Free King of Foxes by Raymond E. Feist

than reducing him to such a state.”
    “Still, that is my goal.”
    “Your goal,” said Magnus, “if I may remind you, is first to discover why he desires a war with the Kingdom.
    Every shred of intelligence we have tells us you are correct in your surmise: Kaspar has some mad design on forging an alliance among the Eastern Kingdoms so he may launch a strike against Isle.
    “And I emphasize the word ‘mad,’ for none of what he has accomplished so far reveals a hint of sanity.”
    Tal nodded. “Yet I would wager my life that Kaspar is anything but mad. Devious, murderous, charming, even _______________
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    RAYMOND E. FEIST
    amusing; but he is as sane as any man. His choices may appear pointless, but there is always a design behind them.” He leaned forward and put his wine cup on the table. “Now, Pasko and Amafi will return soon, so we must be done with this quickly.”
    “Then to the message. This from my father. You are to be detached.”
    “Exactly what does that mean?”
    “It means no one will be calling on you at any time, Tal.” Magnus adjusted his hat. “When you decide to take Kaspar up on his offer and enter his service, find an excuse to discharge Pasko. I leave it up to you as to what you do with this Amafi fellow. But you are oathbound never to mention your connection to the Conclave to him, or even hint of the Conclave’s existence.
    “From now on, we will have no further contact with you until you seek us out. If you are in the north, find a way to send a message to Kendrick’s or go there yourself.
    In Rillanon, seek out an inn called the Golden Sunrise, and you’ve already been to the Vine and Cask in Salador.
    Should you find yourself in Krondor, you already know the Admiral Trask. Here, see the night barman at Molkonski’s Inn. We don’t have any agents in Opardum, more’s the pity, but if you can get a message up to the Anvil and Tong, in the town of Karesh’kaar in Bardac’s Holdfast, it’ll get to us.”
    Tal laughed. “Are all your agents ensconced in inns and taverns?”
    Magnus smiled. “No, but we find inns and taverns to be useful places to collect information. Devise a way to get a message to any of those locations, addressed to the Squire of Forest Deep, and it will reach us. Use the code phrase if you can. There are others inns in other cities, and Pasko can see you have a full list before you part company.”

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    KING OF FOXES
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    “Why am I to do without him?”
    “Two . . . no, three reasons. First, with each additional agent of the Conclave who gets near Leso Varen, the risk to us is multiplied. Mother has Lady Rowena as close to Kaspar as a woman can get—I assume in the vain hope Kaspar might let something slip during the pillow talk—and with you there, our vulnerability increases; Pasko adds nothing of use to us, but increases the hazard.
    “Second, we have other tasks for Pasko.
    “And lastly, he works for the Conclave, not Squire Hawkins of Ylith, no matter what you have come to believe.”
    “Point taken.”
    “Now, I must make this clear: no matter what opportunity you have to revenge yourself on Kaspar, he is only part of the problem; find out what you may of Leso Varen.
    He is the true danger in this. Finally, if you are found out, we will see you dead before risking the security of the Conclave. Is that clear?”
    “Abundantly.”
    “Good. So don’t get killed, or at least try to do something useful before you do. If you get into trouble, we can’t and won’t fetch you out.”
    Suddenly he was gone. There was a slight intake of air where Magnus had stood, and the room went silent.
    Tal reached out and took his wine cup, and muttered,
    “I hate that he always has to have the last word.”
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    Tal awoke feeling a little disoriented. He had only had one cup of wine the night before during his conversation with Magnus. The day had been uneventful, a somewhat leisurely ride down the mountain and through the city to