Iasha had chosen a gown of dark blue and was easily one of the most striking women at court. She still talked about finding herself a rich husband, but Nicholas noticed she didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to do so.
As the dinner wound down, Borric came over and put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. Whispering, he said, “Your presence, little brother, and that of your lady friend, is requested in the family’s private quarters.” He glanced over at Harry and said, “You too, Squire, and your lady as well.”
As the guests filed out, some to return to the city by carriage, others to guest quarters set aside for them while they visited Krondor, the family of the King gathered in the royal family’s apartment. With every cousin, aunt, uncle, and in-law in attendance, the “family” gathering was nearly as riotous a crowd as the entire wedding party had been.
As he entered the large room, Nicholas nodded to his aunt Carline, a still-lovely woman with silver-grey hair. Her husband, Laurie, Duke of Salador, smiled and winked at Nicholas. Nicholas knew that before the night was over, Laurie would be the center of attention, singing and playing on an old lute he took everywhere. No longer the dashing minstrel of his youth, Laurie was still a fine singer who could hold a room rapt for hours. Their daughter and two sons sat in the corner, planning to escape into the city with some of younger courtiers in the palace as soon as it was acceptable to excuse themselves. Nicholas couldn’t believe he was roughly the same age as they were; he felt as if he had aged ten years in the last year.
Gunther, eldest son of the Duke of Ran, held Elena’s hand as she sat next to her mother. Close to term with their first baby, she positively beamed with joy. Anita reveled in the presence of her grandchildren and would probably conspire to keep the family in Krondor days beyond anyone’s scheduled plans.
Borric and his wife, the Princess Yasmine, entered, and the doors were closed behind them. Several small children were absent, and Nicholas knew that they were considered too likely to grow fussy and restless during the family’s smaller celebration. The hour was growing late, and soon Borric and Yasmine’s two older children would be put to bed.
Besides the family, Harry and Brisa, Iasha, and Abigail and her father, Baron Bellamy, were among the guests. Bellamy’s two sons were back supervising the rebuilding of both Carse and Crydee.
A second door opened and Nakor entered, wearing a wonderfully fashioned robe of blue, with a magnificent cape trimmed in a complex design of white and silver threads. Behind him came a man dressed in black, escorting a lovely woman with golden hair.
Nicholas and Harry both stood, their mouths threatening to gape. Nicholas said, “Pug. Ryana!” He composed himself. “Lady Ryana, what a pleasure.”
The beautiful but alien-looking woman nodded in Nicholas’s direction, and a smile passed between them. A very self-conscious-looking Prajichetas and an elegantly dressed Vajasiah entered next. Calis was the last to enter, and the door was closed again behind them.
Still powerful-looking despite his years, the King stood before a giant hearth, without a fire on this warm summer evening. His blond hair was free of all but a little grey, turning paler, almost white, over the years, and his face showed lines from the pressure of office. Lyam removed the golden circlet of his office with a sign of relief. He looked down at his wife, Queen Magda, and said, “We live for these informal moments”—he grinned and years seemed to fall away—“now ‘we’ can be ‘I’ for a little while.” Martin and Arutha went to stand next to their brother, Martin still limping from his injury.
A porter entered and held open the door as a line of servants came through, bearing flagons of wine. Lyam waited until these had been passed to everyone in the room and then said, “Many of you know some of what transpired along the Far Coast last year. Only a few of you know all of it. But one thing I wish you all to know and that is that my nephew, Prince Nicholas, has done a remarkable thing.” He paused while all eyes turned toward Nicholas. “In quest for his cousin and others who were taken unlawfully from this land, he sailed halfway around the world and, against any reasonable hope, back again with all he could save.
“I would have liked to propose this toast during the wedding feast, so everyone in the realm could know of this amazing feat, but as it was Amos and Alicia’s moment, I thought it best to wait until we, the family and friends of Nicholas, were alone. I now propose a toast to Nicholas, who brings pride and honor to the name conDoin.”
“To Nicholas,” they said, and drank from their cups.
As the servants left the room, Nicholas could see all eyes remaining upon him. He flushed and found it difficult to swallow, and his eyes threatened to brim over with tears. He cleared his throat and said, “Thank you all.” He squeezed Iasha’s hand and said, “But what I did, I did with the help of good men and women. Many who are not here with us today.” He raised his own flagon. “To absent friends.”
“To absent friends,” they repeated, and drank.
The smaller gathering broke down into groups of people chatting about family and friends, inquiring into the health of elder family members or the growth of children. Nicholas was struck that except for the size of the gathering and the power of the people in attendance, it was little different from a gathering of any other family.
Pug came over and steered Nicholas to a quiet corner. “It’s our first chance to talk. You did all that anyone could have asked you to do, Nicholas, and more.”
“Thank you.”
Pug said, “I expect you have a few questions.”
“Dahakon?” asked Nicholas.
“Truly dead,” said Pug. “He was dangerous, and by keeping him occupied for the months you traveled, I weakened his powers. He used almost all he had left keeping that warship after you. Ryana was more than he could deal with, once Calis distracted him with that wooden shaft.”
