could touch it and not die?’
“because Bhelliom’s alive, you dolt. It has an awareness. It kills
only those it wants to kill – and that would certainly include you.
You’re my son, and even I want to kill you most of the time.
You had some deranged, half-formed notion that you could just
pick up Bhelliom and start giving it commands, didn’t you?’
Scarpa flushed guiltily.
‘Can’t you get it through your sick head that only a God – or
Anakha – can safely take up Bhelliom and start giving it orders?
I realized that over a century ago. Why do you think I made an
alliance with Azash – or with Cyrgon? Did you think I was
having religious yearnings?’ He smiled a cruel smile. ‘Did you
really think Bhelliom would have made you a match for me,
Scarpa? You were going to put on the rings, snatch up the Bhelliom,
and order it to kill me, weren’t you? I almost wish the
situation were different. I’d have loved to see the expression
on your face as Bhelliom slowly turned you to stone.’ Zalasta
straightened. ‘Enough of this,’ he said. He went to the door.
‘Come in here,’ he barked, ‘all of you.’
The men who entered were fearful and hesitant as they sidled
through the door. Krager appeared to have been frightened to
the point that he was sober, and Elron was actually cringing.
The third man was a stringy-looking Styric with a long beard,
shaggy eyebrows, and sunken, burning eyes.
‘All right, gentlemen,’ Zalasta said, ‘this new development
calls for a change of plans. My son and I have discussed the
matter, and he’s evidently decided that he wants to go on living,
because he’s agreed to follow my instructions. I’m going to take
the Queen and her maid to a safe place. Natayos is no longer
secure. Sparhawk could literally be anywhere. For all I know,
he’s already here. I want you three to stay here with Scarpa.
Keep sending those letters of instruction to this counterfeit Sparhawk.
Don’t let our enemies know that we’re on to them. Give
me a couple of days and then send instructions to Panem-Doa.
Tell them to prepare suitable quarters for two very important
ladies. Then wait two more days and send a closed carriage
down there. Security’s an alien concept to those cretins at
Panem-Doa, so word of your message will be all over southern
Arjuna almost before your messenger arrives. Cyzada, I want
you to keep a close watch over my deranged son here. If he
doesn’t follow my instructions to the letter, I want you to summon
one of the servants of Azash from the nether world to kill
him. Be creative, old boy. Pick the cruelest and most hideous
demon you can find. If Scarpa disobeys me again, I want him
to take a long, long time to die, and I want them to be able to
hear him screaming all the way from here to Matherion.’
Cyzada’s dead eyes came alight with a sudden cruel anticipation.
He fixed a ghastly smile on the now totally rational Scarpa.
‘I’ll see to it, Zalasta,’ he promised in a hollow voice. ‘I know
just the one to call on.’
Scarpa shrank back fearfully.
‘Where are you going to take the prisoners, Lord Zalasta?’
Elron quavered. ‘Where can you be safe from that vengeful monster
they call Anakha?’
“you don’t need to know that, Elron,’ Zalasta replied. ‘The
Pandions have a reputation for severity when they interrogate
prisoners. You won’t be able to tell them what you don’t know
– even when they start to torture you.’
Torture?’ Elron’s eyes widened, and his voice came out in a
terrified squeak.
This is the real world, Elron, not some romanticized daydream.
The posturing and play-acting are over now, but I’m
sure we’ll all be impressed by how heroically you endure the
agonies they’ll surely inflict on you when they catch you.’
Elron fell back in a near faint.
CHAPTER 17
Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Danae of Elenia, sat pensively
on an out-of-the-way window-seat on one of the upper
floors of her mother’s castle. The weather outside was unsettled,
and a blustery wind skipped the dead leaves across the lawns below
like scurrying brown mice. Danae absently stroked her purring cat
as she considered options, alternatives, and possibilities.
Mirtai, grim, implacable, and wearing an Atan breastplate of
polished steel and black leather, stood several yards down the
corridor, her face set in an expression of sullen obedience and
her hand on her sword-hilt.
‘You’re still angry with me, aren’t you?’ Danae asked the
golden giantess, not even bothering to turn around.
