King of the Murgos

  The door opened. Oskatat entered, and at his side was the Murgo officer who had so rudely demanded Urgit’s signature the previous day.

  ‘Ah, General Kradak,’ Urgit greeted the officer with an obviously feigned joviality, ‘so good of you to join us. You’ve heard about what’s going on in the south?’

  The general nodded shortly. ‘The situation is grave,’ he said. ‘Rak Gorut and Rak Cthaka are in great peril.’

  ‘What do you advise, General?’ Urgit asked.

  ‘There’s nothing to advise,’ Kradak said. ‘We’ll have to accept the fact that Gorut and Cthaka are lost and concentrate our efforts on holding Urga, Morcth, and Araga.’

  ‘General, that only leaves three of the nine military districts of Cthol Murgos under my control. Zakath is eating my kingdom one bite at a time.’

  The general shrugged. ‘We cannot reach Rak Cthaka before the Malloreans do. The city will fall. There’s nothing we can do about it.’

  ‘What if we were to reinforce the garrison there? Would that change things at all?’

  ‘Certainly, but it’s impossible.’

  ‘Maybe not,’ Urgit said with a quick look at Garion. ‘What do you think of moving reinforcements there by ship?’

  ‘By ship?’ The general blinked, and then his face hardened. ‘That’s absurd.’

  ‘Why absurd?’

  ‘It’s never been done in Cthol Murgos before.’

  ‘I imagine that there are a lot of things that have never been done in Cthol Murgos before. Is there any specific reason why it won’t work?’

  ‘Ships sink, your Majesty,’ Kradak pointed out acidly, as if speaking to a child. ‘The troops know that and they’ll refuse to go on board.’

  Oskatat stepped forward. ‘Not if you crucify the first ten or so who refuse right there on the dock,’ he said firmly. ‘That sort of example should lessen the reluctance of the rest.’

  Kradak gave the gray-haired man a look of undisguised hatred. ‘What would a house servant know about command?’ he demanded. He looked back at Urgit with a barely concealed sneer. ‘Just stay on your throne, Urgit,’ he said harshly. ‘Play with your crown and your scepter and pretend that you’re a real king. But keep your nose out of the business of running the war.’

  Urgit’s face blanched, and he shrank back in his chair.

  ‘Shall I send for the headsman, your Majesty?’ Oskatat inquired in an icy voice. ‘It appears that General Kradak has outlived his usefulness.’

  Kradak stared at him incredulously. ‘You wouldn’t dare!’ he gasped.

  ‘Your life hangs on his Majesty’s pleasure just now, Kradak. One word from him, and your head will roll in the dust.’

  ‘I am a general officer in the armies of Cthol Murgos.’ Kradak clutched at the gold chain about his neck as if for reassurance. ‘My appointment comes from Taur Urgas himself. You have no authority over me, Oskatat.’

  Urgit straightened in his chair, an angry flush moving up into his face. ‘Oh, really?’ he said in a dangerously quiet voice. ‘Maybe it’s time that we got a few things clarified.’ He took off his crown and held it up. ‘Do you recognize this, Kradak?’

  The general glared at him with a stony face.

  ‘Answer me!’

  ‘It’s the crown of Cthol Murgos,’ Kradak replied sullenly.

  ‘And the man who wears it has absolute authority, right?’

  ‘Taur Urgas did.’

  ‘Taur Urgas is dead. I sit upon the throne now, and you will obey me in the same way you obeyed him. Do you understand me?’

  ‘You are not Taur Urgas.’

  ‘That’s painfully obvious, General Kradak,’ Urgit replied coldly. ‘I am your king, however, and I’m also an Urga. When I grow agitated, I feel the madness of the Urgas creeping up on me—and it’s creeping very fast just now. If you don’t do exactly as I tell you to do, you’re going to be a head shorter before the sun sets. Now go give the order to load the troops on those ships.’

  ‘And if I refuse?’

  Urgit’s expression grew hesitant. For some reason he looked appealingly at Garion.

  ‘Kill him,’ Garion said in the flat unemotional voice he had discovered immediately got people’s attention.

  Urgit straightened again and firmly yanked his bellpull. The great gong outside in the hallway clanged. Two burly guards responded immediately. ‘Yes, your Majesty?’ one of them asked.

  ‘Well, Kradak?’ Urgit asked. ‘What’s it to be? The ships or the block? Speak up, man. I haven’t got all day.’

