Free At the Gates of Darkness by Raymond E. Feist Page A

fascinating from what you have revealed.”
    “But you know where we might find it,” suggested Magnus.
    The monk nodded. “If it still exists.”
    “The Imperial library in Queg?” suggested Magnus.
    Pug said, “If the book was among the property seized by Legionaries, and if they didn’t loot the library when recalled to Kesh during the abandonment of the north…” He tapped his chin in thought. “Likely. Gold and other valuables they’d take south with them. Books and scrolls? Not as likely. Certainly it’s the place we can start looking.”
    Brother Victor said, “I must leave as the evening prayer is about to begin. I assume you do not need me to show you out?” His merry expression revealed he already knew the answer.
    “No,” said Pug. “Thank you, my old friend.”
    “No, thank you for all you have given. Too few people know what they owe you, Pug. Until we meet again,” he finished, then turned and left the four visitors alone in the library.
    Magnus said, “We have a problem, Father.”
    “I know,” said Pug. To Jim he said, “Queg is the one court where we have no friends.”
    Jim sighed, as he could anticipate what was coming next. “I thought you had agents, or at least ‘friends,’ everywhere.”
    Pug gave him a tight smile. “Queg is strategically unimportant. We manipulated some information their way during the invasion of the Emerald Queen. They believed they were attacking a foreign treasure fleet, while instead they ran into her armada, half the Imperial Keshian Fleet, and the Kingdom Navy. Not wishing to attack nations they were at peace with, they did their best to loot a few ships which instead of treasure held angry soldiers. It made them distrustful of information that doesn’t come from reliable sources.
    “To the point they resisted all attempts to infiltrate their intelligence.”
    Jim smiled ruefully. “I know. I have had the same problem.”
    “How about Kesh?” asked Magnus. “Have they anyone within the Quegan Court who might prove useful?”
    Jim slowly shook his head. “No, they’re just as annoyed by their former cousins as the Kingdom is. If Queg didn’t have as formidable a navy as it has, they’d have been reabsorbed by the Empire a century ago or conquered by the Kingdom. There is not a lot on that island that is worth owning, but they are a serious annoyance, and while they may not be strategically important to you, Pug, controlling that island would prove a significant advantage to Kesh or the Kingdom.”
    “Which is why neither of you will let the other gain control,” finished Magnus.
    Amirantha said, “Back to the point, if you don’t have anyone in that court, how do you propose to find out if this tome exists?” He smiled dryly. “Are you just going to show up one day and ask to browse the shelves?”
    Pug got a distant look for a moment, then he slowly smiled. “That may just be the thing.”
    “What?” asked Jim. “I was certain you were going to ask me to swim ashore, sneak into the library, and steal the book.”
    “No,” said Pug, looking amused at the suggestion. “You’re going to use your rank to get the Prince of Krondor to send you, with three advisors”—he indicated the three of them—“on a scholarly project, to correct some distortions of the truth in our own history. This will play to the Quegan vanity as you will explain that their place of glory will be forever enshrined in the annals of the Kingdom, and you would like permission to let your three scholars spend a few leisurely days browsing the shelves of the Imperial Quegan Library.”
    Jim’s face went through a spectrum of emotions, from surprise, to doubt, to agreement, and then to delight. “Play to their vanity!”
    “Yes,” said Pug. “Then when we find out if the book is there, you can sneak into the library and steal it.”
    Jim rolled his eyes. “Can’t we just glance at it for a while?”
    “No,” said Amirantha. “We will need to study it,