Rage of a Demon King. Raymond E. Feist
removing his ceremonial crown and mantle and handing them to waiting pages. Calis picked up an apple and bit into it while others moved around the table.
Erik motioned to Roo, who came over to him.
‘How did you find things at home?’ Erik asked.
Roo said, ‘The children are … amazing. They’ve grown so much in the months I was gone I scarcely recognize them.’ His face creased in a thoughtful expression. ‘My business endured my absence well enough, though not as well as I expected. Jacob Esterbrook had the better of me three times while I was gone. One transaction cost me a small fortune.’
‘I thought you and he were friends,’ said Erik, taking a bite of bread and cheese.
‘In a manner of speaking,’ said Roo. He had thought better of mentioning his relationship to Sylvia Esterbrook, Jacob’s daughter, given that Erik tended to have a narrow view of family and vows of faithfulness. ‘“Friendly competitors” would be a more accurate description. He has a stranglehold on trade to Kesh and seems reluctant to relinquish even a small part of it.’
Calis came up to them and said, ‘Roo, will you excuse us a moment?’
Rupert nodded, said, ‘Of course, Captain,’ and walked over to the table to take advantage of the fare.
Calis waited until they were out of earshot before he asked, ‘Erik, has Marshal William had a chance to talk to you today?’
Erik shook his head. ‘No, Captain. I was busy getting back into the rhythm of things with Jadow … now that Bobby’s no longer here …’ He shrugged.
‘I understand.’ Calis turned and motioned for the Knight-Marshal, who joined them. Calis looked at Erik. ‘You’ve got a choice.’
William, a short, slender man whom Erik knew to be one of the best riders and swordsmen in the Kingdom despite his advancing age, said, ‘Calis and I have talked about you, youngster. With things … as they are, we have more opportunities than we have men with talent.’
Erik knew what William had meant by ‘things as they are,’ for he knew that a terrible army was massing across the sea and would be invading in less than two years’ time. ‘Choice?’
‘I’d like to offer you a staff position,’ said William. ‘You’d hold the rank of Knight-Lieutenant in the Prince’s army, and I’d put you in charge of the Krondorian Heavy Lance. Your skill with horses – well, I can’t think of a better man for the job.’
Erik glanced at Calis. ‘Sir?’
‘I’d like you to stay with the Crimson Eagles,’ said Calis in a flat tone.
‘Then I’ll stay,’ said Erik without hesitation. ‘I made a promise.’
William smiled ruefully. ‘I thought as much, but I had to ask.’
‘Thank you for asking, m’lord,’ said Erik. ‘I’m flattered.’
William grinned at Calis. ‘You must use magic. He’s halfway to being the best tactician I’ve ever met – and if he keeps studying he will be the best – and you want to waste him as a bully sergeant.’
Calis smiled slightly, an expression of wry amusement Erik had come to know well. The half-elven Captain said, ‘We have more need of bully sergeants to train soldiers right now than we do tacticians, Willy. Besides, my bully sergeants are not the same as yours.’
William shrugged. ‘You’re right, of course, but when they come, each of us is going to want the best we can find at our side.’
‘I can’t argue that.’
William left and Calis said, ‘Erik, thank you.’
Erik repeated, ‘I made a promise.’
‘To Bobby?’ asked Calis.
Erik nodded.
Calis’s expression darkened. ‘Well, knowing Bobby, I’d best tell you now, I need a sergeant major, not a nursemaid. You kept me alive once, Erik von Darkmoor, so consider your promise to Bobby de Loungville discharged in full. If it comes to a choice between my life and the survival of the Kingdom, I want you to make the right choice.’
It took Erik a moment to comprehend what had just been said. ‘Sergeant major?’
‘You’re taking Bobby’s place,’ said Calis.
‘But Jadow has been with you longer –’ Erik began.
‘But you have the knack,’ interrupted Calis. ‘Jadow doesn’t. He’ll do fine as a sergeant – you saw how the new men are shaping up – but promoting him any higher would put him in a situation where he would be a liability instead of an asset.’ He studied Erik’s face a moment. ‘William wasn’t overstating the case about your abilities as a tactician. We’ll need to work on your comprehension of strategy as well. You know what’s coming and you know that once the struggle begins, you may find yourself out there with hundreds of men looking to you to keep them alive. An ancient Isalani general called it the “fog of battle,” and men who can keep other men alive while chaos erupts around them are rare.’
Erik could only nod. He and the others around him who had traveled with Calis had seen the army of the Emerald Queen, had been a part of it for a time, and he knew that when that host of hired killers arrived on the shores of the Kingdom, chaos would ensue. In the midst of that chaos, only well-trained, disciplined, hard men might survive. And it would be upon those men that the fate of the Kingdom – and the rest of the world of Midkemia – would rest, not on the Kingdom’s traditional armies.
‘Very well, Captain. I accept,’ said Erik.
Calis smiled and put his hand upon Erik’s shoulder. ‘You didn’t have a choice, Sergeant Major. Now you need to promote some men; we need one more sergeant for the balance of this year, and a half-dozen corporals besides.’
‘Alfred of Darkmoor,’ said Erik. ‘He was a corporal and a bully until I got through with him. He’s ready to take on the responsibility, and at heart he’s still a brawler and we’ll need that when the time comes.’
‘You have that right,’ said Calis. ‘Every man a brawler, for that matter.’
Erik said, ‘I suppose we have enough potential corporals around. I’ll make up a list this evening.’
Calis nodded. ‘I must talk to Patrick before this turns into a full-blown reception. Excuse me.’
Roo returned when he saw Calis leave, and asked, ‘Well, did you get promoted or did Jadow?’
‘I did,’ answered Erik.
‘My condolences,’ said Roo. Then he grinned and struck his friend on the arm. ‘Sergeant Major.’
‘What about you?’ asked Erik. ‘You were telling me how things are at home.’
Roo smiled weakly and shrugged. ‘Karli is still upset I took off to go after you on such short notice, and she was right: the children don’t recognize me, though Abigail does call me daddy, and little Helmut just gives shy grins and gurgles.’ He sighed. ‘I got a warmer welcome from Helen Jacoby, truth to tell.’
‘Well, from what you told me, she is in your debt. You could have turned her and her children out on the streets.’
Roo chewed on a piece of fruit a moment. ‘Not really. Her husband had no part in the plot to kill my father-in-law.’ He shrugged. ‘I’ve got a few loose ends to tie up; Jason, Duncan, and Luis have been careful in seeing to my company while I was gone, and my partners in the Bitter Sea Company haven’t robbed me too outrageously.’ He grinned. ‘At least, I haven’t found any proof yet.’ His expression turned serious again. ‘And I also know that this army you’re about to become a significant part of will need provisions, weapons, and armor. Those don’t come cheaply.’
Erik nodded. ‘I have some small idea