'Hmm?' Florin asked.
'It shouldn't be too bad-the blundering, I mean. I'll just watch what Stoop says and does and do the opposite.'
The ranger nodded but said gravely, 'Tymora's going to be disappointed.'
Doust gave him a gentle shove and chuckled again.
'No,' Vangerdahast said, 'that was no leak at all. I intended that the Princess Alusair be the one to warn all Cormyr of Ruldroun's escape and so alert folk to watch for him.'
'To spare you having to announce a failure on the part of the Wizards of War,' Tanalasta said.
'Not at all. In my judgment, citizens will be swifter to aid and please their youngest, most vulnerable princess than help the hated Royal Magician with his latest blunder. If Alusair cries warning, they'll see the problem as the kingdoms'-and so, theirs. If I do, they will growl that I should clean up my own problems. More importantly, it was time to begin to establish your sister's image and role in the eyes of the citizenry.'
'Oh?' Tanalasta snapped. 'And when do you start to establish my image and role?'
'Your image and role were set at your birth, because you are the heir. Alusair's is the one the Crown must establish-lest some foe establish it, where we have left silence.'
'Andyou, wizard, are the Crown?'
'I am. Not the king, nor any challenge ro him, but the Crown. I serve, defend, and maintain the Crown-the image the ruling Obarskyr dons, just like the literal circlet on his or her brow, every morning.'
'And if I happen to believe differently?' Tanalasta asked very quietly, in the voice both her sister and the Royal Magician had learned meant trouble.
Vangerdahasr leaned forward to meet her gaze directly and said, 'To borrow a phrase from the Sage of Shadowdale, that's a btidge we'll burn when we're both standing on it. If I am still Royal Magician or Court Wizard when you ascend to rule this land, we will talk more of this.'
'Talk!' Tanalasta spat. 'Talk and more talk and change nothing!'
'Not so! The Royal Magician and the ruler of the realm must agree on who does what to helm Cormyr and where they are trying to take it. What the Crown is and how it works must always change until that agreement is reached.'
'Point taken,' Alusait said, and she held up a staying hand. 'We could sit here arguing the future of the realm until it is the future of the realm. Let's get back to this Ruldroun and what's besetting us now.' She waeeed a finger at Vangerdahast and added, 'And don't forget to explain to us about the archwizard Ondel, and Sundraer the She- dragon, and this burning barn I've heard about.'
Vangerdahast blinked at her, astonishment clear on his face.
'Oh, yes, Royal Magician,' the younger princess said, 'where you somehow neglect to mentipn things to me, certain Harpers who stop by the Palace from time to time tell me far more. They seem to have this odd notion that the royal family of Cormyr just might have the tight-and the need-to be infotmed about matters of the realm, rather than being kept in the dark by courtiers. Who by doing so, wizards or not, are arguably guilty of a quaint little something called 'treason.' And before you bluster, bear in mind that I'm merely reporting their common notion. One that I happen to share.'
'As do I,' Tanalasta said.
Silence fell, and neither princess rushed to break it. They were too busy sitting in silent fascination, watching the Royal Magician wince-then blush a deep, rich scarlet.
Andaero Hardtower was not in a good mood. Why did the Brotherhood persist in allowing such dolts into their ranks? And why did they all end up in his lap?
'Hearken,' he said to the sullen mageling standing in front of him, 'and hearken well. When you are given a specific and detailed order by a member of our Brotherhood who outranks you-'
The glowering mageling's face changed, eyes lighting up in interest that swiftly became alarm as they stared over Hardtower's shoulder, resentment giving way to astonishment.
Hardtower sighed, irritation flaring. 'The oldest tricks not only don't fool us, young Galaeren, using them shames you-or should. Why, we-'
A merry chime sounded right behind Hardtower's back. It was the last thing he ever heard.
He had time to identify it as his own shielding warning him and to wonder what could possibly breach a five- layered magical shield so swiftly and quietly, before the Sword That Never Sleeps burst through him.
Vangerdahast sighed, steepled his fingers, and rested his chin on them.
'Deciding what to forget to tell us?' Alusair asked.
He gave her a pained look. 'Onsler Ruldroun was a Wizard of War, yes. Stolid, strong in his Art but unambitious, and so not all that accomplished in the more powerful magics. Which was fine. I have an endless need for such mages, so long as their lack of ambition doesn't slide into sloth. He worked in the Royal Court, gleaning information from the many documents and reports that are sent there daily, and following up on interesting matters. Exciting, thus far?'
The two princesses gave him identical withering stares. 'Say on, wizard,' Tanalasta commanded.
Bowing his head in silent assent, Vangey did so. 'Unbeknownst to the rest of us, a curious and ancient item of magic came into Ruldroun's possession, probably two seasons ago when he attended some family funerals in Marsember. It enabled him to cloak his innermost thoughts from all spells, even when mind-speaking to fellow war wizards. I believe he met the traitor lords Yellander- whom he had befriended years earlier-and Eldroon at one of those funerals and began working for them. He gave them some private Court and Wizard of War information. This was noticed, and he was imprisoned when we discovered we couldn't read his mind. In captivity, he remained uncooperative, until two agents of Lord Yellander found and acted upon written instructions Yellander'd left as to how to find and contact Ruldroun in an emergency, and telling them to take along certain items of magic. We believe Ruldroun earlier gave these to Yellander in a gesture of'betray me not, and I'll not cross you' trust, but they served Ruldroun well when the agents reached his dungeon cell. He used them to get free, then killed the agents, leaving one of them in the chains that had prevented him from working spells. He then escaped. We assume he means us ill but are uncertain of both his whereabouts and his precise intentions regarding Cormyr.'
'Why, if you have been so ruthlessly high-handed on other occasions, did you just imprison this traitor?' Tanalasta asked. 'If you can quietly toss any madwits you please into the Lost Palace, why didn't you and Laspeera and anyone else just force your way inro this Ruldroun's mind to learn what you had to know?'
The Royal Magician looked embarrassed. 'We dared not. We had trusted him enough to let him be part of the warning magics laid upon your minds, when you were both infants.'
'What? Whatwatn'mg magics?' Tanalasta cried.
Beside her, Alusair nodded grimly and shot her sister a triumphant 'told you so' look.
'Shieldings that would prevent sudden magical attempts to invade your minds, drawing them instead into those of six Wizards of War-for each of you. This foiled most such attacks completely and warned us of their launching.'
'Foiled?'
'Oh, yes. Many wizards-Zhentarim, wizards hired by Sembians seeking to gain future influence in Cormyr, a few independent spell-hurlers, and no fewer than twoscore mages hired by various noble families of the realm-tried to influence or read or control or just destroy your minds before either of you could walk.'
'So is this Ruldroun still linked to my mind?' Alusair asked. 'Or Tana's?'
'Tanalasra's, yes. Or so we believe. That mind-shielding item he gained prevents us from being certain.'
'So this is another of your brilliant successes in judging loyalty,' the younger princess said. 'Like Applethorn and Margaster and-'
'Princess Alusair,' Vangerdahast snapped back at her, 'no wizard can or should-I can well imagine how you'd shriek at me if I tried! — mind-control even handfuls of Cormyreans. We are all served by many, many loyal Wizards of War. The few who go bad stand as rare examples of how power corrupts.'
'I can think of many loyal Cormyreans who would name our Royal Magician among the ranks of the corrupt,' Tanalasta said. 'Tell me, what would you say to them?'
