King of Foxes (15 page)

Tal knew from his reading that the mountains were really a massive cliff, and at the top a relatively flat grassland ran downhill for a dozen miles to the west. There a series of fault lines cut canyons and crevasses across the entire region, making use of that land impossible to anything that couldn’t fly to reach it. Beyond that jumbled landscape lay vast grasslands and woodlands, still wild for the most part, until the city of Olasko Gateway was reached.

The ship’s captain called out orders, and sailors scrambled aloft to reef sails. Amafi came up on deck.

“Magnificence, I brought you a dry coat.”

Tal slipped off the soaked oil-treated canvas covering he wore, and thankfully took the dry coat. Amafi asked,

“This, then, is our new home?”

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“Yes,” said Tal, “and you must learn to speak the local tongue.”

The language of the region was similar to Roldemish, as settlers from that island had founded the various nations that comprised the Eastern Kingdom. The exception was the Duchy of Maladon and Simrick, which had been settled by men from the Kingdom city of Ran. They spoke both the King’s Tongue and a local dialect of Roldemish.

Tal said, “It’s Roldemish to all intents and purposes, but it has local idioms and some different words. You’ll learn quickly, understood?”

“Yes, Magnificence,” said Amafi.

As they began the final tack into the harbor, the ship slowed as the captain turned into the wind. Drawing closer to the city, they could see details begin to emerge in the bright light of day.

“The calm after the storm, as they say,” said Lady Natalia from behind them.

Tal turned and grinned. “I believe the expression is the calm before the storm, m’lady.”

“Whatever the case may be,” she said. “Home.”

Tal conceded that it might be home to her, but to him it was just another alien place. The harbor beckoned, and inbound ships gave way to
The Dolphin
, for she flew the ducal banner. Compared to Rillanon, Roldem, Salador, or even Krondor, it was a small harbor. Behind it the city was relatively flat, then suddenly rose up on an incline, an almost evenly sloped face of soil and rock that had been ter-raced over the years and connected by ramps and streets.

Then suddenly the citadel rose up behind, hard against the cliff face, and from what Tal had been told by members of the Duke’s retinue, dug back deep into the rock.

It struck him as incongruous that the original builders had chosen to use a white or very light grey stone to fash-

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ion the place, for it stood out dramatically against the darker colors of the cliff.

The citadel was massive, rising ten stories above the foundations, as far as Tal could judge, and surrounded by a wall of less than half that size. At the corners, towers rose another twenty or so feet, so that overlapping archer fire could stop anyone coming up through the city to the citadel.

Tal turned his attentions away from the city itself, looked toward the south. He could make out little of the southern islands at this distance, save what looked to be brown smudges on the horizon.

Natalia put her hand on his shoulder and said, “We shall have fun, Talwin.”

He patted her hand, somewhat distracted by the events of the last two days in Rillanon. He had followed Kaspar’s instructions and located Burgess, for whom he had promised to intercede with the Duke. The trader would arrive in Opardum in a month or so with samples of trade goods, seeking concessions and licenses.

But something didn’t feel right. No matter what he said, Burgess just didn’t ring true as a merchant trader, the way Quincy de Castle did. De Castle might be an agent for the Crown of the Isles, but he was truly a trader. Tal had played cards with too many merchants, as well as gained some insights into their nature by reading the biography of Rupert Avery, but Burgess was something else. Under that apparently soft exterior, Tal was certain he was dangerous.

The ship rolled into the harbor, and unlike the Kingdom cities or Roldem, no pilot came aboard. The captain simply directed the ship to the Duke’s personal slip, at the far end of the quayside, closest to the most direct road to the citadel.

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With years of practice, the captain saw his ship safely into its berth, and by the time the lines had been tied, the ship made secured, and the gangplank run out, the Duke was on deck, ready to depart. He hurried down to his waiting carriage, followed by his sister and his senior captains.

Tal followed in the third carriage, along with a Lieutenant Gazan, whom he knew only slightly, and a junior clerk who had come to the dock to give the Duke messages his staff felt needed his immediate attention. Amafi rode above, on a small bench behind the carriage, next to the coachman.

