A Kingdom Besieged (28 page)

‘It’s still a lot of magic, Pug,’ said Jim. ‘And it would take years. Agents would have to be identified, influenced, plans made . . .’

‘But it could be done?’ asked Pug.

Jim was silent for a while, thinking. After a few moments he said, ‘Yes. If they can identify that first agent, if he or she is highly enough placed.’ He sat tapping his cheek with his finger. ‘I use blinds – that is, agents who do not know who they are working for. But if you get to someone high enough they may be able to give you the identity of others, and if you can get to them . . .’ He outlined quickly how the three intelligence services of Isles, Kesh, and Roldem were structured and utilized, glossing over a lot of detail, but ending on the point that many agents knew who was working for the other agencies. He finished by saying, ‘So one of mine gives up one of Franciezka’s, and in turn her agent gives up one of Kaseem’s.’

‘And at some point, one of them turns out to be working for the Conclave,’ said Magnus.

‘So this has been going on for years, now,’ said Pug.

‘Who?’ asked Jim. ‘Who besides you has . . . this ability, this power?’

Magnus said, ‘There are only two possibilities. If the temples were to work together, even only two or three of the most powerful, they could do it. They have magic, though it is of a very different nature to what we are used to—’

‘Which might be of benefit,’ interrupted Pug. ‘It might be harder for us to detect the influence.’

Magnus added, ‘Or it could be the Academy.’

Jim looked shocked. ‘The Academy? Why? I mean, who? Don’t you still play a role there?’

Pug said, ‘A little, and we have agents there as well.’ He looked troubled as he gazed out the window. ‘I don’t know how such an undertaking could . . .’ His voice trailed off and he was silent.

Jim asked, ‘Do the Pantathians have that much magic?’ Magnus said, ‘Why do you ask? They were obliterated. I was there when their birthing crèches were destroyed in the Ratn’gary Mountains.’

Without humour, Jim said, ‘You missed some.’

Pug stood up. ‘What?’

‘On a boat in the south of Kesh I saw a scaled green hand with black talons sticking out of a robe, and if that’s not a Pantathian, then I’ve not read every report on them in the archives in Krondor.’

‘Where was this?’ asked Pug.

‘Off the big island called the Island of the Snakes. Wondered what he had to do with things, maybe that’s your answer.’

Pug sat down again. ‘It’s possible. The Great Uprising was about the Pantathians getting the moredhel to invade the Kingdom. With that relatively small force, they manipulated the Brotherhood of the Dark Path and that ended with the destruction of two cities, first Armengar and then Sethanon. With Kesh’s might at their disposal . . .’ He shrugged. ‘They have the ability to appear as other races, elf, human . . . yes, if they are back and in numbers, it’s possible.’

‘Kesh and the Kingdom at war? To what ends? How does that benefit the Pantathians, if it is them?’

Pug looked uncertain. ‘What I do know is that when they first took a hand, at the end of the Riftwar, they were bent upon securing the Lifestone—’ he looked at Jim.

‘I know about it. My great-great-grandfather was detailed in his remembrances. He was at the Battle of Sethanon, remember, with Prince Arutha?’

Pug was forced to smile. ‘Not many of us within that chamber knew the Lifestone existed then, and none of us ever understood its true nature; even later when Calis “untangled” it, for lack of a better way to put it, we hardly understood it better. The Pantathians wanted it, as did the Demon Lord Jakan later, because it was an artefact of great power.

‘But neither the Pantathians nor the demon knew its true nature, or that it would ultimately be useless to them. Whatever the Dragon Lords planned to do with it was never apparent. I know they were desperate to regain it during that battle.’

Jim said, ‘I know its nature was unknown to James . . .’ He interrupted himself. ‘This is one of those moments when I have to remind myself that you knew him.’

‘My daughter was married to him,’ Pug reminded him.

‘You knew all of them, Prince Arutha, King Lyam, Guy du Bas-Tyra, all the great figures of history.’

Pug’s smile was rueful. ‘Hardly all of them. And not all were mentioned in the histories.’ For a moment a fleeting kaleidoscope of images played through Pug’s mind – faces of those he had known and loved: Squire Roland, his rival for the affections of Princess Carline, then Katala, his first wife, and Laurie of Tyr-Sog, who wed Carline. Then came others, Lord Borric, Swordmaster Fannon, Father Tully, Kulgan and Meecham, those the years had left behind.

