Rise of a Merchant Prince

Sho Pi, a head taller than Nakor, and in possession of a full head of dark hair, otherwise looked like a much younger version of the wiry little man. He said, ‘Whatever you say, Master.’

‘Don’t call me master,’ insisted Nakor, putting his own travel bag over his shoulder. Moving to the rail he said, ‘Erik, Roo! Where are you going?’

‘To get a drink, a whore, and new clothing, in that order,’ said Roo.

‘Then I’m going home to see my mother and friends,’ said Erik.

‘What about you?’ asked Roo.

‘I’m going with you,’ Nakor said, hoisting his bag, ‘until the “going home” part. Then I shall hire a boat to take me to Sorcerer’s Isle.’ He looked straight down the gangway, ignoring the younger countryman, a step behind.

Erik glanced at Sho Pi and said, ‘We’ve got to go below and get our kits. Then we’ll join you on the dock.’

Roo was a step ahead of his friend as they hurried below, bade farewell to the sailors who had become friends, and found Jadow Shati, another of their company of ‘desperate men,’ just finishing gathering up his few possessions.

‘What are you going to do?’ asked Roo as he quickly grabbed his small kit.

‘A drink, I’m thinking.’

‘Join us,’ said Erik.

‘I think I will, as soon as I tell Mr Robert de Loungville, the little swine, that I’m taking up his offer of becoming his corporal.’

Erik blinked. ‘Corporal? He offered me the position.’

Before the two men could begin arguing, Roo said, ‘From what he said, he’s going to need more than one.’

The two large men exchanged glances, then both laughed. Jadow’s face settled into a grin, teeth dramatically white against his ebony skin, an expression so happy that it always made Roo smile in response. Like the other desperate men, Jadow had been a killer and lifelong criminal, but in the brotherhood of Calis’s company he had found men for whom he was willing to die and who would die for him.

Roo hated to admit it, as one who flattered himself for being completely selfish, but he loved the survivors of that company almost as much as he loved Erik. Rough men all, dangerous by any standards, they had passed through a bloody trial together, and each knew he could depend on the others.

Roo thought about those lost on the journey: Biggo, the large, laughing thug with a strange streak of piety running through him; Jerome Handy, a giant of a man with a violent temper who could tell a tale like an actor and make shadow play on the wall that came alive; Billy Goodwin, an otherwise gentle youth with a violent temper, who had been cut down in a pointless accident before ever understanding anything of life; and Luis de Savona, the Rodezian cutthroat whose wit was as sharp as his dagger, who knew both court intrigue and dark-alley brawls; a man of temper and strange loyalties. Roo tied his bundle and turned to see both Erik and Jadow watching him.

‘What is it?’

‘You were lost there a moment,’ said Erik.

‘I was thinking about Biggo and the others …’

Erik nodded. ‘I understand.’

‘Maybe some of them will show up when Trenchard’s Revenge gets here,’ ventured Jadow.

Roo said, ‘That would be fine.’ Slinging his pack over his shoulder, he added, ‘But Billy and Biggo won’t.’

Erik nodded. He and Roo had watched Biggo die in Maharta, and Erik had seen Billy fall from his horse, cracking his head on a rock.

The three men were silent as they climbed back on deck and hurried down the gangway to find Robert de Loungville chatting with Nakor and Sho Pi.

‘Hey now, you vile runt of a man!’ said Jadow without ceremony to the man who for nearly three years had controlled his life.

De Loungville turned. ‘Who are you talking to like that, you Valeman scum!’

‘You, Bobby de Loungville, Sergeant sir!’ snapped back Jadow, but Erik could easily see the mocking humor in both men’s expressions. Battle had made him very aware of his companions’ every mood, and he knew they were having fun with each other. ‘And who are you calling “scum"? We men of the Vale are the best fighting men in the world, don’t you know, and we are usually wiping our boots to clean them of something that resembles you.’ He sniffed loudly, bending forward as if to make sure de Loungville was the source of the offending odor. ‘Yes, very much like you.’

