Rage of a Demon King. Raymond E. Feist

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       • Chapter Two • Warning

      Erik fumed.

      He had spent the day working on a plan to employ the Hadati hillmen he had taken from the Baron of Tyr-Sog, only to be told they had left the Prince’s castle, and no one seemed sure where they had gone or at whose orders. He had finally ended up outside the office of the Knight-Marshal of Krondor, who was ensconced within his private chamber in a meeting with Captain Calis.

      Finally a clerk indicated Erik could enter, and both William and Calis greeted him. ‘Sergeant Major,’ said William, indicating an empty chair. ‘What can I do for you?’

      ‘It’s about the Hadati, m’lord,’ said Erik, not taking the seat.

      ‘What about them?’ asked Calis.

      ‘They’re gone.’

      ‘I know,’ said Calis with a faint smile.

      Erik said, ‘What I mean is, I had plans –’

      Knight-Marshal William held up his hand. ‘Sergeant Major, whatever plans you had are certainly similar to our own. However, your particular talents aren’t needed in that area.’

      Erik’s eyes narrowed. ‘In what area?’

      ‘Teaching hillmen how to fight in the hills,’ said Calis.

      He motioned for Erik to sit, and Erik did as he was instructed.

      William pointed to a map on the wall across the room. ‘We’ve got a thousand miles of hills and mountains running from just north of the Great Star Lake up to Yabon, Sergeant. We’re going to need men who can live up there without supplies from Krondor.’

      Erik said, ‘I know, m’lord –’

      William interrupted him again. ‘Those men already meet our needs.’

      Erik was silent a moment, then said, ‘Very well, m’lord. But, for my curiosity’s sake, where are they?’

      ‘On their way to a camp north of Tannerus. To meet with Captain Subai.’

      ‘Captain Subai?’ asked Erik. The man named was head of the Royal Krondorian Pathfinders, an elite scouting unit that traced its lineage back to the Kingdom’s first foray into the West. They had long since changed their mission of being trailbreakers and explorers; they now served as long-range military scouts and intelligence officers. ‘You’re turning them over to the Pathfinders?’

      ‘In a manner of speaking,’ said Calis. He sounded tired, and Erik studied his leader’s features. There were dark smudges under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept much in recent days, and his face was a bit more pinched than usual. Those signs might go unnoticed, by someone who hadn’t spent every waking moment for months in Calis’s company, but to Erik they communicated much: Calis was worried and was working late into the night. Erik suppressed a rueful smile. He had started to think like the very nursemaid Calis had warned him not to become, and besides, he was just as guilty of overwork as his leader.

      Calis spoke: ‘We need couriers and exploring officers.’

      This was a term new to Erik. ‘Exploring officers?’ he asked.

      ‘It’s a madman’s job,’ offered Calis. ‘You pack your horse with a few rations and a canteen of water, then you ride like hell through the enemy’s pickets, move behind their lines, stay alive, meet with agents and spies, occasionally assassinate someone or burn down a stronghold, and otherwise wreak havoc wherever you can.’

      ‘You forgot the important part,’ offered William. ‘Staying alive. Getting back with what you know is more important than all the rest.’

      ‘Information,’ said Calis. ‘Without it, we’re blind.’

      Erik realized with a sudden clarity that what he had lived through on two journeys to Novindus – the hardships, the loss of good men – was all to return with vital information. As with many things that Erik had learned in the military, he thought he understood something only to discover later he possessed merely a surface apprehension of the way things were, as a deeper appreciation of the topic seemed to unfold in his mind. Tactics and strategy were like that. William kept telling him he had a knack, yet often Erik felt stupid, as if he were missing the obvious.

      Almost blushing, Erik said, ‘I understand.’

      ‘I’m sure you do,’ said Calis in a friendly tone.

      William СКАЧАТЬ