Conqueror’s Moon: Part One of the Boreal Moon Tale. Julian May
Читать онлайн книгу.
brothers sat without speaking for some minutes. The squire finished singing his bawdy ballad and began a more plaintive air, this time accompanied by another youth playing the flageolet.
‘Vra-Kilian bespoke me not half an hour ago with unsettling news about the invasion,’ Stergos finally said. ‘I’ll tell you about that in a moment. But first I must assure you with all my heart that I will never betray your secret. Never! Poor Tancoron and our sisters are barred from the throne by Cathran law. The sons of Father’s older sister Jalmaire stand next in the succession, so if you were ineligible the next king would be our wastrel cousin, Duke Shiantil Blackhorse.’
Conrig’s laugh was bleak. ‘Shi-Shi — and what a calamity for Cathra he’d be! At least his younger brother Feribor is a stout-hearted warrior and a loyal Heart Companion. But that lummox Shi-Shi cares for nothing but swiving and drinking and gambling. He probably can’t even spell Sovereignty … The fool would end up as Vra-Kilian’s puppet. The Royal Alchymist is not happy at the prospect of losing political power when Father dies.’
‘No,’ Stergos agreed.
Conrig said softly, ‘Gossy, what would you do if Uncle Vra-Kilian or another Brother of Zeth in authority over you should ask you the dread question about me under oath?’
‘I would die rather than admit your talent,’ Stergos said without hesitation. ‘As a matter of fact, since Deveron confirmed my worst fears about you, I’ve been trying to decide which poison to carry with me on a contingency basis. Something quickly lethal but not too agonizing.’ He shrugged. ‘I do hate pain.’
Conrig threw his arms around the doctor. ‘Forget poison, dear brother! Just tell me if Kilian dares ask about me, and I’ll whack off his perfidious, self-righteous head.’
‘Oh, no!’ Stergos was genuinely horrified. ‘That would be sacrilege!’
‘Let me worry about impudent wizards, Gossy. In the new Sovereignty, I’ll decree that talent will not be a bar to kingship, and we’ll have nothing to fear from the likes of Vra-Kilian. Now! You said that he bespoke you earlier.’
‘Yes. The king has learned about your scheme to invade Didion with the aid of the northland lords. The Lord Chancellor revealed it to him.’
Conrig stifled a curse. ‘Falmire — that faithless old weasel! Why did I ever trust him?’
‘Father ordered Vra-Kilian to demand of you how the council went, which lords have agreed to support your venture, if any, and all details of your strategy. Con … Vra-Kilian also told me that our father remains gravely ill. The Tarnian shaman summoned by your wife greatly eased his pain, but could do naught to heal the underlying disability.’
‘But the king is not approaching the brink of death?’
‘Vra-Kilian believes he is not, but the barbarian healer thinks otherwise.’
‘I dare not tell Father of our plans via your windvoice. God knows what he would do with the intelligence. He might very well forbid the invasion outright, misunderstanding the role Ullanoth would play. I must be there in person to persuade him that she is a true friend to Cathra … Gossy, I want you to bespeak Kilian immediately and say that matters are not firmly settled here. That’s the truth, for we intend to work out details of organization and logistics at another meeting tomorrow. Say that I’ll set out for Cala within a day and inform our father with my own lips how the council went.’
‘But if the Royal Alchymist presses me-1 can’t lie. I do know what was decided at the council.’
Conrig took hold of his brother’s shoulders and fixed him with a gaze of steel. ‘Tell Kilian I forbade you to talk about the matter to any soul save our father the king. Tell him you swore a solemn oath to me. And now do it!’
Stergos’s round face had gone greasy with perspiration in the candlelight, and he clutched his gammadion amulet of Saint Zeth with a frantic hand. ‘I swear it! I swear to tell no one about the council of war.’
‘Gossy, be strong.’ The prince eased his grip and his voice became both earnest and compelling. ‘I know how Vra-Kilian has overawed both of us since childhood — you, especially, because of your mystical vocation. But we are no longer boys to be cowed by the threats and blusterings of our mother’s brother. One day soon, I’ll be king and you’ll be my Royal Alchymist, while Kilian will be banished to Zeth Abbey and spend his days conjuring worms off its rose bushes.’
The young doctor’s eyes widened. ‘I? The Royal Alchymist? Brother, do you mean it truly?’ Plainly, the amazing notion had never occurred to him.
‘Of course I mean it,’ said Conrig, chuckling softly. ‘Who else could serve me better in arcane matters? And now you must go to your sanctum upstairs and windspeak our former nemesis with no more ado, while I have a word with our godfather about tomorrow’s activities.’
The prince would have risen from his seat, but Stergos said, ‘Wait! I have other important news to impart.’ Then, haltingly, he told of Snudge’s further magical researches, and the boy’s deadly encounter with the spy in the stables. ‘Deveron returned over an hour ago. He’s up in the accounts room now, keeping windwatch on the corpse as I bade him.’
‘So the body has not yet been found?’ Conrig asked grimly.
‘Nay, unless it happened after I left Deveron. Numbers of Skellhaven’s carls have taken to their beds since the deed was done, but none seemed to have noticed that anything was wrong with their comrade. The lad was careful to arrange the dead sorcerer in an attitude of sleep. Fortunately, the man did not soil himself as he expired, and there was little blood.’
‘Hmm. We’ll have to find a way to get the body out of there before dawn. Our godfather could manage it. Some of his trusted men could pretend the fellow was wanted for some transgression and haul him away. If it was done cleverly, I think few of the aroused sleepers would be aware that the prisoner was no longer alive … Would the corpse have passed already into rigor mortis?’
‘Probably not completely. He could be dragged easily, as if drunk.’
The prince nodded, his face troubled. ‘It’s going to be sticky, dealing with Skellhaven. He could be entirely innocent in this matter and I need him for the invasion. But his castle lies near the border, and he has longstanding grievances against the Crown. If he’s sold out to Didion … Curse it! It’s quite possible that the dead sorcerer was one of those Glaumerie Guild members Ullanoth told me of, who accompanied the two Didionite princes and Prince Beynor of Moss on a voyage south from Holt Mallburn.’ He gave Stergos a hurried account of the presumed reason for that trip, adding, ‘The ship could have put in stealthily near Skellhaven, dropping the spy off, and he might have contrived to join the viscount’s party as it rode to Castle Vanguard.’
The alchymist said, ‘You realize this presupposes Prince Beynor knew in advance of your council of war.’
‘Another ugly little mystery! Damn all magic! Who would have thought that a Mosslander wizard would ally himself with Didion?’
The doctor permitted himself a rueful smile. ‘Who would have thought that a Mosslander witch would ally herself with Cathra?’
The prince flung out his hands, conceding the point. ‘Yes, you’re right, of course. But it’s done, and without her help the invasion can’t proceed … What we must determine, if it’s possible, is whether or not the man Snudge killed was able to pass on crucial details of our council of war to his master before he died.’
‘Perhaps not. According to Deveron, the spy was still windwatching when the lad entered the sleeping chamber. You know that a magical practitioner may perform only one operation at a time. Deveron insists that he perceived only those windspoken words that I related to you — the name Beynor, and the question“How did the boy do that?” I believe the man was astonished that a mere lad, apparently untalented, could have known he was spying with arcane powers. Then he died, saying no more. Deveron detected no other watcher, and he — he is superior to anyone