Читать книгу The Complete Conclave of Shadows Trilogy: Talon of the Silver Hawk, King of Foxes, Exile’s Return - Raymond E. Feist - Страница 18

CALEB MOVED SWIFTLY.

He saw Talon draw his sword, shout in rage and charge at a man standing at the bar. The man – a mercenary, judging by his garb and weapons, was a seasoned veteran who reacted with shock only for a moment before recognizing a threat. But as his hand moved to his sword, Caleb reached out with his left leg and caught Talon’s right ankle, tripping him.

A second later Caleb had his own sword in his hand and had moved to stand between Talon, who was scrambling to his feet, and the man at the bar. He lowered his swordpoint in the general direction of the stranger and with his left hand pushed Talon back to his knees as he attempted to rise.

‘Hold on!’ Caleb shouted. ‘Wait a minute!’

The mercenary assumed a defensive position rather than attacking either of the two men he faced. ‘I’m holding,’ he replied. ‘But not for long.’

Talon attempted to get up again and Caleb grabbed his tunic by the fabric at the shoulder and hauled at him. Instead of the resistance he had anticipated, Talon found his upward motion aided so that suddenly he was standing upright on his toes. Caleb let him hang there for a moment before releasing him. Talon crashed to the floor, landing on his backside.

‘Wait, damnit!’ shouted Caleb.

Talon waited.

‘What is this about?’ yelled the mercenary.

‘He’s a murderer!’ Talon shouted, trying to rise once more, his face full of rage. In his anger, he had reverted to his native language.

Caleb let him get halfway to his feet, then kicked his left heel, sending him back to the floor again. In the language of the Orosini, Caleb said, ‘No one here but me understood what you just said. Who do you think this man is?’

‘One of the men who killed my people!’

Caleb did not take his eyes off the mercenary for more than a second. ‘Your name?’ he asked the man in Roldemish.

‘Who wants to know?’

‘Someone trying to keep the bloodshed to a minimum,’ answered Caleb.

‘My name is John Creed, from Inaska.’

Glancing at Talon, to make sure he was still behaving, Caleb asked, ‘Have you ever served with Raven?’

Creed nearly spat. ‘I wouldn’t piss on Raven if his arse was on fire. I’m a mercenary, not a child killer.’

Caleb said to Talon, ‘Slowly,’ and let him rise.

Sensing the crisis had past, the mercenary asked, ‘Who’s your hot tempered friend?’

‘This is Talon, and I’m Caleb.’

Putting his sword away, John Creed said, ‘If that lad’s looking for Raven’s bunch and he acts like that you’d better make sure he has enough silver on him to pay for his funeral pyre. They’ll cut him up for dog meat without spilling a drop of ale and laugh while they’re doing it.’

Turning to Talon, Caleb said, ‘What were you thinking?’

Talon slowly put his sword away, not taking his eyes from Creed. ‘He looks …’

‘He looks like someone else, so you just go witless and forget everything you’ve been taught, is that it?’

Talon studied the man, attempting to fit him into the images that still were vivid in his memory and gradually realized how foolish he had been. Creed was a brawny man with black hair which hung to his shoulders. His nose had obviously been broken more than once and was little more than a distorted lump in the centre of his face. His mouth was topped by a drooping moustache. His face was unremarkable, except for his eyes, which were narrowed as he studied his erstwhile attacker. Talon recognized his eyes; they were like Caleb’s, dark and intense, and they didn’t miss a detail of what they saw. This man resembled one of the men who had destroyed his village, one of the men Talon had surprised before he was shot with the crossbow bolt, but he wasn’t the same man.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said to Caleb.

‘Don’t tell me. Tell him.’

Talon moved past Caleb and stood before John Creed. ‘I was wrong. I am sorry.’ He looked the mercenary straight in the eyes.

Creed was silent for a moment, then the left corner of his mouth moved upward and with a crooked smile he said, ‘No harm done, lad. A hot temper is a sign of youth. You’ll outgrow it … if you’re lucky to live long enough.’

Talon nodded. ‘I acted rashly.’