‘It’s not my place to either approve or disapprove of my
owner.’ Mirtai was being stubborn about it.
‘Oh, stop that. Come here.’
Mirtai marched up the hall to where her capricious little owner
was sitting. ‘Yes?’
‘i’m going to try again. Please listen to me this time.’
‘As your Majesty commands.’
‘That’s getting very tiresome, you know. We love you, Mirtai.”
‘is your Majesty speaking in the royal plural?’
‘You’re starting to make me cross. I’ve got a name, and you
know what it is. We all love you, and it would have broken our
hearts if you’d decided to kill yourself. I spoke to you the way
I did to bring you to your senses, you ninny.’
‘I know why you did it, Danae, but did you have to humiliate
me in front of the others?’
‘I apologize.
‘You can’t do that. You’re a queen, and queens can’t appologize.”
‘I can if I want.’ Danae paused. ‘So there,’ she added.
Mirtai laughed and suddenly embraced the little girl. ‘You’re
never going to learn how to be a queen, Danae.’
‘Oh, I don’t know. Being the queen just means that you get
what you want. I do that all the time anyway. I don’t need a
crown or an army for something as simple as that.’
‘You’re a very spoiled little girl, your Majesty.’
‘I know, and I love every minute of it.’
Then the Princess heard a faint, far-away murmur, a murmur
that Mirtai could not, of course, even sense. ‘Why don’t you go
find Melidere?’ she suggested. She sighed and rolled her eyes
upward. ‘i’m sure she’s looking for me anyway. It’s probably
time for another one of those girl lessons.’
‘She’s giving you instruction in courtly manners and traditional
courtesies, Danae,’ Mirtai reproved her. ‘if you’re going
to be a queen, you’ll need to know those things.’
‘I think it’s silly, myself. Go on ahead, Mirtai. I’ll be along in
a minute.’
The giantess went off down the hall, and Princess Danae
spoke very quietly. ‘What is it, Setras?’ she asked her cousin.
“you already know the courtesies, Aphrael,’ her curly-haired
cousin said, appearing suddenly beside her. ‘Why are you taking
lessons?’
‘It gives Melidere something to occupy her mind and keeps
her out of mischief. I spent a great deal of time and effort getting
her and Stragen together. I don’t want her to spoil it by getting
bored and starting to look for outside entertainment.’
That’s very important to you, isn’t it?’ Setras sounded a little
puzzled. ‘Why should the things they do to perpetuate themselves
interest you at all?’
“you probably wouldn’t understand, Setras You’re too
young.’
i’m as old as you are.
“yes, but you don’t pay any attention to what your worshippers
are doing when they’re alone together.’
I know what they’re doing. It’s ridiculous.’
‘they~seem to like it.’
“Flowers are much more dignified about it,’ he sniffed.
‘is this what you wanted to talk to me about?’
‘Oh, I almost forgot. I have a message for you. There’s an
Alcione Knight – one of the ones who serve me. I think you
know him. He’s a moon-faced fellow named Tynian.’
‘Yes.’
‘He went back to Chyrellos to pick up some help, and it seems
that he inadvertently chose every Pandion skilled enough to
pass messages on to you and brought them all to this part of
the world, so there wasn’t anybody with the Church Knights to
tell you what happened in Zemoch.’
‘Yes, I already know about that. Anakha’s going to talk with
Tynian about that. What happened in Zemoch?’
‘The Church Knights had an encounter with klael. A third of
them were killed.’
Aphrael unleashed a blistering string of curses.
‘Aphrael!’ he gasped. ‘You’re not supposed to talk that
way.’ ‘Oh, go bury it, Setras! Why didn’t you tell me about this as
soon as you got here?’
‘I was curious about the other thing,’ he confessed. ‘It’s not
as if they all got killed, Aphrael. There are still plenty of them
left. In a little while there’ll be as many as before. They’re ferociously
prolific.’
‘I love them all, you dolt. I don’t want to lose any of them.’
‘You’re greedy. That’s one of your shortcomings, cousin. You
can’t keep all of them, you know.’
‘Don’t make any wagers on that, Setras. I’m only just getting