“Nakor showed Anthony how to do it.” Nicholas smiled. “I’m surprised you brought Ryana with you.”
Pug smiled in return. Softly he said, “Part of her education. Passing for human is not easy for one of her kind.”
Nicholas looked to where Vajasiah was speaking to Ryana, his every gesture and expression artfully designed to charm. “It looks like she’s getting an education right now.”
Pug smiled. “Not as much as he will should she agree to steal away with him. There are nuances of human behavior that she just doesn’t understand yet. For her age and power, in most ways she’s still a child.”
“One question,” asked Nicholas.
“What?”
“When I first came to your island, how much of what was to happen did you already know?”
Pug said, “Some.” Lowering his voice even more, he said, “I had received a message from the Oracle of Aal, warning me of a closing pattern. There were several possible outcomes depending on what we did.
“I could have destroyed the raiders, if I had known they were coming, but then I would have known nothing about the Pantathians’ part in all this, and the danger from the plague. If I had gone after the prisoners, even those few who you saved would have been lost, and the Pantathians could still seek out others to act as templates for their plague carriers.”
Nicholas said, “One thing I don’t understand: why go to all this trouble? Why not simply send some plague carriers to Krondor?”
Pug said, “Should plague erupt in the city, every magic talent in Stardock and the Temples would work to ensure that the Prince and his highest-ranking ministers were spared. Their leadership is too important. But should the plague erupt in the palace, think of the confusion if your father and all his advisers, the ranking commanders, the most important merchants and guildsmen—if all were among the very first to die.”
Nicholas nodded. “So that’s why you let us follow and find out the real plan.”
“I thought it best to hold their most powerful magician in check, letting you undo the rest of their plan. I sensed you would be at the center of this dark confrontation, and Nakor confirme
d that judgment.” Pug looked over his shoulder. “What a fascinating mind he has. I’m trying to talk him into returning to Sorcerer’s Island with me for a time.”
Nicholas sighed. “What about that Lady Clovis?”
Pug said, “From what Nakor told me of her, she’s most likely still alive down there, plotting. We’ve probably not seen an end of her.”
Nicholas said, “Or the Pantathians.”
Pug looked at the young Prince and said, “I know that expression; I’ve seen it on your father enough times. Listen to me: someone will end their menace, someday, but no one said it must be you.” He smiled. “You’ve done more than your lifetime’s share already.” Glancing at the group of young women who spoke together, Pug asked, “Are you going to marry that lady of yours?”
Nicholas grinned. “Sometimes I think so, sometimes not. She talks about finding a rich husband, because she doesn’t believe Father or the King would permit such a marriage.” He lowered his voice again. “And truth to tell, sometimes I want to and sometimes I’m looking for a rich husband for her.”
Pug laughed. “I understand the feeling. When I was very young, your aunt Carline often made me feel the same way.”
Nicholas’s eyes widened. “Does Uncle Laurie know?”
Pug said, “Who do you think introduced them?”
The King said, “I have an announcement to make.” All eyes turned to him and he said, “My Lord Henry of Ludland informs me his son, Harry, is to wed.”
There were cheers and applause in the room, and women gathered around Brisa, hugging her. Nicholas and Pug made their way to where a blushing Harry stood receiving congratulations, and Nicholas shook his hand. “You bastard,” said Nicholas with a laugh. “You never said a thing.”
Leaning forward so that only Nicholas could hear, he said, “I’m the middle son of a minor earl; I had to ask her before some rich duke’s boy took her away from me. When we first met her, could you believe she’d be so beautiful?”
Nicholas couldn’t argue his reasons. Then Harry whispered, “Besides, we’re going to have a baby.”
Nicholas laughed and said, “Shall I have Uncle Lyam announce that, too?”
Harry grimaced and held up his hand. “It would put my father in his grave. We’ll wait a week or two after the wedding, thank you.”
“When?”
Harry said, “I think as soon as possible, given the circumstances.”
Nicholas agreed with a laugh.
Then Lyam said, “My brother Arutha has something to say.”
Arutha, wearing a rare smile, said, “My son and Harry—” Amos pointedly cleared his throat. Arutha added, “—with the aid of Admiral Trask, have managed to effect the first conquest of new lands since my grandfather took the Far Coast. With a pleasant lack of bloodshed, I might add.” He raised his flagon in salute. “As we now have need of some governance in Freeport, with my brother’s permission I’m naming Harry, formerly my son’s Squire, as the new Governor of Freeport and the Sunset Islands.”
Lyam said, “And he is elevated to the rank of Baronet of the Prince’s Court.”
Again they congratulated Harry, and Arutha waved Nicholas to his side. “What about you?” he asked his youngest son. “Have you given any thought to what you’d like to do? I can’t very well send you back to Crydee a Squire now, can I?”
Nicholas said, “I have given it some thought, Father. I think I’d like to return to sea. I’d like a ship.”
Amos laughed. “I said to Arutha you might be thinking of taking my job now that I’m to retire.”
Nicholas laughed, too. “I’m not quite ready to be calling myself Admiral yet, Amos.”
