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implications, not at all, and he knew he d need to mention the matter to
Hagen, although he would not have been surprised if the captain already knew.
LXV
Hagen had not been aboard the Seastag when Kharl had returned the night
before, but immediately after eating the next morning, the carpenter made his
way to the master s cabin, where he knocked gingerly on the door. Ser& it s
Kharl. I d just heard something& thought you ought to know&
Come on in, carpenter. Hagen s voice was polite.
Kharl eased through the hatch door into the captain s cabin. The space was
large, but somehow not so large as Kharl would have guessed, with a double
bunk built into the rear bulkhead, and a small closet, half-open, set into the
left bulkhead. In the middle of the cabin was a circular white oak table,
anchored to the deck, and behind that sat the captain. A stack of papers and
parchment was at his left, and he still held a pen.
What is it?
Captain& last night, I was eating at a place well away from the harbor, and
there were two traders, outlanders& Kharl went on to recount what the two had
said, word for word.
When Kharl finished, Hagen nodded. He did not seem surprised. I d heard about
the brimstone and saltpeter& but I didn t know they could sell in Bruel. A
darkness dropped across his countenance, before he forced a smile. I hadn t
heard about the grain because we don t usually carry it, but it s not
surprising. Hamor s been looking at invading Austra for years, and every so
often they embargo goods, usually military equipment. They ve had an embargo
on gunpowder and cammabark for two years, but they decided on expanding that
about a season ago to include brimstone and saltpeter and a few other goods.
Kharl tried to keep his own surprise to himself. The two traders he had
overheard had clearly been talking about an edict recently issued, and Hagen
had known about it for nearly a season. Is that why we re carrying brimstone
back, ser?
Hagen grinned. You noted that, did you?
I noted that it wasn t all off-loaded at Dellash, Kharl replied. Why is
Hamor going after Austra? Aren t some of the lands in Candar better targets?
Some are weaker, but Candar lies close to Recluce. Also, it s a long voyage
from Swartheld, and under steam power, a costly one, with nowhere to stop for
coal. Austra is much closer, and considerably smaller.
And Lord Estloch does not have many warships?
He does not.
Kharl frowned. But Austra is united under a single ruler, while Nordla has
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the four Lords of the Quadrant, and they agree on little, and have even fewer
warships.
Nordla is far less prosperous, is it not? Hagen laughed ironically. What
would be the point of spending thousands of golds, hundreds of thousands of
golds perhaps, if one could not plunder the land to recover it, then tariff it
heavily? Why does one seek to conquer anything? After the briefest of pauses,
Hagen went on. Some think rulers seek fame and glory in war, but both are
fleeting. No& most wars are fought for gain, either to keep another land from
gaining an advantage in power and wealth or to extend one s own power and
wealth.
That s not true if your land is attacked.
No& but you can wager-with heavy odds-that the one attacking has planned on
great gain. Unless the ruler is mad, and few mad rulers survive to make war,
and fewer still survive their wars. Of course, such madness is the ruin of
their land and their people.
The Emperor of Hamor is not mad. He controls his own lands too well for
that, suggested Kharl.
Who would know? questioned Hagen. In a land as vast as Hamor, the governing
is done by the emperor s minions. Good minions can conceal much about a
ruler. The captain snorted. But you are right. The emperor is most astute,
and all the world may suffer for that.
Kharl could see that, and, despite the safety of the streets of Swartheld, he
was less than certain that he would wish such a rule in either Nordla or
Austra. He almost frowned, thinking that Lord West s son Egen would-if he had
the chance-govern with the power of the emperor and even less wisdom.
That troubles you? Well it should.
Kharl did not correct the captain. That was all I heard, but I thought you
should hear about it. He smiled. I thought you might already know, but I was
not sure.
You see more than you let on, Kharl. That is a good trait. Hagen smiled in
return. You re welcome to remain as crew so long as you desire.
I thank you, ser. I m still thinking of going ashore in Austra, but I will
consider your offer, and I do thank you.
It s my gain as well. Hagen laughed, then looked down at the sheets of paper
on the table before him.
Kharl stepped back and eased the hatch door closed as he left. The captain had
known about the embargoes, and he remained worried about them. Despite Hagen s
laughter, the worry had shown through.
As he walked back across the main deck, Kharl realized once more that there
was far more to Hagen than merely a trading captain. Kharl had heard the
references to other ships, but would even a merchant factor with a number of
ships have known what the Emperor of Hamor was planning a season in advance?
Kharl didn t think so, and that left the question of what exactly Hagen might
be, honorable as he appeared to Kharl and to the other crew members on Hagen s
vessels.
LXVI
When the Seastag had cast off from the pier at Swartheld, starting the voyage
back to her home port of Valmurl, one of the crew, as Ghart had predicted, had
failed to return-the fresh-faced young Wylat. Thinking of Wylat toiling on the
Great Highway or the fiery furnaces of Luba, Kharl had shaken his head. He
could but hope the Fleuryl never ported in Swartheld, because he had his
doubts about Arthal s wisdom. But there was nothing he could do about either
young man s fate.
The ship had traveled no more than a handful of kays northeast beyond sight of
land when the seas began to turn rough, and bitter chill permeated the winds
that had raised the waves and buffeted the Seastag. The remainder of the
eightday journey was rough, although the seas had subsided somewhat as the
Seastag neared Austra, and Kharl had found himself more and more fretful once
the coastline appeared.
The winter sun hung low in the west, offering little warmth, as the Seastag
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steamed through the gray harbor waters toward the outermost pier of Valmurl
harbor. Kharl was glad for his heavy jacket as he stood by the railing and
looked at Valmurl. Unlike Brysta, which faced west on the Eastern Ocean,
Valmurl faced east-and the Great Western Ocean. Valmurl was also an older port
city, but set on a flat plain on the delta of the River Val. The bay on which
the city was located was more open, and had no fortifications like the twin
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