De Loungville grabbed one of Jadow’s cheeks and pinched it as a mother does a child’s, saying, ‘You’re so lovely I should kiss you.’ Playfully slapping him on the face, he said, ‘But not today.’

To the group, de Loungville said, ‘Where are you off to?’

‘Drinks!’ said Nakor with a grin.

De Loungville rolled his eyes heavenward. ‘Well, don’t kill anyone.’ He asked Jadow, ‘You coming back?’

Jadow grinned. ‘I don’t know why, but yes.’

His own smile vanishing, de Loungville said, ‘You know exactly why.’

Instantly all humor fled. Each man had seen exactly what the others had, and all knew that a terrible enemy gathered across the sea, and that no matter how much had been accomplished in recent months, the struggle had only just started. A decade or more might pass before the final confrontation with the armies gathered under the banner of the Emerald Queen, but eventually every man living in the Kingdom would either stand and fight or die.

After a moment’s silence, de Loungville waved them down the street. ‘Get away with you. Don’t have too much fun.’ As the men walked off, he called after, ‘Erik, you and Jadow be back here tomorrow to get your papers. On the day after, you’re deserters! And you know we hang deserters!’

‘That man,’ said Jadow as they moved down the street in search of an inn. ‘Always with them threats. He has an unnatural love of hanging, don’t you know?’

Roo laughed and the rest joined in, and the mood lightened as an inn seemed to appear by magic on the corner before them.

Roo awoke, his head pounding and his mouth dry. The inside of his eyes felt as if someone had put sand behind the lids, and his breath smelled as if something had crawled into his mouth and died. He moved and Erik let out a groan, so he moved the other way, only to find Jadow groaning and pushing him away.

With no other choice, he sat up and instantly wished he had remained asleep. He forced himself to keep whatever was in his stomach from coming up and at last managed to focus his eyes.

‘Oh, wonderful,’ he said, and instantly regretted talking. His own voice made his head hurt.

They were in a cell. And unless Roo was mistaken, he knew exactly what cell. It was a long cell, open along one side to a hall, with floor-to-ceiling bars and a door with a heavy iron lock plate. Slightly above head height opposite the bars, a long window, less than two feet in height, ran the length of the cell. He knew the cell was below ground level, as the window was only a foot or so above ground, giving a peculiar angle so those inside the cell could see the scaffold dominating the courtyard beyond. He was now in the death cell beneath the Prince of Krondor’s palace.

He pushed Erik and his friend groaned as if tortured. Roo shook him insistently and at last Erik came awake. ‘What?’ he said as he tried to focus his attention on his friend’s face. ‘Where are we?’

‘Back in the death cell.’

Erik looked instantly sober. He glanced around and saw Nakor curled up in the corner, snoring, while Sho Pi lay a short distance away.

They shook the others awake and took stock. Several of them were splattered with dried blood, and they all nursed an assortment of bruises, scrapes, and cuts. ‘What happened?’ croaked Roo, his voice sounding as if he’d eaten sand.

Jadow said, ‘Those Quegan sailors, remember?’

Sho Pi and Nakor, who seemed, of the company, the least worse for wear, exchanged glances, and Nakor said, ‘One of them tried to remove a young woman from your lap, Roo.’

Roo nodded, then wished he hadn’t. ‘I remember now.’

Jadow said, ‘I hit someone with a chair …’

Nakor said, ‘Maybe we killed those Quegans.’

Erik tried to stay on his feet by leaning against the wall, his knees shaking from his hangover, and said, ‘It would be just the sort of black joke the gods make that after all we have been through, we end up back here waiting for the gallows again.’

Roo felt vaguely guilty, as he always did when he had drunk too much the night before. He was a slight man, so trying to keep up drink for drink with men the size of Jadow and Erik was foolish, even though Erik didn’t have much of a head for drink. ‘If I killed someone, you’d think I’d remember,’ Roo observed.

‘Well, what are we doing back here in the death cell, man?’ asked Jadow from where he sat in the corner, obviously disturbed at their circumstances. ‘I didn’t sail around the world and back again so Bobby de Loungville could finally hang me.’

