Cormyr_ a novel - Ed Greenwood [172]
Vangerdahast finished his gesturing and sat down calmly on the empty air, as if reclining in a comfortable chair. He made a flippant gesture of dismissal with his fingertips and said, "Lad, casting spells is what wizards do. If you don't like being around castings, don't summon wizards into your presence as if they were your servants. And of the two of us here, I shall be the judge of what court courtesy is or may be. All these veiled threats and posturings demean you more than they do me, to borrow a much-overused phrase."
Aunadar's mouth tightened, but he let go of his sword. Facing the wizard, he struck a pose-probably unconsciously, the wizard judged, these well-muscled noble sons with their sleek good looks started doing such things the moment they noticed that the world held women-and said, "I'd like to dispense with all the fencing between us for an hour or so."
Vangerdahast raised an eyebrow and gestured at him to continue at his pleasure, the wizard would attend to his words. Aunadar raised a matching brow of his own, drew a deep breath, and said, "We are prepared to accept you as regent of the realm if-and only if-you agree to certain conditions."
"'We'? Are you speaking for the princess? Surely not, without her writ or herald! Or are you speaking for your father and your older brothers, Faern and Dlothtar? Or the entire House of Bleth?"
Aunadar's mouth tightened again. "I speak for myself and for the nobles, both within my family and without, who stand with me on this point. Rest assured that I can muster to support me more nobles of Cormyr than any other person in the realm, including, my lord, yourself. Do you want to hear my conditions, or shall I inform them that you are a mad old tyrant best removed from Faerun forever?"
Vangerdahast smiled. The youth spoke of "my" conditions, not "our" conditions, and failed to notice the slip. The wizard nodded. "I do indeed wish to hear them. Perhaps we can deal together for the continued good governance of the realm."
* * * * *
"Brantarra? We're here!"
The small disturbance of whirling lights and roilings of the air in front of the young noble promptly grew two burning eyes, then sighed. They were within the palace itself, in one of the innumerable hiding holes and hidden passages. This one had seen only a few booted feet disturb the dust.
The spectral appearance sighed again, a soft, feminine sigh. It seemed to say, Were all the nobles of Cormyr as excited as young boys, creeping around and whispering? Was this all she had to work with?
"That is good," the burning eyes said instead. At the sound of her voice, the five men in their gaudy court dress tensed, drawn swords glittering in their hands. All gulped and drew in breaths.
The woman who was using the name Brantarra went on. "Are you ready to forge a glorious future for Cormyr and for yourselves?"
The boldest of the nobles-Ensrin Emmarask, the one she'd first contacted-took a nervous step nearer her mystic portal and stammered, "Y-Yes, lady, we are."
"Then hold out your cloak under my eyes-well below them!"
Tentatively Ensrin did as he was bade, and the whirling lights so close above him spat out something.
He flinched but managed to catch it in his cloak. It rolled over once, twice, and stopped: a ruby as large as his thumb. The radiance pulsed again, and another stone joined the first. Three more joined it before the voice said, "One for each of you, to start with. Earn them now."
"How, Lady Brantarra?"
"Go to the shrines just established in the palace, where Crown Princess Tanalasta worships. She will be on her way there shortly to kneel in prayer. Slay her."
Someone gasped, and someone else swallowed noisily. The room was suddenly full of nervous shiftings and the flashings of moving blades.
Ensrin then did the bravest thing he'd every essayed in his young life. "Kill the crown princess?" he asked.
"Yes-and bring away her head with you, to hide in the place where first we met. Strike