ggk.thelionsofal-rassan-第63部分

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　　The　old　ka'id　was　dead；　of　course。　As　a　much…applauded　gesture　of　courtesy　the　king　had　allowed　him　to　take　his　own　life　rather　than　face　public　execution。　This　death；　too；　was　only　normal：　it　was　not　considered　a　wise　idea　for　new　monarchs　to　allow　generals　to　continue　in　power；　or　even　remain　alive。　It　was　one　of　the　inherent　risks　that　came　with　accepting　a　position　of　high　mand　in　an　army　in　Al…Rassan。
　　Even　the　outlaw　Tarif　ibn　Hassan；　the　terror　of　merchants　on　the　southern　roads　and　all　lawful　tax　collectors；　seemed　to　have　decided　to　turn　his　attentions　elsewhere　this　season。　He　had　eschewed　his　chronic；　debilitating　raids　from　impregnable　Arbastro　into　the　Cartadan　hinterlands　in　favor　of　a　genuinely　spectacular　action　in　Ragosan　territory　to　the　north。
　　Talk　of　that　affair　continued　through　the　winter　as　hardy　travellers　and　merchants　straggled　into　the　city　with　newer　versions　of　the　story。　It　appeared　that　ibn　Hassan　had　actually　managed　to　seize　the　first…ever　parias　tribute　from　Fibaz　to　Jalona；　slaughtering　the　entire　Jaddite　party　in　the　process。　An　astonishing　coup　in　every　respect。　Another　strand　to　the　forty…year　legend。
　　The　embarrassment　to　Ragosa…since　King　Badir　had　authorized　the　payment　in　the　first　place…was　extreme；　and　so　were　the　economic　and　military　implications。　Some　of　the　more　free…spoken　of　those　drinking　in　the　taverns　of　Cartada　that　winter　offered　the　view　that　the　Jalonans　might　even　ride　south　in　numbers　e　spring；　to　teach　Fibaz　a　lesson。　Which　meant；　to　teach　Badir　of　Ragosa　a　lesson。
　　That　was　someone　else's　problem；　the　drinkers　agreed。　For　once　ibn　Hassan　had　caused　real　trouble　elsewhere。　Wouldn't　it　be　nice　if　the　aged　jackal　obligingly　died　soon？　Wasn't　he　old　enough；　already？　There　was　good　land　around　Arbastro；　where　a　loyal　courtier　of　the　new　king　of　Cartada　might　one　day　find　himself　with；　say；　a　small　castle　and　a　crown…bestowed　estate　to　manage　and　defend。
　　Winter　was　a　time　for　dreaming；　among　other　things。
　　
　　The　new　king　of　Cartada　had　neither　the　leisure　nor　the　disposition　to　share　in　such　dreams。　An　edgy；　precise　man；　very　much　the　son　of　his　father…though　both　would　have　denied　that…Almalik　II　knew　too　much　that　his　citizens　did　not　and　his　own　winter；　accordingly；　enpassed　little　of　the　optimism　of　theirs。
　　Not　that　this　was　unusual　for　kings。
　　He　knew　his　brother　was　with　the　Muwardis　in　the　desert；　with　the　blessings　and　hopes　of　the　wadjis　acpanying　him。　He　knew　with　certainty　what　Hazem　would　be　suggesting。　He　had　no　way　of　knowing　how　the　proposals　would　be　received　by　Yazir　ibn　Q'arif。　The　transition　from　a　strong　king　to　his　successor　was　always　a　dangerous　time。
　　He　made　a　point　of　pausing　in　his　business　to　pray　each　time　the　bells　rang　during　the　day。　He　summoned　the　most　prominent　of　the　wadjis　of　Cartada　and　listened　to　their　list　of　plaints。　He　lamented　with　them　that　his　beloved　father…a　Believer　of　course；　but　a　secular　man…had　let　their　great　city　slip　some　distance　from　the　Laws　of　Ashar。　He　promised　to　take　regular　counsel　with　them。　He　ordered　a　notorious　street　of　Jaddite　prostitutes　to　be　cleared　immediately　and　a　new　temple　built　there；　with　gardens　and　a　residence　for　the　wadjis。
