“Obviously,” said Tal. “I gathered as much when I saw his Captain Havrevulen in Latagore, conspiring to overthrow the Dominar. I know he means to have Farinda. What I don’t know is why.’’
Robert said, “To Kaspar’s south lie the lands controlled by the Lords of the Border, a group of duchies constantly at one another’s throats: Miskalon, Roskalon, the Duchy of Maladon and Simrick, Salmarter, and Far Loren. The only successful conquest in the history of that sad region was when Maladon subdued Simrick two hundred years ago. All contend over the Disputed Lands, and Olasko ensures that no one quite gets the upper hand. It’s to his advantage to keep them all weak and off-balance. To his west is the Principality of Aranor. The Prince of Aranor is Kaspar’s cousin on the Prince’s mother’s side, and cousin to the King of Roldem on his father’s side, so Kaspar and his ancestors have had to keep their hands off Aranor for many years; though this Prince is a weak idiot and Kaspar might as well be ruling there given how much influence he has.
“Beyond Aranor is Far Loren and Opast. Both have close ties with the Kingdom of the Isles, though both have warred with the Isles in the past. The Isles would be quick to react if Olasko moved against them.
“To the north is Bardac’s Holdfast, which is hardly a nation at all. The original ruler, King Bardac the First, was a pirate with delusions of grandeur, and his descendants are hardly any more than that. Most of the ‘nobility’ of that land are robber barons and King Haloran rules most effectively by leaving them alone. For Olasko to invade would be like marching into a swamp. County Conar is little better, but the tribal chieftains are honorable barbarians, as are the swamp people to their north.
“This is why Kaspar wanted Farinda, to put his army on the frontier of the Kingdom of the Isles, without having to overly disturb his other neighbors.”
“Why? He means to go to war with the Isles?” Tal shrugged. “My memory of geography may be a bit vague, but wouldn’t that put his army several hundred miles away from the nearest Kingdom city of any size, down in Ran?’’
“Yes, and we have no idea why he’d want an army up there, but several theories. We’ll save the speculation for later, but this much we know for certain: Duke Kaspar of Olasko is perhaps the most dangerous man living today when it comes to the peace of the region. He means to have control over the Eastern Kingdoms, and we suspect he’s looking for a way to pull Roldem into a war with the Isles.’’
“Ah,” said Tal. “And if Roldem goes to war with the Isles, then Kesh will take a hand.’’
“And a regional conflict becomes a much broader conflict, with war in both the Eastern and Western Realms of the Kingdom,” supplied Magnus.
“I’ve read enough history to understand ambition a little,” Tal said, “but it seems to me that Kaspar’s overreaching himself.’’
Robert said, “He wouldn’t be the first ruler to reap benefit from others’ woes. He can gobble up the Lords of the Border at whim. He has little interest in ruling the chaotic peoples to his north, unless he decides to bring them to heel sometime in the future.
“For now he must secure control over Farinda and complete his preparations for war with the Kingdom. So, first, he must subdue Farinda. To ensure his security in that undertaking, he must neutralize the Orodon and Latagore, and the High Reaches.’’
Tal’s eyebrows shot up. “So now the pattern emerges. First he obliterates my people, securing a path to Farinda. Now he protects his right flank by ensuring that no aid can reach Farinda though High Reaches or Latagore.”
“Yes. If the Kingdom were to take a hand early, and if King Ryan is as clever as they say he is, he’d react as soon as he recognized the risk. He can’t attack Olasko directly without pulling Aranor and then Roldem into the war, but he can certainly hire companies of mercenaries and run them by ship to Coastal Watch, and from there either to Latagore or High Reaches. Kaspar can’t risk an army at his back.’’
“Why hasn’t someone dealt with this problem before?” asked Tal.
Robert looked at Magnus, who said, “I could toss a fireball into Kaspar’s lap and after destroying the King, his family, and half the nobility of Roldem, Kaspar would still walk out of the ashes unscathed. The man we spoke of earlier is very powerful, and Kaspar has more wards against attack by magic than any man in the world, I’m certain. His bodyguards are fanatical, and he is never alone. Killing him will be no mean feat.’’
“Is this where I come in?’’
“Perhaps,” said Robert. “We don’t know yet. If you win the tournament, there’s a fair chance Kaspar may take an interest in you. He likes having people of great talent around him, musicians, singers, painters, chefs, magicians, and great swordsmen.”
“Well, then,” said Tal, “I can now see why you think it important for me to win this contest. It seems that both our aims are served if Kaspar of Olasko dies.’’