Raymond E. Feist - The Chaoswar Saga - A Kingdom Besieged, A Crown Imperilled, Magician’s End

Given the belligerency of almost everyone currently sailing on the Bitter Sea, Jim expected Pug to have lookouts posted around the island. Then he realized that Pug probably had some magic device or spell that let him know when trouble was on its way.

Jim took a long breath and let it out. At this point he decided he would rather walk for a day than row, so he grabbed the oars and turned the boat towards shore.

He started rowing again.

Magnus watched as the boat came ashore. He used his distant sight to see who it was who had come across the Bitter Sea in a rowing boat designed to cross a harbour at most.

At first he wasn’t sure who the scruffy-looking sailor was, but when the boat rode in on a breaker and the man jumped out, Magnus smiled. Of course.

He willed himself to the beach and Jim nearly leapt from surprise. ‘Damn, I wish you wouldn’t do that! Couldn’t you appear a few yards away, yell “hello” and then walk up in a civilized manner?’

Magnus leaned on the staff he always carried and smiled, genuinely amused. ‘Hello,’ he said. ‘Tell me, how did you get to here in a rowing boat? Tell me you didn’t start in Vykor or Durbin.’

‘I didn’t. Got dropped off by a smuggler about half a day’s sail out, which is why I’ve been rowing for the entire day.’ He glanced around at the light. ‘At least I think so. It is close to sundown, right?’

Magnus pointed. ‘That’s west. That bright round yellow thing hanging above the horizon is the sun. Yes, it is close to sundown.’

Exhausted, Jim said, ‘Just take me to your father.’

Magnus reached out and put his hand on Jim’s shoulder, and abruptly they were in Pug’s presence.

Jim looked around, confused, as he had expected to be taken to the castle. He smiled at Pug as the magician turned to greet him. Pug still wore the black robe he had always worn since his time in the Assembly of Magicians on Kelewan, where he had learned his craft in Greater Path Magic.

‘Jim,’ he said extending his hand.

‘Pug,’ said Jim, looking around. ‘Rebuilding, I see.’

The villa was nearing completion. With the aid of talented magicians as well as skilled craftsmen, a year’s worth of work had been finished in a month. Pug said, ‘Making changes, but it’s much the same as before.’

Left unsaid were the people who would be missing.

Jim said, ‘I’m exhausted. Have you a cup of wine and somewhere we can speak?’

Magnus said, ‘I’ll get the wine, Father.’

Pug motioned for Jim to follow him and led him through the entrance to the main building. It was just as it used to be, a massive square with a huge garden in the middle. Currently the fountain was restored to its formal beauty, comprising three dolphins which would spew water in graceful arcs into the pool around them. It was currently empty, waiting for water. And the soil in the garden was bare, having recently been denuded of weeds.

Jim followed Pug to his office within his personal quarters. The room looked very different. Instead of the large sprawling desk Pug had used for years there was a small work table and a single chair. ‘I thought it time for some changes,’ said Pug. He motioned with his hand. ‘I’m leaving the walls as white plaster. It was Miranda’s idea to paint the quarters that light blue she loved so much.’ At the mention of his wife, Pug’s voice echoed a distant sadness.

The magician motioned for Jim to pull up a chair. ‘So, how is it you come to us in a boat, Jim? Magnus was alerted that someone approached, and went to investigate. I will confess I was surprised to see you. Why didn’t you use the orb I gave you?’

‘Broken,’ said Jim, deciding to leave the details until later.

‘Ah,’ said Pug. ‘Tell me what you can about the madness I see going on across the whole of the Bitter Sea.’

‘Across the whole of Triagia,’ said Jim. ‘Kesh has marched against the Kingdom, on all fronts, apparently.’

Magnus appeared with a pitcher of wine and three mugs on a tray. He poured one for Jim and his father, then one for himself.

‘I will confess I’ve been caught completely off guard,’ said Pug. ‘When we saw the Keshian fleet sailing to the south of us, we began our enquiries, contacting our agents. Without success.’

