Master of the Cauldron Read Online Free PDF Page B

Lerdain—a husky youth of fifteen—and said, “Lerdain, tell the signalers to summon the Sandrakkan delegation. By the time their barge gets here, we’ll be ready to meet them.”
    â€œRight!” said Lerdain, resplendent in gilded armor even gaudier than Garric’s own. He stepped onto the port outrigger, then jumped straight to the beach—a youthfully boastful thing to do. Lerdain’s helmet fell off, probably after banging his head a good one. He thrust it back in place and scrambled toward the flagship, whose raised mainmast provided the fleet’s signal station.
    Lerdain was the eldest son of the Count of Blaise. He was there at Garric’s side in part as a pledge of his father’s continued good behavior, but he’d made an excellent aide nonetheless. He had the arrogance of youth and the occasional pigheadedness of his class, but pride made him keen, and he’d shown himself quite capable of thinking for himself.
    There was another benefit to having a ruler’s son as an aide. Garric’d found it useful to send a messenger who had no hesitation in passing on the prince’s orders just as forcefully as the prince himself would’ve done, no matter how lofty the person receiving those orders might be.
    Garric looked toward the shore of the mainland. Hundreds of barges lined it, ready to put out for Volita with provisions and recreation for the royal army as soon as Garric allowed them to. The royal army under Garric—as had been the case under Carus—carried silver to buy supplieslocally so that it didn’t have to proceed with a train of lumbering store ships.
    The River Erd drained central Sandrakkan, bringing produce from the northern mountains and the plains alike to Erdin, where an extensive system of canals distributed it without the heavy wagons whose iron-shod wheels clashed deafeningly through most cities. Canal and riverboats weren’t meant for the open sea, but in reasonable weather they were adequate for the narrow waters between Volita and Sandrakkan.
    â€œI should’ve given the traders permission to go as well,” Garric said, frowning at his oversight. There were too many things to keep track of. Many of those that weren’t of life-or-death importance slipped through his mind, and he had the nagging fear that some that were critical were going to get past him also.
    â€œI’ll take the message, your highness!” said the next-senior in the cluster of noble youths detailed as aides to the prince. This boy was a cousin of Lord Royhas, the Chancellor and at present the head of government back in Valles. He was just as keen as Lerdain—and not a little jealous as well.
    â€œ Stop if you will, Lord Knorrer,” Liane said. Her voice was emotionless but it was far too loud to ignore.
    The youth, already poised to leap ten feet to the sand the way Lerdain had done, teetered wildly. Garric grabbed Knorrer’s shoulder, steadying him until he could reach back to the railing.
    â€œI believe your highness was correct to let the delegates arrive before you allow the traders to cross,” Liane continued, smoothly and in a much quieter voice. “The traders will race one another for the best market, and it’s very possible Marshal Renold and his companions would be overset in the turmoil. At the very least, they’d find the situation demeaning.”
    â€œWhich would put them in a bad mood,” Garric said, smiling at the polite way Liane had contradicted him in the language of agreement. “Or perhaps a worse one. Thank you, milady. The troops can wait for their bread and wine.”
    And women, of course. Some of the barges were laden with what looked from a mile’s distance like a sampling of court society. Closer to hand the finery would be less impressive, but it’d serve well enough for the purpose. It would’ve dazzled folk in Barca’s Hamlet, for that matter, except for