and the color which responded to it was dull black. Kador was not
the Grolim. That startled me more than a little, and it troubled me
even more. If I started probing every mind in that room, the Grolim,
whoever he was, would eventually sense that someone was looking
for him.
Then a rather ordinary-looking Tolnedran – a servant, judging by
his clothing – came forward and murmured something to Kador.
‘Ah,’ Kador said. ‘Thank you.’ Then he turned back to the duke
but not before a momentary flicker of hard, glossy black ever so
briefly touched my awareness. I’d found my Grolim, but I couldn’t
quite fathom out exactly why he’d chosen to remain in the
background. From what father and my uncles had told me about the
Angaraks, it was decidedly uncrolimish for a priest of the
DragonGod to assume the guise of a servant.
‘My Lord,’ Kador was saying to Corrolin, ‘all is proceeding
according to our plan. the remainder of the legions will be in place before
the week is out. If I might be so bold as to suggest it, might this
not be a good time for your knights to begin their journey toward
the Ulgo frontier? The general in command of the legions will order
his troops north as soon as his force is fully assembled. Your
mounted men will move more rapidly, of course, but they have
much farther to travel, and the terrain in the foothills of the Ulgo
Mountains will make for slow going. Timing will be all-important
when we move against Wacune.’
,It may well be as thou sayest, worthy Kador,’ Corrolin admitted.
,I shall dispatch an advance party to the east on the morrow. When
the legions of His Imperial Majesty do inte~ect themselves into
northern Arendia, my knights will be in place.’
In that single phrase ‘the legions of His Imperial Majesty’ Kador
had summed up the core of my problem. Bribing an individual
Tolnedran posed no particular difficulty, but bribing forty legion
commanders? That might be a bit more challenging.
Then a rather horrid suspicion began to intrude itself upon me,
and I did something I haven’t done very often. Baron Mandorin,
resplendent in his armor, sat at the long table with the other
members of the Privy Council, and I sent my thought – and my
silent voice – out to him. ‘Uncle,’ I said to him, ‘don’t look around,
and don’t let yourface show any sign that I’m talking to you. I’m going
to ask you a few questions, and I want you to think the answers. Don’t
say anything out loud.’
‘This is a wondrous thing, Lady Polgara,’ his thought responded.
‘Canst thou truly hear my thought?’
‘You’re doing just fine, Uncle. Now, then, has anyone other than Kador
and his henchmen actually seen the legions that are supposedly encamped
a few miles to the south?’
‘Their watch-fires are clearly visible from the south wall of the city, my
Lady.’
‘Anybody can light a fire, Mandorin. Has any Mimbrate at all bothered
to go down into Tolnedra to actually count the soldiers who are supposed
to be camped there?’
‘The Tolnedrans do not welcome incursions into their territory, my
Lady, and in the light of our current delicate negotiations it would be
discourteous in the extreme for us to intrude upon the ancestral home of
our ally to the south.’
I said something I probably shouldn’t have at that point.
‘Polgara!’ Mandorin gasped in shock at my choice of words.
‘ Sorry, Uncle,’ I apologized. ‘It just slipped out. Will you be in your
chambers after this meeting breaks up?’
‘An it please thee, yes.’
It will please me, uncle. I’ll be gone for the rest of the day, and when
I come back, we’ll need to talk, I think.’
I fluttered away from my listening post on the window-sill of the
council chamber, found another window that faced out from an
empty chamber, and transformed myself into the falcon that was
always the alternative to my preferred form. Owls are conspicuous
in the daytime, after all.
It didn’t take me long to confirm my suspicions. Although there
were mounted patrols of men in legion uniforms near the south
bank of the River Arend that marks the boundary between Arendia
and Tolnedra, when I flew on, I saw no more men. There were
several standard legion encampments in the forest with all the”usual
appurtenances of legion camps – log palisades, neatly pitched tents
along what could only be called streets, and legion banners fluttering
above the gates – but those camps were empty. My suspicions had
just been confirmed. There were perhaps fifty men in legion
uniforms patrolling near the border, but that was the entire extent of
the supposed invasion force.