Creed continued to appraise the boy. Finally he said, ‘Raven’s men must have done you quite an injury for you to go flying off the handle like some loose axe-head.’

‘They did,’ was all Talon said.

‘Well, if you’re looking for Raven and his bunch, word is he’s been working for the Duke of Olasko for the last few years. Young Kaspar has them involved in some difficulty down in the Disputed Lands, bumping heads with the Duke of Maladon and Simrik’s men. So you’re in the wrong end of the world if you’re trying to find Raven.’

Caleb said, ‘Let us buy you a drink, to make amends.’

‘Thanks,’ said Creed.

Caleb looked around the crowded inn, which was returning to a semblance of normalcy now that the potential confrontation was halted. Caleb instructed the innkeeper to provide Creed with a drink, then took Talon by the elbow and moved him through the crowd. At a corner table he half-pushed the lad down into a chair. He looked at the boy for a long while. After a few minutes of silence between them, Caleb said, ‘For someone who is normally thoughtful and reflective before acting, you were as rash as a man can be.’

Struggling with the frustration and rage that were bringing him to the edge of tears, Talon nodded. ‘I saw that man … and something inside just rose up and overwhelmed me. I was certain he was … one of the men I fought when my village was destroyed.’

Caleb signalled for a serving girl to bring them drink and food, then removed his gauntlets, and threw them on the table. ‘You’re young. As Creed said, you’ll outgrow the rashness if you live long enough.’

Talon remained silent. The drinks and food appeared and they ate without discussion. Talon brooded upon what had occurred and as they finished eating, he said, ‘Caleb, why didn’t you tell me?’

Caleb said, ‘What?’

‘That you knew who it was that raided my village?’

Caleb’s eyes flickered only for an instant, but Talon knew he had caught him out. ‘You told me about the raid, many times,’ he replied.

‘But you never told me their leader was called Raven. You knew who they were!’

Caleb let out a long sigh. ‘Very well, Raven and his company are well enough known. I guess it never occurred to me that you needed his name.’

‘There’s something else. What is it?’

‘Nothing.’ Caleb spoke softly, but his eyes warned Talon not to press the matter.

Calmly, Talon said, ‘You know. Tell me.’

Caleb regarded the young man for a while, then he said, ‘Not today.’

‘When?’

‘When you’re able to understand.’

‘Among my people I have been a man for nearly two years, Caleb. If … my village still existed, I would almost certainly be a father. What is so difficult to understand here?’

Caleb sipped at his ale. Finally he said, ‘There are many more things involved in such a choice than I can reveal to you. I judge you able in many things, Talon. More able than most your age, and even than some twice your years, but the decision wasn’t mine alone.’

‘Whose, then? Robert’s?’

Caleb nodded. ‘He is responsible for your training.’

Talon turned his head slightly, one eye fixed upon Caleb. ‘Training for what?’

‘Many things, Talon,’ said Caleb. ‘Many things.’

‘Such as?’

‘That is most certainly a topic for you to take up with Robert. But this much I will tell you, Talon of the Silver Hawk. Should you learn all that is given you to master, you will become an unusual and dangerous man. And you will need to be such should you choose to avenge your people.’

‘I have no choice in the matter,’ said Talon in even tones. ‘Once free of my debt to Robert, I must find the men who destroyed my people.’

Caleb knew what he intended once he found those men. Finally he said, ‘Then be diligent in your work, and learn your lessons well, Talon, for those you seek have powerful and deadly friends and masters.’

Talon sat quietly, contemplating what Caleb had said, while around him the bustle in the room increased as more men came in to drink. Among them was Dustin Webanks and his companion from the day before.

‘Hello!’ Dustin called out as he spied them in the corner. ‘I feared you wouldn’t appear, but I’m glad you have for I feel strongly in your debt.’

He crossed the room to them and Caleb indicated that he and his companion should take the remaining two chairs, but Webanks declined. ‘We have much to do so we will be on our way shortly.’ He removed a pouch of coins from his belt. ‘There is no value I can place on my life, but please accept this gold as a reward for your actions on my behalf.’

