearly much better informed about events and the people behind them here in Tellesberg and in Charis generally than most newcomers," the king continued dryly after a few moments, "it seemed to me that the first thing for us to do would be for the three of you to discuss our concerns about our less friendly neighbors' . . . representatives among us. I want you and Bynzhamyn to combine what we already know with what Seijin Merlin can tell us, Rayjhis. This attempt to murder Cayleb wasn't exactly completely unexpected, but it does represent a decision on someone's part to significantly raise the stakes. I think it's time we considered suggesting to them that attempts to murder the heir to the throne are . . . unwise."

  The king's tone was light, almost whimsical; his eyes were not.

  "I understand, Your Majesty," Gray Harbor replied with a nod that was half a bow. Then he cocked his head slightly. "Just how firmly would you like that message delivered, Sire?"

  "Very firmly where the individuals actually involved in this attempt are concerned," Haarahld said in a rather colder tone. "That much, I think, everyone will expect, assuming we can determine just who was responsible. And, frankly, I intend to take quite a bit of personal satisfaction out of seeing to it no one's disappointed in that respect. For the rest of our local spies, a somewhat more restrained reaction may be in order. I still want them made nervous, you understand."

  "I believe we do, Your Majesty," Wave Thunder said gruffly. "But just to be completely clear, you aren't instructing us to reverse our policy on known spies?"

  "Probably not," Haarahld said, and shrugged slightly. "Leaving the ones we know about in place to discourage their masters from sending in new ones has served us well so far. On the other hand, what almost happened to Cayleb indicates they can still circumvent our surveillance. Besides, they have to know we've identified at least some of their agents, and after something like this, they'll expect us to devote some attention to housecleaning. If we don't move against at least a few of them, they'll wonder why we didn't. For now, assume anyone on the secondary list is fair game and use your own judgment as to which of them will be most useful removed from play and which left in place. On the primary list, get my approval before moving against anyone."

  "And what shall we do with the information provided by Seijin Merlin?" Gray Harbor asked in an almost painfully neutral tone.

  "I'll trust your and Bynzhamyn's judgment when it comes to deciding which list to put any new names on," Haarahld told him. "Take no action against anyone you put on the primary list without first discussing it with me. As far as anyone on the secondary list is concerned, I'm prepared to rely on your judgment."

  "Understood, Your Majesty," Gray Harbor said.

  "Thank you." Haarahld pushed back his chair and stood, and the other three quickly stood in turn, bending their heads respectfully. The king watched them, then smiled at his first councillor and shook his head slightly.

  "I know exactly what you're thinking, Rayjhis," he said. "I suspect Seijin Merlin does, too. Still, you're much too intelligent to allow that ingrained suspicion of yours to cloud your judgment. Besides, I predict you're going to be just as surprised by the seijin's . . . talents as I was."

  "It's not Seijin Merlin's talents which concern me, Sire," Gray Harbor said with a thin smile which acknowledged the accuracy of his monarch's observation.

  "Oh, I know that." Haarahld chuckled. "And so does the seijin. But I still think you're going to be surprised."

  He smiled again, this time at all three of them, and limped out of the council chamber.

  * * *

  "—and Mhulvayn is running an entire ring of agents out of the Crossed Anchors for Maysahn," Merlin finished up his basic report the better part of an hour later. "The tavernkeeper is one of Mhulvayn's people, but most of the agents he's overseeing really think they're working for the representative of a legitimate foreign banker whose interests are firmly entwined with your own merchant houses. They think they're providing basically commercial information, without realizing how useful that information could be to Hektor, or what can be deduced from it."

  Wave Thunder nodded without looking up from the several sheets of paper on which he was still busily jotting notes. Unlike Gray Harbor, the baron had not been born to the nobility. His father had been a common ship's master, and Bynzhamyn Raice had earned his patent of nobility by rising from that beginning to become one of Tellesberg's great business magnates. He'd trained as a clerk along the way, and still had the fast, clearly legible handwriting he'd developed then. It continued to serve him well, since his duties as the head of Haarahld's intelligence apparatus left him disinclined to trust secretaries when it came to taking sensitive notes.

  Now he sat back finally, studying what he'd written, then glanced at Gray Harbor before looking at Merlin.

  "I'm as impressed as His Majesty predicted, Seijin Merlin," he said, gathering up the dozen-plus sheets of closely written notes. "By all the information you've just provided, of course, but also by your ability to keep track of all that without notes of your own."

  "I, too, am impressed," Earl Gray Harbor agreed, lounging back in his own chair, regarding Merlin from hooded eyes.

  "I'm also impressed," Wave Thunder continued, "by the fact that so far as I'm aware, every single major foreign agent we've been able to identify is on your list, as well. As I'm sure you're aware, that sort of corroboration is always valuable. And, to be honest, it lends additional weight to your information about agents we haven't been able to identify. Like this entire secondary ring Lahang is running in North Key." He shook his head. "I suppose I should have realized he'd have to have someone else to act as his eyes and ears that far from Tellesberg, but we've never had as much as a sniff of who it might actually be."

  "I wouldn't feel too badly about that, Baron," Merlin said with a shrug. "I have certain advantages your regular investigators don't. If I'd had to investigate the same way they do, I'd never have been able to discover as much as I'm sure you already know."

  "No doubt," Gray Harbor said thoughtfully. "At the same time, Seijin Merlin, I must admit I'm curious as to just how it happens that you've 'seen' so much about Charis." Merlin arched one eyebrow, and the first councillor shrugged. "It just seems . . . odd that a seijin from the Mountains of Light should be granted such detailed 'visions' of events this far from the Temple Lands that you can identify individual tavernkeepers working for Prince Hektor."

  Wave Thunder frowned slightly, sitting back in his own chair and looking back and forth between the other two men. Merlin, on the other hand, smiled slightly.

  "It's not as odd as you might think, My Lord," he said. "I do have some control over the sorts of things I see, you know."

  "Indeed?" Gray Harbor sounded politely skeptical. "In all the tales I've ever heard or read, the visions of a seijin seem to be . . . cryptic, one might say. Or, perhaps, nonspecific. Yet your visions, Seijin Merlin, appear to be extremely specific."

  "I would suspect," Merlin said, "that quite a few of those 'nonspecific' visions from the tales you've heard were works of fiction." He leaned back in his own chair with an amused smil
e. "Either they never happened at all, or else they were . . . embroidered, let's say, by the people who reported them. While it pains me to admit it, I'm sure more than one 'seijin' was little more than a common charlatan. In a case like that, the more 'cryptic' a so-called vision, the better. A little space for loose interpretation would go a long way towards maintaining someone's credibility."

  "That's certainly true enough." Gray Harbor seemed a bit taken aback by Merlin's direct response.

  "My Lord," the blue-eyed stranger said, "when I first began having these visions of mine, they came from all over Safehold. Indeed, they were quite bewildering, in a great many ways. But I soon discovered that by concentrating on places and people of special interest, I could redirect, or possibly 'focus' would be a better word, subsequent visions."

  "And you chose to focus them here, on Charis?"

  "Yes, I did. I don't blame you for being skeptical, My Lord. That's one of your duties to the King. However, I've already explained to His Majesty exactly what it was which attracted to me to Charis in the first place. And, to be frank, at this particular moment Charis needs all the advantages she can get."