Free Book 2 - An Ill Fate Marshalling by Glen Cook

explanation sounded plausible. As far as it went. Was she yielding two-thirds of the truth to mask the remainder?
    „Sounds like a good idea to me. It would benefit Kavelin, surely, if the historical inertia of Shinsan could be shifted. Otherwise it doesn't matter who's in power."
    Again she made him sit through an extended silence. He did not let it distract him.
    „What are you saying?"
    „That I wouldn't be averse to a scheme. But I want an understanding up front. You're Chatelaine of Maisak. I don't want to worry about my hold on the Savernake Gap."
    „I see. You want guarantees. What did you have in mind?"
    Bragi smiled. Her attitude betrayed her thinking. „Not now. Not here. We need time to think. And I want wit nesses. Varthlokkur and the Unborn."
    „You don't trust anyone, do you?"
    „Not now. Not anymore. Why should I? Your scheme is just one of my problems. I'm going to walk light and careful till it's all under control."
    She laughed. He responded with a smile. She said, „It's too bad you were born a westerner. You would have made a great Tervola."
    „Possibly. My mother was a witch."
    She seemed startled. She started to say something, but was interrupted by a servant who announced, „My Lady, there's a gentleman here looking for His Majesty."
    Bragi looked at Mist and shrugged. „Send him in," she said.
    Dahl Haas bustled through the doorway. He still looked fresh. „Sire, I've been looking all over."
    „What is it?" Bragi had a bad feeling. Haas looked grim.
    „An emergency, Sire. Please?" He gave Mist a meaningful glance.
    What is this? Bragi wondered. „We'll talk later," he told Mist, and followed a frantic Dahl out of the house. „Come on. Spill it, Dahl."
    „It's General Liakopulos. Somebody tried to kill him."
    „Tried? He's all right?" Kavelin's army was the founda tion of Ragnarson's power. Liakopulos was one of his most important officers.
    „He's in bad shape, Sire. I left him with Doctor Wachtel. Doc said he didn't know if he'd make it. That was three hours ago."
    „Let's ride, then. Who did it? A brawl?" The General frequented rough dives. He had been warned, but warnings did no good.
    „No, Sire. Assassins." Haas kicked his mount into a trot beside his King. „He was riding outside the palace. They ambushed him in the park. He got one of them, but they cut him up pretty bad. Gales found him and brought him in."
    „Who was the dead man?" Wind streamed past Bragi's ear. It bore a smell of rain.
    „Nobody recognized him. There wasn't anything on him to identify him."
    „Harish?"
    „No. He was fair. Possibly from the north."
    „Find Trebilcock when we get back."
    „He was with the General when I left, Sire." Haas kicked his mount again. The animal had been pushed hard for a long time. Bragi recognized its fatigue and eased the pace. Dahl added, „He seemed to take it personal. Like it was an attack on him."
    „Good." Bragi eased the pace even more. It had been a long day for his animal, too.
    And this long day was not over yet. Not for him.
     

5
     
    Year 1016 AFE; Mystery Attackers
    Ragnarson pushed into
    the room where General Liakopulos lay. The Guildsman was as pale as bone china. „How is he?"
    Doctor Wachtel, a grisled old man who had been Royal Physician forever, replied, „He's resting."
    „Will he make it?"
    „It could go either way. He lost a lot of blood. The wounds aren't that bad. Nothing vital injured. But when you've been cut so many times... ."
    „This the dead man?"
    „The assassin? Yes."
    Ragnarson lifted the linen covering. He saw an unprepos sessing young man of medium height, slightly overweight. He tried to imagine the man on his feet, moving around. He reminded himself that they looked smaller and meeker when they were dead. „Where's Trebilcock?"
    „The General came to an hour ago. He described his assailants. He'd cut the other two. Michael went looking for wounded men."
    „Uhm. You talk to Varthlokkur about this?"
    The doorway sentries