Pug pushed aside the flood of memories and said, ‘Jim, your great-great-grandfather, like those not within that chamber, was told what we believe he needed to know.’

‘We?’

‘What would later become the core of the Conclave, along with Tomas.’ Pug looked off into the distance as if remembering, then added, ‘Lord James, the legendary Jimmy the Hand, had just died when Calis unlocked the mystery of the stone. It was . . . life. Somehow when the Valheru contrived to overthrow the gods during the Chaos Wars they created it. Apparently they placed some of their own life energies within it, creating a tool only they truly knew how to utilize. We surmise it was a weapon or source of great power to them, for it was they who manipulated the Pantathians to attempt to seize it. Over all these years, especially since the Lifestone was destroyed, we’ve never attempted to assess what the real nature of the device was.’

Magnus said, ‘You have been otherwise busy.’

Pug and Jim both looked over to see if he was joking.

Pug said, ‘Yes, but still, it was a watershed creation in the history of this world.’ He let out a long sigh. ‘What we know is this: the Pantathians are artificial creatures, not natural beings, but rather snakes raised up to human form, given existence by their Dragon Lord Mistress, Alma-Lodaka.’

‘Could they really do that?’ asked Jim. ‘I mean, create life?’

‘No, not exactly,’ said Magnus. He glanced at his father who nodded for him to continue. ‘They could manipulate it, not create it. The Valheru were beings of enormous power, godlike even, but they were not gods. And the Pantathians were not the only product of Valheru tinkering.’

‘Really?’ said Jim, his fatigue wearing off as he became more interested. Here was a discussion about important things that didn’t involve people trying to kill him or destroy the Kingdom.

‘There’s a race of tiger men near the Necropolis called the City of the Dead Gods, in Novindus. And once a race of giant eagles, big enough to carry a man, flew the skies.’

Jim frowned. ‘Perhaps we should go back to things I might comprehend.

‘If this Lifestone no longer exists then, assuming for a moment the Pantathians are behind every mad thing that is underway right now, what could they be after that would possibly benefit them by having the Kingdom and Kesh plunged into total war?’

‘I have no idea,’ said Pug.

‘And, while we’re on the topic of madness, can you even begin to suggest the part the demons have in this?’

‘No,’ said Pug.

‘Except,’ said Magnus, ‘they did manage one thing.’

‘What?’

‘It just occurred to me that they did force the Star Elves to return to the world of their birth.’

‘You think that was by design?’ asked Pug.

‘I have no knowledge of design, Father, merely results.’

Pug was silent again for a long time then said, ‘These are the moments I wish Nakor was here.’ He paused. ‘And your mother. We could use their wisdom.’

Magnus’s expression turned dark. ‘We could.’

Jim did not know what just passed between father and son and decided against enquiring. He said, ‘I have never officially been one of you, but you have always treated me with courtesy. Certainly you have no desire to see this bloodshed continue.’

‘No, in this we are as one,’ said Pug.

Magnus said, ‘Be we still lack information and we need to gain more intelligence before we know how to act. Father and I can no doubt tip the balance in a battle: say to defend the walls of Krondor or turn a fleet to a new course, but to end a war takes a willingness on the part of the combatants that is not in evidence now.’

‘Kesh has aggrieved the Kingdom, certainly, and the Kingdom will seek retribution and to take its land back, of that I have no doubt,’ said Jim. He got up from his chair. ‘Can I rest here for the night, then perhaps you could aid me reaching Rillanon?’

‘Not Krondor?’ said Pug.

‘Krondor is either safe or not, as it will be, but I must know the King’s mind and gauge the temper of the Congress of Lords. War madness will no doubt be upon many, but some see the West as no significant loss. For all I know some Keshian general is even now playing with the animals in the King’s zoo.’

‘The King has a zoo?’ asked Magnus.

‘A small one,’ said Jim. ‘Near the garden behind the palace, overlooking the river. It’s quite nice, actually.’ He stopped, overcome by fatigue. ‘Moreover, I must begin to find out who has betrayed me, and in so doing, betrayed their nation.’

‘If indeed, it’s betrayal,’ Magnus reminded him, ‘if magic was employed.’

Jim’s eyes closed for a moment. ‘Apologies. I’m tired and it’s easy to forget. No offence intended, but there are days when I wish I had never heard the word “magic” and had to deal with its confusions and complexities.’

Pug chuckled. ‘I can appreciate that.’

