Cormyr_ a novel - Ed Greenwood [78]
Sagrast held out one hand to emphasize his point. "Yes, but she is Obarskyr blood, and were she to marry and produce an heir, there would at least be a chance for the monarchy! Iltharl has been barren-with his wife, and among his consorts. If Gantharla could whelp a male child, then Iltharl could step down in favor of a legitimate successor."
"I don't remember Gantharla mentioning being interested in 'whelping' anything at the moment," said Baerauble dryly.
"Well, we were thinking… um, that Kallimar Bleth would be a suitable husband."
"You were thinking, or Kallimar?" asked the wizard. "Or does Bleth even know of your plots?"
"Well, I…" Sagrast thought of the dungeons. He would not choose to share them with another angry coplotter. "I'm not comfortable talking about who else knows of this."
The wizard favored Sagrast with a smile. "Kallimar is Mondar reborn-large, dark-haired, and proud. And like Mondar, he is crude, violent, bad-tempered, and vicious. Remember, I knew the first Bleth to walk Cormyr two and half centuries ago. Do you really think that Gantharla, who's at home in the saddle and a leader of border foresters, would be interested in such a man?"
Sagrast cleared his throat. "Well, we were thinking… or I was thinking…"
"That I would wave my hands and work some enchantment over her, eh?" said the wizard. "No, you weren't-but you were hoping I thought you were." His eyes were like two blades, boring deep into Sagrast's own. "You've survived Boldovar and even served Iltharl well, Dracohorn. What were you really hoping for?"
"I was hoping… we were hoping… that we could convince you to stay out of this matter." Sagrast winced, knowing he could have phrased it better and hoping the powerful mage would not take offense.
Baerauble simply nodded. "And by doing nothing, I take it you mean just let you pitch Kallimar's case to Gantharla, perhaps even convince her that it would be good for the kingdom itself, arrange a marriage, and work subtly on His Majesty to convince him he would be better off in private life?"
Sagrast agreed fervently. "It's not as if we would not appreciate any support you could-" His excited rush of words were stopped by the surprising thing the wizard did then. Baerauble laughed.
It was a dry, macabre laugh, the sort puppeteers used when portraying a ghost or lich. It was a rattling of bones that shook the wizard's empty form. Sagrast had never heard it before and hoped he would not hear it again.
"Well, yours is the first proposal I've heard that did not involve poisoning the king immediately or smuggling a dagger-wielding Thayvian maiden in among his personal favorites. Perhaps the nobility is on the verge of attaining civilization after all."
Baerauble leaned forward over the table, and Sagrast felt himself being drawn forward in response. "Do you think," the mage asked, his voice suddenly fierce, "that if I could honestly replace the King of Cormyr I would have not done so when the realm had to contend with mad old Boldovar?"
Sagrast stammered a hasty reply, but Baerauble ignored him. "I have been charged with protecting the head that wears the Cormyrian crown, even if the mind within that head is evil, mad, or ineffectual. The elves charged me so and laid their geas upon me to enforce that charge. Typical elven narrow vision, really. A great people, but unable to see beyond their own long life spans."
"So when Tharyann outlived most of his own spawn and left only poor, mad Boldovar as his heir, I protected the new king and sought to treat his madness as best I could with spells and poultices. And he lasted longer than he had any right to, until he fell victim to his own rages and passions."
Sagrast nodded. Boldovar had perished three summers ago, after gutting one of his consorts. Clutching vainly at her slayer, the dying woman had dragged him over the battlements of Faerlthann's Keep. Baerauble had been abroad at the time.
The ancient wizard continued. "Boldovar left behind Iltharl, a spindly child, and Gantharla, who has redeemed the Obarskyr bloodline in many