At the mention of the son of Pug’s boyhood friend Tomas, the magician said, “You say this with more than one meaning.”
Miranda’s green eyes locked with Pug’s dark brown ones, and after a moment she nodded, once, quickly. “Yes.” She said nothing more.
“When will I see you again?” asked Pug.
She kissed his cheek. “Not as soon as either of us would like, I fear. But I will be back.”
Pug sighed. “Well, it was bound to come to an end.”
She hugged him. “Not ended, just interrupted. Where will you go?”
“My island, first, to confer with Gathis; then I will return to Stardock for a while. After that I must begin my quest”
Miranda knew he meant to search for Macros the Black. “Do you think you can find the sorcerer? It’s been, what? Nearly fifty years?”
Pug nodded. “Since the end of the Great Uprising.” Glancing toward the blue sky, he said, “But he’s out there somewhere. There are a few places I have yet to search, and there’s always the Hall.”
At mention of the Hall, Miranda started to laugh. “What is it?” asked Pug.
“Boldar Blood. I left the mercenary at Trabert’s in Yabon. I told him to wait there until I sent for him.”
“For a year?”
“You’re very distracting,” she purred, nipping at his earlobe.
“Stop that, unless you want to postpone your departure.” She said, “Well, an hour or two won’t make much difference.”
As their garments fell to the sand again, Pug said, “How are you going to pay Boldar? Hall mercenaries don’t come cheaply.”
Grinning at Pug, she said, “I have a lover who’s a duke.” Pug smiled ruefully and said, “I’ll see what I can do,” as he gathered her into his arms.
9
Growth
Roo smiled.
Robert de Loungville walked into the shop, which was filled by the sound of workmen hammering. The building had once been a prosperous establishment, a brokerage for traders that had fallen upon hard times. Roo liked it because there was a small kitchen in the rear, so that he, Duncan, and Luis could fix meals, since they used a corner of the large warehouse as sleeping quarters, saving him the expense of hiring guards and paying rent for quarters.
“Sergeant,” said Roo, loud enough to carry over the sounds of the workmen.
De Loungville glanced around. “This your latest enterprise?”
Roo smiled. “Yes. We’re expanding, and there’s no longer any room behind my partner’s house for more than two wagons.”
“How many do you have?” asked Bobby.
“Six,” answered Roo. “I’m now supplementing our more exotic trade with other traffic.”
“That’s why I’m here,” said de Loungville.
Roo’s interest picked up at once and he signaled for his guest to follow him to the rear of the office. Inside the large warehouse behind the office the noise wasn’t any less deafening, but they could find a relatively peaceful corner in which to converse. “How may I be of service?” asked Roo.
De Loungville said, “We’ve had some trouble with our freight shipments into the palace.”
Roo’s gaze narrowed. “Trouble?”
“Trouble,” was all de Loungville replied.
Roo nodded. Agents of the Pantathians had long been a constant source of concern to the Prince and Duke, and while every step was taken to ensure that no one outside those most trusted had any sense of what was being planned by the Prince, there were just too many people needed around the palace on any given day to guarantee privacy. De Loungville and Calis had decided after the return from Novindus that it would be less risky to keep the garrison of Calis’s new army at the palace and watch closely who had contact with those men.
“We need a new freight hauler to deliver key shipments to the palace.”
Roo hid his delight. He knew that he had no competition. There wouldn’t be another freight hauler who could be trusted not to say anything about what he saw at the palace.
“Drivers,” Roo said.
De Loungville nodded. “It’s a problem.”
Roo said, “Maybe there are some men you’re training who really aren’t suited for whatever it is you’re planning”—he kept his voice low enough that no one would be able to overhear—“but who are trustworthy enough to run such shipments.”
“You want us to give you a contract and then provide you with drivers?” said de Loungville.
Roo grinned. “Not quite, but if you’ve already had trouble with your present freight hauler, you know that I’m going to run the same risks with any new drivers I hire. Right now it’s only myself, Luis, and Duncan with the valuable goods, and three fairly reliable lads I’ve employed for the other three wagons. But I’m not willing to vouch for them.”
“Understood,” said de Loungville. “Well, we’ve convinced James to open an inn, so why not provide you with some drivers?”