Roo was surprised. ‘You sound as if you really mean that.’
‘I do. We both know you owe me in a very large measure, but I can’t demand you go.’
‘Go where?’
‘Queg.’
‘Queg?’ Roo’s astonishment was genuine. ‘Why Queg?’
James paused a moment, as if weighing how much to tell Roo. He lowered his voice. ‘Confidentially, we’re going to have our hands full with the Emerald Queen’s fleet when it clears the Straits of Darkness. Nicky’s got some notion of hitting it halfway through, but to do that he’s got to have the bulk of our fleet on the Far Coast. That means we have no way of protecting our shipments from the Free Cities and Ylith when the enemy is in the Bitter Sea.’
‘You want to make a deal with Queg not to raid our shipping?’
‘No,’ said James. ‘I want you to negotiate a deal to hire Quegan warships as escorts for our ships.’
Roo looked like an owl greeted by a bright light. Then he laughed. ‘You want to bribe them.’
‘In a word, yes.’ James sipped at his brandy then lowered his voice, ‘And we want fire oil. Lots of it.’
‘Will they sell it?’
James sipped his drink. ‘Once, no. But they know we have the knowledge of making it, and have had it since the fall of Armengar. What we don’t have is the production facilities. Our agents tell us they have an abundant supply. I need at least five thousand barrels. Ten thousand would be better.’
‘That’s a lot of destruction,’ whispered Roo.
‘You know what’s coming, Roo,’ the Duke answered, his voice equally low.
Roo nodded. There was only one merchant in Krondor who had traveled to that distant land and seen firsthand the destruction visited upon innocents by the Emerald Queen. But there were other merchants with far better connections to be made with Queg. ‘Why me?’
‘You are a well-regarded curiosity, Roo Avery. Word of your rise has spread from Roldem to the Sunset Islands, and I’m counting on that curiosity to tip the balance.’
‘What balance?’ asked Roo.
James set his goblet on Roo’s desk. ‘Queg has many quaint and original laws, and not the least of these is the simple fact that a non-citizen of that mad little Empire had no legal rights. If you set foot on Quegan soil without a Quegan sponsor, you’re property for the first Quegan with a strong enough arm to toss a rope around you and make it stick. If you resist, even to save your life, that’s assault on a citizen.’ He made a rowing motion. ‘How do you feel about long ocean voyages?’
‘How long?’
‘Twenty years is the shortest sentence we’ve heard of.’
Roo sighed. ‘How do I get a sponsor?’
‘That’s the tricky part,’ said James. ‘We’ve had strained relations with Queg lately. Too much smuggling and raiding from our point of view, too little paying of duties for sailing on their ocean from their point of view. Our delegation was expelled from their court four years ago, and it’s going to take a while to get another installed.’
‘Sounds difficult,’ said Roo.
‘It is. But the thing you need to know about the Quegans is that their government serves two purposes: to keep order - by keeping the peasants beaten down - and to defend the island. The real power rests with their rich merchants. The oldest families have hereditary rights to a place on their ruling body, the Imperial Senate. Those with enough money can buy a seat.’
Roo grinned. ‘Sounds like my kind of place.’
‘I doubt you’d like it. Remember, aliens have no rights. If you irritate your sponsor, he can withdraw his protection at whim. That means you have to be very polite. Take lots of gifts.’
‘I can see what you mean.’ Roo reflected on what he had been told for a moment, then asked, ‘How am I supposed to get ashore to make this sort of sponsorship contact if you can’t provide an introduction?’
‘You’re an enterprising lad,’ said James, finishing his brandy. He stood. ‘You’ll find a way. Start sounding out your business associates. Once you get some names to contact, I can arrange to have one message smuggled into Queg without too much difficulty, but that’s about the limit of what I can do.’
Roo rose. ‘I suppose I’ll find a way.’ Already his mind was turning to the problem.
‘My carriage is waiting and I have some distance to travel,’ said the Duke as he reached the doorway.
James followed him and motioned for the serving girl, who was rooted to the same spot he had left her in, still holding the Duke’s cloak. She quickly helped the Duke on with it, and James stood aside while Roo opened the door.
James’s carriage was waiting just beyond the portal and Roo’s gateman made ready to escort the carriage back to the entrance to Roo’s estate.
As the carriage door was closed by a guard, James leaned out the window and said, ‘Don’t be too long. I’d like you to leave next month at the latest.’
Roo nodded, and closed the door. Karli hurried from the upstairs to ask, ‘What did the Duke want?’