Vala stormed at Wolff. He told her to shut up; they did not have time for talking. In a few words he explained what he had done and why.
Vala recovered quickly. She smiled, though still pale, and said, “You have done it again, Jadawin! Turned Urizen’s own devices against him!”
“I do not know if you are guilty of allying yourself with our father or not,” Wolff said. “Perhaps I am overly suspicious, though it may be impossible to be that when dealing with a Lord. If you are innocent, I will apologize. If not, well, our father must by now be convinced that you have betrayed him and are with us. So he will kill you before you can explain, unless you kill him first. You have no choice.”
“Jadawin, you were always a fox! So be it! I will kill our father the first chance I get! Who knows, I may have the chance! I would have sworn up to a few hours ago that we would be trapped as soon as we entered his domain! But here we are, and he has a deadly problem on his hands!”
She pointed up at the great window through which the sea was cataracting. “Obviously the gate is on the highest level of the palace. And water flows downward. If he doesn’t do something soon, he will be drowned like a rat caught in its own hole.”
She turned to indicate the land outside the palace. “As you can see, the palace is in a valley surrounded entirely by high mountains. It will take some time, but the entire sea of the waterworld will come through the gates, unless the matching gates on the waterworld settle on a shallow bottom. This valley will be flooded, and then the water will spill over the mountains and inundate the rest of the planet.”
Rintrah said, “Why don’t we just climb the mountains and watch our father drown?”
Wolff shook his head. “No, Chryseis is in there.”
Rintrah said, “What is that to the rest of us?”
“Urizen will have flying craft,” Wolff said. “If he escapes the palace in one, he will pick us off. Even if we should hide from him, we would be doomed. He has merely to leave us here. Eventually, this world will be flooded. We will be trapped, perhaps to starve again. No, if you want to get away from here and back to your own universe, you will have to help me kill Urizen.”
He said to Theotormon, “You were allowed a little freedom while you were his prisoner. If we could find the area you know, we could better avoid traps.”
“There is an entrance at the bottom of the sunken garden, which is now a pool,” Theotormon said. “That would be the best way to enter. We can swim up to the levels that are not yet flooded. If we avoid contact with the floor and walls, we can prevent setting off the traps.”
They plunged into the water and, hugging the sides of the pool to avoid the impact of the falling waters, swam around behind the cataract. It was easy to locate the door, since a current was roaring through it. They let it sweep them through until they came to a staircase. This was broad and built of sculptured red and black stone. They swam up it and after many turnings, came to another level. This, too, was flooded, so they continued their ascent. The next floor was inches deep in water and filling swiftly. The Lords climbed on up the stairs until they were on the fourth story.
Urizen’s palace was like every Lord’s, magnificent in every respect. At another time, Wolff might have lingered to look at the paintings, drapes, sculptures, and treasures, loot of many worlds. Now he had but two thoughts. Kill Urizen and save his great-eyed wife, Chryseis.
Wolff looked around before giving the word to advance. He said, “Where’s Vala?”
“She was behind me a moment ago,” Rintrah said.
“Then she’s in no trouble,” Wolff replied. “But we may be. If she’s sneaked off to join Urizen. . .”
“We’d better get to him before she does,” Luvah said.