As they were attempting to gather their wits, the door to the hall was yanked open, clanging into the wall-hard enough to make every man visibly wince. De Loungville walked into view and shouted, ‘On your feet, you swine!’

Without thought, everyone except Nakor leaped to his feet, and each man groaned an instant later. Jadow Shati turned his head and vomited into the chamber pot, then spat. The others stood on unsteady feet, Erik having to grip the bars of the cell to keep himself upright.

With a grin, de Loungville said, ‘What a lovely bunch you are.’

Nakor asked. ‘What are we doing back here, Sergeant?’

De Loungville moved to the cell door and pulled it open, showing it hadn’t been locked, and said, ‘We couldn’t think of anywhere else to put you conveniently. Did you know it took the better part of a full watch of the city guard and a squad of the palace guards to arrest you?’ He beamed like a proud father. ‘Quite a brawl. And you had the good sense not to kill anyone, though you did damage quite a few.’

With a wave, de Loungville indicated they should follow him. ‘Prince Patrick and his uncles felt it was better to keep you lot close by for the rest of the night,’ he said as he led them from the cell.

Roo glanced around and remembered the last time he had seen these passages, as he was being led to the mock hanging that had set his feet upon a path he never could have imagined before leaving his birthplace. The first journey he had made along here was almost lost on him, so far had his mind retreated into terror then. Now he could barely focus because of the abuses of the night before.

He and Erik had fled their lifelong home in Ravensburg after killing Erik’s half brother, Stefan, then Baron of Dark-moor. Had they stayed and faced trial, they might have convinced a judge it was self-defense, but their flight counted heavily against them and they had been sentenced to die.

They reached the steps that led up toward the yard where the gallows stood, but this time they passed them by. De Loungville, the man who had held their lives in his hand from the moment they had fallen to the hard wooden floor of the gallows until they had departed ship the day before, said, ‘You’re a scruffy bunch, so I think we should clean you up a bit before your audience.’

‘Audience?’ asked Erik, still showing signs of damage from the night before. One of the strongest men Roo had ever known – uncontestedly the strongest boy in Ravens-burg – Erik had pitched a guardsman through a window just before another broke a wine jar over his head. Roo couldn’t tell if he had taken more damage from the blow or from the large amounts of wine he had been drinking before the fight started; Erik had never been much of a drinker.

‘Some important men would like a word with you. It wouldn’t do to have you in court looking as you do. Now,’ he said, pushing open a door, ‘strip off!’

Hot tubs of soapy water waited and the men did as they were bidden. Two years of following de Loungville’s orders without question had formed a habit too hard to break, and soon the five men were sitting in tubs, letting palace pages sponge them down.

Pitchers of cold water were provided and the men all drank their fill. Between the very hot bath and the large amounts of cold water he drank, Roo began to feel again that life might be worth living.

When clean, they discovered their clothing had been removed. De Loungville pointed to two black tunics with a familiar mark upon the breast. Erik picked one up and said, ‘The Crimson Eagle.’

De Loungville said, ‘Nicholas thought it fitting and Calis didn’t object. It’s the banner of our new army, Erik. You and Jadow are my first two corporals, so put those on.’ To the others he said, ‘There’s some clean clothing over there.’

Nakor and Sho Pi both looked odd in the clean tunic and trousers instead of the usual robes they affected, but Roo found his own appearance improved dramatically. The tunic might be a little large for his diminutive frame, but it was certainly the finest weave he had ever worn, and the trousers fit perfectly. He was still barefoot, but months at sea had toughened his feet to the point he didn’t think twice about it.

Erik retained his worn boots, but Jadow, like the others, went barefoot.

After they dressed, the men followed de Loungville into a familiar hall; here the men of Calis’s desperate company had stood trial before the Prince of Krondor – at the time, Nicholas. The hall hadn’t changed much, Roo thought, but he realized that his mind had been so numb from terror the last time he had been there he had barely noticed his surroundings.

