Raymond Feist - Krondor - Tear of the Gods

Jazhara held out a single page. ‘To serve someone named “the Crawler.’’

James rolled his eyes heavenward, but stayed silent. The Crawler had been a thorn in the side of both the Prince and the Mockers for months now and James was no closer to establishing his identity than he had been the day he had first heard his name. Hoping for some clue, he asked, ‘What else does it say?’

Jazhara finished reading the document, then looked at the next. ‘This Crawler is someone of note, someone who rewarded Yusuf handsomely for his betrayal. There are references to payments already made of large amounts of gold and other considerations.’

She hurried through several other documents, then came to one that caused her to stop and go pale. ‘This cannot be …’ she whispered.

‘What?’ asked James.

‘It is a warrant for my death should I choose not to serve Yusuf. It bears my great-uncle’s signature and seal.’

She held it out with a shaking hand and James took it. He examined the paper closely then said, ‘It isn’t.’

‘Isn’t?’ she asked softly.

‘You said it cannot be and I’m saying you’re right. It isn’t real. It’s a forgery.’

‘How can you be certain?’ she asked. ‘I’ve seen my great-uncle’s script and seal many times and this appears to be from his hand and ring.’

James grinned. ‘It’s too flawless. I doubt that even your great-uncle could order the death of his favourite niece without some noticeable trembling in his hand. The letters are too perfect. I can’t read the words, but I can see the handwriting and it’s a clever forgery. Besides, even if the handwriting displayed that slight agitation I’d expect, there are two other reasons.’

‘Which are?’ she asked as the sound of approaching footsteps reached them.

‘Your great-uncle would never be stupid enough to sign his own name to a death warrant on any Keshian noble, especially one in his own family. More to the point, we’ve seen a fair number of documents bearing his seal in the palace over the years and there’s a tiny imperfection in his signet.’ James pointed. ‘Look here. Where the long point of the star touches the bottom of the seal there should be a fine crack, as if the ring has a tiny fracture. This seal doesn’t have it. The ring wasn’t his.’

‘Then why?’ asked Jazhara. As she spoke, a small company of the city watch appeared outside the door.

‘Because,’ said James, striding towards the door, ‘if the new court mage in Krondor dies and someone in the Imperial Court starts casting around for someone to blame, who better than the head of the Keshian Intelligence Corps? Someone in the Empress’s Palace might wish to see him removed and replaced with his own man.’

‘The Crawler?’ asked Jazhara.

James turned and nodded.

‘Then he is someone of importance,’ she said. ‘To threaten my great-uncle is to risk much. Only a man with his own power base within Kesh would dare this.’

At the door, a guard of the watch said, ‘One of these children came to us and we hurried here as quickly as we could, Squire. What can we do to help?’

James replied, ‘There are some bodies inside that need to be removed, but otherwise everything’s under control.’ He glanced at the children who hovered around them in a circle, as if ready to bolt should the alarm go up. ‘You’d better take charge of this lot before they scatter.’

‘Where shall we take them?’

James said, ‘To the Shield of Dala Orphanage the Princess helped found, over by the Sea Gate. Last I heard they had plenty of beds and hot food.’

Several children started to inch away, as if getting ready to flee. Jazhara crouched and reached out as if to gather the fearful children to her. She said, ‘They are not like the men who have hurt you. There you will truly find food and warm beds.’

Confronted otherwise with the prospect of a cold night with only stones to sleep upon and an empty belly, the children remained. The guard looked around. ‘Well, then, if you’re all right getting back to the palace without a guard, Squire, we’ll get this bunch moving. Come along, children,’ he said, trying not to sound too gruff.

The children left with two of the guards while the remaining pair peered into the building. ‘We’ll have these bodies gone by morning. What about the building?’ one of them asked.

James replied, ‘It’ll be looted five minutes after you leave, so I’m going to poke around a little more and take anything important to the prince. Once we’re gone, get rid of the bodies and let whoever wanders by take what he wants. If the previous owner has any heirs, I would welcome them coming to the palace to complain.’

The watchman saluted and James and Jazhara reentered the dyer’s shop. Jazhara thoroughly examined every paper in the chest and James inspected every likely spot that might harbour a secret hiding place. After an hour, James announced, ‘I don’t think there’s anything else.’

Jazhara had been carefully reading the papers found in Yusuf’s office. ‘There’s enough here to warrant a full investigation from my great-uncle’s end,’ she said. ‘This attempt to have my death placed at his feet in order to discredit him … it would have created a virtual civil war in the north of the Empire, for the desert tribes would know it to be a false accusation.’

‘But the Empress and her council in the City of Kesh might believe it.’

Jazhara nodded. ‘Whoever this Crawler is, he seeks to benefit from confrontation between our peoples, James. Who would gain from such chaos?’

James said, ‘It’s a long list. I’ll tell you sometime. Right now, we should get to the palace. You have barely enough time to take a short nap, change into clean clothing, eat, then be presented to Prince Arutha.’

Jazhara took a final long look around the room, as if searching for something or trying to impress details on her memory, then without comment she lifted her staff and moved purposefully towards the door.

James hesitated for a half-step, then overtook her. ‘You’ll send word to your great-uncle?’ he asked when he caught up with her.

‘Certainly. This Crawler may be Keshian and what occurs here in Krondor may be but a part of a larger scheme, but it’s clear that my great-uncle is at risk.’

James said, ‘Well, there’s the matter of the Prince.’

‘Oh.’ Jazhara stared at James. ‘Do you think he would begrudge my great-uncle a warning?’

James touched her shoulder lightly. ‘It’s not that. It’s only …’

‘Matters of politics,’ she finished.

‘Something like that,’ James said. They turned a corner. ‘It may be there’s no problem in communicating this discovery to your great-uncle, but Arutha may request you leave out certain facts, such as how you got the information.’

Jazhara smiled slightly. ‘As in not revealing we know Yusuf was ostensibly an agent working on behalf of Great Kesh?’

James grinned. ‘Something like that,’ he repeated.

As they continued to walk, she added after a while, ‘Perhaps we could simply say that while dealing with an illegal slavery ring, we discovered a plot to murder me and pin the blame upon my great-uncle, to the purpose of having him removed from his position as Governor of the Jal-Pur.’

‘My thinking exactly.’

Jazhara laughed. ‘Do not worry, my friend. Politics are second nature to Keshian nobles not born of the True Blood.’

James frowned. ‘I’ve heard that term once or twice before, but must confess I’m vague as to what it means.’

Jazhara turned a corner, putting them on a direct path back to the palace. ‘Then you must visit the City of Kesh and visit the Empress’s court. There are things I can tell you about Kesh that will not make sense until you have seen them with your own eyes. The True Blood Keshians, those whose ancestors first hunted lions on the grasslands around the Overn Deep, are such. Words would not do them justice.’