Jim said, ‘What do you think you’ll do next?’

‘If the Pantathians are in fact back in numbers then they must be sought out.’

‘I will go, Father,’ said Magnus.

‘You?’

‘You’re needed here, and if things are coming quickly to crisis, you can’t be away. I can travel faster than you,’ Magnus said without boasting, ‘and you have a more critical task.’

Pug looked pained. ‘Yes, I think I didn’t want to see that.’

‘What is that task?’ asked Jim.

‘Like you, I must begin to find out who betrayed us.’

T
HERE CAME A POUNDING ON THE DOOR
.

It was the dead of night, but Hal and Ty were both out of their beds with swords drawn before they were fully awake.

Ty pulled open the door to find a servant with a lantern standing there. The man said, ‘Quickly. My mistress says to dress and come at once.’

Both young men hurried to do as they were told and were dressed, with weapons buckled on, and moving down the corridor following the servant within moments.

Lady Franciezka was dressed in leather breeches, a heavy woollen shirt, a cloak and a pair of heavy leather boots. ‘Come,’ she said and led them down the stairs.

As they reached the front of the large estate house in which they had been guests for a week, both boys heard pounding at the front door and a man’s voice cry, ‘Open in the name of the King!’

They scurried to the back of the house and she showed them to stairs leading down into the basement. The pounding on the front door became more insistent as they reached the bottom. She pointed to a storage shelf and said, ‘That is a false shelf. Move it to the right and it will swing out. Behind is a safe room. Wait there until I come back.’

‘What if you don’t come back?’ said Ty.

‘Then things are in far worse shape than I think. If I don’t return by tomorrow, go to your father’s restaurant any way you can. He’ll know what to do.’

She hurried back up the stairs as the young men heard angry male voices.

‘By whose authority—’ the voice of Lady Franciezka faded out of hearing range.

Ty and Hal found it easy to move the shelf and it did swing away to reveal a hidden room. They entered and lit a single candle, then closed the shelf behind them. Inside, there was only a bed, a stool, and a table. Hal took the stool, leaving the bed for Ty.

They sat and said nothing. After a few minutes they could hear the muffled sound of boots on the stairs to the basement, and some indistinguishable voices coming from the other side of the false wall.

The search of the basement took about ten minutes, then they heard more steps up the wooden stairs, and finally silence.

Hal held up his hand and mouthed, ‘Wait.’

A minute of silence went by, then they heard faint sounds of movement, then fainter creaking on the stairs.

Whispering, Hal said, ‘Leaving someone behind to see if anyone was hiding is what I would do.’

Ty smiled. ‘Sneaky bastard.’

‘What do you think is going on?’ asked Hal.

Ty shrugged. ‘Your guess is no worse than mine.’

The night passed slowly and they played ‘odds and evens’ to see who got the bed. Ty won. Hal made do with sleeping on the chair with his feet up on the tiny table, and was rewarded with a night spent dozing while trying not to fall off the chair.

They were both awake when the false wall suddenly swung aside and Lady Franciezka stood there, one of the servants beside her holding a lantern. ‘You may come out now.’

Ty said, ‘Lady, what was that about?’

‘I was summoned to the castle.’ She led them upstairs and back to the kitchen at the rear of the house. ‘I expect you’re hungry.’

‘Always,’ said Hal with a laugh. ‘Father says I’ll be as fat as a prize hog if I don’t keep busy.’

‘Yes, thank you,’ said Ty.

Food was served with a hot pot of Keshian coffee. ‘Enjoy that,’ she said indicating the steaming black liquid as she poured herself a cup. ‘The way things are, it may be hard to get in a few weeks.’

‘What news?’

‘I was summoned by Lord Worthington.’

‘Worthington?’ said Hal. ‘Sounds like a man from the Isles.’

‘Our two nations are closely linked. His forebears were from the Isles, but he is minor nobility of Roldem, very minor.’ She let out an aggravated sigh. ‘He’s a jumped-up, but very ambitious, fellow distantly related to some important nobles, but that’s true of almost anyone with a title on this tiny little island we call home.

‘But in the last five years he has risen fast and has grown very influential. He is said to control many voices in the most import ant circles of society, and has many friends in the House of Nobles. It’s also rumoured he has a strong desire to see Princess Stephané married off to his son.’

‘Can’t spite a man for ambition,’ said Ty, ‘but for all of that, how does he get off summoning you? I mean, from what I know, you’re very close to the King yourself.’

