Despite our ambitions, we did not manage to leave the inn the next day, or even the next week. Conner must have been running on pure nerve the night before. When he awakened in the morning, his months of imprisonment had caught up with him. Too weak to do much, he lingered in bed, with Freda and Blaise playing nursemaids. They plied him with light soups and delicate pastries from the inn's more-than-capable kitchens, to Conner's delight. He seemed to enjoy the attention.

Since the Logrus had already shown Suhuy and (I assumed) everyone else in King Uthor's camp where we were staying, I figured it wouldn't matter if my family continued to use it here. Everyone to his or her own talent…

I put Aber and Blaise on gold-gathering duty. The two of them spent an afternoon pulling in several tons of gold through the Logrus. Gold bricks, gold nuggets, gold plates and silverware—they found it all and brought it into our suite. When the floors groaned from the load, I hired several wagons and carted it all down to the Imperial Bank of Selonika, where its deposit caused quite a stir.

The bank manager dispatched runners to the palace every few minutes with updated totals as clerks weighed and carefully logged in our wealth, and they quickly returned with a line of credit marked “unlimited.” No less a personage than Prince Marib himself signed the letter.

It also came with an invitation to luncheon at the palace. I sent my brother. While he and the prince dined and became fast friends, I took Blaise on a shopping spree. We bought dozens of horses, mules, goats, sheep, cows, pigs, chickens, and other domestic animals. And then we bought several dozen large heavy-canvas tents, lanterns and oil, picks and shovels, seed and grain, and enough foodstuffs to last us at least six months. Beds and furniture… tables… silverware… we would need everything ahead of time, especially since no one would be able to use the Logrus to bring in last-minute items. Blaise hired maids, butlers, cooks, and other servants.

We needed a warehouse to hold all these purchases, so I bought one of those, too—and hired an accountant and a dozen burly workers to manage everything. Money flowed like water. A steady stream of deliveries began to arrive almost immediately.

With my permission, Aber revealed to Prince Marib some of the truth about our family. We intended to export supplies from his Shadow to ours until we established our own economy. Envisioning a huge profit, Prince Marib seemed delighted at the prospect, according to Aber, and quickly sent us lists of his city's best chartered architects, stonemasons, hostlers, and various other tradesmen who could help. Aber, Blaise, and I spent the rest of the day visiting them, hiring their services at higher-than-normal cost, and generally arranging things. They would hire whatever construction workers were needed to commence construction of a castle and town immediately.

Foundations needed to be dug first, and that could begin even before the blueprints were finalized.

In the meantime, our father spent the day in his room, drawing new Pattern-based Trumps. He made a set for me first, one showing each of the surviving members of our family—and with some amusement I noticed his drawing of Aber showed a court jester complete with pointy green hat and curly-toed shoes with bells on their tips. Tit for tat; that's how Aber portrayed Dad on his Trumps. At my request, Dad also created a Trump showing my bedroom at the inn. This way I could return as needed. Since I had already paid in full for everyone's suites at the inn for the next fifty years, this room would always be held empty for me, for use whenever I needed it.

When he finished the Trumps—clearly not his best work, sloppy but serviceable—we Shadow-walked back to the empty world I had selected for our new home. He wanted to see it for himself.

We spent the last daylight hours on a quiet ramble through the hills and small mountains (“Ideal for a castle,” he commented), down through the ancient oak forests (“enough wood for a half-dozen towns”), then onto the white sandy beach (“a good natural harbor”). The weather remained mild, the sun bright, and game plentiful, from birds and fish to rabbits and deer. The only thing missing was a stone-quarry, but we both agreed a site for one could easily be found in the west.

Using my new Trump, we returned to the inn for a late dinner. The pessimist in me half expected to find the place ablaze and the guests slaughtered as Uthor's hell-creatures overran the city, but everything appeared calm and peaceful.

Almost too peaceful.

On the second day after Conner's return, Aber and I breakfasted with Prince Marib at the palace. His Majesty's invitation had been extended to me through Aber, and although I suspected it originally might have included our father, by the time Aber delivered it, it only included me. I was delighted to accept, however. It wasn't every day I got to dine in a palace, and I planned to pick up ideas for our own castle's construction.

The prince sent a covered carriage for us at eight o'clock in the morning. Aber and I stepped up into the cab, the driver whipped up the matched team of white geldings, and off we raced up the streets of the city.

“Is there anything I should know about the prince before we meet?” I asked Aber in a quiet voice.

“He's quite a lot like you.”

“Short, bald, and middle-aged?” I said, raising my eyebrows. “I've seen his statues…”

Aber laughed. “Idiot… not physically alike. But he did remind me of you. You both have an annoyingly noble streak. You're always thinking of everyone else, rather than just yourselves… the greater good, I guess you'd call it.” He shrugged. “In his case, he's thinking of his whole principality. Trade with us will make everyone here rich, if they handle it right, and he knows it. He doesn't want to screw that up.”

“That's the mark of a good ruler,” I said. I looked out the window at the passing buildings. Merchants were already opening their shops, rolling down bright canopies and rolling out barrels of fruits, vegetables, and other items. Children laughed and darted here and there, playing games. A few old women scrubbed the sidewalks on their hands and knees. They all seemed happy and well-fed.

Aber said, “Everyone seems to like him, both personally and as a ruler. You have that talent, too.”

“I think you overestimate me,” I said. “Mostly I just want us all to survive.”

“And thrive,” he said.

“Well, yes.”

He smiled. “If we get to pick our king, you've got my vote.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Dad's first in line. He's the king.”

“Uh-uh.” He shook his head. “He's a creature of the Logrus, like the rest of us. The Pattern is yours alone. Besides, he doesn't have the skills of a leader—or the interest. He'd rather putter around his workshop, inventing things and playing with his magical toys. He can't organize a whole new world. You've been doing all the work. You deserve the title.”

“Maybe…” I frowned. I had always assumed Dad would be our leader. And yet, what Aber said made a lot of sense. Dad had made more than his share of bad decisions over the years, and he didn't exactly inspire loyalty.

“And,” Aber continued, “you have the military experience to protect us. That has to be more important than anything else right now. I don't want to get slaughtered in my sleep. Dad—”

“We'll talk more about it later,” I promised, as the carriage rolled through the high marble gates of the palace. “Right now, we have a prince to impress.”

Prince Marib, looking splendid in a brilliantly feathered crown and robes of deep purple trimmed in gold, greeted us in a garden located at the center of his palace. Tame monkeys laughed and chattered from the intricately trimmed trees around us as his steward ushered us to cushioned seats around a small glass table.