Patrick paused, then sighed. After a moment, he chuckled. “One of my teachers told me the King of Rillanon had drunk himself into near insensibility over the need to accept Bas-Tyra into his service, rather than hang him from the walls of his city.”
“Many of our most noble lords had ancestors who were nothing more than enemies we chose not to hang, Highness,” said Arutha.
“Well,” said Patrick, “we have no shortage of openings for nobles in the West. Where shall we place ‘Lord’ Duko?”
Arutha said, “There are several Earldoms, a score of Baronies, and one Duchy in need of new nobles.”
Owen said, “We need a Duke of the Southern Marches.”
Patrick looked at James. “What do you think of throwing that rabble in Krondor at the Keshians?”
Jimmy said, “Highness, I hesitate to advise . . .”
Patrick looked sharply at Jimmy. “Don’t get modest on me at this late date, James. You’d be the first in your family in three generations and I wouldn’t believe it anyway.”
James smiled. “If you move Duko and his men down into the Sutherlands, between Shandon Bay and Land’s End, you could move those soldiers up into Krondor and still keep a presence along the border to the southwest. We can assume there are Keshian agents all over who are keeping the Emperor’s generals up on our dispositions by the minute. You could then turn at Krondor and move straight up to take Sarth, before Nordan gets dug in.”
Patrick looked at Owen. “Greylock, you’re Knight-Marshal of Krondor. What do you think of young James’s thesis?”
Owen knew exactly what he thought of it; he had been discussing this plan with Jimmy the entire journey from his headquarters camp to Darkmoor. “It’s risky, Highness, but far less risky than trapping Duko between our army and Nordan’s and making his men fight for their lives. And if we move them down to face Kesh, we don’t have to worry about Duko’s men facing their former comrades, or any spies Fadawah might have in their ranks. Besides, half the men living in the Vale of Dreams are mercenaries, fighting for us or against us at whim; Duko may be exactly the man to rule such as those.” He paused, as if thinking about his next statement, which had been rehearsed in his mind many times already. “If we continue to dredge the harbor, and get the city back into a semblance of order in the next month, we can drive on to Sarth in six weeks. That would put us six weeks ahead of schedule. We could be at the gates of Ylith before the fall rains come.”
Patrick said, “I’ll prepare messages for my father. If I can’t give the murderous bastard to the hangman, I’ll give him to the Keshians. We’ll need to send a message to welcome our newest Duke into the ‘family,’ and let him know to prepare for a mobilization of his men.”
James rose, and said, “If Your Highness will excuse me?”
Patrick waved him away, and Arutha rose. “If I may be excused for a few minutes to speak with my son?”
Patrick nodded and turned to his page. “Have a scribe come here at once.”
Arutha led his son out to the waiting room and moved away from the others gathered to await the Prince’s pleasure. Softly, so as not to be overhead, he said, “What of Dash?”
“We were separated. Malar and I—”
“Who’s Malar?” interrupted Arutha.
“A servant from the Vale of Dreams we encountered. His caravan was attacked and he survived in the wilderness for a month or more.”
“Malar,” said Arutha. “That name’s familiar.”
“Malar Enares,” Jimmy supplied. “That’s his full name.”
“Yes, it’s familiar, but I can’t place it.”
“I don’t know why you’d know it, Father. His master was an important merchant, perhaps that’s where you know it from.”
Arutha said, “Most of my records are still in boxes from when we evacuated Krondor. Normally, I’d have my clerk look for that name. If I still had a clerk.”
Jimmy said, “Well, if you recognize the name, he’s more than he seems to be. I’ll keep an eye on him if he’s still around when I get back to Krondor.”
Arutha put his hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “Do that. Rest now and be ready to leave in a day or two. Patrick should have something to send to Duko in two days at the outside. We’ll need some sort of ceremony and pomp, a formal surrender and an investiture of office. I wish old Jerome was still alive.”
Jimmy grinned. “Grandfather never got along with him.”
“No, but he was as good a Master of Ceremony as I’ve ever known. If you needed the proper welcoming ceremony for a creature from the lower hells, he could find it for you and have it ready on short notice.”
Jimmy said, “I think a meal and a nap will do for me right now.”
“By the way,” said Arutha, “Lord Silden is here. He brought Francine with him.”
“I saw her, just before I went in to see you and the Prince. She was coming in from a morning ride. She’s grown up.”
“I remember you used to think her a pest when you were children in Rillanon. Does she still want to marry you?”