Oxonium under the pressures of the strains between the nobles. When the street lay deserted under The Maiden with the Many Smiles we set off again.
Fweygo would be somewhere near keeping an obbo on us.
We reached the Vallian embassy and Nalgre led around the back to a wicket gate to which he had the key. Inside the archway four extremely efficient guards shone lights upon us and demanded credentials as their weapons glittered. The Deldar recognized Nalgre and stood his men at ease and marched us off. At sight of the brave old Vallian uniform I felt all the nostalgia of a fellow cast adrift in the world dwaburs from his home. So many and many a time have I said why can’t a simple sailorman like me be left on the beach in his home in Esser Rarioch with Delia? The Star Lords dictate otherwise, that’s why.
The fuming sense of injustice boiled up again. The Everoinye and their insane idea that I, a single man, could become the Emperor of Emperors, the Emperor of Paz! Even if I did have the yrium, the special even stronger power than mere charisma, to assist? Ludicrous!
The Elten of Thothsturboin stepped forward eagerly when we were ushered into his study. He was as I remembered him, efficient, now a skilled diplomat instead of a tough warrior of Vallia.
“Lahal — Drajak?”
I nodded. Even here I saw no need to have the majister this and majister that bandied about. We sat down, refreshments were served and the occasion for this nocturnal meeting was revealed.
“You remember when you discovered the secret of the old king’s sword, and your identity was discovered to Hyr Kov Brannomar, who Drajak the Sudden really is, we were overheard by Wocut.”
San Wocut was Khon the Mak’s personal wizard, that gaunt, gray-faced individual I’d seen next to Khonstanton. He was not a Wizard of Loh; he had powers. Elten Larghos said he had a remarkable approach from the sorcerer Wocut. “He has not revealed your secret to Khon the Mak and—”
“Blackmail?”
“Of course. In return for his silence he requests asylum in Vallia, a pension, a villa, immunity from Khon the Mak’s vengeance.”
“He will trust us to keep our word — once he’s home?”
“He knows the stories of Dray Prescot.”
“Um.”
This, as you may well imagine, had been a great worry to me. Kov Brannomar, who knew, could be trusted to keep his mouth shut. Khon the Mak would seize the opportunity for deviltry. With all the tensions in the city one more strain in connection with Vallia could tip everything into chaos. That was a very real possibility. Not everyone wanted the treaty between Tolindrin and Vallia that Kov Brannomar had so set his heart on. Khonstanton might realistically want the treaty; if he could use me and the treaty to foment disorder to his own advantage he would do so, do so at a run, by Vox!
The signing of the treaty had been postponed until after Tom’s coronation. He had made the necessary appearance as king at the Feast of Beng T’Tolin and preparations for the festivities of the coronation were well in hand. Khonstanton — and Prince Ortyg — would make use of anything to seize the crown. Tom wasn’t really interested but Brannomar had persuaded him that he was the old king’s choice and must therefore do his duty. Oh, yes, a secret regarding Dray Prescot would act like a fuse in this situation.
Nalgre ti Provender coughed and said: “If I may?” At our assent he wanted to know if, in our turn, we could trust Wocut. “He is able, is he not, to spy on us from a distance?”
Elten Larghos smiled. “The famous Wizards of Loh from Vallia have inspected the embassy and removed certain objects.”
Well, by Vox, I knew what that was about. Deb-Lu or Khe-Hi or Ling-Li made it their business to clean all our overseas buildings of signomants, the magical discs through which wizards may more easily observe at a distance. Also they placed detectors to warn if any wizard had gone into lupu to spy on us.
I told them it
Fweygo would be somewhere near keeping an obbo on us.
We reached the Vallian embassy and Nalgre led around the back to a wicket gate to which he had the key. Inside the archway four extremely efficient guards shone lights upon us and demanded credentials as their weapons glittered. The Deldar recognized Nalgre and stood his men at ease and marched us off. At sight of the brave old Vallian uniform I felt all the nostalgia of a fellow cast adrift in the world dwaburs from his home. So many and many a time have I said why can’t a simple sailorman like me be left on the beach in his home in Esser Rarioch with Delia? The Star Lords dictate otherwise, that’s why.
The fuming sense of injustice boiled up again. The Everoinye and their insane idea that I, a single man, could become the Emperor of Emperors, the Emperor of Paz! Even if I did have the yrium, the special even stronger power than mere charisma, to assist? Ludicrous!
The Elten of Thothsturboin stepped forward eagerly when we were ushered into his study. He was as I remembered him, efficient, now a skilled diplomat instead of a tough warrior of Vallia.
“Lahal — Drajak?”
I nodded. Even here I saw no need to have the majister this and majister that bandied about. We sat down, refreshments were served and the occasion for this nocturnal meeting was revealed.
“You remember when you discovered the secret of the old king’s sword, and your identity was discovered to Hyr Kov Brannomar, who Drajak the Sudden really is, we were overheard by Wocut.”
San Wocut was Khon the Mak’s personal wizard, that gaunt, gray-faced individual I’d seen next to Khonstanton. He was not a Wizard of Loh; he had powers. Elten Larghos said he had a remarkable approach from the sorcerer Wocut. “He has not revealed your secret to Khon the Mak and—”
“Blackmail?”
“Of course. In return for his silence he requests asylum in Vallia, a pension, a villa, immunity from Khon the Mak’s vengeance.”
“He will trust us to keep our word — once he’s home?”
“He knows the stories of Dray Prescot.”
“Um.”
This, as you may well imagine, had been a great worry to me. Kov Brannomar, who knew, could be trusted to keep his mouth shut. Khon the Mak would seize the opportunity for deviltry. With all the tensions in the city one more strain in connection with Vallia could tip everything into chaos. That was a very real possibility. Not everyone wanted the treaty between Tolindrin and Vallia that Kov Brannomar had so set his heart on. Khonstanton might realistically want the treaty; if he could use me and the treaty to foment disorder to his own advantage he would do so, do so at a run, by Vox!
The signing of the treaty had been postponed until after Tom’s coronation. He had made the necessary appearance as king at the Feast of Beng T’Tolin and preparations for the festivities of the coronation were well in hand. Khonstanton — and Prince Ortyg — would make use of anything to seize the crown. Tom wasn’t really interested but Brannomar had persuaded him that he was the old king’s choice and must therefore do his duty. Oh, yes, a secret regarding Dray Prescot would act like a fuse in this situation.
Nalgre ti Provender coughed and said: “If I may?” At our assent he wanted to know if, in our turn, we could trust Wocut. “He is able, is he not, to spy on us from a distance?”
Elten Larghos smiled. “The famous Wizards of Loh from Vallia have inspected the embassy and removed certain objects.”
Well, by Vox, I knew what that was about. Deb-Lu or Khe-Hi or Ling-Li made it their business to clean all our overseas buildings of signomants, the magical discs through which wizards may more easily observe at a distance. Also they placed detectors to warn if any wizard had gone into lupu to spy on us.
I told them it
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