By the time they departed for the citadel, Tal was genuinely curious about Opardum. He considered his expectations about the place might have been colored in part by his attitude toward Kaspar. While affable enough on the surface, the Duke was a man without scruple, capable of wholesale murder. For that reason, perhaps, Tal had expected the city to be a somber, even dour place. In the midday sunshine, it looked anything but.

Broad-bottomed skiffs plied the harbor, running small loads of cargo to and from ships. Smaller trading vessels up from the southern islands deposited their wares on the quay. As the carriage rolled through the city, Tal saw that most of the buildings were whitewashed, made brilliant by the sun, and the roofs were mainly of colorful clay tiles of red or orange. Many small temples dotted the squares, which were centered around graceful fountains. Traders hawked their wares in the markets, and many shops were thronged with customers.

By all appearances Opardum was a prosperous, thriving, and busy city.

They passed over a canal, and Tal saw more signs of commerce, as riverboats just off the Anatak River were _______________

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slowly maneuvered through a series of locks by polemen labouring on the decks, heading for the harbor quays for loading and unloading. Olasko had two cultivated regions, the islands to the south, and the great rolling mead-owlands and hills between Olasko Gateway and the border with the Principality of Aranor. Most of the land between Opardum and Olasko Gateway was forest and wild prairie, very dangerous to cross, so most commerce between the two cities was by the river.

They reached the citadel and entered the main gate, but had turned at once to the right, moving around the side of the old bailey past what looked to be a parade ground to what was obviously the stabling area. A huge carriage house and stables large enough for perhaps fifty or more horses were snug against the outer wall.

Grooms ran out to take the horses while the coachmen opened the door. A page sought them out, asking,

“Are you Squire Talwin?”

“Yes.” Tal glanced around, realizing that Kaspar and Natalia were already up the stairs and into the citadel.

The boy smiled and said, “I am Rudolph, Squire. I am to guide you to your quarters.”

To Amafi, Tal said, “See to the luggage,” and turned to follow the boy.

Rudolph was a lad of about eleven or twelve years of age, from what Tal could judge, handsome in his palace togs of red leggings and a black tunic. The crest of Olasko, a charging boar of silver on a field of black, was sewn above his heart.

The boy moved quickly, and Tal had to hurry to keep up. “You’ll like your quarters, Squire,” said the lad. Moving purposefully on, he barely gave Tal time to take note of his surroundings.

They entered a side entrance to the citadel, one that _______________

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Tal assumed the Duke preferred, which meant it was probably close to his personal quarters. Tal took note of landmarks, which door they entered, the corridors they used, what stairs they climbed, and while he had a rough sense of where he was by the time they reached his quarters, he was certain he had a good chance of getting lost for a while if he ventured out on his own.

The suite was comprised of a full four rooms. A sitting room with large windows greeted Tal as he entered.

It was decorated with tapestries to minimize the cold from the stone walls, a fine carpet, and several tables and chairs. He could entertain up to six people here in comfort, he judged. A big fireplace rested between two other doors.

To the right, Rudolph showed him a large bathing room, with a drain in the center of a tiled floor. A brass tub sat nearby and there was a pair of seats, as well as a particularly well fashioned mirror. “A barber will call upon you every morning, sir, if you wish.”

“I prefer to let my manservant shave me,” said Tal.

“I’ll mention that to the housecarl, sir.”

He then showed Tal the bedroom, which had a low but huge bed, with multiple comforters, many cushions and pillows, and a smaller fireplace, which Tal judged must share the chimney with the one in the sitting room.

A door to the right led to a small room, which also had a door onto the sitting room. It was a servant’s room, and would be given over to Amafi.

On the left was one more door, which led to another, smaller bedroom, which Tal assumed meant that once a family with children had occupied these apartments. He said to Rudolph, “Thank you. I think I shall be fine now.

Make sure my servant arrives with my luggage.”

“Yes, Squire.” The lad moved to the door to the hall _______________

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and asked, “Is there anything you require before supper, sir?”

