Read Online The Death of Nnanji by Dave Duncan - Free Book Online Page B

with political matters, like things concerning kings or councils of elders or whoever else ran each city.”
    Nnanji himself was only interested in reforming swordsmen. The need to clean up civic governments as well just annoyed him. It had taken a couple of years and a few nasty accidents before he had been convinced of the necessity.
    “He praised you highly in his dispatches.”
    “Oh. Thank you, my lord.”
    “He never told you to your face how much he valued your work?”
    “Well, yes, he did… But it’s nice to hear it confirmed!”
    “Nnanji’s good at giving praise where it’s due, and if you’re no good he’ll tell you that, too.”
    “I’ve heard that happening!” Endrasti smiled to indicate that the thunderbolts had never been directed at him. He had done extraordinarily well to move up from Third to Fifth in less than two years. He would have had to learn well over six hundred more sutras and raise his fencing to a much higher level. A stickler for regulations, Nnanji would always make sure that his personal favorites received no special treatment.
    “So what’s all this about rebellion and ambushes? I just need the bare bones now, but the council will want the whole carcass, bones and offal and all. No verbal indelicacies that may escape your lips on this occasion will be held against you, I swear. If Nnanji screwed up, say so.”
    “Oh, it wasn’t his fault, my lord. It happened about half a year ago. We were in the Ulk sector, and the sorcerers of Ulk have never been very cooperative, although they had caused us no trouble. We were working our way upstream toward a very large city named Plo.”
    “Heard of it.” Jja had been born there, and its name had cropped up again later. Wallie had mentioned it to Katanji only a few hours ago.
    “We’d heard that Plo was in a different coven’s sector, so we knew we might have some trouble. The reeve of a city called Fo swore to the Tryst willingly enough, and ordered his subordinates to do so as well. The elders seemed quite enlightened, so we prepared to move on up to Nolar, the next big town. Then we were told of a land crossing at a loading port called Cross Zek, which was closer. The trail led southward and there were big mountains visible that way. RegiKra, they’re called.”
    That was what Wallie had been trying to remember: a sorcerer city called Kra lying south of Plo. Nnanji would have known that right away. It was rare for two towns or cities to face each other directly across the River, so “Cross Zek” simply meant a minor location opposite Zek.
    Endrasti hesitated, moving in rhythm with his horse, staring at the trail ahead.
    “So Nnanji had a choice to make,” Wallie prompted. “Either go on to Nolar and Plo, where he might need all his men and then some, or go exploring to see if there was access to another reach of the River to the south. Or split his forces and do both. What advice did you offer?” Advice that Nnanji had disregarded, likely.
    He received a smile of thanks for the help. “I wasn’t happy about the information, my lord, and said so. I hadn’t been able to confirm the southern loop story. Cross Zek wasn’t a place where people lived, just a dock for loading tin ore. The riverbanks were high and steep there, but a tributary flowed in, so the ships could tie up out of the main flow. There was certainly a trail heading inland, but it might just lead to the tin mines. Winter was coming on; this was southern hemisphere.”
    Wallie chuckled, a rumble of Shonsu thunder. “I have known my oath brother longer than you have, master. I’ll bet he couldn’t resist the chance to locate another loop.”
    “Yes, my lord. He considered sending Lord Mibullim inland to explore, but he wanted him to send him to Casr soon. So he decided to send Master Notukasmo, with a troop of twenty-five. But he was only to reconnoiter, and must be back at Cross Zek by Slaters’ Day. The liege himself would take the rest of us over to