Roo thought he better discreetly ask around who Lord Venchenzo might be, so if the topic ever came up again, he might have at least a hint to what this story had been about.
The meal was at last over, and Vasarius sent Jimmy off with his daughter and offered Roo a rather decent brandy. ‘It’s one of the ones you were kind enough to send me,’ explained the Quegan noble.
Roo thought he’d have to send him something a little better, against the possibility he was going to be ordered back here one more time. After they had sipped the brandy, Vasarius asked, ‘What’s the real reason for your visit?’
Roo said, ‘Well, I do need additional oil.’
‘You could have sent me a purchase order, Rupert. You didn’t need to come here personally.’
Roo looked into his cup. As if weighing his words, he hesitated; the truth was James had rehearsed him relentlessly until he was perfect in what he was to say next: ‘Actually, I need a favor.’
‘What is it?’
I’m sure your Empire has agents, or at least “friends” who pass along certain types of intelligence.’
‘I would be insulting you if I claimed otherwise. No nation on Midkemia is without such resources.’
‘Then you may have wondered about the buildup of military forces in the Kingdom.’
‘It has come to our attention that a great many military projects are under way.’
Roo sighed. ‘The truth is there are reports from Kingdom agents in Kesh that the Emperor is thinking of reclaiming the Vale of Dreams.’
Vasarius shrugged. ‘So what else is new? The Kingdom and Kesh fight over the Vale like two sisters over a favorite gown.’
‘There’s a bit more. It looks like Kesh may launch a full assault toward Krondor, with an eye to cutting off all roads between Krondor and Land’s End.’
Vasarius said, ‘If true, that would isolate Land’s End.’
‘Not to mention cutting off Shamata and Landreth, and giving the Empire control of Stardock.’
‘Ah,’ said Vasarius. ‘The magicians.’
Roo nodded. ‘The Kingdom considers them something of an unknown factor.’
‘As well you should,’ said Vasarius. ‘We have our own magicians, here within the Empire, but all are willing servants of the Imperial Court.’
Roo mentally added the ‘or else they’re dead’ part.
Vasarius continued. ‘That many magicians, unsupervised, could prove troublesome.’
‘Well, be that as it may, the point is we’re going to be putting men and materiel into Krondor in abundance. We’re going to be shipping troops from Ylith and other parts of Yabon, as well as in from the Far Coast.’
‘You still haven’t given me any inkling of what this has to do with me.’
‘I’m coming to that.’ Roo cleared his throat dramatically. ‘We need to protect certain critical shipments and, well, it would benefit us if they were carried on Quegan ships, as the Empire of Great Kesh is less likely to expect such cargo to be carried on Quegan galleys.’
‘Ah,’ said Vasarius, and fell silent.
‘I need a dozen heavily armed war galleys in Carse by the third week after Banapis.’
‘A dozen!’ Vasarius’s eyes widened. ‘What are you carrying?’
‘Weapons and other items.’
Roo could see the eyes of the man spinning with greed. Roo knew that Vasarius was assuming it was a huge shipment of gold, coming down from the Grey Towers, mined by the dwarves and exchanged for Kingdom goods, to be shipped to Krondor to pay soldiers. Which was exactly what Duke James wanted him to think. Roo knew Vasarius would assume twelve war galleys were far too much security for a weapons shipment.
Vasarius said, ‘Which means they’d have to leave here three weeks before the Festival of Midsummer.’ He calculated. ‘That would put them in the Straits of Darkness about Midsummer’s Day. It would mean you need the gold in Krondor two months after Midsummer.’
‘More or less,’ said Roo, pretending to ignore Vasarius’s reference to the gold.
‘A dozen Imperial galleys will prove costly.’
‘How costly?’ asked Roo.
Vasarius gave him a figure, and Roo haggled halfheartedly in an attempt to look as if he was trying to beat down the price. Roo knew that the gold would never be paid to Queg, because Vasarius intended to steal the shipment, and there wasn’t any gold in any event. There would be six hundred hostile ships showing up about then, however. And Roo knew that Vasarius wouldn’t send twelve galleys, he’d send every one he controlled, which could amount to two dozen or better if he could recall them to Queg in time to pass along orders.
They talked into the night, and Roo wished the brandy were better. Absently he wondered how Jimmy was getting on with Livia.
Jimmy licked the blood on his lip and said, ‘What?’