The Riftwar Legacy: The Complete 4-Book Collection

Pug said, ‘So then what I was on the verge of uncovering is now revealed to me by your appearance here.’

‘What would that be?’

‘That these magicians aiding Delekhan, the so-called “Six” are Tsurani Great Ones.’

‘I congratulate you on arriving at that conclusion based upon evidence you didn’t gather first hand. Impressive deduction, Milamber. But then Hochopepa always insisted you possessed an unusual mind.’

‘It was easy enough if one paused but a moment to examine the behaviour of the participants in these various acts. The moredhel? They have always held a deep, abiding hatred of all other races, deeming anyone not of their people to be intruders in their domain. The trolls and goblins are often their tools.

‘But when I looked at the pattern, I see gems from the Empire coming to Midkemia and being exchanged for gold. Had the gold returned to Tsuranuanni, there would have been no question, for there the gold is worth a hundred times more than here. But the gold never did. It went for weapons, and those weapons went to the moredhel. There was nothing in this for the Tsurani involved; nothing apparent.

‘Then when reports of the magic used by Delekhan began to appear, things didn’t fit. Some of the things reported could only have been done by Tsurani Great Ones.

‘Which leaves me with this one question: why?’

‘Why is not for you to know. Your judgment is called into question, Milamber. You revealed yourself as not being one of us when you destroyed the Emperor’s celebration and drove the warlord to take his own life in shame. You live here, your birthworld, and you’ve taken a Thuril for your wife.

‘You have a daughter who has shown power, yet you let her live.’

Pug’s eyes narrowed in warning that his temper was about to come to play. ‘Walk softly, Makala! This is not the Empire, and your words are not law.’

‘We have difficulties on both sides of the rift,’ said the Tsurani Great One. ‘Others of our brethren now must deal with the consequences of the destruction of House Minwanabi by House Acoma. The order of the Empire is threatened. And here, on your birthworld, this academy you create at Stardock, why even some of our own have agreed to come teach your students.’ His voice rose in anger. ‘Our former enemies!’

‘We are not your enemies,’ said Pug, his fatigue suddenly threatening to overwhelm him. ‘Ichindar knows this.’

‘The Light of Heaven will not live for ever. Eventually, the Assembly will press for a return to the order we have enjoyed for two thousand years.

‘But to ensure that you, the single biggest threat to our plans, do not interfere, we have arranged to take your daughter to a place where she will remain until such time we are satisfied you are no longer a threat.’

Pug’s anger threatened to spill over. Barely able to hold back rage, Pug choked, ‘Gamina! What have you done with her?’

‘She is unharmed. She will remain safe as long as you do not attempt to hinder our plans.’

‘Your plans involve murder on a wholesale scale if you’re in league with the moredhel, Makala! Can you think I’d stand aside, even if it means my daughter’s life, and let you destroy my homeland?’ He moved to stand before the Tsurani Great One. ‘And do you think to match your power with mine?’

‘Never, Milamber. You are the greatest of our brethren, which is why you must be neutralized. But if you destroy me, there are others who will see that what must be done is done. We will not oppose you if you seek to reach your daughter.’ He stepped aside and said, ‘In fact, we will provide you with means to go to her, but I warn you this might prove a mistake, as even your daunting prowess will not prevail in returning you here.’

‘Let me go to her,’ Pug said, his fear for his daughter washing away his fatigue. ‘As soon as I write a note to my wife.’

‘No,’ said Makala. ‘If you go, you go now.’ He took out a device, similar to a Tsurani transportation orb, but somehow different. He put it down. ‘There is only one position, Milamber. It will take you to your daughter, but only if you leave within a minute of my activating it.’ He clicked a slide on the side of it, and put it down on the pile of maps. ‘That minute begins now.’ He turned and walked away, producing another device and as he held his hand out to activate it, he said, ‘My motives are for the good of the Empire, Milamber. I have never harboured any personal ill-will toward you. That is for lesser men. At the end of this, I hope you and your family are well, but if you oppose me, I will see you all destroyed, for the good of the Empire.’ He vanished.

Pug grabbed a quill, dipped it in ink, and swept away all the papers and parchment on his desk, but one, a map upon the back of which he hastily penned six words. Then he dropped the quill and grabbed a writing charcoal, two pieces of parchment, and seized the device left by Makala, and with a fey humming, a high-pitched whine, the device activated, and he was gone, leaving only shifting papers on the floor as outside the window, the fury of the storm broke upon Krondor.

The inn was crowded, dirty and noisy, with men on the verge of brawling at the least excuse. James stood at the bar grinning.

‘What are you so happy about?’ whispered Locklear.

‘I’m home, Locky. I’ve missed places like this.’

‘You’re crazy, boy,’ said Patrus. ‘You looking to die young?’

‘I’ll tell you about some of the places I spent my time in when I was a kid, some day. Right now I’m just enjoying the prospect of this bunch being the ones heading south in a few weeks.’

‘Something’s not right,’ whispered Locklear. ‘This isn’t an army; it’s rabble.’

‘Locky, let’s get some fresh air.’

He led his companions from the inn and outside. Evening had fallen, cold and damp, with a mist of rain starting to fall. When he saw they weren’t overheard, James said, ‘Everywhere I look I see wall fodder, with a few moredhel clans I would wager are not high on Delekhan’s list of close friends.’

‘Wall fodder,’ chuckled Patrus. ‘I like that.’

‘Not if you’d ever had to be the first over the wall,’ said Locklear who had stood on the walls at Armengar and Highcastle with James and watched warriors die trying to do just that.

‘Where’s the army?’ asked James rhetorically.

‘Moving toward us, even as we speak,’ replied Locklear humorously.

‘We might have a better idea if we knew what Kroldech knows.’

‘Well, then,’ suggested Patrus, ‘why don’t we just go ask him?’

James said, ‘Or I could sneak in and see what he’s got lying around that looks like orders.’

‘You read that moredhel chicken scratching, boy?’ asked the magician.

James lost his smile. ‘No, I hadn’t thought about that.’ Orders from Delekhan to his field commander would be in that language, not the King’s Tongue.

Patrus grinned. ‘Well, I can.’

‘How?’ asked Locklear. ‘Who taught you to read moredhel?’

‘No one,’ said the magician with a look of disgust on his face.

‘Oh!’ said Locklear, suddenly getting it. ‘Magic!’

Rolling his eyes, Patrus said, ‘Right, magic.’ With a playful slap to the back of Locklear’s head, he added, ‘Idiot.’

James said, ‘I think we have a problem, still.’

‘What?’ asked Patrus. ‘You sneak in, get the papers, bring them out, I’ll read them, you sneak in, put them back, and we leave.’

‘That’s the problem,’ said James. ‘I should be able to sneak in and out, once, but the second time? And if the plans are removed and found missing, they’ll change them, almost certainly.’

‘How many ways can they march down that pass and up to the walls of the keep?’ asked Locklear.

‘Several,’ said James, ‘and if we are ready for one, and they come a different way, well, even this rabble could create problems enough to cost us dearly.’ He shook his head in frustration. ‘Damn.’

They kept walking, not wishing to have anyone see them lingering. While most of the camp in the town was either asleep or drinking in one of the several taverns in Raglam, there were enough soldiers around to view with suspicion anyone loitering.