Tal stood up. “Thank you, sir.”
The Duke waved the guards away and took Tal by the arm. Steering him toward the door, he said, “Go now and rest for the night. I have business here with Leso. Tomorrow we have some tasks to set you on.”
“I thank Your Grace for the opportunity to serve.”
With a laugh, Kaspar opened the door and said, “Don’t be so quick to thank me, young Hawkins. You haven’t heard the tasks yet. You may not be so grateful when you see what plans I have for you.”
With that, he ushered Tal through the door and closed it behind him. Tal set off down the stairway, thinking that whatever might have been said, Leso Varen had reservations, expressed in his eyes, if not his words. He would have to tread carefully around the magician, Tal knew.
Still, he had endured the first trial and was still breathing, and as it was said, so far, so good.
Eight
Task
Tal slogged through the swamp.
A company of Olasko soldiers wearing knee-high boots and heavily padded jackets were trudging through calf-deep water. Kaspar had given Tal his first task the month before; by fast ship go to Inaska and dispose of a band of smugglers who are causing problems for the local merchants. They were also pirates, Tal discovered after two days in Olasko’s southernmost city. He had spent hours in seedy taverns and seedier brothels, but after two weeks of spreading gold around he had got the information he needed.
He had presented himself to the garrison commander at Inaska, shown his warrants from the Duke, and handpicked the twenty men who now were working their way toward the smugglers’ camp. Leading the locals was a sergeant who seemed to be the toughest of them, a snakeeater named Vadeski. He had a forehead like an anvil and a jaw that jutted like the ram on a Quegan war galley, and his shoulders were as wide as the Duke’s, though he was a full head shorter. Tal had seen his type in many a tavern: a brawler, a bully, and, probably, a murderer, but he was exactly the type of man Tal needed for a thankless job like this.
The other men had all been either trappers or hunters at one time, for Tal knew he would need men familiar with the local area. For the first time in his life, Tal found himself feeling lost. He had hunted in the mountains and lowland forests and across grasslands, but never in the swamps.
They had taken a boat from Inaska to a village called Imrisk, where they had secured provisions and commandeered a pair of large shallow-draught boats. Those had been paddled to the windward side of the island, opposite where the pirates had their camp.
Two small coast-sailers were reputedly anchored on the lee side, along with a dozen or more of the shallow-draught boats identical to the ones Tal’s men used. Tal expected no more than thirty smugglers to be in camp. A quick attack, take some prisoners for questioning, fire the boats and base—such were his plans.
He motioned for Vadeski to hold the men in place, telling him, “I’m going to scout ahead.”
“Yes, Captain,” answered the sergeant.
Tal moved through alien-looking trees with their underwater roots, having no idea what they were called. He kept his eyes busy, looking for danger, human or otherwise. The swamp held many predators—alligators, lizards, and especially a ferocious big cat—most of which would give the soldiers a wide berth, but there was also a particularly deadly water snake that had no fear of men.
When he saw dry land ahead, he climbed out of the water, moving as silently as possible to a rise before him. He smelled the faint tang of smoke. Glancing over the rise, he saw a long depression running for nearly a quarter of a mile to another ridge. From the other side he saw the smoke from campfires, a faint haze against the sky, being blown away by the wind.
He returned and motioned for his men to follow, and led them down the shallow gully. At the far end, they halted, and Tal signaled for them to wait. He peered over the rocks and saw the pirates’ camp. Then he sat down and swore silently. He beckoned for the sergeant to join him, and when the old veteran was at his side, they both took a look.
Tal counted close to ninety or a hundred men, three large sailing boats riding at anchor off the beach, and more than a dozen of the shallow smugglers’ boats.
“See those?” said Vadeski, whispering in his ear, pointing to the boats. “They come rippin’ out of the islands and swarm ya. If’n they can, they’ll offload all the goods, then fire the traders’ boat to the waterline. Those three big’uns are to haul plunder.”
“How often do they move to new camps?”
“All the time,” said Vadeski.
Tal sat down quickly. Then he led the men back to the other end of the gully. When they were safely away from the camp, Tal said, “Who is that lying bastard who told us there would be about thirty or so smugglers here, Sergeant?”