They all drank and then Nicholas said, ‘For you that have come across a vast ocean to a distant land, we will do all we can to make you feel at home. I don’t know how we shall aid you to return home, but someday you shall. You have our word. Until then there’s honest work and ample pay for all of you.’
Turning toward the sunset, made red-orange and gold by the smoke from the burning ships, he said, ‘Set sail for Krondor!’
A cheer erupted from the crew and men leaped to their duties, anxious to be heading at last for home.
Three days later, near noon, they sailed into Krondor harbor. Amos ordered the royal ensign hoisted, and it was a flustered harbor pilot who raced to intercept the boat. Climbing aboard with two assistants, he greeted Amos and Nicholas with a mixture of wonder and astonishment.
Nicholas said, ‘Amos, would you like to take her in for the last time?’
Amos shrugged. ‘It’s not really the same thing. If this were the true Eagle, or my Royal Dragon, perhaps.’ The remark caused the harbor pilot to glance from Prince to Admiral in confusion. Then with an evil grin, Amos said, ‘You should practice coming in under sail. Can’t start any sooner.’
Nicholas returned the grin. ‘Make ready to trim sail!’ he shouted.
The harbor pilot said, ‘Highness, I urge you; lower your sails and let us tow you in.’
Nicholas said, ‘Harry!’
‘What?’ called his friend.
‘Get into the bow and make sure that assistant pilot doesn’t faint.’ In an almost joyous challenge, he shouted, ‘We’re coming in under sail!’
Sailors scrambled as smaller boats moved out of the way. The Royal Ensign gave the Eagle right-of-way over any other save a smaller boat also under royal colors, and old hands in the harbor knew the Prince’s Admiral’s habit of sailing into the royal docks. With Trask’s pennant flying from the masthead, no one in their right mind was about to cross the bow of the Royal Eagle; the only two to ever try it now stood on the Eagle’s deck.
Harry shouted, ‘We’re on line!’
Nicholas called out, ‘Reef all sails! Ready the landlines!’
The sailors above furiously pulled up the canvas. The ship moved forward, her inertia carrying her straight into the docks. Nicholas watched expectantly, waiting for the proper moment to call for the lines to be tossed to those waiting on the dockside.
The ship continued to slow and Nicholas waited, and waited, until at last Harry turned and shouted, ‘We’re … ah … a little short, Nicky.’
Nicholas put his head down in the crook of his arm, resting on the rail, and said, ‘Master Pilot. Call for your boat, if you will.’
Amos laughed, a belly roar that rattled the sails. Slapping Nicholas on the back, he said, ‘You’ll get the hang of it, one of these days.’
Nicholas peeked out from the crook of his arm and said, ‘Now who’s taking the fun out of life?’
• CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE •
Wedding
THE GUESTS CHEERED.
Lyam, King of the Isles, drank the toast he had just made to the bride and groom. Amos stood grinning, looking almost unrecognizable in his formal court clothing; lace-front shirts and cutaway coats had become the fashion in the Kingdom this year. Only the desire of his beloved Alicia for him to look his best on their wedding day could get him into what he called ‘those silly-looking garments’. His other choice was his Admiral’s uniform, which he despised even more, so he relented on her request and dressed in current fashion.
Nicholas sat with the other guests at the head table in the banquet hall of the Prince’s palace in Krondor. At his right, his sister, Elena, and her husband were speaking with Erland, one of his brothers, and Erland’s wife, the Princess Genevieve. Borric, Erland’s twin, spoke to his wife, Yasmine, while Alicia looked on.
Nicholas’s mother had been almost overwhelmed when she saw her youngest child walk into court, without the limp that had marked him for life. Nicholas had realized that during the last battle he had been so preoccupied with making sure everything was ready in case things turned for the worse, that if the foot had hurt him, he hadn’t noticed. Nakor had said that his healing was now complete.
It had taken months to plan the wedding and get everyone back to Krondor. The King had to come from his royal court in Rillanon for the wedding, and reached Arutha’s court before Arutha returned. Word had finally reached the Prince of Krondor when Baron Bellamy of Carse sent a small boat to Freeport, where Arutha and his fleet were waiting. Amos had been almost right: Arutha had decided against following after Nicholas and his companions only after a long and bitter debate with himself.