　　He　sent　gifts；　substantial　ones；　to　Yazir　and　his　brother　in　the　desert。　It　was　all　he　could　do；　for　the　moment。
　　He　also　learned；　early　in　the　winter　before　the　flow　of　news　from　abroad　slowed　to　a　trickle；　that　a　holy　war　was　being　readied　in　Batiara；　with　armies　from　four　Jaddite　lands　massed　to　sail　to　Ammuz　and　Soriyya　in　the　spring。
　　That　was　potentially　the　most　momentous　news　of　all；　but　not　his　immediate　problem；　and　it　was　difficult　to　imagine　that　after　a　bored；　fractious　winter　together　such　a　disparate　force　would　ever　really　sail。　In　another　way；　though；　whether　they　did　or　didn't　embark；　the　mere　assembling　of　that　army　represented　the　gravest　danger　imaginable。
　　He　dictated　a　message　of　warning　to　the　Grand　Khalif　in　Soriyya。　It　would　not　arrive　before　spring；　of　course；　and　there　would　be　other　warnings　sent；　but　it　was　important　to　add　his　voice　to　the　chorus。　They　would　ask　him　for　soldiers　and　gold；　but　it　would　take　time　for　that　request　to　make　its　way　back。
　　Meanwhile　it　was　more　important　to　decipher　what　the　Jaddites　in　the　north　of　this　peninsula　might　be　contemplating　in　the　wake　of　these　tidings　of　war；　which　they　too　would　have　by　now。　If　four　Jaddite　armies　were　massing　to　sail　east；　what　might　the　Esperanans　be　considering；　with　Asharites　so　near　to　hand　and　an　example　of　holy　war？　Would　not　their　holy　men　be　preaching　to　the　kings　even　now？
　　Could　the　three　rulers　of　Esperana　even　gather　in　the　same　place　without　one　of　them　killing　another？　Almalik　II　doubted　it；　but　he　took　counsel　with　his　advisors　and　then　sent　certain　gifts　and　a　message　to　King　Sanchez　of　Ruenda。
　　The　gifts　were　princely；　the　message　took　carefully　worded　note　of　the　fact　that　Fezana；　which　Cartada　controlled　and　which　currently　paid　parias　to　arrogant　Valledo；　not　Ruenda；　was　at　least　as　close　to　the　latter　kingdom；　and　at　least　as　much　potentially　subject　to　Ruendan　protection。　He　besought；　respectfully；　King　Sanchez's　thoughts　on　these　thorny　matters。
　　There　were　divisions　to　be　sown　in　the　north；　and　it　was　not　especially　hard　to　sow　them　among　the　successors　of　Sancho　the　Fat。
　　Jalona　in　the　northeast　was　not；　for　the　moment；　of　concern　to　him。　They　were　more　likely　to　cause　difficulty　for　Ragosa；　and　that　was　useful；　so　long　as　it　didn't　amount　to　more　than　that。　It　occurred　to　him　more　than　once　that　he　really　ought　to　be　exchanging　counsels　with　King　Badir　this　winter；　but　he　balked　at　that。　Any　interaction　with　Badir　meant　dealing；　now；　with　Ammar　ibn　Khairan；　who　had　fled　to　Cartada's　principal　rival　the　day　after　his　exiling。
　　It　had　been　a　cowardly　thing　to　do；　Almalik　had　decided。　It　even　bordered　on　the　treasonous。　All　Ammar　would　have　had　to　do　was　withdraw　discreetly　somewhere　for　a　year；　write　some　poems；　maybe　make　a　pilgrimage　east；　even　fight　for　the　Faith　in　Soriyya　this　ing　year；　in　Ashar's　name　。。。　and　then　Almalik　could　have　weled　him　back；　a　contrite；　chastened　courtier　who　had　done　a　decent　time　of　penance。　It　had　seemed　so　obvious。