His companion looked away, as if embarrassed by the fact that he had fled while Webanks was in peril. The pouch hit the table with a loud clinking sound and Caleb looked at Talon. When the boy didn’t move, Caleb said, ‘It was your idea to take a hand; you leapt from the wagon to knock the assassin off his horse. You deserve the reward.’

Talon looked at the pouch. He had served long enough at the inn to have some idea of how many coins filled a pouch of that size, and calculated that the gold in it amounted to more than he could rightly expect to earn in ten years of toil. Yet he hesitated. At last he reached out and pushed the bag back towards Webanks.

‘You refuse it?’ asked the merchant in astonishment.

Talon said, ‘As you said, your life is without price. Instead of gold, however, I would ask you a favour.’

‘Name it.’

‘Should I come to Opardum in the future, I will ask it of you then.’

Webanks seemed confused by the request, but said, ‘Very well then, I am in your debt.’ He picked up the gold, then glanced at his companion who seemed likewise bemused by the young man’s refusal of the gold. They exchanged perplexed expressions and, bowing slightly, withdrew from the men.

Caleb waited until they had left and then said, ‘Why?’

Talon said, ‘Gold will buy things I don’t need. I have food, clothing and friends at Kendrick’s. But if what you say is true, that my enemies have dangerous friends and powerful masters, I need more friends. Merchant Webanks may prove to be such a friend in the future.’

Caleb sat back and considered what Talon said. After a moment, he smiled. ‘You learn quickly, my young friend.’

Instead of acknowledging this remark, Talon’s face whitened and his hand flew to the hilt of his sword. But rather than leap to his feet, he sat there as taut as a bowstring. Caleb slowly turned to see what he was looking at. ‘What is it?’

‘That man,’ said Talon.

Caleb saw that a man had entered the inn and was now over by the bar speaking with Webanks and his companion. Caleb’s own hand drifted to the hilt of his sword. He turned and looked at Talon. ‘What of him?’

‘He is one of those who destroyed my village.’

‘Are you certain?’

‘Yes,’ said Talon, his voice the hiss of a coiled serpent. ‘He wore the tabard of the Duke of Olasko, but he sat upon a black horse, commanding the murderers who killed my people.’

Caleb looked around and saw that four other men had come in behind the man. They were glancing around the room, as if seeking any sign of trouble. Caleb returned his attention to Talon and said, ‘What do you propose to do?’

‘Watch.’

Caleb said, ‘Well done. You do learn quickly.’

For fifteen minutes they sat there, sipping at half-empty mugs of ale, until the five men left. Talon got up instantly and crossed to Webanks. With a calm voice he asked, ‘Master Webanks, a question.’

‘Certainly, young Talon.’

As Caleb joined them, Talon said, ‘I noticed just a moment ago you were deep in conversation with a man, one who looked passingly familiar to me. I believe he may have visited the inn where Caleb and I are employed. But I can’t recall his name.’

Webanks looked disturbed and said, ‘He is just a guard, one I’ve hired for the return trip to Opardum. He and his four men are waiting for us to finish our business on behalf of the Duke and then depart.’ With a nervous laugh he added, ‘I can’t recall his name at the moment. Ah … Stark. Yes, I believe it’s Stark.’

‘Thank you,’ said Talon. ‘I must have been mistaken.’

Talon then left the inn at such speed that Caleb had to hurry to keep up. Outside, he glanced left and right and caught sight of the men rounding a corner.

‘What are you doing?’ asked Caleb.

‘Tracking.’

Caleb nodded and they followed the men. Talon’s exceptional vision kept him from losing the five men, even though they moved quickly through the press of the bustling market and down streets thronged with wagons, carts and travellers. Finally they saw the men halt, look around to see if they were being followed, clearly decide that they weren’t, and enter a nondescript building.

‘What now?’ asked Caleb.

‘We wait.’

‘For what?’

‘To see what happens next,’ said Talon, hunkering down with his back against a wall, so that he looked like a rustic hunter in the city taking his ease.

Caleb said, ‘You’re certain you recognized that man?’

‘Yes, the man called Stark.’

Caleb leaned against the wall, his eyes upon the door. Time passed slowly, then a pair of men walked up to the door and entered without knocking. ‘Well, then,’ said Caleb.