When Arutha had returned to Krondor, Nicholas and Amos told him and the King the entire story, from the raid to the destruction of the two ships north of Land’s End. Lyam sent a special messenger to Sorcerer’s Isle, to see if Pug could be located, and sent Nicholas and Borric to Sethanon, as only a member of the royal family could be trusted to know the mission.
Nicholas and his brother had returned two weeks later with word that all was well at Sethanon, and Nicholas had expressed his awe at meeting the Oracle of Aal. To his surprise, the Lifestone had not been in evidence, being masked by a magic time distortion that Pug had placed upon it. Still, the knowledge it was there and vulnerable despite its protection was not hard to impress on Nicholas after what he had been through the previous year.
The messenger to Sorcerer’s Isle had returned with a message from Pug, via Gathis, his representative, that the magician would join them for the wedding. In time, all the guests had at last gathered and the ceremony was performed.
The celebration wore on, and Nicholas found himself relaxing for the first time in what seemed a lifetime. He glanced over at his companion for the day, and smiled. He found Iasha adapting well to the court, and her command of the King’s Tongue was growing daily. She got on well with the ladies of the court. Her injured maid had recovered, and with the aid of Anthony’s magic she had been spared severe scars. The other three girls were already the focus of attention of many of the younger men of the court. The story was making the rounds that they were five sisters from a distant land, daughters of a powerful Prince, and the girls showed no inclination to dispel that notion.
Marcus sat with his father and his sister, who kept a tight grip on Anthony’s hand, while Marcus ignored Abigail’s habit of catching the eye of the more dashing courtiers in the hall. Nicholas noticed that Abigail was now almost openly flirting with the son of the Duke of Ran’s second son, Elena’s brother-in-law.
Duke Martin had aged, his hair now almost all grey, and his erect carriage and vigorous step were missing. What age had not taken, sorrow had. Sadly, Nicholas judged his joy in life had died with his wife. He already spoke of retiring in Marcus’s favor as Duke. Nicholas knew there would be long discussions between the King, Arutha, and Martin before that step was permitted. Still, Martin appeared profoundly relieved to have his children back. He had attempted to communicate his gratitude to Nicholas, forcing an awkward moment between them. Nicholas realized what torture convalescence must have been for Martin, while waiting for word of his children. All Nicholas could say was ‘It was what you would have done in my place.’
Martin had been able only to nod, tears in his eyes; then he embraced his nephew. Nicholas knew how difficult that open display had been for him.
Abigail’s laughter brought Nicholas back from his reverie. He leaned back, saying behind Iasha’s back to Harry, ‘How long do you think Marcus is going to put up with that?’
Harry grinned. ‘Right now, I think he’d welcome someone taking Abby off his hands.’
Brisa hit Harry under the table and said, ‘You two stop that.’
Iasha smiled. ‘Abby’s just making sure Marcus doesn’t take things for granted. He was her first lover, but she doesn’t wish him to think he’s the only choice out there.’ She laughed. ‘They’ll probably end up married; she really does love him.’ She studied Marcus a moment. ‘He�
��s handsome enough, in a stern way, like your father.’ She glanced at Nicholas. ‘Both lack your kind nature.’ Then, playfully, she said, ‘Besides, your cousin lacks your … imagination.’
Nicholas had the decency to blush. Then his face clouded over. ‘How do you –’
Brisa grinned. ‘Abby talks. After her first time, she had to talk to someone. You men have such a strange notion of what women talk about when you’re not around.’
Nicholas put his hand to his face, covering his eyes. ‘Poor Marcus.’ Then his eyes widened in near terror as he looked at the Brisa and Iasha and said, ‘What about you two?’
Brisa grinned and said nothing. After a moment, Nicholas couldn’t help but grin back. The street girl looked stunning. Her dark red hair had grown long enough since the voyage that Anita and her maids could arrange it high on her head, setting if off with silver and pearls. She wore a specially made gown of deep green, which showed her skin and eyes to good advantage.
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 gon
e 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 confirmed 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?’
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