Krondor_ The Assassins Part 14

"We have unchecked murders in our streets, a war between criminal factions, someone methodically killing magicians in our city, magicians attempting to a.s.sa.s.sinate visiting n.o.bility, and a band of Keshian Izmalis operating far north of our border with Great Kesh." Arutha sat back. "In sum, we have as out-of-control a situation as I can remember."

James said nothing, and when William looked at him, gave the young man a slight shake of the head, indicating that the Prince was not to be questioned or interrupted.

After a moment of silence, Arutha said, "James, I have a commission for you."

James smiled. "Another?"

"No, the same, only more clearly defined."

William sat motionless, expecting to be dismissed at any moment.

Arutha noticed the posture and said, "I a.s.sume my wife has invited you to sup with us?"

William nodded.

"Good, because you're to play a part in this as well."

"Me?" asked William.

Arutha gave his adopted cousin a faint smile. "You feel as if you've been derelict in your duty?"

William nodded again.

Arutha said, "Losing men under your command is never easy. On your first mission, it can be devastating."

William felt tears threatening, and blinked them back as relief flooded over him. "Thank you, sire," he said softly.

Arutha paused for another long moment, then said, "What is said here, now, stays in this room."

Both young men nodded.

"James, for two years you've been flirting with the idea of setting up an intelligence corps."

James said nothing.

"I want you to stop flirting and start building in earnest. Young William here will help you."

"Me, Highness?"

Arutha looked at William. "The longer you stay in Krondor, the more you will come to understand that trust is a rare commodity to the throne. There are those, of course, who swear loyalty with every fiber of their being, but their own natures make them untrustworthy, since they harbor mental reservations even they are unaware of until the moment of crisis comes. You have shown your mettle over the last two days, and besides, you're Pug's son."

William's expression darkened a bit despite his attempt to keep a neutral facade. "Sire?" he asked, tentatively.

"I know you've had difficulties with your father, about taking service with me. You can be certain he and I had words over this several times. My point is, Pug has a particular loyalty to this family and nation. He has experienced things you and I can only imagine, yet he works for a greater good. Had you been a man I could not trust, I would have learned of that long before you came to Krondor.

"Besides," finished Arutha, "as one of the younger officers, you will be last among those suspected of any special rank within this court."

James said, "And I?"

Arutha looked at James. "Publicly, you will continue for a while with the rank of squire, but we both know you abuse that limit on your authority with regularity and invoke my name whenever you feel that will make a difference."

James just grinned.

"Eventually, if you and Locklear manage to live, I'll promote both of you to baronets, but while you probably have earned that rank half a dozen times over in the last few years, that promotion would only serve to call more attention to you should I award it now. Those men who tried to apprehend you a few days ago have me concerned."

James nodded. "As they do me. And given that some of my informants were among the dead, I shall have to give some thought to how I recruit their replacements."

"Young Deputy Means can help. What you must do is to recruit a few-no more than five-people who know you by name and face. Those must be the ones who work to bring in informants and agents. I shall also have to send you to every city in the Kingdom, and eventually, abroad, so that a true letwork can be established. It will take years." He rose and two young men followed suit. "But for the time being, let's see if you can set up a bit of an intelligence service here in Krondor without getting yourself killed."

"I've avoided it so far," James said with confidence.

"Which is why you get the task, my young future duke."

James grinned at the old joke between them. "Are you going to name me Duke of Krondor some day?"

"Perhaps. If I don't hang you first," Arutha said, leading them to the dining area. "Though if we get this network to the state I wish, one that will counter Kesh's, then I suspect you'll end up in Rillanon. The east is where we need intelligence, in many ways, more than we need it here." Ignoring protocol, Arutha pushed open the doors himself.

Seeing the door open from the other side, the two pages inside the dining room hurried to pull out the Prince's chair. William took his place at the foot of the table, next to James. He glanced over to see how James was taking all of this and saw the young squire was already lost in thought about the task before him.

Arutha said, "We'll continue this discussion later." He turned his attention to his wife and children.

Princess Elena seemed content to sing quietly to her doll, which had been propped up next to her dinner plate, and occasionally she informed James and William that the doll was not enjoying supper, mostly because she didn't like the behavior of the two boys next to her.

James nodded to William, and whispered, "Even money says the doll is abducted before the meal is over."

Sizing up the mischievous Princes Borric and Erland, William said, "No wager." Supper pa.s.sed quietly and pleasantly, with Anita asking William questions that led him to tell of his mission without vivid details that might disturb the children.

After supper, Arutha rose and motioned to the two young men to follow him back to his office. As they left the dining area, and again pa.s.sed through the private chamber, from behind them came an outraged screech from the Princess, followed by, "Mummy! Borric's got my dolly!"

James shrugged and said, "So I was off, she made it through the meal."

William smiled. "Barely."

When they reached Arutha's office door, James opened it for him.

The Prince swept through the door and William followed when James motioned him ahead. James closed the door and joined William before the desk.

Arutha waved for them to sit and said, "I've given this a lot of thought, James, and as much as I know you'd love to be given a free rein on this, I want you to report to me on every proposed agent you want to recruit."

James nodded. "That will slow us down, Highness."

"I know, but I'd rather not lose agents down the road for haste at the outset. I would prefer you to be circ.u.mspect and find us reliable people."

James said, "I've been thinking about this as well, Highness. What if we set up two sets of agents?"

"What's your meaning?"

"What if I line up some snitches and a couple of dock-workers, the sort of blokes I employed before, as if I were replacing those who were killed or fled, while at the same time I was quietly setting up a real ring of agents?"

"Sounds plausible, but you realize those you recruit more openly are likely to be punished for the deeds of your real agents, don't you?"

