turned and said, ‘Oh? How so?’
As the horses moved forward, Arutha said, ‘To polish shields and boots.’
The Duke smiled and the Krondorians laughed. The western soldiers held those of the East in low regard. The East had been pacified long before the West had been opened to Kingdom expansion, and there was little trouble in the Eastern Realm requiring real skill in warcraft. The Prince of Krondor’s guards were battle-proved veterans, while those of Salador were considered by the guardsmen from the West to do their best soldiering on the parade ground.
Soon they saw signs that they were nearing the city: cultivated farmland, villages, roadside taverns, and wagons laden with trade goods. By sundown they could see the walls of distant Salador.
As they entered the city, a full company of Duke Kerus’s own household guards lined the streets to the palace. As in Krondor, there was no castle, for the need for a small, easily defensible keep had passed as the lands around became civilized.
Riding through the city, Pug realized how much of a frontier town Crydee was. In spite of Lord Borric’s political power, he was still Lord of a frontier province.
Along the streets, citizens stood gawking at the western Duke from the wild frontier of the Far Coast. Some cheered, for it seemed like a parade, but most stood quietly, disappointed that the Duke and his party looked like other men, rather than blood-drenched barbarians.
When they reached the courtyard of the palace, household servants ran to take their horses. A household guard showed the soldiers from Krondor to the soldiers’ commons, where they would rest before returning to the Prince’s city. Another, with a captain’s badge of rank on his tunic, led Borric’s party up the steps of the building.
Pug looked with wonder, for this palace was even larger than the Prince’s in Krondor. They walked through several outer rooms, then reached an inner courtyard. Here fountains and trees decorated a garden, beyond which stood the central palace. Pug realized that the building they had passed through was simply one of the buildings surrounding the Duke’s living quarters. He wondered what use Lord Kerus could possibly have for so many buildings and such a large staff.
They crossed the garden courtyard and mounted another series of steps toward a reception committee that stood in the door of the central palace. Once this building might have been a citadel, protecting the surrounding town, but Pug couldn’t bring himself to imagine it as it might have been ages ago, for numerous renovations over the years had transformed an ancient keep into a glittering thing of glass and marble.
Duke Kerus’s chamberlain, an old dried-up stick of a man with a quick eye, knew every noble worth noting – from the borders of Kesh in the south to Tyr-Sog in the north – by sight. His memory for faces and facts had often saved Duke Kerus from embarrassment. By the time Borric had made his way up the broad stairway from the courtyard, the chamberlain had provided Kerus with a few personal facts and a quick evaluation of the right amount of flattery required.
Duke Kerus took Borric’s hand. ‘Ah, Lord Borric, you do me great honor by this unexpected visit. If you had only sent word of your arrival, I would have prepared a more fitting welcome.’
They entered the antechamber of the palace, the Dukes in front. Borric said, ‘I am sorry to put you to any trouble, Lord Kerus, but I am afraid our mission is dependent on speed, and that the formal courtesies will have to be put aside. I bear messages for the King and must put to sea for Rillanon as soon as is possible.’
‘Of course, Lord Borric, but you will surely be able to stay for a short while, say a week or two?’
‘I regret not. I would put to sea tonight if I could.’
‘That is indeed sorry news. I so hoped that you could guest with us for a time.’
The party reached the Duke’s audience hall, where the chamberlain gave instructions to a company of household servants, who jumped to the task of readying rooms for the guests. Entering the vast hall, with its high vaulted ceiling, gigantic chandeliers, and great arched glass windows, Pug felt dwarfed. The room was the largest he had ever seen, greater than the hall of the Prince of Krondor.
A huge table was set with fruits and wine, and the travelers fell to with vigor. Pug sat down with little grace, his whole body one mass of aches. He was turning into a skilled horseman simply from long hours in the saddle, but that fact didn’t ease his tired muscles.
Lord Kerus pressed the Duke for the cause of his hurried journey, and between mouthfuls of fruit and drinks of wine, Borric filled him in on the events of the last three months. After he was done, Kerus looked distressed. ‘This is grave news indeed, Lord Borric. Things are unsettled in the Kingdom. I am sure the Prince has told you of some of the trouble that has occurred since last you came to the East.’
‘Yes, he did. But reluctantly and in only the most cursory manner. Remember, it has been thirteen years since I journeyed to the capital, at Rodric’s coronation when I came to renew my vassalage. He seemed a bright enough young man then, able enough to learn to govern. But from what I’ve heard in Krondor, there seems to have been a change.’
Kerus glanced around the room, then waved away his servants. Looking pointedly at Borric’s companions, he raised one eyebrow questioningly.
Lord Borric said, ‘These have my trust and will not betray a confidence.’
Kerus nodded. Loudly he said, ‘If you would like to stretch your legs before retiring, perhaps you’d care to see my garden?’
Borric frowned and was about to speak when Arutha put his hand upon his father’s arm, nodding agreement.
Borric said, ‘That sounds interesting. Despite the cold I could use a short walk.’
The Duke motioned for Kulgan, Meecham, and Gardan to remain, but Lord Kerus indicated Pug should join them. Borric looked surprised, but nodded agreement. They left through a small set of doors to the garden, and once outside, Kerus whispered, ‘It will look less suspicious if the boy comes with us. I can’t even trust my own servants anymore. The King has agents everywhere.’
Borric seemed infuriated. ‘The King has placed agents in your household?’
‘Yes, Lord Borric, there has been a great change in our King. I know Erland has not told you the entire story, but it is one you must know.’
The Duke and his companions watched Duke Kerus, who looked uncomfortable. He cleared his throat as he glanced around the snow-covered garden. Between the light from the palace windows and the large moon above, the gardan was a winterscape of white and blue crystals, undisturbed by footprints.
Kerus pointed to a set of tracks in the snow and said, ‘I made those this afternoon when I came here to think about what I could safely tell you.’ He glanced around one more time, seeing if anyone could overhear the conversation, then continued. ‘When Rodric the Third died, everyone expected Erland would take the crown. After the official mourning, the Priests of Ishap called all the possible heirs forward to present their claims. You were expected to be one of them.’
Borric nodded. ‘I know the custom. I was late getting to the city. I would have renounced the claim in any event, so there was no importance in my absence.’
Kerus nodded. ‘History might have been different had you been here, Borric.’ He lowered his voice. ‘I risk my neck by saying this, but many, even those of us here
