Romis hesitated a moment, then asked, “Can you -.. sense … what is in my mind?”
Now it was Odal’s turn to hesitate. Was this a trap? He glanced around the confining walls of the tiny booth, and at the door that he knew was locked from the outside. What more can they do? KtU me?
“I can feel in your thoughts,” Odal replied, “a hatred for Kanus. A hatred that is matched only by your fear of him. If you had it in your power you would,. -.”
“I would what?”
^. Odal finally saw the picture clearly. “You would have \ the Leader assassinated.”
“How?”
: “By a disgraced army officer who would have good . -, cause to hate Kanus.”
“You have cause to hate him,” Romis emphasized.
“Perhaps.”
“Perhaps? Can you fail to hate him?”
Odal shook his head. “I’ve never considered the question. He is the Leader. I have neither loved nor hated, only followed his commands.”
“Duty above self,” Romis’ thought returned. “You speak like a member of the nobility.”
“Such as you are. And yet you wish to assassinate the Leader.”
“Yes! Because a true member of the nobility puts his duty to the Kerak Worlds before his allegiance to this madman—this usurper of power who will destroy us all, nobleman and commoner alike.”
“I am only a commoner,” Odal replied, very deliberately. “Perhaps I’m not equipped to decide where my uty lies. Certainly, I have no choice in my duties at present.”
Romis recovered his composure. “Listen to me. If you agree to join us, we can help you escape from this beastly experimentation. As you can see, certain members of Kor’s staff are with us; so too are groups in the army and space fleet. If you will help us, you can once again be a hero of Kerak.”