James said, "I know. But this isn't a game, Highness. People are dying right now, and those who willingly take the Crown's gold for being involved in such business should know the risks involved. I don't want to set up anyone to be a decoy, and if I'm just fumble-fingered enough in setting up my snitches and bully-boys, and they're just inept enough to make our enemies think them harmless, perhaps they won't be asked to pay the price for our other work."

Arutha said, "I don't like it, but there are many things a.s.sociated with this crown I don't like."

William sat silently, and Arutha looked at him. "Do you understand?"

"Sir?"

"I mean, do you understand about doing distasteful things, even repulsive things, in the name of duty?"

William was silent for a long moment, then he answered. "Sire, I've learned a lot in the last year about what it means to bear arms. Training was half of it. Killing men was most of the other half. But watching comrades, men whose safety had been entrusted to me . . . I think I understand."

"Good, because you're the only junior officer I can trust fully, beyond even the normal oath of loyalty to the Crown. Your father never traded on his adoption into the family-he never needed to-but it was a most solemn gift by my father to honor a boy he thought dead, whom he had come to regard as worthy of bearing our family name.

"The children call you Cousin Willie, with affection, but it's more than a simple courtesy: you are a conDoin. If the responsibility that comes with that name hasn't dawned upon you yet, now is the time for it to do so."

William sat back, comprehension dawning on him. "It hadn't, Highness. But I think it's beginning to."

"Good," said Arutha with a half-smile. "I have no doubt James will accelerate your understanding if he doesn't get you killed first."

"What should I do, Highness?" asked William.

"Study, learn, listen, train, do your job. But from time to time James will pull you from your regular duties and you'll aid him in whatever task he requires. As your time here pa.s.ses, William, I want you to get to know every man in the command, and in your mind mark those who you think can be trusted with special duties. The Household Guard has been a ceremonial command of late. It's time to change that. I will eventually make it clear that my personal guards are the elite of this command, but not quite yet. To do so at this time would send a signal to whoever is behind all the mayhem in my city."

Arutha sat back, formed a tent with his fingers and flexed them for a moment, the only nervous gesture James had ever seen him make. After a moment of reflection, he said, "We have ample proof of agencies in our realm doing mischief. We do not know if we face one or many foes. The Nighthawks? Are they related to those Izmalis? Why would they mount so frantic an attack? Had they moved with more precision, I suspect you would not be here, William."

William nodded in agreement.

"And of course," Arutha continued, "why kill magicians?"

James said, "It would be nice if either Pug or Kulgan was here."

Arutha nodded absently. "Pug wants to send me a new court magician. After that affair with Makala and the Tsurani Great Ones, and now this business of shape-changers and murdering magicians. . ." He sighed. "I think Pug is correct and I will send him word to have this Keshian girl sent here."

William's eyes widened. "Jazhara!"

Arutha said, "Yes."

"But she's-"

Arutha interrupted. "I know. She's the great niece of Lord Hazara-Khan." Glancing at James. "Who is, I suspect, your opposite in the Court of Great Kesh."

James said, "You flatter me. It will take me a decade to put together agents as cleverly as he has."

To William, Arutha said, "You object to her coming here?"

"No . . . it's just that I'm . . . surprised, Highness."

"Why?"

William's eyes shifted a moment, then he said, "Well, she's a Keshian, and connected to the most influential family in the north of the empire. And . . . she's young."

Arutha had to laugh. "And you and James are ancient veterans?"

William blushed. "No . . . it's just that all my life I've been surrounded by magicians, many of whom are elderly men of great experience. I'm just. . ."

"Just what?" asked the Prince.

"Surprised that she's my father's choice, that's all."

Arutha reflected on that. "Why?"

"There are older, more experienced magicians at Stardock."

"Who?"

"Who?" echoed William.

"Who," repeated Arutha, "would you suggest is a more appropriate choice?"

William said, "I. . . well. . . there are several." His mind raced and he did a quick inventory of the magicians at Stardock who might serve as an advisor to the Prince of Krondor. He quickly realized that most were either too caught up in their own area of study to perform the required duties with any dedication, or they lacked the social skills necessary to be a harmonious addition to the court. After a moment, he said, "Actually, I can't think of anyone. Korsh and Watoom are also Keshians, and they are too involved with the conduct of the Academy. Zolan Husbar and Kulgan are too old. There are some others, but Jazhara has both the knowledge of court politics and a firm grasp of the mystic arts."

"Do you fear treachery?"

"No," William said without hesitation. "Never that. If she swears an oath of fealty to your crown, Highness, she will serve with her life if need be."

"I thought as much." Arutha regarded William for a moment. "There's something else you're not telling me, but I'll let that pa.s.s for now." To James he said, "I'll set up a special account for you to draw upon for whatever you need in establishing this new network of agents. I want a weekly report, even if the report is 'nothing happened this week.' And I won't like hearing that."

James nodded. "There are three things we must deal with as quickly as possible. First, what is the relationship between the Nighthawks and the Crawler? Second, what is the purpose behind all the seemingly random deaths? And third, what is the significance of magicians being killed?"

Arutha rose, and the young men quickly followed suit. "I must pay a visit to the Duke of Olasko and his family. You can add to that list why a visiting lord of a friendly nation was set upon so far from home."

"Four things," said James.

Arutha didn't wait for James to open the door, but just opened it himself as he said, "Be in court tomorrow morning, both of you."

After the Prince had set off down the corridor, William turned to James and said, "Did I make a total fool of myself in there?"

"Not total," replied James with a smile. "What's between this girl and you?"

William looked down at the ground and said, "It's a long story."

"We have time, so tell me."

"Time? I have to report in."

"You already did," said James. "Treggar and the other officers will have been told you were with Arutha. From now on, when you're with me or the Prince, the others in the garrison will simply know you're on special duty. That's all."