Stephané out of Roldem and away from a forced marriage. ‘What is this all going to come to?’ he wondered.
Jim said, ‘If we play our part, we shall gather on the Fields of Albalyn soon, where a truce can be forged that will permit Edward to enter this city safely, and he can be acclaimed by the Congress of Lords as king. And then we can set about restoring order in the Kingdom. And that’s what you need to concern yourself with, my lord Duke of Crydee. There are few men of rank in this nation I would hand a sword and ask them to stand behind the king, but you are one of them. If Edward survives more than a few months before someone decides his rule has lasted too long, then we may look to the future.’ Jim lowered his head.
‘There’s something else? What?’
‘Everything,’ answered Jim. ‘Those three murderous creatures that plunged us into wholesale war with Kesh, had but one ambition: to create chaos, and in that they succeeded in grand fashion. In all things in this life, magic gives me the most to fear, for you need other magic to battle it. We’ve long allied ourselves with people who seem to be of good heart and intent, but I …’
‘You hate leaving things to others,’ finished Hal.
‘Yes,’ admitted Jim. ‘Another flaw of character, and probably why I’m so sick at heart and worn out by all this; I would wager there’s no man alive who has travelled more between Krondor, Rillanon, and Roldem than me.’ He released his hold on the balustrade. ‘We have more to discuss, but some other time. I could do with a meal before tackling the more prickly matter of politics. Join me?’
‘Certainly. Can my brothers come as well?’
‘Of course. There’s much we need to keep between ourselves, but there are many things it would be well for all the conDoin brothers to know.’
Hal smiled.
Jim put his hand on Hal’s shoulder and lowered his voice. ‘You realize that you are the only three males left alive who bear that name.’ He conveniently neglected to include the magician, Pug, who was a conDoin by adoption, but who had renounced his allegiance to the Kingdom years before.
Hal said, ‘I hadn’t thought of it that way.’
‘For reasons that will become clear, I am having the officials in the court refer to you as Duke Henry, but your brothers will henceforth be called Princes Martin and Brendan. I want these conniving nobles to be reminded of just who you are.’
Hal said nothing, but as he and Jim entered the palace, he wondered, But who are we?
It was a sombre meal despite repeated attempts on the part of Duke James to liven the mood with a series of humorous anecdotes and stories. People would chuckle at the appropriate moments, smile and nod, then fall back into silence. Finally, as the meal drew to an end, silence engulfed the room.
The three brothers from the Far Coast were seated at the table with Lord James, Jim, several of the duke’s closest advisors, various ladies of the court, and attendants. The other addition to the table was Ty Hawkins, son of Talwin Hawkins, a former tribesman from the mountains called the High Fastness in the Eastern Kingdoms. History and circumstance had propelled young Talon of the Silver Hawk into the cauldron that was international politics, and he had emerged a man of many identities.
As had his son. Ty Hawkins, son of Eye of the Blue-Winged Teal and a nameless soldier of Olasko, adopted by Tal and loved as his own, was by nature and training his father’s son. By an odd quirk of circumstance, he resembled his adopted father, with vivid blue eyes and a lithe frame and whipcord strength. The most striking difference was his sandy-blonde hair, contrasting with his father’s near-black. But like many boys, he had adopted so many of his father’s mannerisms and expressions. At times it was impossible to remember Tal was not his true father.
Jim watched Ty in conversation with Hal and found it ironic that the man he most trusted to protect the royal cousin was not even a true citizen of the Kingdom. Still, both father and son had provided valuable service to the Kingdom, Roldem, and occasionally the Conclave of Shadows.
It was the duke who spoke loud enough for the entire table to hear clearly. ‘If I may …’ Everyone fell silent. He looked around the table and said, ‘It dawns on me that with the exception of young Hawkins here, our families are intimately linked, while we are still relative strangers to one another.’ He raised his goblet of wine in the direction of the three brothers. ‘You three are the last of the conDoin line. While others have royal blood, only you three carry the name. My grandson and I descend from a name far less noble – Jamison – founded by a rogue and scoundrel, raised up to nobility by your many-greats-uncle. Both put two things above all else: duty and honour. Let us drink to their memory. Prince Arutha conDoin and James – the only man in history to be both Duke of Krondor and Rillanon; Jimmy the Hand!’
They drank and then the duke said, ‘This may be the end of us all, but not of the Kingdom if I have a damn thing to say about it.’
Ty nodded and shouted, ‘Hear! Hear!’
Hal looked at the old duke, glanced at his grandson, then simply asked, ‘What would you have us do?’
‘Many things, young Hal,’ said Lord James. ‘Eventually you’ll need to get married and father some sons, so that your name will continue. And perhaps one of them will rule here one day.’ He held up his hand. ‘And, one last time, Hal: no more mention of Lord Martin’s foolish, if noble, claim. It has no validity. And you need to retake your duchy. The Far Coast may be in chaos, but it is still king’s land. As I told you on the day of Gregory’s funeral, you need to find an ally, either Chadwick or Montgomery, and convince him of your loyalty to his cause in exchange for his loyalty to yours – the retaking of Crydee.’ James paused. ‘You’ll be lying, of course, because since the day that Crydee was lost, so much has changed.’ He glanced at a window, and everyone in the room knew he was speaking of Oliver’s army camped beyond the city. They had expected Prince Oliver to arrive with a retinue to press his claim, not an army. That changed everything.
As if reading their collective minds, James added, ‘And you must ensure that somehow Edward is crowned here, not that snake Oliver. We may have to persuade Edward to put himself forward as king, rather than backing Chadwick or Montgomery.’ He pointed at Hal. ‘You may be the deciding factor if he knows the fate of the Far Coast and probably much of Yabon, rests on this. You may very well be the one to tip the balance and save this nation.’
He sat back and sighed. ‘But to do any of that, you must, of course, stay alive.’
Jim nodded. ‘I’ll see that he does, Grandfather.’
Duke James put down his goblet and stood up. ‘Then I’ll bid you a good night and advise you this: outside this room there are few you can trust. Ensure you take wise counsel and be cautious of honeyed words laced with poison.’ He nodded to the brothers and Ty, then left the room.
As if by silent instruction, the other guests rose and one by one bid Hal, his brothers, and Jim good night. When the last was gone, only those five and the servants remained.
Jim looked around. ‘Another drink?’
No one objected, so the servants filled their goblets, and they partook of a particularly good wine, but the mood in the room could hardly be called festive.
Jim waved for the servants to depart. When they had gone, he said, ‘Ty knows what I’m about to share with you three.’ He glanced from face to face. ‘I am a loyal servant of the Crown, but I also work with the Conclave of Shadows, and you’d never heard of them until Ruffio told you of them for a reason. What I know, what I’m telling you, is because my loyalty, and yours at the moment, must extend beyond the borders of our nation. I tell you this because I trust the woman in charge of Roldem’s intelligence apparatus more at this moment than half the nobles in our Congress of Lords. I trust a few Keshians as well. But mostly I trust the dedication of the Conclave to the preservation of our entire world.
‘The recent conflict with Kesh was pointless.’
Martin seemed to be on the