Under greater stress the mercenaries demanded,...
Under greater stress the mercenaries demanded, predictably, higher payWhich, if he gave it to them, was going to soak up virtually everything he might gain from the confiscations and the new duties
He sent a letter home to the EmperorHis first request in over two yearsAlong with a case of Astibar blue wine, from what were now his own estates in the north, he conveyed an urgent reiteration of his plea to be brought under the Imperial aegisWhich would have meant a subsidy for his mercenaries from the Treasury in Barbadior, or even Imperial troops under his commandAs always, he stressed the role he alone played in blocking Ygrathen expansion in this dangerous halfway peninsulaHe might have begun his career here as an independent adventurer, he conceded, with what he saw as a nice turn of phrase, but as an older, wiser man he wished to bind himself more tightly and more usefully to his Emperor than ever before
As for wanting to be Emperor, and wanting omega seamaster gold the cloak of Imperial sanction thrown over him, however belatedly, well, such things surely did not have to be put into a letter?
He received, by way of reply, an elegant wall-hanging from the Emperor's Palace, commendations on his loyal sentiments, and polite regret that circumstances at home precluded the granting of his request for financingHe was cordially invited to sail home to all suitable honors and leave the tiresome problems of that far land overseas to a colonial expert appointed by the Emperor
That, too, was as usualTurn your new territory over to the EmpireCome home to a parade or two, then spend your days hunting and your money on bribes and hunting gearWait for the Emperor to die without naming a successorThen knife and be knifed in the brawl to succeed him
Alberico sent back sincerest thanks, deep regrets, and another case of wine
Shortly thereafter, at the end of the fall, a number of men in the disgruntled, out-of-favor Third chanel jewelry online Company withdrew from service and took late-season ship for homeThe commanders of the First and Second used that same week to formally present, purely coincidence of course, their new wage demands and to casually remind him of past promises of land for the mercenariesStarting, it was suggested delicately, with their commanders
He'd wanted to order the two of them throttledHe'd wanted to fry their greedy, wine-sodden brains with a blast of his own magicBut he couldn't afford to do it; added to which, exercising his powers was still a process of some real strain so soon after the encounter in the woods that had nearly killed him
The encounter that no one in this peninsula even believed had taken place
What he had done was smile at the two commanders and confide that he had already marked off in his mind a significant portion of the newly claimed Nievolene lands for one of themSiferval, he said, more in sorrow than in anger, had been put out of the running vintage omega watches by the conduct of his own men, but these two well, it would be a hard choiceHe would be watching them closely over the next while and would announce his decision in due course
How long a while, exactly, had pursued Karalius of the First
Truly, he could have killed the man even as he stood there, helmet under his arm, eyes hypocritically lowered in a show of deferenceOh, spring, perhaps, he'd said airily, as if such matters should not be of great moment to men of good will
Sooner would be better, had said Grancial of the Second, softly
Alberico had chosen to let his eyes show just a little of what he felt
Sooner would let whichever of us you choose have time to see to the proper handling of the land before spring planting, Grancial explained hastilyA little ruffled, as he should be
Perhaps it is so, Alberico had said, noncommittallyI will give thought to this
"By the way," he added, as they reached the door"Karalius, would you be good enough to send gucci book bags me that very competent young captain of yours? The one with the forked black beardI have a special, confidential task that needs a man of his evident qualities Karalius had blinked, and nodded
It was important, very important, not to let them grow too confident, he reflected after they had gone and he'd managed to calm himselfAt the same time, only a genuine fool antagonized his troopsThe more so, if he had ultimate plans to lead them homeBy invitation of the Emperor, preferably, but not necessarilyNot, to be sure, necessarily
On further reflection, triggered by that line of thought, he did raise taxes in Tregea, Certando, and Ferraut to match the new levels in AstibarHe also sent a courier to Siferval of the Third in the Certandan highlands, praising his recent work in keeping that province quiet
You lashed them, then enticed themYou made them fear you, and know that their fortunes could be made if you liked them enoughIt was all a matter of cartier santos 100 balanc