Jimmy and the Crawler by Raymond E. Feist Read Free Book Online Page B

before sundown.’
    ‘What are you going to do?’ asked Jazhara.
    ‘The same,’ he said, swinging his legs up and lying back on the bed, his arms behind his head. ‘I expect that after supper I shall be busy tonight.’
    Jazhara and William exchanged glances, then rose and departed. As William turned to pull the door closed behind him he could see that James was already fast asleep.

• CHAPTER FIVE •
Theatrics
    T HE GONG RANG OUT .
    The Master of Ceremony to the Governor of Durbin called out, ‘The Lady Jazhara Shala Nema Hazara-Khan, Sir William conDoin, Knight-Lieutenant of the Prince of Krondor’s Court, Sir James—’ he threw James a quick look at the absence of a surname, then collected himself and continued, ‘—Knight-Lieutenant of the Prince of Krondor’s Court.’
    James whispered, ‘I think I need to anoint myself with a patronymic.’
    ‘Well, you did somewhat invent yourself, so why not “Jamison”?’ William whispered back as they started to walk across the large receiving hall of the Governor of Durbin’s palace.
    James grinned. ‘I rather like that.’
    The Governor of Durbin was a heavy-set man with powerful shoulders under a loose-fitting, knee-length robe of fine silk, tastefully trimmed with minimal beadwork. Its one concession to the usual Keshian affection for the ornate was the use of massive pearls as frogs and silver thread in the loops that ran from collar to hem. His sandals were also of fine craftsmanship, though James thought them more utilitarian and less decorative than he would have expected in a Keshian court. The governor stood with his advisors at the far side of the room. James understood the politics here: they had to come to him, and he had the chance to study them as they approached. It was establishing a position of dominance with the niece of one of the most powerful men in the Empire. James conceded silently it was nice theatre, as well.
    As they crossed the room, James attempted to identify those who were worthy of notice, deserved attention as dangerous, were merely functionaries, or were purely there for decoration. Like every other human environment, the palace of the governor was a place full of connections, hierarchies, and perquisites. Sometimes titles and offices revealed key elements of those relationships, but more often they didn’t. His first visit to Rillanon with Prince Arutha to see his brother King Lyam had taught young Jimmy the Hand, then freshly minted Squire James, that some advisors are listened to more closely than others, that some nobles have more influence and power than others of the same rank.
    By the time they reached the governor, who stretched out his hand and took Jazhara’s, James had garnered a good idea of who he could ignore, so that he could pay more attention to more important players in whatever game was coming their way.
    The governor, Hamet Kazani iben Aashi, bowed just enough to be respectful, and not an inch more; there was no deference towards Jazhara. ‘Welcome, Lady Jazhara. I am a great admirer of your uncle. How is Lord Hazara-Khan?’
    ‘Well, last I heard, Governor, and I have no reason to expect otherwise.’
    James resisted the urge to smile at her use of his office title, rather than the general honorific of ‘my lord’, for Governor Aashi was a commoner who had elevated himself by wit, skill, and a ruthless, murderous ambition. James had read every document on him before leaving Krondor, and had concluded the governor was effectively the King of Durbin, given how little imperial oversight came from the City of Kesh. He was a man who was jealous of his position and all the trappings of his office. And therein, James thought, might lie his vulnerability.
    The governor said, ‘Would you please present to us your companions?’
    Again, James resisted an urge to laugh. Jazhara might be someone to whom he must show deference, but the two minor knights from the Kingdom were men he could pretend to ignore; or at