Cormyr_ a novel - Ed Greenwood [101]
"… and the Royal Wizard continues to meet with every noble that he can pry out of the backwoods," Turlstars concluded, his eyes rising suddenly to transfix Dauneth as if on a sword blade. The young noble almost choked on his ale.
As soon as he could safely speak, Dauneth filled the lengthening, expectant silence with the words, "Ah-no summons came to us from court that I know of, but several of my elders had been telling me for a season or more that it was high time I presented myself to the king, and I was told rather firmly about a month back that now was the time."
"About a month back," Darvae, the cloth merchant, echoed meaningfully, gesturing at Dauneth with his tankard.
Tessara snorted. "You see conspiracies and cabals under your trencher every evening, Athalon, and under your bed every morning, too!"
"You can get under his bed?" Rhauligan murmured. "This I must see!" The look Tessara gave him in return, amid the rising chuckles, had edges to it.
The caravan master Onszibar cleared his throat and said, "Athalon's inference is, however, an interesting idea. Is this affliction of the Obarskyrs the result of a plan so wide-ranging that someone's thought to drag all the young nobles of the realm here to Suzail to provide possible suspects for the attack on the royals?"
"Or to gather together nobles who are in on the plot," Rhauligan put in eagerly, "without rivals, such as the other noble houses, noticing amid all the arrivals?"
"Or," Tessara said softly, "to bring the nobles together so that rivals are within easy reach, so whoever's behind this can more easily cut down foes and folk of families not in their favor?"
Caught in the center of a web of thoughtful glances, Dauneth felt suddenly that he was all too alone in a city of watching, waiting eyes where many blades were seeking his innards, rather than the exciting, bustling heart of the realm where one young Marliir in dusty boots was unknown and ignored. An unsettling view. He sighed and took another quaff from his tankard, hoping no one would see that his hands had started, ever so slightly, to tremble.
"But who has the wits to plan so deftly and bring Azoun to the edge of death and hold him there for so long?" Turlstars asked, bringing on a tense moment of silence that was ended-reluctantly-by the cloth merchant.
"Vangerdahast," Darvae said, waving one of his sour-sweet fish tarts for emphasis, "and his war wizards."
Rhauligan snorted. "If they wanted the throne," he said flatly, "they could've had it years ago, without all this drama. A few quick spells and a mind link or a crowned puppet wearing the face of a tracelessly-disposed-of Obarskyr, and none of us the wiser. This feels like the work of someone who's had to be very clever to avoid the war wizards."
There were nods at this, but the caravan master said, "I can't think our High Wizard's behind this either, but he is the busiest man in the kingdom right now, flitting from one back room to another with scarce a stop for the chamberpot in between."
More nods. "With most of the important nobles of the realm," Tessara murmured.
Turlstars chuckled and waved at Dauneth with his tankard. "He'll be getting to you soon, lad, just see if he doesn't."
"I'll be pleased to assure him of my loyalty to the crown," Dauneth said rather stiffly.
"Ah," Tessara said, leaning forward in her chair to waggle a warning finger at him, her elbow on one knee, "but what if he comes to ask you to join in a task or two that leads to a new order in Cormyr?"
"A kingdom ruled by wizards?" Rhauligan said in disbelief. "The Sembians'd never stand for it. They'd hire every ambitious mageling they could find to smash such a realm!"
"Only to find