‘What?’

‘Let’s go back to our rooms,’ he said.

‘I want to see what happens next.’

Caleb reached down and gripped Talon’s upper arm, pulling him to his feet. ‘What happens next, my young friend, is war.’

‘What?’

Not waiting to answer, Caleb turned and walked back towards the Blind Juggler. ‘I’ll tell you when we’re out of the city.’

Talon followed him quickly.

The wagon lumbered out of the gate, and Talon looked over his shoulder. It was unusual for a wagon of trade goods to be leaving the city so late in the day, and as a result there was no other wagon ahead of them for inspection and they left quickly. They would spend the night at the Inn of the Happy Farmer and leave at first light the next day for Kendrick’s.

Caleb had finished his shopping with unnatural speed, and had arranged for a variety of goods to be shipped to Kendrick’s rather than wait for them to be loaded into the wagon. It would cost more, but Caleb seemed to think nothing of the added expense.

When they were free of any chance of being overheard, Talon said, ‘Tell me.’

‘That man Webanks called “Stark” is no mercenary.’

‘I assumed that much, since he was wearing the tabard of the Duke of Olasko when he raided our village.’

‘His name is Quentin Havrevulen, and he is the fourth son of a minor noble from Roldem, now serving as Special Captain in the service of Kaspar, Duke of Olasko. Captain Quint, as he’s called, is as tough a man as they come and an exceptional soldier. He gets all of Duke Kaspar’s difficult assignments.’

‘What is one of the Duke of Olasko’s captains doing in Latagore, disguised as a guard for some merchants?’

‘Meeting two officers of the Latagore Army.’

‘The two men you saw enter the building?’

‘The same. One of them I recognize by sight, but the other I know by name and have spoken with. He’s Captain Janoish, and for him to be speaking with Quint means that Latagore has been betrayed.’

‘Why?

Moving the horses along the road at the best rate he could manage, Caleb said, ‘Because Janoish is in charge of city defence, and for him to speak to an officer of another nation’s army is treason.’

‘So war is coming?’

‘It has arrived, my young friend. I’ll wager every coin Webanks offered you that Olasko’s army is on the march.’

Talon said, ‘Why would the Duke of Olasko want to attack Latagore?’

Caleb replied, ‘Ask Robert.’

Talon glanced at his companion and saw a firmness to his jaw that indicated that further questions would be pointless.

The return journey took longer, for the wagon was now loaded with provisions and the horses required more rest. The sense of urgency mounted as each day passed.

Eventually, they came within sight of the steading and as soon as Caleb was inside the gates he told Talon to care for the horses and get Gibbs and Lars to unload provisions while he went to find Kendrick. Talon did as he was instructed and when the wagon and horses were put away he hurried into the inn.

He passed through the kitchen with only a perfunctory greeting for Leo, Martha and Meggie. Leo started to speak to Talon, but his words were lost as the young man pushed his way through the door into the common room.

There Robert and Pasko sat with Kendrick. There appeared to have been a lull in the conversation, for when Talon appeared, all were silent. Robert motioned Talon to sit down. Then he turned to Caleb and said, ‘I’ll send word at once to your father and ask him to have your brother return as quickly as possible.’

With a wry smile Caleb replied, ‘Which means Magnus will be here a minute after your message arrives at the island.’

Robert then turned to Talon. ‘It is clear from what Caleb has told me that you have become aware of issues that might have better remained unknown to you.’

Talon shrugged. ‘I cannot claim the wisdom to know whether that is true or not. I do know that you’ve hidden things from me, and that you know more about the destruction of my people than you have thus far admitted. I also know that some of the men responsible for this horror are now in Latagore plotting to overthrow the Dominar and his council.’

Kendrick glanced at Robert, as if seeking permission to speak. Robert shook his head slightly and turned back to Talon. ‘We know all this, and more.’ He looked at Talon for a long time, then asked, ‘What do you think of all this?’

Talon was torn between his natural frustration at seemingly pointless questions and the suspicion that Robert’s questions tended never to be pointless. He stopped and considered. Finally, he spoke: ‘There are several ways to look at the situation, Robert. Politically, I know from what I overheard when Count DeBarges was visiting that there’s a royalist movement in Latagore.’