I flew back toward the border and swooped down to settle on a
tree limb for a bit of constructive eavesdropping.
‘This is the most tedious job I’ve ever had, Ralas,’ I heard one
unshaven fellow complain to his companion as they rode under my
tree.
‘Oh, it’s not so bad, Geller,’ Ralas replied. ‘We could all be back
at the lumber-camp chopping down oak-trees, you know. All we
have to do here is ride up and down the river and tend a few fires
at night.’
‘I don’t see any point to it, Ralas.’
‘We’re getting paid for it, Celler. That’s the only point that matters
to me. If Count Oldon wants us to patrol the northern boundary of
his estate, I’ll be happy to oblige him for as long as he wants. The
horse does all the work, and that suits me right down to the ground.’
‘We could get in trouble for wearing these uniforms, you know,’
Celler told him, rapping on his breastplate.
‘Not a chance. If you look very closely at your cloak, you’ll find
the count’s crest embroidered on it instead of the imperial one.
Nobody but an idiot’s going to mistake us for real legionnaires.’
‘Nedra’s teeth!’ Geller swore, slapping at a mosquito. ‘Why do
we have to stay so close to that accursed river?’
Ralas shrugged. ‘The Count wants us to be seen from the Arendish
side, I guess. I don’t ask him questions – except for maybe, “When
do I get paid?” That’s all I care about.’
‘I want to know why!’ Celler burst out. ‘What’s the point of this
silly business?’
I probably could have told him, but, since curiosity is the ultimate
mother of wisdom, I decided to let him continue his journey along
the beaten path to knowledge without any interference from me.
*CHAPTER 16
Baron Mandorin was in the throne-room when I returned to the
palace in Vo Mimbre, and I crossed the ornate chamber with a
purposeful expression. I didn’t have time for pleasantries. ‘We need
to talk, uncle,’ I told him, ‘now.’
He looked a little startled at my abrupt approach, but that was
just too bad. Our departure from that ceremonial hall might have
seemed somewhat leisurely, but we went directly across to the door
and on out into the corridor.
‘The matter, I do perceive, hath a certain urgency?’ he suggested.
‘Not here, uncle,’ I told him. ‘Wait until we’re sure we’re alone.’
He got my point. We went to his chambers and he closed and
locked the door behind us.
‘And now – ?’he began, his face curious.
‘I’ve just spent a rather tedious afternoon over across the river,
uncle. I searched all over for those Tolnedran legions everyone’s
on about, but guess what? I didn’t find them.’
‘But they are quite clearly visible from the city walls, Lady
polgara.’
‘Oh no they’re not, Baron Mandorin- What you’ve been seeing on
the walls are common workmen dressed up in legion uniforms.
There are several standard-looking legion encampments back under
the trees as well, but those encampments are empty. There are probably
no more than fifty men over there. They patrol the riverbank
in the day-time and tend the watch fires at night. It’s all for showm
Mandorin. There’s no military presence over there. Who’s Count
Oldon?’
‘He is a member of Kadon’s party, my Lady, and if I have heard
aright, his estates do stand opposite our city here.’
‘That would explain it then. He’s pressed woodcutters and other
laborers into his private little army, and that army has just one
mission – to convince Duke Corrolin that there are genuine legions
camped across the river. It’s all a sham. Corrolin and his staff
have been duped. What’s going on here in Vo Mimbre is just more
of the same sort of thing I encountered in Vo Wacune and Vo
Astur.’
‘I shall denounce the villain Kador publicly,’ Mandorin declared
hotly, ‘and prove the truth of my words upon his body.’
‘All that would prove is that you’re a better swordsman than he
is. We’re going to have to come up with something better.’ I
considered it for a moment. ‘I think it’s time for Corrolin to have a talk