Tal judged supper to be several hours away. “I wouldn’t mind a bit of a tour of the citadel.”

“I can arrange that, Squire. I’ve been detailed to be your page until you’re at home. I’ll run to the housecarl and tell him about the shaving, sir—I mean about you preferring to have your manservant shave you—then I’ll be straight back.”

“Not too straight,” said Tal. “Say an hour after my luggage arrives. I need to bathe and change out of these travel clothes.”

“Very well, sir. I’ll have hot water sent up straightaway.”

“Good,” said Tal, taking a liking to the affable boy.

“The Duke will expect you at supper, Squire, so we must be back in time for you to change again.”

Tal raised an eyebrow in question, but said nothing.

Reading the gesture, the boy said, “His Grace always has a gala when he returns home, so something festive is in order.”

“Very good. Come back when I’ve finished cleaning myself up.”

The boy stepped into the hall. “Here comes your man with the luggage now, sir,” he said. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

Amafi showed the porters where to put the two large bags, then dismissed them. Then he glanced around the rooms. “Very nice, Magnificence.”

Tal said, “Get used to it. It’s home for a while.”

But inside he knew it would never be home, and he knew that he had to blend in and become one of Kaspar’s creatures, or his long-term plans for the Duke’s destruction would never succeed. But he couldn’t help but feel _______________

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that he had walked straight into a trap, like a wild bull charging into a net with a band of hunters just out of sight.

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Tal followed Rudolph as the boy scampered up yet another flight of stairs. Tal was working diligently at memorizing every hallway, flight of stairs, and significant room in the citadel. He was drawing a map in his mind.

They reached a landing where stairs headed down in two directions, to the right and left, and Tal said, “That way leads back to my quarters.” He was pointing to the right.

“Yes, Squire. Very good,” said the boy with a grin.

“Where does that lead?” He pointed to the left.

The boy said, “I’ll show you,” and they were off.

For almost two hours they had been exploring the vast edifice that was Opardum’s citadel. Tal believed the boy when he said that between the extra rooms, outer buildings inside the wall and some of the older tunnels into the rock, the entire population of the city might take shelter there if the need arose. The place was massive. For some reason the Dukes of Opardum had over the years felt the need to keep adding to the citadel.

Half an hour later, they reached a hallway and Rudolph stopped. They had just passed the large hall that led to the Duke’s great hall and his private quarters, a vast apartment comprised of more than a dozen rooms.

Rudolph said, “Down this hall is a stairway, Squire. No one is allowed to go there.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The Duke is most emphatic on that subject.”

“What’s up there?”

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“Leso Varen,” whispered the boy, looking as if even speaking the name frightened him.

Tal pretended ignorance. “Who or what is a Leso Varen?”

The boy took Tal’s hand as if to pull him along. “We need to keep moving. He’s an advisor to the Duke. He’s supposed to be a wizard, everyone says. He looks like everyone else, but . . .”

“But what?”

“I don’t like him,” said the boy again in a whisper. “He scares me.”

“Why?” said Tal with a laugh, as if trying to make light of it.

“I don’t know, Squire. He just does.”

Tal feigned indifference, but he marked the entrance to Varen’s quarters clearly in his mind. Then a faint aroma came to him, and his eyes widened. He recognized the scent, the particular perfume and the hint of the skin that it had touched. Alysandra! Or Lady Rowena, as she was known here. The other agent of the Conclave of Shadows, a woman of cold calculation and remarkable beauty. What had she been doing near the magician’s lair?

“We should start back now, Squire,” said Rudolph, bringing Tal out of his reverie with a solid yank on his hand. “We need to make sure you’re ready for the Duke’s gala.”

Tal nodded as Rudolph released his grip on Tal’s hand and Tal fell in behind the boy. From what he’d learned of the citadel thus far, Tal knew the lad was taking a circuitous route back to his quarters to avoid passing by the hall leading to the wizard’s quarters. As he followed, his mind returned to the question of what Rowena had been doing in the company of Leso Varen?