　　Instead；　ibn　Khairan；　prickly　and　contrary　as　ever；　had　stolen　away　with　Zabira　straight　to　Badir　and　his　wily　Kindath　chancellor　in　dangerous　Ragosa。　Very　dangerous　Ragosa；　in　fact；　because　Almalik's　sources　then　informed　him；　belatedly；　that　the　woman　had　apparently　sent　her　two　sons…his　own　half…brothers…to　Badir　during　the　summer；　immediately　after　the　Day　of　the　Moat。
　　That　was　news　he　ought　to　have　had　sooner；　before　his　father　died。　He　was　pelled　to　make　an　example　and　execute　two　of　his　men：　it　was　perilous　to　be　receiving　such　important　tidings　so　late。　Those　two　boys　represented　a　threat　to　his　tenure　on　this　throne　almost　as　great　as　Hazem　in　the　desert。
　　Superfluous　brothers；　the　new　king　of　Cartada　decided；　were　best　disposed　of　swiftly。　Look　at　what　had　happened　among　the　Jaddites；　for　example。　Ramiro　of　Valledo；　for　all　his　vaunted　prowess；　had　only　begun　to　flourish　after　the　abrupt　passing　of　his　brother　Raimundo。　And　though　there　had　been　rumors　from　the　moment　of　that　death；　they　hadn't　impeded　Ramiro's　steady　ascent　at　all。
　　A　lesson　to　be　learned　there。　Almalik　summoned　two　men　known　to　him　and　gave　them　careful　instructions　and　explicit　promises　and　sent　them　east；　equipped　as　spice　merchants；　to　cross　the　mountains　to　Ragosa　while　the　pass　was　still　open　to　legitimate　traders。
　　He　was　sobered；　and　more　than　a　little　shaken；　to　learn　later　in　the　winter　that　they　had　both　died　in　a　tavern　brawl　the　very　evening　of　their　arrival　in　Badir's　city。
　　Badir　was　clever；　his　father　had　always　said　so。　The　Kindath　chancellor　was　extremely　clever。　And　now　Ammar　was　with　them；　when　he　ought　to　have　been　here；　or　at　least　waiting　quietly　somewhere　for　permission　to　return。
　　Almalik　II；　seeking　transitory　solace　one　windy　night　in　his　father's　harem；　which　was　now　his　own；　felt　very　much　alone。　He　rubbed　absently　at　his　irritating　eyelid　while　an　extremely　tall　yellow…haired　woman　from　Karch　ministered　eagerly　to　him　with　scented　oils　and　supple　hands；　and　he　considered　certain　facts。
　　The　first　was　that　Ammar　ibn　Khairan　was　not　going　to　be　amenable　to　a　swift　return　to　Cartada；　even　with　a　promise　of　restored　honor　and　immense　power。　He　knew　this　with　certainty。　His　carefully　thought…out　exiling　of　ibn　Khairan　on　the　day　of　his　father's　demise　had　begun　to　seem　a　less　judicious　course　of　action　than　it　had　at　the　time。
　　Angrily；　he　confronted　and　accepted　the　fact　that　he　needed　Ammar。　Too　many　things　were　happening　this　winter；　too　many　disparate　events　needed　to　be　addressed　and　responded　to；　and　the　men　around　him　were　not　equal　to　that。　He　had　need　of　good　counsel　and　the　only　man　he　trusted　to　provide　it　was　the　one　who　had　always　treated　him　with　the　amused　condescension　of　a　master　towards　a　pupil。　He　was　king　of　Cartada　now；　it　could　not　be　the　same　way　again；　but　he　had　to　get　Ammar　back。
　　He　arranged　the　woman　on　her　hands　and　knees　and　entered　her。　She　was　extraordinarily　tall