Ancient banners hung from every ceiling beam, casting the hall into shadow as they cut the light from windows high in the vaulted ceiling. Torches burned in sconces along the wall to provide illumination, for despite the large windows in the far wall, the hall was immense enough the light did not reach far enough. Roo considered he would have the banners removed, were he the Prince.

Along the walls stood courtiers and pages ready to do the royal bidding at a moment’s notice, and a formally attired Master of Ceremony struck the floor with an iron-shod staff of office, announcing Robert de Loungville, Baron of the Court and Special Agent of the Prince. Roo shook his head slightly in amusement, for de Loungville was the company’s sergeant, and to think of him as a court baron was too alien a task.

Members of the court watched as the squad came to stand before the throne. Roo calculated as best he could the worth of the gold used to decorate the candle holders along the near wall, and decided the Prince could better use his wealth by replacing them with brass – highly decorative, but far less costly, freeing up wealth to invest in the proper enterprise. Then he wondered if he might be allowed to speak to the Prince on just such a subject.

Thinking of the Prince returned Roo’s attention to the man who had once pronounced the death sentence upon him. Nicholas, now his nephew’s Admiral of the Western Fleet, stood to one side of the throne beside his successor, Prince Patrick. To the other side stood Calis and the man Roo knew to be James, Duke of Krondor, speaking to the man they had seen on the docks, Patrick’s uncle Prince Erland. And sitting upon the throne was his twin. Roo suddenly flushed when he realized they were being presented to the King!

‘Your Majesty, Highnesses,’ said de Loungville with a courtly bow, ‘I have the honor to present five men who acquitted themselves with bravery and honor.’

‘Only five survived?’ asked King Borric. He and his brother were both large men, but there was an edge to the King, a toughness beyond his brother’s own powerful appearance. Roo couldn’t rightly judge the why of such things, but he instinctively considered the King a more dangerous opponent than Prince Erland.

‘There are others,’ said de Loungville. ‘Some will be presented this afternoon at court – soldiers from your various garrisons. But these are the only ones to survive from among the condemned.’

Nakor said, ‘That we know of.’

De Loungville turned with a look of irritation on his face at the breach of protocol, but Borric only grinned. ‘Nakor, is that you in that getup?’

Returning the King’s smile, Nakor moved forward. ‘It’s me, Majesty. I went, too, and came back. Greylock is with the other ship, and any others who survived and made their way to the City of the Serpent River will be with him.’

De Loungville bit back anything he was going to say to Nakor. It was obvious that he and the King knew each other. Nakor nodded toward Erland, who also smiled at the sight of the little Isalani.

To the four prisoners the King said, ‘You are all pardoned, your crimes and your sentences are vacated.’ Glancing at Erik and Jadow, he said, ‘We see you’ve taken service.’

Erik merely nodded, while Jadow stammered, ‘Ye-yes, Majesty.’

Looking at Sho Pi and Roo, the King said, ‘You have not.’

Sho Pi bowed his head. ‘I will follow my master, Majesty.’

Nakor said, ‘Stop calling me master!’ He turned toward the King. ‘The boy thinks me some sort of sage and insists upon traipsing around after me.’

Prince Erland said, ‘I wonder why. It wouldn’t be because he saw you pulling your “mystic sage” scam, would it, Nakor?’

‘Or is it the “wandering priest” dodge?’ asked the King.

Nakor grinned as he rubbed his chin. ‘Actually, I haven’t tried those in a while.’ Then his expression darkened. ‘And I never should have told you two about them when we rode back from Kesh.’

The King said, ‘Well, take him along with you, then. You could probably do with an extra set of hands on the road.’

Nakor said, ‘On the road? I’m returning to Sorcerer’s Isle.’

The King said, ‘Not for a while. We need you to go to Stardock on the Crown’s behalf, to speak with the leaders of the Academy.’

Nakor’s expression darkened. ‘You know I’m quits with Stardock, Borric, and you have a good idea why, I have no doubt.’

If the King objected to being addressed so informally, he didn’t show it as he said, ‘We know, but you also have seen firsthand what we’re up against, and you’ve been to Novindus twice. We need you to persuade the magicians at Stardock what stands against us. We will need their help.’

