Dryly, James said, ‘Given your upbringing, you’d be in a better position to answer than I.’
Turning away, William said, ‘We didn’t encourage students to blow things up at Stardock. It disturbs the tranquillity.’ He hurried to where runners waited to carry orders, and to the first he said, ‘General order five. They are in the city.’
William returned to where James stood, watching alien invaders sail into his city. ‘I will not let this happen,’ said the Duke.
William put his hand on his brother-in-law’s shoulder and said, ‘It’s happened.’
‘Remind me, what’s general order five?’
William said, ‘We’re locking the eastern gate, and firing on anything coming from the west. House-to-house for the first three blocks away from the docks.’
‘What about those nasty things you set up down at the docks?’
‘Those are still in place. If the Pantathian magic users don’t blow up the palace the way they did the seawalls, they’ll find a surprise or two when they land on the docks.’
James looked at William. ‘Have you gotten everyone out?’
William knew who the ‘everyone’ was that James spoke of, his sister, her son, and her grandchildren. James had counted on William to see them to safety. ‘They’re out of the city. They left in a special coach last night.’
James said, ‘Then this is good-bye.’
William looked at his brother-in-law and weighed the man in his memory. They had a long history together, back to the days when William was a young lieutenant in the Prince’s Household Guards and James had run roughshod over the wild twins, Borric and Erland, now King and Prince respectively.
James asked, ‘It’s been what, thirty years?’
‘Closer to forty.’ They embraced.
When they separated, James said, ‘I only regret you never found anyone, William.’
William said, ‘I did, once.’
James said nothing, for he remembered the Keshian magician William had loved as a young man, and her untimely death.
William said, ‘I do envy you Arutha and the boys.’
James said, ‘I must go.’
William said, ‘If we do somehow manage to get out of this, I promise I’ll give some thought to finding a good woman and settling down.’
James laughed. He again embraced his brother-in-law and said, ‘See you in Darkmoor or see you in hell.’
‘One is as good as the other,’ said William, giving James a gentle push toward the door.
The Duke turned and hurried as fast as his old legs would permit. Outside, a squad of special soldiers, dressed in black tunics, leggings, and black-painted iron coifs, waited. They wore no markings, and they said nothing as they followed James down to his office. There he stripped off the marks of his rank, the golden chain holding the Duke of Krondor’s seal, used to identify official decrees of the Principality. He removed his ducal ring, and set it next to the seal. After a moment, he turned to one of the soldiers and said, ‘In the Prince’s audience hall, there’s a sword hanging over the fireplace. Fetch it for me.’
The soldier ran off while James removed his clothing and donned garb like that worn by the soldiers. He was dressed when the soldier returned carrying the sword. An old rapier, it bore an odd device, a tiny war hammer, that had been fused into the sword’s forte.
He added this to the bundle and wrapped up the sword, ring, chain and seal, and a letter he had written the night before, and handed it to a soldier wearing the garb of the Prince’s Household Guards. Take this to Lord Vencar, in Darkmoor.’
‘Yes, my lord,’ said the guard and hurried away.
To the soldiers who were remaining, the silent men in black, James said, ‘It’s time.’
They left his office and hurried down into the bowels of the palace, down winding stairs that led to the dungeon. Past the cells, they moved to a seemingly blank wall. James said, ‘Put your hands here, and here’ - he pointed - ‘and push up.’ Two soldiers did as bidden, and the wall slid almost effortlessly upward into the ceiling, revealing a door hidden behind the false wall. James pointed. Two soldiers moved to open the door; it protested at being disturbed after years of peace. But move it did, to reveal an opening, and a flight of stairs leading down. Lanterns were lit, two soldiers entered, and James followed. As the last of the eight guards passed through the door, it was drawn shut behind them, causing the false wall to return to its position.
Down the stairs the men hurried, until at last they came to another closed wooden door. One of the men listened and said, ‘It’s silent, my lord.’
James nodded. ‘Open it.’