John Carr - Kalvan Kingmaker

A politer refusal than Verkan had really expected. The real reason for keeping the Grefftscharrer mercenaries at home was one Theovacar could hardly be expected to discuss in public with a near-stranger known to be in the confidence of a foreign ruler. In Greffa mercenaries were mostly drawn from men not sworn to the service of one of the noble houses Theovacar was trying to subdue. They were the king's own best military asset, and it was not in his interest to let them leave home, perhaps never to return, certainly to be unavailable for years.

"I submit to Your Grace's judgment in this matter. Yet I must ask for the right to find some men to guard my trading ventures. Those going overland must fear the nomads' outriders as well as common bandits and barons made lawless by weak princes and kings, as those crossing the Salt-less Seas must fear pirates."

King Theovacar scribbled on a small piece of parchment and motioned for one of his Companions to take it to Verkan. "Here, you may hire a company of caravan guards. That should be sufficient. And, if what we hear is true, there are more than pirates to be feared on the Saltless Seas. It is said that Prince Varrack of Thagnor is gathering a war fleet."

Verkan had heard the same; he saw another opportunity to draw King Theovacar into talking freely. He nodded. "It is common rumor in all ports on the Saltless Seas. As to whether it is true or not, I can say very little, for I have seen very little with my own eyes. I would not care to think I was doing Your Grace a disservice by repeating tavern rumors as knowledge."

"You would not be doing me a service, indeed. But it has reached my ears that your ship did put in at Thagnor for one night."

Verkan made a mental note to find out if there was any way to learn who'd talked freely to whom, then nodded. "We put in to take on fresh water, because some of our barrels were leaking, and also to have one of our men tended to by the priests of Lystris at the sailor's hostel in Thagnor City. We were there only during the hours of darkness and anchored out in the river as well, so although we sought the truth of those rumors, we did not find it. Certainly there seemed to be more than the usual number of ships in port, but most of them were at the Salt Wharf.

"We have heard that all three Great Kings with ports on the Saltless Seas are preparing salt provisions in great quantity, so it may well be that Prince Varrack is sending a second Salt Fleet in the spring, with chartered ships."

"Perhaps," King Theovacar said. "Certainly I will say nothing against Varrack's desire to win gold from other's wars. Yet, I have heard also that Varrack is taking gold from a Prince who has a quarrel with his overlord Great King Demistophon of Hos-Agrys. Whether that gold is buying Prince Varrack's fleet or merely buying his good will, I have not heard, but certainly it is best that we in Grefftscharr know."

Verkan had heard no such rumor, but admitted to himself that he might not have heard everything, with reliable informants thin on the ground. He had heard that Prince Varrack lusted after a throne for himself and only saw himself nominally, at best, a vassal of King Theovacar.

The Prince in discussion, who was supplying Varrack with gold, was undoubtedly Prince Clytoblon of Glarth, whose pro-Kalvan sentiments were known by just about everyone, including his distant overlord Great King Demistophon.

"The tavern gossips would say this Prince is Prince Clytoblon, but I have no proof that there is truth in this idle gossip. Nor does it tell me much about this Prince, to say that he has a quarrel with Demistophon the Wrathful. If there is a Great King or Prince in the north who has not had quarrel with Demistophon since he came to the throne, it is because that man lacks the wit or courage to recognize offense when it is given. One has heard tales of what Demistophon called you on your accession, and how moderate you were to content yourself with fining all the Agrysi merchants in Grefftscharr."

Theovacar smiled back, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. Verkan knew he'd have to give the King better. In any case, Theovacar was really asking the reasonable question: Was Kalvan trying to raise Thagnor in rebellion against his overlord? The Princes of Thagnor normally lived well enough off the profits of their salt mines and shipyards, not to mention whatever they kept back of the tolls charged for passage along the Thag River. Their distant Greffa king ruled them with a light hand, and everyone who sailed the Saltless Seas or needed salt for preserving food was the better for it.

Three times in the last two centuries, however, a Prince of Thagnor had rebelled against Greffa, setting up an independent Kingdom. Three times the Princedom, or Kingdom, had become a nest of pirates, outlaws and rebels, making travel on the Saltless Seas perilous. Once, the pirate Kingdom collapsed after the Prince was murdered in a drunken brawl, but twice it had taken armies and fleets to restore peace. Theovacar had every right to know if Kalvan was willing to risk this happening a fourth time to strike back at King Demistophon for his treachery. The fact that he was also asking the question as a test of Verkan's willingness to betray Kalvan for a price made little difference.

"I am not so much in the confidence of Great King Kalvan that he tells me all his plans, even if I were often enough in Hostigos for him to have the chance to do so," Verkan began. "I do know that Kalvan values his trade with Greffa, and that a war in Thagnor would disrupt that trade and be a setback for his plans to buy victuals and guns from Greffa for his war against Styphon's House." He continued with a long recital of Kalvan's love for peace, while only taking up arms in self-defense and for the honor of the true gods, using phrases cribbed from diplomatic speeches and notes in half a dozen different time-lines.

King Theovacar appeared amused without being impressed. He obviously wanted hard data. Verkan emptied another cup of wine and continued. "Great King Kalvan does wish to have ships and men to balance Styphon's Great Fleet. He may well be hiring both from Varrack and paying a good price for them in Styphon's gold. If Prince Varrack uses that gold to turn pirate, however, Kalvan will be the first to turn against him. The Great King is no friend to pirates; he is no enemy to Greffa or Hos-Zygros or the Sastragath, and he is not even a willing enemy of Great King Demistophon."

"I have heard nothing to suggest you are telling other than the truth," Theovacar said. "Therefore I bid you farewell and will pray for your prosperous voyaging and continued friendship between King Kalvan of Hos-Hostigos and myself."

It was an elegant, even warm dismissal that boded well for future Greffa-Hos-Hostigos relations, but Verkan was glad that etiquette required him to back out of the chamber and not turn his back on either King Theovacar or the armed Companions around him.

Duke Skranga was still in his riding cloak when he entered Kalvan's private audience chamber. He noted with satisfaction that Kalvan had already taken the clay stopper out of a small cask of Ermut's Brandy and was well on his way to emptying his own goblet.

"Ahhh, thank you, Your Majesty," he said, after taking the proffered goblet. Underneath the cloak, his clothes were soaked to the bone and only long periods of discomfort in the past made it easy to disregard them.

"Duke," Kalvan opened, "I must say I've been pleased with your reports. You've given good value for the gold we've spent."

Skranga smiled, he couldn't help himself. This praise from Kalvan was more warming than Ermut's Best! "Thank you, Your Majesty. If I could have stayed two more moons I'd of had the Thaphigos Succession lines tied in so many knots it would have taken Lyklos the Trickster to straighten them out!"