  Kradak’s face went ashen. ‘The ships, your Majesty,’ he replied in a shaky voice.

  ‘Splendid. I’m so happy that we were able to settle our little differences without unpleasantness.’ Urgit turned to his guards. ‘General Kradak is going directly to the barracks of the Third Cohort now,’ he told them, ‘and you will accompany him. He’s going to order those men to board the ships in the harbor and to sail to the relief of the garrison at Rak Cthaka.’ He gave Kradak a narrow, distrustful look. ‘If he gives them any other order, you will cut off his head immediately and bring it to me—in a bucket.’

  ‘As your Majesty commands,’ the Murgos replied in unison, each banging his fist against his mail shirt.

  Kradak turned, trembling and suddenly broken, and went out with the grim Murgo guards flanking him closely.

  Urgit retained his imperious expression until the door closed, and then he threw both arms in the air and began beating his feet on the floor, whooping with delight. ‘Oh, Gods!’ he said ecstatically. ‘I loved that! I’ve been wanting to do that all my life!’

  The Lady Tamazin rose gravely from her chair, limped to where her son sat, and wordlessly embraced him.

  ‘Affection, mother?’ he asked lightly, a broad grin still creasing his sharp-featured face. ‘How terribly un-Murgoish.’ And then he laughed and caught her in a rough bear hug.

  ‘There may be hope after all,’ she observed calmly to Oskatat.

  A slow smile crept across the big Murgo’s lips. ‘It looks a bit more promising, my Lady,’ he agreed.

  ‘Thank you for your support, Oskatat,’ Urgit said to his friend. ‘I might not have gotten through that without your help.’ He paused. ‘I must say, though, that I’m a little surprised that you approved of my scheme.’

  ‘I don’t. I think it’s an absurd idea almost certainly doomed from the start.’

  Urgit blinked.

  ‘There was another issue at stake, however—one that is much more important.’ There was a peculiar pride on the big man’s face. ‘Do you realize that this is the very first time you’ve ever faced down one of your generals? They’ve been running roughshod over you since the day you took the throne. The loss of a few ships and a few thousand men is a small price to pay for a real king on the throne of Cthol Murgos.’

  ‘Thank you for your candor, Oskatat,’ Urgit said gravely. ‘It may just be, though, that things may not turn out so disastrously as you think.’

  ‘Perhaps, but Taur Urgas would not have done this.’

  ‘It might just be that someday we’ll all rejoice in the fact that Taur Urgas is no longer with us, Oskatat.’ A faint ironic smile crossed the king’s lips. ‘As a matter of fact, I seem to feel a small surge of rejoicing coming over me already. I’m losing this war, my old friend, and a man who’s losing can’t afford to be conservative. I’ve got to take a few gambles if I want to keep Kal Zakath from parading through the streets of Rak Urga with my head on a pole.’

  ‘As your Majesty commands,’ the seneschal said with a bow. ‘I’m also going to have to give certain orders. Have I your permission to withdraw?’

  ‘Of course.’

  Oskatat turned and started toward the door. Before he reached it, however, it opened and Silk came into the room. The seneschal stopped, staring hard at the Drasnian. Silk’s hand moved swiftly toward the hood of his robe, but then he let it drop with a rueful grimace.

  Garion groaned inwardly. He moved careful
ly into position not far behind Oskatat, aware that Durnik and the gigantic Toth were also coming up on either side of him, ready to move quickly to prevent any outcry.

  ‘You!’ Oskatat exclaimed to Silk. ‘What are you doing here?’

  Silk’s expression grew resigned. ‘Just passing through, Oskatat,’ he replied casually. ‘You’ve been well, I trust?’

  Urgit looked up. ‘What’s this?’

  ‘The seneschal and I are old friends, your Majesty,’ Silk replied. ‘We met in Rak Goska some years ago.’

  ‘Is your Majesty aware of this man’s true identity?’ Oskatat demanded.

  Urgit shrugged. ‘He’s one of Sadi’s servants,’ he said. ‘Or so I was told.’

  ‘Hardly that, Urgit. This is Prince Kheldar of Drasnia, the most notorious spy in the entire world.’

  ‘The seneschal is perhaps a bit lavish in his praise,’ Silk noted modestly.

  ‘Do you deny that you murdered the soldiers Taur Urgas sent to detain you when your scheme in Rak Goska was exposed?’ Oskatat said accusingly.