Amos said, “With the trade that’s going to start coming through Freeport, Carse will also become a major trading center; it’s the best port on the Far Coast. There’s going to be a lot of black hearts who will try their hand at piracy, so we’ll need strong men on tall ships out there.”
Arutha said, “We’re going to have to maintain a squadron in Freeport. Amos is right, with that idiotic free-trade agreement you’ve endorsed, we’re going to have every trader, pirate, and smuggler in three nations crawling over those islands. Your Patrick of Duncastle seems a capable enough fellow when it comes to breaking heads, a fine King’s High Sheriff, but we’re going to need administrators, which is why I’m sending Harry. Amos said he’s just the sort to deal with merchants and thieves.”
Amos said, “It’s true. If I were to go a-roving again, I’d have him aboard my ship in an instant; he’s a first-rate scrounger, and has a knack for settling arguments. And Brisa certainly knows her way around that city.”
“Well then,” said Arutha to Nicholas, “I’m sending the Eagle to join the two I left in Freeport. We’ll give you your captaincy and put you in charge of that squadron of pirates William Swallow is organizing out there. From all I’ve heard, you’ll be a fit match for those brigands, as you’ve tried your hand at the pirate’s trade yourself lately.”
Nicholas grinned. “In a manner of speaking.”
“Lyam’s going to name Marcus Warden of the West when Martin retires, so you’ll be answering to him.” He took on a mock-serious tone. “I was going to elevate you to Baron of the Prince’s Court, which will give you rank to see Harry doesn’t go too far off course, but perhaps I should have Lyam create a special title for you—say, the King’s Buccaneer?”
Nicholas laughed and said, “Captain will be fine, Father. I’ll let you know when I wish to try for Admiral.”
Arutha laughed and put his arm around his son’s shoulders. “You make me proud, Nicky.”
Anita joined them and hugged her son, saying, “I like your lady, Nicholas. She’s got a spirit that’s rare.”
Nicholas said, “She’s…different.”
They laughed and returned to the party, and as the night wore on, memories were shared, and hopes expressed, and a family that had known joy and sorrow took profound pleasure from simply being together again.
For Ethan and Barbara
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work would not exist if it were not for the rich imaginations of the original “Thursday Nighters” and of the “Friday Nighters” who came after. Steve A., April, Jon, Anita, Rich, Ethan, Dave, Tim, Lori, Jeff, Steve B., Conan, Bob, and the dozens of others who joined with us over the years gave Midkemia a quality of richness that no one person could author. Thanks for the wonderful world in which to play.
Thanks go to Janny Wurts, for allowing me to learn from her as we worked together for nearly seven years. And to Don Maitz, for his vision, craft, and artistry, and for supporting Janny’s choices.
Over the years I have worked with a variety of editors at Doubleday and Grafton, now HarperCollins. Special thanks to Janna Silverstein at Bantam Doubleday Dell for taking care of business and to Jane Johnson and Malcolm Edwards at HarperCollins for picking up where their predecessors left off, never missing a beat. Also to those I’ve named before at both publishers, some now gone on to other callings, but none forgotten. From sales to marketing to advertising and promotion to those who simply read the books and said nice things about it to their coworkers—to you all, thanks. Many of you worked above and beyond to make the work successful.
I would like to offer thanks to some people who never got mentioned before: Tres Anderson and his crew, Bob and Phylis Weinberg, and Rudy Clark and his people, who did more than sell books—they built enthusiasm and helped the work stand out from the crowd back at the start.
As always, thanks to Jonathan Matson and everyone at the Harold Matson Company for far more than good business advice.
Most of all, thanks to Kathlyn S. Starbuck, who took the time to make sure this one stayed on course. I couldn’t have done it without her love, support, and wisdom.
RAYMOND E. FEIST
San Diego, CA,
February 1992
BY RAYMOND E. FEIST
*Magician: Apprentice
*Magician: Master
&
nbsp; *Silverthorn
*A Darkness at Sethanon
*Daughter of the Empire (with Janny Wurts)
*Servant of the Empire (with Janny Wurts)
*Mistress of the Empire (with Janny Wurts)
*Prince of the Blood
*The King’s Buccaneer
*Faerie Tale
Shadow of a Dark Queen
Rise of a Merchant Prince
Rage of a Demon King
Shards of a Broken Crown
Krondor: The Betrayal
Krondor: The Assassins
Krondor: Tear of the Gods
Honoured Enemy (with William R. Forstchen)
Murder in Lamut (with Joel Rosenberg)
Jimmy the Hand (with S. M. Stirling)
Talon of the Silver Hawk
King of Foxes
Exile’s Return
Flight of the Nighthawks
Into a Dark Realm
Wrath of a Mad God
Rides a Dread Legion
At the Gates of Darkness
A Kingdom Besieged
A Crown Imperiled
Magician’s End
*Starred titles available from Bantam Books
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RAYMOND E. FEIST is the internationally bestselling author or co-author of twenty-one novels, including Magician, Silverthorn, A Darkness at Sethanon, Faerie Tale, The King’s Buccaneer, Talon of the Silver Hawk, and King of Foxes. Feist is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, and resides in southern California with his family. He travels, collects wine, and lives and dies with the San Diego Chargers.
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