diminution. Old Celadeyr's mouth was working furiously. "To hell with anything that corrupts the battle's glory!" he shouted.
"Destroy the Lowlife gadgetry right now or you are no Tanu king! Where's your sense of honour?"
Aiken said, "Perhaps you'd better ask King Sharn and Queen Ayfa that question. And their viceroy, Mimee of Famorel, who's investing Bardelask ... While you're at it, make certain that their idea of a Nightfall War is the same as yours."
The old hero's face inside his open helmet was as pale and hard as limestone. His mental barrier trembled, preparing for another explosive eruption.
Kuhal intervened. "Nodonn informed me that the greatest store of futuristic weapons is right here in the souterrain of the castle. Or did Queen Mercy-Rosmar succeed in destroying them?"
"She merely rendered them unusable," Aiken said. "Nodonn wasn't a traditionalist ass like Celo. He planned to use the Milieu weapons himself later, putting down any human opposition to his takeover. Right now, the entire storage area is buried in a sticky mess of poison-filled foam. We've sent to Rocilan for a Milieu-trained chemist. He's the best one in the Many-Coloured Land, and you Tanu had him torced with silver and supervising a bloody candy factory!" Aiken's golliwog grin was wry. "He's not looking forward to his new job, even though I promised him an instant promotion to gold."
"If what you say about the Firvulag is true," Kuhal ventured, "we totter on the verge of ruin-"
"I totter," Aiken corrected. He gesticulated at the nine projections of the High Table members.
"They totter! The Tanu High Kingdom that you cheese-brains say you love totters! But you don't have to stick around for the debacle. Oh, no. You can choose death if you like. Not next November in the damned Retort, but tomorrow morning, quick and clean in front of the Matsu carbines of Congreve's guard. By all tenets of Tanu law, you stand condemned. But this is a new era, and I say that the lot of you are going to pass judgment on yourselves ... and choose your own punishment."
Confused and astonished, the minds of the prisoners buzzed on the intimate mode.
"There's something else you should know," Aiken said. "Elizabeth farspoke me a piece of intelligence earlier this evening.
The human operant that we've known as Abaddon is ready to leave North America. He's coming here."
"The starmind out of the western morning," said Celadeyr in a dead voice.
Aiken was silent.
"You have told us that one of our options is clean death,"
Kuhal said. "And is that another?" He nodded at the steel boltcutter in Aiken's hand. "Mental castration as the price of liberty?"
"What good would you be to me then?" inquired the King softly. "I only showed you the iron to ... encourage attitude adjustment."
"Kuhal, nothing has changed-" Celadeyr began.
The Earthshaker interrupted. "I am your senior in rank, Celo, even if your junior in years. I claim the right to be spokesman for all of us." His mind encompassed those of the other chained knights: Do you agree battle-companions?
We agree.
And you Celadeyr of Afaliah?
I-I yield to your authority.
Kuhal Earthshaker lifted his arms. The crystal links made two glittering curves from his wrists to his throat. His form burned with rose-gold luminescence.
"I pass judgment, then, upon this company. We are guilty of breaking our oath of fealty. Guilty of supporting a Pretender.
Guilty of taking up arms against our lawful Sovereign. Our lives are forfeit and you may do with us as you will, King AikenLugonn. But know that we now submit to you utterly and beg mercy, and if you condescend, we pledge our minds and bodies to your service without reservation. And thou, Tana, witnesseth."
The little man sighed.
The glass chains fell to the floor with a musical clash.
"You're free." The King turned about, went to the black throne, and sat himself down on the hard stone seat. He leaned forward, and abruptly his coercive grip held Kuhal like a beetle
"Destroy the Lowlife gadgetry right now or you are no Tanu king! Where's your sense of honour?"
Aiken said, "Perhaps you'd better ask King Sharn and Queen Ayfa that question. And their viceroy, Mimee of Famorel, who's investing Bardelask ... While you're at it, make certain that their idea of a Nightfall War is the same as yours."
The old hero's face inside his open helmet was as pale and hard as limestone. His mental barrier trembled, preparing for another explosive eruption.
Kuhal intervened. "Nodonn informed me that the greatest store of futuristic weapons is right here in the souterrain of the castle. Or did Queen Mercy-Rosmar succeed in destroying them?"
"She merely rendered them unusable," Aiken said. "Nodonn wasn't a traditionalist ass like Celo. He planned to use the Milieu weapons himself later, putting down any human opposition to his takeover. Right now, the entire storage area is buried in a sticky mess of poison-filled foam. We've sent to Rocilan for a Milieu-trained chemist. He's the best one in the Many-Coloured Land, and you Tanu had him torced with silver and supervising a bloody candy factory!" Aiken's golliwog grin was wry. "He's not looking forward to his new job, even though I promised him an instant promotion to gold."
"If what you say about the Firvulag is true," Kuhal ventured, "we totter on the verge of ruin-"
"I totter," Aiken corrected. He gesticulated at the nine projections of the High Table members.
"They totter! The Tanu High Kingdom that you cheese-brains say you love totters! But you don't have to stick around for the debacle. Oh, no. You can choose death if you like. Not next November in the damned Retort, but tomorrow morning, quick and clean in front of the Matsu carbines of Congreve's guard. By all tenets of Tanu law, you stand condemned. But this is a new era, and I say that the lot of you are going to pass judgment on yourselves ... and choose your own punishment."
Confused and astonished, the minds of the prisoners buzzed on the intimate mode.
"There's something else you should know," Aiken said. "Elizabeth farspoke me a piece of intelligence earlier this evening.
The human operant that we've known as Abaddon is ready to leave North America. He's coming here."
"The starmind out of the western morning," said Celadeyr in a dead voice.
Aiken was silent.
"You have told us that one of our options is clean death,"
Kuhal said. "And is that another?" He nodded at the steel boltcutter in Aiken's hand. "Mental castration as the price of liberty?"
"What good would you be to me then?" inquired the King softly. "I only showed you the iron to ... encourage attitude adjustment."
"Kuhal, nothing has changed-" Celadeyr began.
The Earthshaker interrupted. "I am your senior in rank, Celo, even if your junior in years. I claim the right to be spokesman for all of us." His mind encompassed those of the other chained knights: Do you agree battle-companions?
We agree.
And you Celadeyr of Afaliah?
I-I yield to your authority.
Kuhal Earthshaker lifted his arms. The crystal links made two glittering curves from his wrists to his throat. His form burned with rose-gold luminescence.
"I pass judgment, then, upon this company. We are guilty of breaking our oath of fealty. Guilty of supporting a Pretender.
Guilty of taking up arms against our lawful Sovereign. Our lives are forfeit and you may do with us as you will, King AikenLugonn. But know that we now submit to you utterly and beg mercy, and if you condescend, we pledge our minds and bodies to your service without reservation. And thou, Tana, witnesseth."
The little man sighed.
The glass chains fell to the floor with a musical clash.
"You're free." The King turned about, went to the black throne, and sat himself down on the hard stone seat. He leaned forward, and abruptly his coercive grip held Kuhal like a beetle
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