She looked at Ty with a narrow gaze. ‘Few people know that, and I would advise you to consider keeping it that way. I am officially a minor court lady, occasionally a lady-in-waiting to the Princess, living on an inheritance from a rich father. I know I am considered desirable—,’ she held up her hand, ‘—none of your childish flattery; I’m not in the mood, don’t have time, and you’re not very good at it, Ty. Now, your father, he could charm the ladies from what I hear, but that’s for another time.

‘Anyway, Lord Worthington has no idea who I really am, a situation I’d like to continue. I have seen many ambitious lords come and go, especially when the two princes were in their young “I love everyone when I’m drinking” phase of life. The list of suitors for the Princess is breathtaking, so normally I would expect to see Lord Worthington spend his brief days, a few months perhaps, in the glory of the King’s sun then fade back into gloomy obscurity, but there is nothing normal about these times.’ She took a deep breath. ‘For the duration of this emergency, by the King’s order, Lord Worthington has been named Chancellor of Roldem, with extraordinary powers.’

‘But what of the old Chancellor?’ asked Ty.

‘Suddenly retired, apparently, and he never had the powers granted to Worthington.’

‘You suspect him of—’

‘I suspect everyone right now, except for you two, and only because you—’ she pointed at Hal, ‘are vouched for by someone I trust implicitly, and you—’ she pointed at Ty, ‘because I’ve known your father since I was a child. Everyone else right now is suspect.’

Ty detected something in her voice. ‘What is it?’

‘Worthington has declared martial law.’

The two young men exchanged glances, and Hal said, ‘With the Keshian fleet anchored off the harbour mouth that’s not entirely unreasonable.’

‘With Kesh sending love poems to Roldem, indicating that their business is with the Isles, yes it is. It creates strife and engenders fear and panic where none need exist. Moreover, he’s secured the palace. No one enters or leaves without the Lord Chancellor’s writ.’

Ty said, ‘Does that mean the King and his family . . .’

‘Are virtual prisoners within their own villas in the heart of the palace. No one can get near them without the Lord Chancellor’s permission.’

‘The King approves of this?’

Lady Franciezka’s blue eyes flashed. ‘How would I know? No one can get near the King to ask him, save with Worthington’s seal on a pass.’

‘What of Constantine and Albér?’

‘On their ships, at anchor in the harbour, under “protection” by the King’s Own Royal Marines.’

‘Grandy?’ asked Ty.

‘The young general has gone missing,’ she said with a smile.

‘You know where he is!’ Ty looked delighted.

‘No, but I think I do, and I will know if I’m right in a few days.’

‘And the Princess?’ asked Hal, and Ty threw a glance at him.

‘With her mother and father,’ said Lady Franciezka. ‘You let me worry about her. I saw the way you two young peacocks strutted when presented to the royal family. She is the prize young hen in Roldem, in the entire Sea of Kingdoms, and I’m not about to let either one of you romantic fools get any closer to her than I am allowing Worthington’s son. She will marry the next King of the Isles or highest-ranking duke’s son I can find.

‘This war has shown that Kesh is flexing its muscle again and if the Isles survives they must be made whole, and quickly. For Kesh without the Isles means Roldem’s end eventually. It’s that simple.’

She stood up. ‘Finish what you will, then rest. Ty, I want you to leave after breakfast and find your father. Ensure that all is well and ask what he has heard from Jommy, Servan, or whoever else might have news of Prince Grandy, but be discreet. Make sure no one, and I mean no one – not friends, not trusted household staff, no matter how long they’ve been with you – no one overhears you. Hal, you’ll stay here one more night. It should be safe.’

‘Then what?’

‘We move you. Someone wants you dead or captured, that’s certain, and my men have no idea who. Those men who attacked you are not known to us; they are not agents of Kesh, the Isles, or anywhere else we know of. Nor are they local thugs for hire. After asking everyone we can think of, we found they came into the city by ship just before war broke out.’

Hal didn’t know what to say so he just sat back in his chair. ‘Very well.’ After a second he asked, ‘Have you anything here I might read? It’s tiresome being alone in a room.’

‘I have books.’ She looked at him. ‘I may have to reappraise you, young lord from the wild frontiers. There may be more to you than meets the eye.’

She rose and the young men stood up and bowed. When she left they sat down again and returned to finishing their meal.

