‘I don’t like this, Rupert,’ she said, near tears as she spoke.
‘I know, but I have to see that everything is ready. Don’t wait up for me, and take care of Helen and the children. I’ll be back before sunrise.’
They stood at the door of their estate house, and Roo kissed his wife on the cheek, then stepped through the door and closed it behind him. He hurried down to the servants’ building and barn, where a dozen of his wagons had been gathered when they had arrived after sundown.
Luis de Savona, one of his old companions from Calis’s army and now one of his most trusted aides, was seeing to the refitting. Luis had spoken little of his past prior to the day Roo met him in prison, save that he had once served a function in the court of Rodez, the easternmost duchy but one in the Kingdom. Roo didn’t press him. like many of those who had redeemed their lives in service to the Crown, Luis preferred to forget what had gone before and Roo respected that.
There was something dark in Luis’s nature, an anger that threatened to erupt at the oddest times, but Roo trusted him, one of the few men he did trust. And Roo felt the need of someone dependable at that moment.
Three times the mercenary guards and Rupert’s drivers had fought off raiders. Two drivers had been injured, and a couple of the mercenaries had deserted when the fighting looked as if it was going badly, but while possessing a crippled right hand, Luis was still a fearsome foe with a knife in his left hand. He had killed three raiders personally, forcing the others to rethink their assessment of taking his wagon.
Roo said, ‘Luis, are we going to be ready at sunrise?’
Luis nodded. ‘Yes. We should probably leave an hour before, though, to steal a march on anyone coming down the highway.’
‘It’s not the highway I’m worried about,’ said Roo. ‘Erik and the King’s Army are holding the highway. It’s the raiders coming through the hills we have to worry about.’
Roo’s estate, like many of those settled to the east of the city, was far enough off the highway that they couldn’t know the condition of the highway once they had left it. ‘I’ve got to see Jacob Esterbrook,’ he said, motioning for a fresh horse. ‘I’ll swing back by the highway and see if we still hold it, or if we need to find another route.’
‘Find another route?’
Roo nodded. ‘Yes, I know another way.’
‘Why don’t you tell me now, just in case?’ asked Luis.
Roo didn’t like the idea of what ‘just in case’ implied, but he agreed. ‘There’s a road Erik and I used to reach Krondor, years ago. It’s a small trail, really, but it will take wagons. You’ll have to drive them in single file.’ He outlined how to get to the trail, little more than a goat path in places, but one over which he had taken wagons more than once. ‘You’ll find a branch in the trail as you reach the foothills; take the southeastern one and you’ll see the farms and vineyards to the north of Ravensburg. Pick up the King’s Highway there if you can.’
Luis nodded. ‘When will you be back?’
‘If I don’t encounter trouble, I’ll be back before sunrise. If I’m not here an hour before sunrise, start without me. Tell Karli I’ll catch up with you.’
Luis looked around. ‘Duncan?’
‘He’s supposed to be conducting a sweep around the estate, making sure we’re not bothered for a while.’
Luis nodded. He and Duncan had shared quarters for almost a year, and during that time had developed an abiding dislike for each other. Luis didn’t trust Duncan and put up with him only for Roo’s sake.
The horse was brought over to Roo, who mounted.
‘I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.’
Luis waved good-bye as Roo rode out, knowing what was unsaid: that if Luis didn’t see Roo tomorrow, it meant Roo was dead.
Miranda said, ‘I don’t like this at all.’
They had gathered in the cave of the Oracle of Aal, after Macros and Miranda had returned to Midkemia, summoning the others.
Pug answered, ‘Who does, but we’ve got to be in two places at the same time.’
Hanam growled and said, ‘Time grows short. My ability to contain the rage of this creature and not eat is about at its limit.’ The Saaur magician in demon form turned to Pug. ‘You know what must be done, what must be said.’
Calis had sat listening to the exchange, silently observing the other four in the room. He finally said, ‘There is a chance none of you will return.’ While he spoke of all of them, his eyes focused on Miranda.
She nodded. ‘We know the risk.’
He sighed. ‘I should be at Darkmoor.’