‘My agents south of the Girdle of Kesh have been eliminated.’

‘All of them?’ asked Magnus.

‘They’ve all dropped out of sight. Probably murdered.’ Jim sipped his wine. ‘In my craft, it’s best to assume the simplest explanation.’ Then he considered Amed Dabu Asam. ‘But I could be wrong. My most trusted agent in the Jal-Pur was turned and tried to kill me.’

‘Turned?’ asked Magnus. ‘You mean he was secretly working for Kesh?’

Jim shook his head. ‘No. That’s the maddening thing.’ He glanced from Magnus to Pug then took another drink. ‘My arms are going to fall off from all that rowing,’ he sighed. He put down the mug. ‘There’s another player in the game.’

‘Who?’ asked Pug.

‘I don’t know. I know it’s not Roldem’s agents, because I have a good relationship with them now, and there is no gain for Roldem and much to lose. Kesh’s intelligence leader is well known to me, and he was caught by surprise: key members of his staff were being murdered when I last saw him. And now you tell me your agents were kept ignorant of the coming war.’ Jim looked as if he was ready to weep in frustration. ‘Some of this is possible, but all of it?’

Magnus said, ‘There’s one possibility, one that even we didn’t think of.’

‘What?’ asked Pug.

‘Magic,’ said Magnus. ‘Whoever has balked all our information-gathering – neutralized it, compromised it, fed us lies – it could all be done with magic.’

Pug was silent for a while, then said, ‘My best contact for years in Kesh, Turgan Bey, Lord of the Keep and personal adviser to the Emperor, has retired. My next highest contact, Januk Hadri, Privy Counsellor to the Emperor, has been silent.’

‘I always thought it odd that Bey would “retire”,’ said Jim. ‘Some of those Truebloods love the life of leisure, but not Bey. Some other man might see a political sea change coming and retire to a villa on the shore of the Overn with a dozen beautiful women, or go hunting for lions or whatever else it is retired Keshian nobles do, but he loved the infighting of politics. I expected him to die on the job.’ Jim leaned forward. ‘He was your agent?’

‘I told you the Conclave had many friends.’

Jim sat back, his hands in his lap. ‘I thought I had a good conduit to Kesh’s court intrigue, but Turgan Bey?’

Magnus smiled.

Jim shook his head. ‘I’m impressed.’ Then he looked at Magnus and said, ‘It must be magic.’

‘A lot of it,’ said Magnus. ‘A spell of influence to get a noble to decide it was time to retire, for instance. It is much more subtle than any overt enchantment or spell of control. Just make a man slightly tired, slightly less interested in the day in and day out, and you might not even have to suggest it’s time to step down. He may even do it on his own.’

Pug said, ‘Yes, magic playing on your man in the Jal-Pur’s divided loyalties, or his greed, or …’

Jim closed his eyes. ‘Of course. Amed was of the desert tribes, and blamed the Truebloods for his father’s murder, which is why I could turn him against the Empire, but ... he was Keshian.’

‘A call to slumbering patriotism,’ said Magnus.

‘It’s still a lot of magic, Pug,’ said Jim. ‘And it would take years. Agents would have to be identified, influenced, plans made …’

‘But it could be done?’ asked Pug.

Jim was silent for a while, thinking. After a few moments he said, ‘Yes. If they can identify that first agent, if he or she is highly enough placed.’ He sat tapping his cheek with his finger. ‘I use blinds – that is, agents who do not know who they are working for. But if you get to someone high enough they may be able to give you the identity of others, and if you can get to them …’ He outlined quickly how the three intelligence services of Isles, Kesh, and Roldem were structured and utilized, glossing over a lot of detail, but ending on the point that many agents knew who was working for the other agencies. He finished by saying, ‘So one of mine gives up one of Franciezka’s, and in turn her agent gives up one of Kaseem’s.’