‘Find Pug. They’ll listen to him,’ said Nakor.

‘If we could find him, we would,’ said the King. He leaned back in the deep well of the throne and sighed. ‘He’s been leaving messages here and there, but we’ve not managed to get him to come speak with us in person.’

‘Try harder,’ answered Nakor.

Borric smiled. ‘You, friend, are the best we’ve got. So, unless you want us to let every gambling hall in the Kingdom get word about how you can handle cards and dice, you’ll do this one little favor for an old friend.’

Nakor made a disgusted expression and waved his hand as if dismissing the King’s remark. ‘Bah! I liked you better when you were just the Madman.’ He held his sour look for a moment while Borric and Erland exchanged amused glances.

Turning his attention to Roo, the King said, ‘And what of you, Rupert Avery? Can we not enlist your aid as well?’

The King’s direct address caused Roo to forget momentarily how to speak; then he swallowed hard and said, ‘Sorry, Majesty. I promised myself if I lived long enough, I’d come back and get rich. That’s what I propose to do. I’m going to be a man of commerce, and I can’t do that in the army.’

The King nodded. ‘Commerce? We suppose it’s a better trade than many you could choose.’ He avoided any further remarks about Roo’s past. ‘Still, you’ve seen what few men outside our service have seen. We count upon your discretion, and if our meaning isn’t clear, we expect your discretion.’

Roo smiled. ‘I understand, Majesty. And I will promise this much when the time comes, I’ll help in whatever way I can. If those snakes come here, I’ll fight.’ Then with a twinkle and a smile he added, ‘Besides, the day may come when I can be of more use to you than just another sword.’

‘Perhaps, Rupert Avery,’ said King Borric. ‘You certainly do not lack for ambition.’ He waved over Lord James and said, ‘If it doesn’t compromise our dignity, see if we can be of a little help in getting Mr Avery’s career under way. Perhaps a letter of introduction or some such.’ He then waved over a squire who carried five bags, which were distributed one to each of the men. ‘A thank-you from your King.’

Roo hefted the bag and knew inside there was gold and could even estimate the worth from the weight. He quickly calculated he was already a year ahead of schedule in his plan to become wealthy. Then he noticed the others were bowing and moving away, so he quickly made an awkward bow to the King and hurried after the others.

Outside the hall, de Loungville said, ‘Well then, now you’re free men again.’ To Jadow and Erik he said, ‘Stay out of trouble and be back here on the first day of next month.’ To Nakor and Sho Pi he said, ‘The King’s messages will be ready tomorrow. See Duke James’s secretary, and he’ll give you travel warrants and money.’

He turned to Roo and said, ‘You’re a rodent, Avery, but I’ve come to love that pinched-off little face of yours. If you change your mind, I can use another experienced soldier.’

Roo shook his head. ‘Thanks, Sergeant, but I’ve got to find a merchant with a homely daughter and start making my fortune.’

To the assembled men, de Loungville said, ‘If you must enjoy the pleasures of the flesh before returning home, go to the Sign of the White Wing, over near the Merchants’ Gate. It’s a brothel of high standard, so don’t track mud inside. Tell the lady who meets you that I sent you. She may never forgive me, but she owes me a favor. See you don’t cause a riot there, because I can’t bail you out two nights running.’ Looking from face to face, he said, ‘All things considered, you did well, lads.’

No one spoke until Erik said, ‘Thank you, Sergeant.’

To Jadow and Erik, de Loungville said, ‘Stop by the Knight-Marshal’s office on your way out and get your warrants. You’re the Prince’s men, and from this day forward you answer only to Patrick, Calis, and me.’

Erik said, ‘Where?’

‘Down this hall and turn right, second door on the left. Now get out of here,’ said de Loungville, ‘before I change my mind and have you arrested again for being such a bunch of ruffians.’ He sent Roo down the hall with a playful slap to the side of the head, then turned and set out on his own affairs.

