series of effronteries committed by Khan’s sanctimonious former associates. Now ’tis the spring, and weeds are shallow-rooted; he thought, recalling the cogent advice of the Bard. Suffer them now and they’ll overgrow the garden . ...
Cold fury gripped his heart. He threw the broken fragments of his sword onto the floor and ground them into splinters beneath his heel. “Will no one rid me of these infernal meddlers?” he snarled venomously.
Puzzlement gave way to anger upon Ament’s refined features. “What is this operation you speak of?”
An icy tone revealed her displeasure. “Why was I not informed of this?”
“There was no need,” Khan stated, his tone softening as he attempted to placate the offended counselor,
“Yours is a gracious and nurturing nature, dear lady, best suited to securing the blessings of peace and prosperity for all who dwell within my realm. Do not trouble yourself with the crueler necessities of power.” He stared into her striking amber eyes, admiring as always the keen intelligence he found there.
“Let me bear that shadow upon my conscience, without burdening yours as well.”
Ament appeared unswayed by his flattery. “Such antiquated sexism, disguised as chivalry, hardly[91]
becomes a new breed of leader,” she said sarcastically. “Furthermore, reckless adventurism of this sort compromises my efforts to procure the very blessings you mention. The World Bank, for instance, whose financial assistance would greatly assist our plans to improve South Asia’s infrastructure and economy, frowns on covert military operations conducted on the soil of member nations.” Her voice took on a milder tone, sounding more regretful than irate. “You make it too easy for the rest of the world to dismiss you as a terrorist.”
“Perhaps,” Khan stated skeptically. He accepted Ament’s cautious chidings, but only so far. “Yet do not forget that, ultimately, it is the world that must bend to my will, not the other way around.” He clapped his hands and a servant ran forward to offer him a towel and a fresh robe. He wiped the perspiration from his body, then let the anonymous menial drape the brocaded silk robe over his shoulders. “Not everything can be accomplished by diplomacy and negotiation, Lady Ament. Sometimes our swords must play the orators for us. That is the way of the world.”
Suzette Ling stepped forward. “In fact,” she hastened to point out, painfully eager to find a piece of positive news to report, “there is little chance that the mishap in London will be linked to your regime, Great Khan. The British press is already blaming the explosion on the IRA.”
Ament released a derisive sigh. “Let us be thankful for small favors,” she said wryly. “The less in the headlines, the better.”
“You think so?” Khan challenged her. Beneath his[92]controlled exterior, bitter resentment and frustration churned within his heart, threatening to flood his soul with bile. “In truth, I grow weary of such subterfuge and misdirection, of skulking behind scapegoats and cover stories. I would prefer to fight my battles in the open, to reveal my true nature and destiny to the world.”
Once again, Ament counseled caution. “Impatience will be your fatal flaw, Lord Khan, unless you learn to let the future unfold at its own pace. Recall that, for all our genetic superiority, our kind is still vastly outnumbered by those merely human. Better for now to let the world’s teeming masses believe that you are one of them; there is no need for them to know otherwise, and knowledge of your true, superhuman nature could well trigger visceral fears on the part of the populace.”
Prudence warred with ego as Khan considered her words, which were not without wisdom, he admitted reluctantly. As much as it galled him to lurk behind the scenes of world affairs, scrupulously keeping out of the spotlight, he had to concede chat much of mankind would not welcome—more, would react
Cold fury gripped his heart. He threw the broken fragments of his sword onto the floor and ground them into splinters beneath his heel. “Will no one rid me of these infernal meddlers?” he snarled venomously.
Puzzlement gave way to anger upon Ament’s refined features. “What is this operation you speak of?”
An icy tone revealed her displeasure. “Why was I not informed of this?”
“There was no need,” Khan stated, his tone softening as he attempted to placate the offended counselor,
“Yours is a gracious and nurturing nature, dear lady, best suited to securing the blessings of peace and prosperity for all who dwell within my realm. Do not trouble yourself with the crueler necessities of power.” He stared into her striking amber eyes, admiring as always the keen intelligence he found there.
“Let me bear that shadow upon my conscience, without burdening yours as well.”
Ament appeared unswayed by his flattery. “Such antiquated sexism, disguised as chivalry, hardly[91]
becomes a new breed of leader,” she said sarcastically. “Furthermore, reckless adventurism of this sort compromises my efforts to procure the very blessings you mention. The World Bank, for instance, whose financial assistance would greatly assist our plans to improve South Asia’s infrastructure and economy, frowns on covert military operations conducted on the soil of member nations.” Her voice took on a milder tone, sounding more regretful than irate. “You make it too easy for the rest of the world to dismiss you as a terrorist.”
“Perhaps,” Khan stated skeptically. He accepted Ament’s cautious chidings, but only so far. “Yet do not forget that, ultimately, it is the world that must bend to my will, not the other way around.” He clapped his hands and a servant ran forward to offer him a towel and a fresh robe. He wiped the perspiration from his body, then let the anonymous menial drape the brocaded silk robe over his shoulders. “Not everything can be accomplished by diplomacy and negotiation, Lady Ament. Sometimes our swords must play the orators for us. That is the way of the world.”
Suzette Ling stepped forward. “In fact,” she hastened to point out, painfully eager to find a piece of positive news to report, “there is little chance that the mishap in London will be linked to your regime, Great Khan. The British press is already blaming the explosion on the IRA.”
Ament released a derisive sigh. “Let us be thankful for small favors,” she said wryly. “The less in the headlines, the better.”
“You think so?” Khan challenged her. Beneath his[92]controlled exterior, bitter resentment and frustration churned within his heart, threatening to flood his soul with bile. “In truth, I grow weary of such subterfuge and misdirection, of skulking behind scapegoats and cover stories. I would prefer to fight my battles in the open, to reveal my true nature and destiny to the world.”
Once again, Ament counseled caution. “Impatience will be your fatal flaw, Lord Khan, unless you learn to let the future unfold at its own pace. Recall that, for all our genetic superiority, our kind is still vastly outnumbered by those merely human. Better for now to let the world’s teeming masses believe that you are one of them; there is no need for them to know otherwise, and knowledge of your true, superhuman nature could well trigger visceral fears on the part of the populace.”
Prudence warred with ego as Khan considered her words, which were not without wisdom, he admitted reluctantly. As much as it galled him to lurk behind the scenes of world affairs, scrupulously keeping out of the spotlight, he had to concede chat much of mankind would not welcome—more, would react
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