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."Then you were more certain than I.I only now made the choice.""If I might ask, Ben Holiday  what was it that decided you?"The smile disappeared from Ben's face.He hesitated, thinking momentarily of those few who had cometo the Heart to witness his coronation.They were not so different, really, from the clients he had taken anoath to represent, and he not so different from the lawyer who had taken that oath.Perhaps he did owethem something after all.He said nothing of that to Questor, though.He merely shrugged."It was a balancing of the equities, Isuppose.If I stay, it will cost me a million dollars  presuming, of course, that I can find a way to stayalive.If I go, it will cost me my self-respect.I would like to think that my self-respect is worth a milliondollars."The wizard nodded."Perhaps it is.""Besides, I don't like quitting in the middle of something.It grates on me to think that Meeks chose mebecause he expected that I would do exactly that.I want very badly to disappoint him in his expectation.We have a saying where I come from, Questor: Don't get mad, get even.The longer I stay, the betterchance I have of finding a way to do that.It's worth the risks involved.""The risks are substantial.""I know.And I don't suppose anyone besides me would even think twice about taking them."Questor thought a moment."Maybe not.But no one else stands in your shoes, High Lord."Ben sighed."Well, in any case, the matter's settled.I'm staying and that's that." He straightened slowly."What I have to do now is to concentrate on finding ways of dealing with Landover's problems beforethey bury me."Questor nodded."And the first of those problems is the refusal of any of the King's subjects to recognize me as King.OrGenerated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlthemselves as subjects.They have to be made to pledge to the throne."The other nodded one time more."How will you do that?""I don't know yet.But I do know one thing.No one is going to come here to make that pledge.Thecoronation would have brought them, were they at all willing.Since they refuse to come here, we'll haveto go there  there being wherever they are."Questor frowned."I have reservations about such a plan, High Lord.It could prove very dangerous."Ben shrugged."Maybe, but I don't see that we have much choice in the matter." He stood up."Care tomake a suggestion as to where we should start?"The wizard sighed and stood up with him."I suggest, High Lord, that we start at the beginning."Lords of the GreenswardThere had been many who had pledged service to the Kings of Landover  families who forgenerations had fought in the armies of the High Lords and stood beside their thrones.There had beenmany who could point with pride to their record of loyal and faithful service.But none had served so wellor so long as the Lords of the Greensward, and it was to them that Ben Holiday was advised he shouldgo first."The barons trace their bloodlines back thousands of years  some to the time that Landover came intobeing," Questor Thews explained."They have always stood with the King.They formed the backbone ofhis army; they comprised the core of his advisors and court.Some of them were Kings of Landoverthemselves  though none in the last several hundred years.They were always the first to offer service.When the old King died, they were the last to depart.If you are to gain support anywhere.High Lord, itwould be from them."Ben accepted the suggestion  although it was really less a suggestion than a caution, he thought  anddeparted Sterling Silver at dawn of the following day for the estates of the land barons.Questor Thews,Abernathy and the two kobolds went with him once again.Ben, the wizard and the scribe rodehorseback because the journey to the Greensward was a long one.The kobolds could have ridden, too,had they chosen to do so, but kobolds in general had little use for horses, being quicker of foot andstronger of wind than the best racer that had ever run, and so almost always traveled afoot.Besides,horses were unusually skittish when ridden by kobolds.Ben had no trouble understanding that.Anythingthat could dispatch a timber wolf, a cave wight, and a bog wump with such ease made him skittish, too.It was a peculiar-looking group that departed that morning.Questor led the way, his tall, brightlycloaked figure slouched across an old gray that must have been ready for pasture years ago [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]