ruled by Heilesheim, but thanks to the failure of the League, more than half Your Majesty’s troops are now tied down with occupation duties. At that, they are barely able to keep the vital lines of supply open. There are no troops to spare for civil matters.”
The king pulled himself around to a sitting position and gazed out into the emptiness of the great wood-paneled throne room. “I do not care about the pursuits of the common people in the occupied lands,” he said acidly. “I want Valdaimon, and it is your job to find him for me. Can your army truly not find one man, a man who is rather... distinctive, at that?”
“Nothing would give me more pleasure, Your Majesty, than to find Valdaimon and so fulfill Your Majesty’s desire,” Culdus said carefully. By the gods, was the wizard’s hold on the king so great that even this behavior would work to Valdaimon’s advantage and Culdus’s disadvantage? “Has it occurred to Your Majesty that Valdaimon has not been found because he does not want to be found? That his disappearance is simultaneous with the expected arrival of the great treasure, the Golden Eggs of Parona—and that no sign has been seen of that treasure? Your Majesty will recall that a high price was paid by Your Majesty to obtain that treasure from Parona....”
“You don’t understand!” the king said, suddenly rising. “I do not trust Valdaimon; but I do need him. I need him, do you understand?”
Culdus stood silent—he could think of no reply.
“Then Your Majesty’s need is fulfilled,” a familiar voice called from the entrance to the great hall. “I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness for my unexpected and unavoidable absence from the royal presence.”
Culdus turned on his heel, his great face contorting in anger. “Traitor!” he shouted at the form of the withered wizard. “I arrest you for high treason against the king and the army of Heilesheim!”
“Silence, Culdus,” the king ordered, relief visibly flooding through his thin form. Then the royal face betrayed alarm again. “Valdaimon, you are wounded... your eye....”
“Lost in Your Majesty’s service,” the wizard replied, wrinkling his face with pain as his stooped form bowed slowly and deeply.
“It is our pleasure to hear our wizard’s story,” the king said, glancing sternly at Culdus, “before judging of his actions. Valdaimon, come, sit, and tell us where you have been.”
Valdaimon slowly hobbled into the royal presence, smiling all the while at Culdus, his old enemy and rival for the king’s favor. “It is good that our young king has a greater sense of justice than the general of our armies,” Valdaimon said slowly. “But Your Majesty knows the military mind—it is all one way or the other for them, there is no room for the subtleties of thought enjoyed by men like Your Majesty.”
Culdus saw how this game would be played, and he knew he could not win. If the old buzzard had lost an eye, more power to whomever had wounded him, Culdus thought.
“As Your Majesty has located Valdaimon,” the general said dryly, “I beg to take leave of Your Majesty. There are pressing matters pertaining to the administration of the army—and the occupied lands—that demand my attention on Your Majesty’s behalf.”
“No, Culdus,” the king said merrily. “Stay. After we hear old Valdaimon’s tale, I have a surprise for you. A new campaign—that should excite you!”
Valdaimon and Culdus stared at one another, both shocked.
Neither had anticipated any such development. Both knew that if the idea was genuinely Ruprecht’s own, it could only mean grave danger for Heilesheim, and for both their ambitions.
“I will gladly stay to hear Your Majesty’s intentions,” Culdus managed to choke out.
“And I will gladly defer my boring story,” Valdaimon said, nodding to Culdus, seeing that the general understood that for once they should act in concert, “so that Your Majesty may thrill us with the plan
The king pulled himself around to a sitting position and gazed out into the emptiness of the great wood-paneled throne room. “I do not care about the pursuits of the common people in the occupied lands,” he said acidly. “I want Valdaimon, and it is your job to find him for me. Can your army truly not find one man, a man who is rather... distinctive, at that?”
“Nothing would give me more pleasure, Your Majesty, than to find Valdaimon and so fulfill Your Majesty’s desire,” Culdus said carefully. By the gods, was the wizard’s hold on the king so great that even this behavior would work to Valdaimon’s advantage and Culdus’s disadvantage? “Has it occurred to Your Majesty that Valdaimon has not been found because he does not want to be found? That his disappearance is simultaneous with the expected arrival of the great treasure, the Golden Eggs of Parona—and that no sign has been seen of that treasure? Your Majesty will recall that a high price was paid by Your Majesty to obtain that treasure from Parona....”
“You don’t understand!” the king said, suddenly rising. “I do not trust Valdaimon; but I do need him. I need him, do you understand?”
Culdus stood silent—he could think of no reply.
“Then Your Majesty’s need is fulfilled,” a familiar voice called from the entrance to the great hall. “I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness for my unexpected and unavoidable absence from the royal presence.”
Culdus turned on his heel, his great face contorting in anger. “Traitor!” he shouted at the form of the withered wizard. “I arrest you for high treason against the king and the army of Heilesheim!”
“Silence, Culdus,” the king ordered, relief visibly flooding through his thin form. Then the royal face betrayed alarm again. “Valdaimon, you are wounded... your eye....”
“Lost in Your Majesty’s service,” the wizard replied, wrinkling his face with pain as his stooped form bowed slowly and deeply.
“It is our pleasure to hear our wizard’s story,” the king said, glancing sternly at Culdus, “before judging of his actions. Valdaimon, come, sit, and tell us where you have been.”
Valdaimon slowly hobbled into the royal presence, smiling all the while at Culdus, his old enemy and rival for the king’s favor. “It is good that our young king has a greater sense of justice than the general of our armies,” Valdaimon said slowly. “But Your Majesty knows the military mind—it is all one way or the other for them, there is no room for the subtleties of thought enjoyed by men like Your Majesty.”
Culdus saw how this game would be played, and he knew he could not win. If the old buzzard had lost an eye, more power to whomever had wounded him, Culdus thought.
“As Your Majesty has located Valdaimon,” the general said dryly, “I beg to take leave of Your Majesty. There are pressing matters pertaining to the administration of the army—and the occupied lands—that demand my attention on Your Majesty’s behalf.”
“No, Culdus,” the king said merrily. “Stay. After we hear old Valdaimon’s tale, I have a surprise for you. A new campaign—that should excite you!”
Valdaimon and Culdus stared at one another, both shocked.
Neither had anticipated any such development. Both knew that if the idea was genuinely Ruprecht’s own, it could only mean grave danger for Heilesheim, and for both their ambitions.
“I will gladly stay to hear Your Majesty’s intentions,” Culdus managed to choke out.
“And I will gladly defer my boring story,” Valdaimon said, nodding to Culdus, seeing that the general understood that for once they should act in concert, “so that Your Majesty may thrill us with the plan
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