Read Online Shards of a Broken Crown by Raymond Feist - Free Book Online Page B

between the two
worlds to a trickle, but currently a stable period had endured almost
ten years, and the Empire wished to see nothing disrupt their
commerce with Midkemia.
    Pug said, “Well,
if you consider us to be Thuril, but with more swords, you might
consider the needs we face.”
    Kalari nodded.
Thuril had been the only nation to resist his empire on the
homeworld, and had forced the Empire to a guarded peace. “Well,
since the Servant of the Empire overturned so many of the Assembly’s
prerogatives, we’ve had to constantly relearn things. I think
endless babble around a table to no point, though, may be a difficult
process to master.”
    Nakor laughed.
“Actually, it’s really easy. That’s why diplomats
do it so much.”
    Kalari regarded
the strange fellow. Nakor had been given his seat at the negotiations
by Pug. Known as Milamber on the Tsurani homeworld, Pug was a figure
of legend, almost as awe-inspiring as the Lady Mara. That fact alone
had blunted some of the Tsurani Great One’s astonishment at
Nakor being included in these sessions. To all outward appearances,
the self-styled “High Priest” of some unknown order was
nothing more than a ragged vagabond, perhaps a confidence trickster
who played the fool. Yet there was something about the odd little man
that made Kalari cautious of judging him too quickly. Behind his
constant irreverent humor an intellect of great scope was at work,
and every fiber of Kalari’s being told him a man of great
magical ability also wore the guise of a common gambler recently
turned man of religion. He might claim powers that came from the
Gods, or merely “tricks” as he often commented, but
Kalari sensed this was a being of power second only to Pug’s at
the table.
    Kalari put aside
his nagging suspicions about Nakor. Whatever else, he did find the
man from the nation of Isalan in Great Kesh amusing and amiable.
“Well, then,” said the magician, “you’ll have
to brief me on how best to proceed with this pointless wrangling.”
    Nakor said,
“Find someone else. I think them just as tedious as you do.”
Nakor took a sip of ale. “Besides, the matter of how things end
up has already been decided.”
    “Really?”
said Pug. “Care to share with us your reasoning?”
    Nakor grinned,
as he always did when about to share the gift of his perceptions and
insights with the others. “It’s easy.” He pointed
around the room. “You could figure this out, too, if you
tried.” Miranda exchanged wry smiles with her husband. Nakor
continued, “The Kingdom was hurt, but not fatally. Kesh knows
this. They have spies. They know that while the King wants troops
back in the East, it’s not because there’s any real
trouble there. If Kesh makes trouble, the King orders the Prince to
keep the soldiers. And if Kesh waits until the Armies of the East
leave, that gives Patrick more time to dig in, get ready, and deal
with any Keshian adventures.”
    Nakor shook his
head. “No, Kesh knows that they lost what the Kingdom gave them
when they tried to press their advantage. They know the best they can
do is maybe some trade concession or another, but they’ll never
get back what they were granted for protecting the Kingdom’s
southern flank.” He glanced from face to face. “They’re
trying to figure out how to admit publicly they were stupid without
admitting they were stupid.”
    Kalari laughed.
Even the usually taciturn Kalied was forced to smile. Pug said, “So
it’s a matter of honor?”
    Nakor shrugged.
“More a matter of avoiding punishment back home. Generals Rufi
ibn Salamon and Behan Solan have much explaining to do to their
Emperor when they return to the City of Kesh. They’ve got to be
given a really good story to explain how they lost by getting greedy
what they had gained by the Emperor being generous. You know they had
no authority from Kesh to try to grab all of the vale, don’t
you?”
    Pug fixed Nakor
with a narrow gaze. “And how do you know