  ‘I don’t know that I’d use the word “murdered,” exactly, my Lord.’ Silk winced. ‘Oh, I’ll admit that there was a bit of unpleasantness, but that’s such an awkward way to sum up.’

  ‘Your Majesty,’ the grim old Murgo said. ‘This man was responsible for the death of Dorak Urgas, your eldest brother. There is a long-standing warrant for his immediate execution, so I will send for the headsman at once.’

  Chapter Fifteen

  Urgit’s face had grown cold. His eyes were narrowed, and he chewed nervously on a fingernail. ‘All right, Sadi,’ he said, ‘what’s this all about?’

  ‘Your Majesty—I—’ The eunuch spread his hands.

  ‘Don’t try to play the innocent with me,’ Urgit snapped. ‘Did you know about this man?’ He pointed at Silk.

  ‘Well, yes, but—’

  ‘And you chose not to tell me? What’s your game, Sadi?’

  The eunuch hesitated, and Garion saw beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. Durnik and Toth, moving casually as if merely removing themselves from the vicinity of the confrontation, went past Oskatat and leaned idly against the wall, one on each side of the door.

  ‘Well, Sadi?’ Urgit pressed. ‘I’ve heard about this Prince Kheldar. He’s not merely a spy; he’s an assassin as well.’ His eyes suddenly grew wide. ‘So that’s it!’ he gasped, staring at Silk. ‘Belgarion sent you here to kill me, didn’t he—you and these other Alorns.’

  ‘Don’t be absurd, Urgit,’ Lady Tamazin said from her chair. ‘You’ve been alone with these people for hours at a time since they arrived here. If they were here to kill you, you’d already be dead.’

  He thought about that. ‘All right, you—Prince Kheldar—speak up. I want to know exactly what you’re doing here. Now talk.’

  Silk shrugged. ‘It’s as I told my Lord Oskatat, your Majesty. I’m merely passing through. My business is in another part of the world.’

  ‘Which part?’

  ‘Here and there,’ Silk said evasively.

  ‘I’m going to get some straight answers here,’ Urgit declared.

  ‘Shall I send for the headsman, your Majesty?’ Oskatat asked ominously.

  ‘Perhaps that might not be a bad idea,’ Urgit agreed.

  The seneschal turned, but found Durnik and the impassive Toth barring his way from the room. Urgit, perceiving the situation at once, reached quickly for the bellpull which would fill the room with armed Murgos.

  ‘Urgit!’ Lady Tamazin snapped. ‘No!’

  He hesitated.

  ‘Do as I say!’

  ‘What’s this?’ he asked.

  ‘Look around you,’ she told him. ‘If you even touch that cord, one of these people will have a knife against your throat before you can tug it even once.’

  His expression grew suddenly frightened, and he slowly lowered his hand.

  Sadi cleared his throat. ‘Ah—your Majesty,’ he said. ‘I believe that the Queen Mother has seen directly to the heart of the matter here. We are both in positions to greatly inconvenience each other. Wouldn’t it be wiser for us to discuss things rationally before we resort to any unpleasantness?’

  ‘What is it that you want, Sadi?’ Urgit asked him in a slightly quavering voice.

  ‘Only what you had intended all along, your Majesty. As Kheldar said, our business is in another part of the world, and it does not directly concern you. Give us the ship that you were going to give us anyway, and in return we’ll deliver your Dagashi to Rak Hagga as we promised. After that, we’ll proceed with our own affairs. What could be fairer than that?’

  ‘Listen to him, Urgit,’ Lady Tamazin urged. ‘He makes a great deal of sense.’

  Urgit’s expression was filled with doubt. ‘Do you really think so, mother?’

  ‘What harm can they do you, once they’ve crossed the Mallorean lines?’ she asked. ‘If you’re nervous about them, then get them out of Rak Urga as quickly as possible.’

  ‘All except this one.’ Oskatat pointed at Silk.

  ‘We really need him, my Lord,’ Sadi said politely.

  ‘He killed Dorak Urgas,’ the seneschal said stubbornly.

  ‘We can give him a medal for that later, Oskatat,’ Urgit said.

  Oskatat stared at him.

  ‘Oh, come now, my friend. You despised Dorak as much as I did.’

  ‘He was a Murgo prince, your Majesty. His murder cannot go unpunished.’

