former enemies to become valued vassals.” Now his voice was raised to the point of yelling. “But I’ll be damned to the Seventh Hell if I let some murdering bastard set himself up as ‘King of the Bitter Sea’ and rule over my Principality. If Fadawah does, it will be with one foot on my dead body!”
Dash and James exchanged glances. They didn’t need to say anything. The message was clear. Owen Greylock and Erik von Darkmoor, and what remained of the Armies of the West, would have to retake the Principality without any outside assistance.
Owen cleared his throat. Patrick glanced at his Knight-Marshal of Krondor and said, “Yes?”
“Is there anything else, Highness?”
Patrick was silent a long moment, then said, “No.” To the men in the room he said, “My lords and gentlemen, you are all under Marshal Greylock’s command from this moment on. Treat his orders as if they are my own.”
He lowered his voice. “And may the gods smile on us,” he said. And left.
The nobles in the room began muttering comments to one another, then Owen said, “My lords!”
Silence returned to the hall.
Greylock said, “We move in the morning. I expect to have advanced units in Ravensburg by nightfall, and scouts to the walls of Krondor by the end of the week.” He glanced from face to face, then said, “You know what to do.”
The men began to file out of the room, and Erik came to stand before Dash and James. “You’re with me,” he said, turning and walking toward a small door off to one side.
The brothers found their father waiting in the room already, and in a moment Greylock entered, closing the door behind. “I just wanted to let you two know,” said Owen, addressing the brothers, “that you’re going to be given the dirtiest, most thankless job we’ve got.”
Dash smiled. “Smashing!”
Jimmy threw his brother a dark look, and said, “What is it?”
“Jimmy, you’re in charge of our special advance unit.”
“Special advance unit?” asked Jimmy.
Arutha nodded. “Him,” he said, pointing to Dash.
Dash rolled his eyes heavenward but said nothing. He had long ago accustomed himself to being under his older brother’s direction whenever they were working together.
Arutha said, “Owen said he needed a couple of sneaky bastards to operate behind enemy lines.” He smiled at his sons. “I told him your parentage wasn’t in doubt, but that you were sneaky enough for the job.”
“When do we leave?” said Jimmy.
“Now,” said Erik. “There are a pair of horses waiting for you by the postern gate, with supplies for a week.”
James said, “A week? That means you’ll want us inside of Krondor when your scouts reach the walls?”
Owen nodded. “Or close by. Leave those uniforms here and dress like a couple of free swords. If you get caught, tell them you’re Valemen looking to enlist.”
Dash grinned, but his tone was mocking. “Oh, joy. We’re playing at spies again.”
Jimmy again looked at his brother as if he were crazy, and said, “You do find the oddest things entertaining.”
Arutha looked at his two sons and said, “We just got confirming intelligence that Duko has come south.”
“That’s the stick in the anthill, isn’t it?” said Dash.
Arutha nodded. “Indeed. If Duko gets established in Krondor before we do, he threatens Port Vykor. Cut off Vykor and we have no communications with the fleet; cut off the fleet, and we have no chance to resupply from the Sunset Islands and the Far Coast.”
Owen said, “It might be a feint, with Sarth being his real objective. But there’s a report that a second force moves south along the road from Hawk’s Hallow under the command of Nordan, Fadawah’s second.”
“That’s a lot of soldiers slogging through the ice and mud,” said Jimmy.
Arutha said, “Krondor’s harbor is useless; Fadawah knows this. We don’t know if he knows of Vykor’s harbor down in Shandon Bay, but if he does, then this isn’t a feint.”
Jimmy glanced at his brother, then said to his father, “So you want us to find out which?”
“If possible,” said Arutha. “If he’s just trying to slow down our march, so he can reinforce Sarth, we have to know.”
Dash looked around the room, then asked, “Anything else?”
Arutha said, “Stay alive?”
Jimmy smiled. “We always plan on that, Father.”
Arutha came and embraced his sons, Dash first, then Jimmy.
Dash said, “Come on, we have some riding to do this night.”
Jimmy resumed looking dubious as they left the room.
DASH SIGNALED.
Jimmy took out his sword and ducked behind the boulder. Dash left his own position on the south side of the King’s Highway and dropped into a ditch that ran parallel to the road for several hundred feet.
The brothers had been riding for two days. The thaw had begun and there was actually some warmth in the sunlight when it came out from behind the seemingly constant cloud cover. But the temperature didn’t fall below freezing anymore, and the rain helped melt the snow. As Dash lay in the cold mud he wished for the ice again. The ooze slowed travel and he didn’t seem able to get dry, even when staying close to a fire at night.
They had heard voices in the woods ahead a few minutes ago, had dismounted, tied their horses, and advanced on foot. As the sound of approaching feet grew louder, Dash chanced a glance over the edge of the berm, and saw a ragged band of travelers looking about in a fearful manner as they moved eastward along the King’s Highway. There was a man and woman, and children, three of them, though one – Dash couldn’t tell if it was a girl or boy under the heavy hood – seemed almost of adult height.
Dash stood as Jimmy came from behind the boulder. The man in the van of the small party of refugees pulled a wicked-looking hand scythe from under his ragged cloak and held it in menacing fashion as the others turned as if to flee.
“Hold!” Jimmy shouted. “We’ll not harm you.”
The man looked dubious, the others fearful, but they halted their movement. Jimmy and Dash both put away weapons and slowly approached.
The man didn’t lower his scythe. “Who be you?” he said, his words heavily accented.
Jimmy and Dash exchanged glances, for the man spoke with the accent of one who had come from Novindus. This man at one time had been a soldier with the invading army of the Emerald Queen.
Dash held up his hands to show he was not holding any weapon, and Jimmy stopped moving. Jimmy said, “We’re travelers. Who are you?”
The woman ventured to step from behind the man’s protection. She was gaunt and looked weak. Jimmy glanced to the others and saw that the children were equally underfed. The tallest of the three was a girl, perhaps fifteen years of age, though appearing older for the deep dark circles under her eyes. Jimmy returned his attention to the woman, who looked at him and said, “We were farmers.” She pointed to the east. “We’re trying to reach Darkmoor. We hear there’s food there.”
Jimmy nodded. “Some. Where are you from?”
“Tannerus,” said the