Carthogia.
Worst of all, Thirg had placed all his personal trust in the Wearer and had no
alternative now but to admit that he had been betrayed cruelly. That bewildered
him the most. He had never been more sure of anything in his life than of the
special relationship which he had thought he and the Wearer shared—a
relationship based on a mutual understanding of the power of mind and reason
that transcended differences in language, race, form, and even world of origin.
Each had recognized a common quality in the other that reduced all their
differences, striking as they seemed at first glance, to no more than trifling
superficialities, indicating—or so Thirg had hoped—the existence of a bond that
could unite all the unknown forms of life and mind that existed across the
countless worlds above the sky. Truly inquiring minds everywhere had more in
common than divided them, and could work together regardless of what they were
or where they came from, just as the true inquirers from Kroaxia and Carthogia
could work together without cognizance of the borders between their nations.
Lumian ways would spread across Robia and bring an end to the reign of
ignorance, superstition, and fear; no longer would beliefs be imposed by dictate
or intimidation . . . and instead, knowledge and reason would prevail.
Or so Thirg had believed.
But the Wearer had deceived him and taken advantage of his trust. All of the
promises and reassurances had been as devious and as self-serving as the
practiced rhetoric of a trained prosecutor in the court of the High Council of
Kroaxia. It seemed, then, that the appeal of reason was not so universal after
all; possibly it was as rare among the worlds beyond the sky as was Kleippur
among Robia’s rulers, and the domain of reason as small a portion of the
universe as Carthogia was of Robia. Thirg had to concede that he knew of no law
of nature which said it had to be otherwise. Therefore, he told himself, partly
in consolation, perhaps it was a mistake to feel he had been wronged, for the
concept of “wrongness” was surely subjective—an expression of the limits that
the majority of robeings placed upon desirable behavior, within robeing society,
as judged through robeing eyes, on the basis of robeing teaching and experience.
No valid basis could exist for extrapolating identical, or even comparable,
ethical codes to beings from other worlds. So no compelling evidence could lead
Thirg to conclude that the Wearer had deliberately “wronged” him—Thirg’s
behavior might simply have been considered hopelessly naive and infantile by
Lumian standards. But the thought didn’t make him feel very much better. He was
still bitterly disappointed.
They climbed some shallow steps to the rear terrace of the main building and
were about to enter the hallway outside the Council Chamber when the sentries at
one of the courtyard’s side entrances opened the gate to admit a mounted
messenger. The messenger’s steed crossed the yard at a gallop and halted below
the terrace. Kleippur, who had been about to enter the door, looked back over
his shoulder then turned and strode to the head of the steps, followed by
Dornvald, while the entourage parted to let them through. “Speak,” Kleippur said
to the messenger. “What is your news?”
“Tidings from General Yemblayen,” the messenger replied, his words coming fast
with urgency. “The Waskorians have crossed our lines and are heading toward
Menassim.”
Alarmed murmurs broke out among the others on the terrace. “How many and how
armed?” Dornvald snapped. “Was there a battle? Where, and what were our losses?
What is the condition of Yemblayen’s force?”
The messenger shook his head. “Your pardon, sir, but you misunderstand. There
has been no battle. General Yemblayen opened his lines to allow the Waskorians
free passage. They have agreed willingly to travel under Carthogian escort and
are approaching Menassim peacefully, led by their prophet, Ezimbial.”
“Ezimbial . . . leading them peacefully?” Kleippur stared in disbelief. “Have
you been imbibing uranium salts, messenger?”
“‘Tis true, ’tis true,” the messenger insisted. “They are seized by a new faith
that renounces all war and killings. They speak of Carthogians as brothers and