Raymond Feist - King of Foxes

‘Really? Say on.’

‘Stake out a sheep or deer on a high plateau in plain sight. Have archers nearby and when it lands, keep shooting until it’s dead.’

‘Sounds like little sport,’ observed the Lady Natalia.

‘None, really,’ agreed Tal. ‘Most of the time, the objective is to kill a marauding predator, protecting nearby herds, not sport.’

‘What’s the other way?’ asked the Duke.

‘Find its lair. Wyverns like shallow caves or deep overhangs in the rocks. According to my grandfather –’ Tal halted himself. For the first time in ages he found himself on the verge of slipping out of character. He forced Talon of the Silver Hawk down in his mind and continued,’– who heard this from a Hatadi hillman up in the mountains of Yabon – wyverns don’t like to go deep underground the way dragons do.’

Baron Mikhael asked, ‘So you find its lair, then what?’

‘Flush it out. Lay nets over the mouth of the cave if you can, some heavy ropes, anything to slow it when it comes out. Then toss in some flaming brands and have long spears, ten-, twelve-foot stakes, ready. Impale it as it comes out and then wait for it to die.’

‘Has any man taken one with a bow?’ asked the Duke.

Tal laughed. ‘Only if he has a couple of dozen other bowmen along.’

‘No vital spot? No quick kill?’ asked Duke Kaspar.

‘None that I’ve ever heard of,’ said Tal. Realizing he was beginning to sound like an expert, he quickly added, ‘But that doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist, Your Grace. It’s just my grandfather was trying to impress on me how dangerous they were.’

‘I think he succeeded admirably,’ said Mikhael.

Talk continued on the topic of hunting as they rode through the city. In less than an hour, they were out of the city proper and into rolling foothills dotted with small estates and farms.

‘After noon,’ announced the Duke, ‘we’ll reach the edges of the Royal Hunting Preserve. The King has graciously permitted us to hunt there.’

That answered Tal’s question as to how large game could be situated this close to the city.

‘Your Grace,’ asked Baron Eugivney, ‘doesn’t the preserve extend for several hundred miles?’

‘We’re not going to hunt all of it,’ said Kaspar with a laugh. ‘Just the interesting bits.’

Their course followed the highway upward. It was the major trading route to the northern provinces, but when it turned westerly, they took a smaller road to the northeast. At midday they paused to take a meal and rest the horses. Tal was impressed at how quickly the servants erected a small pavilion, complete with clever folding chairs made of canvas and wood, so that the Duke and his guests could relax in comfort. They paused to dine in a large rolling meadow, with a few dairy cows grazing at the other end.

Talk turned to the gossip of the court, for the Duke had been away from Roldem almost as long as Tal, Natalia even longer. Both barons made it clear they saw a potentially beneficial match in the Duke’s younger sister, and kept their attentions focused on her. Not only was she clever and beautiful, she was also a stepping stone to power. Olasko might be a small duchy compared to the vast expanses found in the Isles or Kesh, but it was a very influential one, second in the region only to Roldem.

After the meal, Duke Kaspar said, ‘Walk with me a bit, young Hawkins.’

Tal nodded and rose from his seat while the Duke waved the two barons to keep theirs. ‘Sit, gentlemen. Keep my sister amused, if you will.’

When they were a few yards away from the pavilion, the Duke said, ‘So, young Hawkins, have you given any thought to the offer of employment I made to you after the Tournament of Champions?’

‘In truth, Your Grace, I have. I am very flattered, honoured even, but the fact of the matter is I prefer to be my own man.’

‘Interesting,’ said the Duke as they reached a stand of trees. ‘Excuse me a moment, while I relieve myself.’

The Duke unceremoniously undid the fastening on his breeches and stood with his back to the Squire. After he finished, he said, ‘Now, that is what I admire about you, Squire.’

‘What, Your Grace?’

‘Your independence.’

‘Sir?’

‘Look at those two,’ he said, pointing over to where the barons were talking with Natalia. ‘They hover over my sister as if she were a prize in a festival tournament. They wish to ingratiate themselves with me through my sister. I am surrounded by sycophants and those seeking favour and it is a rare day when I encounter someone who wishes nothing from me. Those are the men I value the most, because I know with certainty that should they serve me, they will do so to their last breath.’ Lowering his voice as they walked back towards the pavilion, he added, ‘Those and others like them may find better terms from other masters attractive at the most inopportune times.’

Tal laughed. ‘So I have heard. I must admit, while I have distant kin in the court in Krondor, my own experience with royal politics is limited. In fact, last night was only my second visit to the palace.’

‘You should come to Opardum. While not as grand an edifice as Roldem’s palace, my own citadel above the city is rife with enough politics to last a lifetime. Besides, it would do my sister some good to spend time with a young man who wasn’t trying to convince her of his undying devotion so as to gain a position in my service.’

Then they walked back to rejoin the others. As they approached the pavilion, the Duke raised his voice. ‘Let us again to the chase!’

The servants quickly bound up the pavilion and tied it to the packhorses, while others put the dishes and food in baskets. Within ten minutes they were mounted again and riding northeast, into deeper forests.

Tal signalled. He pointed up the trail. The Duke nodded. It was nearing sundown, with perhaps another hour and a half of usable light, and they were following a game trail.

Tal had been surprised to discover the entire royal game preserve was as its name suggested, preserved wilderness. No logging had been conducted in this area for generations, though there were heroic stands of old-growth trees that would yield timbers for ships and houses should they be harvested. As a hunter, he appreciated that the kings of Roldem had been willing to make shipbuilders forest many miles farther away and haul lumber down the mountains in order to keep this region pristine. He silently acknowledged the practice was most likely begun in ancient times to ensure that the royal family had game to eat in times of famine, but whatever the original motivation, it had left a stunning wilderness within a day’s ride from the largest city on the island kingdom.

They had reached their campsite two hours earlier and a large pavilion had been established, with several smaller tents for the guests. The Duke had insisted on starting the hunt at once, rather than waiting for morning. Tal had agreed that game often was plentiful near sunset when both predators and prey sought water. From the lie of the hills Tal judged as many as half a dozen good-sized streams were likely to be in the area. Certainly there were game signs everywhere. He had already seen the tracks from a heart of forest boars, a sow and her young. Half an hour earlier he had spotted cat prints, most likely a leopard or catamount from the size of the prints, rather than the much larger, black-maned cave lions.

Of their intended prey, the wyvern, there was no evidence. As far as Tal was concerned, if they never saw a hint of the creature, so much the better. There were other ways to die he found preferable to being devoured while trying to demonstrate his hunting prowess to a bunch of idle nobles.

Duke Kaspar led the hunt, with Tal on his right flank. Between them was the Lady Natalia, who held a small bow as if she knew exactly how to use it. The two barons were on the left. A full company of guards, servants and trailbreakers were waiting back at camp. A half-dozen mounted crossbowmen were ready to answer any call for help, though Tal’s experience told him that with a wild beast, the matter would usually be resolved before help could arrive. He just hoped there would be no trouble. Lingering closer were two servants holding a variety of weapons, including a heavy crossbow and a pair of boar-spears.