The five men walked down the hall and Nakor said, ‘I’m hungry.’

‘You’re always hungry, man,’ said Jadow with a laugh. ‘My head is still reminding me that I was not wise last night. My stomach hasn’t forgiven me either.’ Then he paused, and added, ‘But I might do with a bite to eat, after all that.’

Erik laughed. ‘I’m hungry, too.’

‘Then let us find an inn –’ said Nakor.

‘A quiet inn,’ Roo interjected.

‘– a quiet inn,’ continued Nakor, ‘and eat.’

‘Then what, Master?’ asked Sho Pi.

Nakor grimaced, but said only, ‘Then we go to the Sign of the White Wing, boy.’ He shook his head. Pointing to Sho Pi, he said to the others, ‘This one has much to learn.’

The Sign of the White Wing was nothing like what Roo expected. Then he considered he really hadn’t known what to expect. He had trafficked with whores before, but that had been on the line of march, with camp followers who would tumble a man beside to his comrades and be off to the next as soon as he could count out her pay.

But this was a different world. The five slightly inebriated men had had to ask several times to find their way. After a few failed attempts, they finally discovered a modest building near the edge of the Merchants’ Quarter. The sign out front had been almost impossible to make out, being little more than a simple metal wing painted white, unlike the more boldly painted large ones marking more traditional trades.

The door had been opened by a servant who admitted the five without a word, indicating they should wait in a tiny anteroom, without furnishing of any sort, only decorated by some nondescript tapestries that hung on the two side walls. Opposite the entrance stood another door, of simple painted wood. When it opened, a well-dressed if somewhat matronly woman had stepped through.

‘Yes?’ she had asked.

The men glanced at one another, and it was Nakor who had at last answered. ‘We were told to come here.’

‘By whom?’ she then asked, looking somewhat unconvinced.

‘Robert de Loungville,’ said Erik softly, as if afraid to raise his voice.

Instantly the woman’s features had transformed themselves from dubious to joyful. ‘Bobby de Loungville! By the gods, if you’re friends of Bobby’s, you’re welcome here.’

She then clapped her hands once and the door she had slipped through opened wide, revealing a short entryway occupied by two large armed guards. As they stepped aside, Roo thought it clear they had been standing by to ensure the safety of the woman.

‘I’m Jamila, your hostess, and here,’ she said, reaching another door, which she pulled wide, ‘we enter the House of the White Wing.’

The five men gaped. Even Nakor, who had seen riches in the court of the Empress of Great Kesh, stood in stunned awe. The room wasn’t that opulent; far from it. In fact it was the lack of gaudy displays of wealth that made the setting so impressive. Everything about the room was subtle and tasteful, though Roo would have been hard put to say what made it seem so. Chairs and divans were placed around the room so that those inside would be within sight of one another, yet there was a clear sense of each area being apart from the others. This was made abundantly clear by the fact of a wealthy-looking man sprawling upon one divan, sipping wine from a goblet while two lovely young women attended him. One sat upon the floor, allowing him to caress her shoulders and neck, while the other hovered over him, offering him sweetmeats from a gilded tray.

As if by magic, girls appeared through several curtains. All were modestly dressed, like the two attending the man already in the room, wearing loose-fitting gowns of light material. That they were covered from neck to ankle did nothing to hide the curves of their bodies as they moved to greet their guests.

Each man found a pair of girls leading him toward one of the chairs or divans, allowing him to choose how he wished to relax, sitting or lying down. Before he knew it, Roo had been led to a divan and gently pushed down on it, had his feet raised and placed on the divan, had a goblet of wine handed to him; one of the girls began firmly kneading the muscles in his shoulders before he spoke.

The woman called Jamila said, ‘When you’re ready, the girls can show you to your rooms.’

Jadow, circling the waist of one of the young girls with one powerful arm, pulled her toward him, planted a loud kiss upon her cheek, and said, ‘Men and gods, I’ve died and gone to paradise!’

This brought a round of laughter, and Roo settled back, letting the light touch of the girl’s hands relax him in a way he’d not experienced in years.