Caleb smiled slightly.

‘So it may be that the Duke of Olasko thinks it to his advantage to help them overthrow the Dominar and restore the old King’s grandson. But then the question arises as to why Duke Kaspar of Olasko would care who sat at the head of the Council of Latagore.’

‘Care to wager a guess?’ Robert asked.

‘I can guess at reasons, but I do not know for sure.’ Then Talon leaned forward, ‘Unless it’s a military reason.’

‘And that would be?’ asked Kendrick.

Talon said, ‘Until this week I could not begin to imagine why the Duke of Olasko’s men would help an army of murderers to obliterate my people. But now I realize I had it backwards. Raven and his company were working for the Duke. Their only reward was gold and perhaps slaves. The Duke, however, obviously wanted the Orosini out of their mountains.’ He paused, as if considering what to say next. ‘I could not imagine the reason, until now.’

‘This military reason?’ Kendrick asked.

‘Yes. With the Orosini out of the mountains, and Latagore in the hands of a friendly ruler, or at least in the throes of civil war, then there is only one conclusion I can draw. He wants Latagore neutralized on his flank, so that he can attack the Duchy of Farinda.’

Kendrick said, ‘Where did you learn about military strategy?’

Talon looked embarrassed. ‘I didn’t, or I mean I haven’t. But you talk a lot about your battles and things like keeping your flanks protected seem to be very important.’

‘He’s a bright one, yes?’ Kendrick said to Robert.

Robert smiled. To Talon he said, ‘Your deductions are clever, but incorrect.’

Talon said, ‘They are?’

‘Yes. There’s far more in play than you understand, but your ability to deduce as much as you have is very unusual. The Duke of Olasko does wish to have a friendly regime in Latagore, and eventually he will invade Farinda, but probably not for a few years yet. You’ve done well to spy out even a few pieces of the puzzle.’

Talon looked a little embarrassed. ‘Then what is going to happen?’

Kendrick stood up. ‘What’s going to happen is that a lot of soldiers from Olasko will be marching through the woods around here soon, so I’d better make sure we’re ready for them.’

He left and Talon asked, ‘Will they attack?’

‘Probably not,’ answered Caleb. ‘They don’t consider us a big enough threat to leave behind them, and they can’t spare time to dig us out.’

Robert said, ‘It’s known we have resources beyond the modest ones apparent to casual observation. I suspect that Kaspar will leave us alone while he commits his next act of bloodshed against innocents.’

‘What are we going to do?’ asked Talon.

‘Why, we’re going to sit tight,’ said Robert. ‘Latagore can fend for itself. It’s not that important whether Kaspar’s friends rule or the Dominar stays in power. What’s important is that we move ahead with our own …’ He caught himself just in time and said to Talon, ‘You may leave us now. Go and see if Leo needs help.’

Talon hesitated, then rose and went into the kitchen.

As he returned, Meggie said, ‘What was all that about?’

Feeling that he was included in a select group and not wishing to share the information, Talon said, ‘I can’t tell you.’ He had expected some sort of reaction from the slight girl, but all he got was a shrug, as if secrets were nothing new to her, so instead he asked, ‘What can I do to help?’

‘Everything is just about finished,’ she replied. ‘You can carry that bucket out and dump it.’

Talon picked up the indicated bucket then said, ‘I haven’t seen Lela. Where is she?’

Meggie’s expression turned troubled. ‘That’s what I was trying to tell you when you came rushing through a while ago. Lela’s not here.’

‘Where is she?’

Meggie looked down, as if not wanting to look him in the face. ‘Gone. She left yesterday with Count Ramon DeBarges’s entourage. They turned up two days earlier, and when they left to go back south, Lela went with them.’

Talon didn’t know what to say. He carried the bucket outside and dumped the contents in a trench near the wall. He paused for a moment to listen to the shift of sounds in the surrounding woods as day gave way to night. He savoured the noise of night creatures awakening, sounds so familiar to him and so different to the sounds he had experienced in the city. He let the familiarity of the woodlands flood over him, then headed back to the kitchen. When he returned, ‘And Lars and Gibbs?’

