Following it with his eyes he saw the road rise and fall, turning this way and that as it descended into the distance toward a large town.

"Malac's Cross," Locklear said. "Do you think we should go in for supplies?."

For a time it seemed the sounds and smells of the village chased after them, but slowly the sensual remnants faded into the afternoon as they hiked further uphill.

"Sometimes people will throw out the strangest things," Locklear said , wiggling the lid of the refuse barrel loose. "Perhaps there's something in here we can use."

"Someone's boarded over the inside," he grumbled. "Can't see a thing."

"Ticket," he barked through gapped teeth. When James failed to respond quickly enough, he leaned closer and shouted. "Are you deaf!? I'll need your lecture ticket."

"What if we don't have a ticket?" James replied.

The man smiled an unpleasant smile. Hooking his thumb at four extremely well developed soldiers who looked to be members of Malac's Cross' constabulary, he squinted. "Do you have tickets for this evening's lecture or no?"

"No," James said, backing into the street. "We don't want any trouble. We'll be leaving now."

The door slammed closed.

When it refused to open, he shrugged. "It's been barred from the inside," he said. "I guess that's all the lecturer has to say at the moment."

Waving smoke from his face, James was surprised by the number of young nobles seated in the lecture hall, most looking as if they would rather be drinking ale in the tavern across the street. Despite that, they made friendly company as they offered up seats to James and his companions.

"All rise for Guy of Rillanon, First Adviser to the Throne of Kingdom of Isles," a page announced from the rear of the room.

After an uncomfortably long wait, a pair of men dressed in purple tabards advanced to the foot of the rude stage and took up station, the looks on their faces stern and watchful. Quick behind them was a man dressed all in black, from tunic to trousers to the patch over his left eye. Mounting the stage between his escorts, he looked out on the assemblage as if they were all his soldiers in the field. Seeing James, a smile touched the First Adviser's face.

"It seems I'm not the only first adviser here, James of Krondor," Guy said, motioning for everyone to take their seats. "I am surprised Prince Arutha could spare your company." James shrugged and covered with a quick lie that seemed to satisfy all in the room, as anxious as the rest for the lecture to begin.

Hours passed. After a lengthy discussion of the battles at Deep Taunton and the siege of the Shamata Garrison, the First Adviser finished his lecture and dismissed his boggled students, stepping down from the podium to speak with James. A grave look was upon Guy's face as he grasped the Seigneur's shoulder.

"You are lucky most of the men in this room don't know Arutha," Guy whispered, glancing at Owyn. "If they did, none of them would believe you had been sent to Romney to fetch this puny little squire. I am also curious to know why you are travelling in the company of a Dark Brother." Seeing the fire burning in the Adviser's good eye, James realized the old man was asking the questions in deadly earnest and that his two escorts were standing close for reasons other than show. "I'll not have Arutha betrayed."

Waiting until the rest of the students had been shunted out the door, James quickly began to explain the situation, allowing Gorath to fill in the details which he only partially knew. When he mentioned the Nighthawks and Romney, the First Adviser nodded.

"Prince Arutha is right to send you to Romney," Guy said. "There is a group of Kingdom men there. I had Duke de Sevigny send them a few months ago when we heard about the guild troubles brewing there. We had suspicions the Guild of Death was involved." Grabbing up his cloak, the First Adviser nodded to his escorts to check the streets. "If anyone in the Kingdom can find the Nighthawks, it will be those men from Bas-Tyra. They've been of great help in the cause of the Kingdom over the past few years. I'll warn you, however, that they've made quite a few enemies along the way. Watch your step between here and the Black Sheep Tavern."

Once the guards had indicated that the road was clear, Guy was gone and the building's watcher shuffled them outside.

Waving smoke from his face, James was surprised by the number of young nobles seated in the lecture hall, most looking as if they would rather be drinking ale in the tavern across the street. He shuffled his way through shoulders and elbows, finding benches for both Owyn and Gorath before taking a seat next to a scrawny soldier wearing a tabard emblazoned with a red stone tor - the colors of Highcastle.

Against the back wall a small stage had been set up, its perimeter surrounded by flickering candles, casting an eerie yellowish glow on the faces of Baron Troville and the two men who attended him. When at last they had set up the hardwood podium, the baron stood and looked across the room.

"I wish I could deliver this speech under happier circumstances, but to the north the Dark Brothers are massing for yet another siege against us," the baron started slowly. "I am here not by request of your Abbot, but because I await the arrival of volunteers from Darkmoor and Salador to come and join my forces at Highcastle. We have received word that the moredhel's new prince, Delekhan, has unfurled the war banners of Murmandamus."

A rumble passed through the congregation of nobles, the significance of the old moredhel name not lost on the students. Looking at most of the faces in the room, James knew that most in the room had only been children when Murmandamus had led his troops to Sethanon and had likely lost fathers or uncles in that deadly battle.

"I think therefore this lesson will be a little more practical for our purposes and will concentrate on the defenses at Highcastle," Troville continued. "Page, please fetch my maps..."

For five hours the baron lectured on defensive techniques and the essential tactics known to be of use in Northlands. When at last his energy began to flag, he took a few questions before calling the meeting to an end and exiting the hall through a rear exit.