The Complete Conclave of Shadows Trilogy: Talon of the Silver Hawk, King of Foxes, Exile’s Return. Raymond E. Feist

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СКАЧАТЬ remained unknown to you.’

      Talon shrugged. ‘I cannot claim the wisdom to know whether that is true or not. I do know that you’ve hidden things from me, and that you know more about the destruction of my people than you have thus far admitted. I also know that some of the men responsible for this horror are now in Latagore plotting to overthrow the Dominar and his council.’

      Kendrick glanced at Robert, as if seeking permission to speak. Robert shook his head slightly and turned back to Talon. ‘We know all this, and more.’ He looked at Talon for a long time, then asked, ‘What do you think of all this?’

      Talon was torn between his natural frustration at seemingly pointless questions and the suspicion that Robert’s questions tended never to be pointless. He stopped and considered. Finally, he spoke: ‘There are several ways to look at the situation, Robert. Politically, I know from what I overheard when Count DeBarges was visiting that there’s a royalist movement in Latagore.’

      Caleb smiled slightly.

      ‘So it may be that the Duke of Olasko thinks it to his advantage to help them overthrow the Dominar and restore the old King’s grandson. But then the question arises as to why Duke Kaspar of Olasko would care who sat at the head of the Council of Latagore.’

      ‘Care to wager a guess?’ Robert asked.

      ‘I can guess at reasons, but I do not know for sure.’ Then Talon leaned forward, ‘Unless it’s a military reason.’

      ‘And that would be?’ asked Kendrick.

      Talon said, ‘Until this week I could not begin to imagine why the Duke of Olasko’s men would help an army of murderers to obliterate my people. But now I realize I had it backwards. Raven and his company were working for the Duke. Their only reward was gold and perhaps slaves. The Duke, however, obviously wanted the Orosini out of their mountains.’ He paused, as if considering what to say next. ‘I could not imagine the reason, until now.’

      ‘This military reason?’ Kendrick asked.

      ‘Yes. With the Orosini out of the mountains, and Latagore in the hands of a friendly ruler, or at least in the throes of civil war, then there is only one conclusion I can draw. He wants Latagore neutralized on his flank, so that he can attack the Duchy of Farinda.’

      Kendrick said, ‘Where did you learn about military strategy?’

      Talon looked embarrassed. ‘I didn’t, or I mean I haven’t. But you talk a lot about your battles and things like keeping your flanks protected seem to be very important.’

      ‘He’s a bright one, yes?’ Kendrick said to Robert.

      Robert smiled. To Talon he said, ‘Your deductions are clever, but incorrect.’

      Talon said, ‘They are?’

      ‘Yes. There’s far more in play than you understand, but your ability to deduce as much as you have is very unusual. The Duke of Olasko does wish to have a friendly regime in Latagore, and eventually he will invade Farinda, but probably not for a few years yet. You’ve done well to spy out even a few pieces of the puzzle.’

      Talon looked a little embarrassed. ‘Then what is going to happen?’

      Kendrick stood up. ‘What’s going to happen is that a lot of soldiers from Olasko will be marching through the woods around here soon, so I’d better make sure we’re ready for them.’

      He left and Talon asked, ‘Will they attack?’

      ‘Probably not,’ answered Caleb. ‘They don’t consider us a big enough threat to leave behind them, and they can’t spare time to dig us out.’

      Robert said, ‘It’s known we have resources beyond the modest ones apparent to casual observation. I suspect that Kaspar will leave us alone while he commits his next act of bloodshed against innocents.’

      ‘What are we going to do?’ asked Talon.

      ‘Why, we’re going to sit tight,’ said Robert. ‘Latagore can fend for itself. It’s not that important whether Kaspar’s friends rule or the Dominar stays in power. What’s important is that we move ahead with our own …’ He caught himself just in time and said to Talon, ‘You may leave us now. Go and see if Leo needs help.’

      Talon hesitated, then rose and went into the kitchen.

      As he returned, Meggie said, ‘What was all that about?’

      Feeling that he was included in a select group and not wishing to share the information, Talon said, ‘I can’t tell you.’ He had expected some sort of reaction from the slight girl, but all he got was a shrug, as if secrets were nothing new to her, so instead he asked, ‘What can I do to help?’

      ‘Everything is just about finished,’ she replied. ‘You can carry that bucket out and dump it.’

      Talon picked up the indicated bucket then said, ‘I haven’t seen Lela. Where is she?’

      Meggie’s expression turned troubled. ‘That’s what I was trying to tell you when you came rushing through a while ago. Lela’s not here.’

      ‘Where is she?’

      Meggie looked down, as if not wanting to look him in the face. ‘Gone. She left yesterday with Count Ramon DeBarges’s entourage. They turned up two days earlier, and when they left to go back south, Lela went with them.’

      Talon didn’t know what to say. He carried the bucket outside and dumped the contents in a trench near the wall. He paused for a moment to listen to the shift of sounds in the surrounding woods as day gave way to night. He savoured the noise of night creatures awakening, sounds so familiar to him and so different to the sounds he had experienced in the city. He let the familiarity of the woodlands flood over him, then headed back to the kitchen. When he returned, ‘And Lars and Gibbs?’

      ‘They went, too.’ With a shy smile, she said, ‘I guess for a while it’s just the two of us, Talon.’

      Talon looked at the slender girl and felt a sudden stab of confusion. She was flirting with him the way she had with Lars when they weren’t fighting. But Lela was gone! He had thought himself in love with her, until Caleb had told him that he had been with her, as had both Lars and Gibbs. Now the girl he thought of as Lars’s woman was turning her attention to him.

      Suddenly he was very tired. The tension of the trip, the simmering rage of seeing the men who had been responsible for the death of his family, the knowledge that they were returning north; and his confusion at the strange games in which Robert and the others were involved were all taking their toll.

      Just then an odd popping sound came from outside, followed by a sizzling sound like ball lightning rolling across a distant meadow.

      Meggie exclaimed, ‘Magnus is here!’

      Before Talon could ask how she knew, the kitchen door opened wide and the white-haired man entered. He glanced around the kitchen then, without saying a word, passed into the common room.

      ‘I thought he was on some journey to visit his family,’ said Talon.

      Meggie leaned forwards. ‘Haven’t you understood it СКАЧАТЬ