  ‘You seem to forget that I murdered a dozen of my other brothers—also Murgo princes—on my way to the throne. Were you planning to punish me as well?’ Urgit looked back at Sadi. ‘I think, however, that it might not hurt for me to keep Kheldar here in the Drojim. Sort of as a performance bond. As soon as you deliver Kabach to Rak Hagga, I’ll release him. He can catch up with you later.’

  Sadi’s expression grew pained.

  ‘You’re overlooking something important here, Urgit,’ Lady Tamazin said, leaning forward intently.

  ‘Oh? What’s that, mother?’

  ‘Prince Kheldar of Drasnia is reputed to be one of King Belgarion’s closest friends. You have there the perfect envoy to convey a message to the Rivan King.’

  He looked sharply at Silk. ‘Is that true?’ he asked. ‘Do you really know Belgarion?’

  ‘Quite well, actually,’ Silk replied. ‘I’ve known him since he was a little boy.’

  ‘That old man over there said that Belgarion isn’t at Riva just now. Do you have any idea where you might be able to find him?’

  ‘Your Majesty,’ Silk answered with a perfectly straight face, ‘I can honestly tell you that I know exactly where Belgarion is at this very moment.’

  Urgit scratched at one cheek, his eyes suspicious. ‘I don’t think I like this,’ he said. ‘Let’s say that I give you a message to deliver to Belgarion. What’s to prevent you from just throwing it away and then circling around to rejoin your friends?’

  ‘Ethics.’ Silk shrugged. ‘I always do the things I’m paid to do. You were planning to pay me, weren’t you?’

  Urgit stared at Silk for a moment and then he threw back his head and laughed. ‘You’re absolutely outrageous, Kheldar,’ he said. ‘Here you are, about two steps from the headsman’s block, and you have the nerve to try to extort money from me.’

  Silk sighed and looked around tragically. ‘Why is it that the word “pay” always brings that same look of consternation into the eyes of kings the world over?’ he asked. ‘Surely your Majesty would not expect me to perform this truly unique service for you without some small recompense, would you?’

  ‘Wouldn’t you say that getting to keep your head is more than adequate payment?’

  ‘Oh, I’m fairly safe, I think. Since I’m the only one in the world who can guarantee delivery of your message, I’m far too valuable to kill, wouldn’t you say?’

  Lady Tamazin suddenly laughed, a whimsical expression on her face as she looked at the two of them.

  ??
?Something amusing, mother?’ Urgit asked her.

  ‘Nothing, Urgit. Nothing at all.’

  The king’s eyes were still indecisive. He looked hopefully at his seneschal. ‘What do you think, Oskatat?’ he asked. ‘Can I trust this little knave?’

  ‘It’s your Majesty’s decision,’ the big Murgo replied stiffly.

  ‘I’m not asking you as your king,’ Urgit told him. ‘I’m asking as a friend.’

  Oskatat winced. ‘That’s cruel, Urgit,’ he said. ‘You’re forcing me to decide between duty and friendship.’

  ‘All right, then. Let’s put it on that basis. What should I do?’

  ‘As king, you should obey the law—even if it means flying in the face of your own best interests. As a man, however, you should seize every opportunity that presents itself to avert disaster.’

  ‘Well? What should I do? Should I be a king or a man? Which do you advise?’

  It hung there in the air between them. The seneschal refused to meet Urgit’s eyes. Instead, he cast one quick, appealing look at Lady Tamazin. ‘Torak forgive me,’ he muttered finally. He straightened and looked his king full in the face. ‘Save yourself, Urgit,’ he said. ‘If this Drasnian can arrange an alliance with Belgarion, then pay him whatever he demands and send him on his way. Belgarion may deceive you at some later date, but Kal Zakath seeks your head now. You need that alliance, no matter what the cost.’

  ‘Thank you, Oskatat,’ the king said with genuine gratitude. He turned back to Silk. ‘How quickly do you think you could reach Belgarion with my message?’ he asked.

  ‘Your Majesty,’ Silk replied, ‘I can have your message in Belgarion’s hands more quickly than you could possibly imagine. Now, shall we talk about money?’ His long, pointed nose began to twitch in a manner Garion recognized at once.

  ‘How much do you want?’ Urgit asked warily.

  ‘Oh,’ Silk pretended to think about it, ‘I suppose a hundred Tolnedran goldmarks ought to cover it.’

  Urgit gaped at him. ‘A hundred marks? You’re insane!’