‘They went, too.’ With a shy smile, she said, ‘I guess for a while it’s just the two of us, Talon.’

Talon looked at the slender girl and felt a sudden stab of confusion. She was flirting with him the way she had with Lars when they weren’t fighting. But Lela was gone! He had thought himself in love with her, until Caleb had told him that he had been with her, as had both Lars and Gibbs. Now the girl he thought of as Lars’s woman was turning her attention to him.

Suddenly he was very tired. The tension of the trip, the simmering rage of seeing the men who had been responsible for the death of his family, the knowledge that they were returning north; and his confusion at the strange games in which Robert and the others were involved were all taking their toll.

Just then an odd popping sound came from outside, followed by a sizzling sound like ball lightning rolling across a distant meadow.

Meggie exclaimed, ‘Magnus is here!’

Before Talon could ask how she knew, the kitchen door opened wide and the white-haired man entered. He glanced around the kitchen then, without saying a word, passed into the common room.

‘I thought he was on some journey to visit his family,’ said Talon.

Meggie leaned forwards. ‘Haven’t you understood it yet? Magnus and Robert can do magic! They can come and go in the blink of an eye if they wish it.’

Talon remembered the conversation with Caleb which had confirmed his suspicions. It made him feel uncomfortable. It was another thing Robert had neglected to tell him, another thing he had had to find out for himself.

Leo and Martha prepared a small meal for the four of them; then Leo took food into the commons for the others. They dined in relative silence, with Leo or Martha occasionally asking Talon about something he might have noticed in the city. More often than not it was a question about some feature of the city he had neglected to notice. Halfway through the meal the conversation fell off into an awkward silence.

After the kitchen had been cleaned and preparations made for the morning meal, everyone turned in, leaving Talon alone in the kitchen. He ventured to peer into the common room and there he saw Robert, Caleb, Pasko and Magnus deep in conversation. Robert glanced up and seeing him standing there, said, ‘Good night, Talon.’

Talon closed the door and stood outside for a moment, uncertain of what to do. He had no room of his own to go to, having left the barn for Lela’s room. After some consideration he decided that if she was gone, he might as well use the room for himself.

He mounted the back stairs and opened the door. The room was empty. The simple chest stood open, and the bed was made up, but there were none of Lela’s personal belongings left behind. Her brush was missing from the small table, as were the tiny boxes in which she kept the few belongings she had acquired over the years.

He fell hard upon the straw-filled mattress, causing the rope-and-wood frame to groan, and lay thinking. What was to become of him? He had stumbled upon some insights, but he knew there was far more going on than he imagined. Robert was obviously involved with people a great deal more important than Kendrick. Caleb had mentioned his father in passing, but Talon had no idea of his name or what his stake in these things might be.

The conversations downstairs appeared to be much more earnest than they would have been if they’d simply been gossiping about the coming war, or concerned over the defence of the steading.

No, there was far more here than Talon had yet comprehended, and it frustrated him not to understand the full picture.

He was so lost in thought he barely heard the door open behind him. He rolled over and saw Meggie slip through the door. She smiled at him and whispered, ‘I thought I might find you here.’

He was about to ask her what she wanted, when he saw her reach up and unfasten the ties at the shoulders of her shift. The simple dress fell away and she came over and knelt upon the pallet next to him. ‘Move,’ she snapped, as if he was too slow to understand, and when he did, she slipped under the blanket.

He stood in mute amazement, until she said, ‘It’s chilly and you didn’t seem inclined to offer me the blanket.’ When he continued to stand mute, she said, ‘Well, don’t be addled. Get in here!’

Pushing aside his momentary confusion, he obeyed the girl. She pushed him back out of the bed and he landed on the floor. ‘What?’

She giggled. ‘It’s easier if you get undressed before you get into bed, stupid.’

He quickly did as instructed, and slipped into the bed next to her. She put her arms around his neck and said, ‘Obviously, Lela didn’t teach you very well. We’ll have to do something about that.’

Then she kissed him and all concerns for what was occurring in the common room below were forgotten.