‘She’s quite something,’ Hal said at last.

‘My father once told me she was dangerous. I guess he knew of what he spoke.’

Hal scratched at his cheek. ‘Did we really act like peacocks?’

Ty grinned widely. ‘You did. I was a perfect gentleman.’

Hal took a linen napkin and threw it at him.

Sandreena rode with three other knights along the trade road from Durbin to Land’s End. As expected she had been halted by Keshian forces moving against the Kingdom three times since they had left Durbin. Her position as a Knight-Adamant of the Temple gave her a certain carte blanche when it came to travelling through such conflicts, for neither nation wished to earn the enmity of any temple, especially one with as powerful and influential a martial Order as the Temple of Dala. If need arose Grand Master Creegan could field more than four hundred veteran knights, a force that could tip many battles, if he felt one side was dominating, and at the moment the Keshians certainly appeared to have the upper hand.

All Sandreena did was to acquaint any Keshian officers who sought to impede her travel with the fact that the High Priest of Dala in Kesh was personally interceding with the Emperor to cease hostilities and allow the temple to take a role in resolving further conflict.

This time she faced a different impediment. A full legion of Keshian soldiers, not the traditional Dog Soldiers of the northern command, but an Imperial Legion with all the trappings: camels as well as horse cavalry, siege engines, a luggage train stretching back two days’ march, camp-followers and merchants numbering nearly as many as the fighting men. All were athwart the caravan trail and the commander was disinclined to allow anyone, for any reason, to cross the frontier.

Looking annoyed at having to deal with this, the commander had come out of his tent to regard the four Knights-Adamant as they sat astride their mounts. He was an ideal model of a Keshian Legion Commander. His armour was of polished black lacquer, his helmet crowned by a dyed red horsehair plume; he wore a black cuirass, with black leather pauldrons, a black skirt, and shining knee-high boots. His breast was emblazoned with a relief of a snarling lion’s head, signifying that this was one of the Inner Legions, rarely seen outside the immediate vicinity of the Overn Deep. With barely contained irritation, he said, ‘I have nothing but respect for your Order—’

Sandreena pushed up her faceplate. All four had been wearing full helms, not her personal preference, but necessary for this journey.

‘—Sister.’

‘Sergeant, Commander,’ Sandreena interrupted. ‘I’m a Sergeant Knight-Adamant.’

‘Sergeant, then,’ he amended, looking frustrated. ‘As you can see I have a war to conduct, and as I was about to say, I have nothing but respect for your Order, but I cannot permit potential combatants for the other side to cross the field uncontested. I know enough of your practices to believe you will be behind the barricades at Land’s End when we move on it.’

‘Commander, normally that would be the case, but in this instance I am under orders to take ship from Land’s End to another destination with utmost urgency. I will not be lingering to oppose your assault on a weaker position, no matter how much it might be in my nature to do so. You have my oath, by the Goddess, that I will not be stopping in Land’s End for any longer than it takes to eat a meal and secure transportation.’

He calculated. For her to be seeking a boat from Land’s End meant a destination somewhere up the coast between Port Vykor and Ylith. If that was true, it made no difference to his efforts. ‘If you will swear you will give no information on our disposition, nor advice to the enemy, then you may ride on.’

‘Commander, the only advice I might give to any Kingdom officer I meet would be to quit his position and make haste to Port Vykor and hide behind the King’s navy there. For in all my travels I have never seen such an army as you command here today.’

He nodded. He wasn’t entirely sure if that was a compliment or not. He waved over one of his guardsmen and said, ‘Escort them through the line and permit them to pass over to the Kingdom side.’

They walked their horses behind the guardsman who took them through the camp. The sheer number of soldiers was impressive and Sandreena knew that only the Prince’s Army in Krondor could withstand the siege this commander would bring. Everything between here and Krondor would eventually be swept away. And for the Kingdom to drive out the invaders another army in support of Krondor would have to arrive from the East. The last time the Armies of the East had appeared in the Western Realm had been over a century before to meet the Tsurani invasion. And before that war was over, a king died.

Sandreena and her companions reached the barricades and she noted they were nothing more than straw bales upon which dozens of pikes and spears had been lain. She took this as an indication that the Keshians expected no counterattack. A sudden appearance of even a small company of horse archers with flaming arrows and the front line of this army would be beating a hasty retreat. It wouldn’t help the war, thought Sandreena, but it would be amusing to watch.