One of the sentries in front of Taman 's palace stepped up to me as I stopped at the entrance.
"What do you want?" he demanded. I guess putting a man in front of a door anywhere in the universe must do something to him. The tremendous responsibility implicit in such a cosmic assignment seems to remove all responsibility for good manners. I have seldom known it to fail. When it does, they must immediately transfer the man to some other form of activity.
"I want to go in," I said; "I am Carson of Venus."
The fellow stepped back as though he had seen a ghost, as I imagine that he thought he had, for a moment.
"Carson of Venus!" he exclaimed. "We thought you were dead. Muso issued a proclamation of mourning for you. You must be dead."
"I am not, and I want to go in and see my wife and Taman ."
"They are not there," he said.
"Where are they?"
"Across the street." He looked a bit uncomfortable as he said it, or was it my imagination?
"Then I'll go over there," I said.
"I do not think Muso will be glad to see you," opined the sentry; but I had already started, and he did not attempt to detain me.
Once again, at Muso's palace, I was stopped by a sentry. He wouldn't believe that I was Carson of Venus, and was going to have me carted off to jail. But I finally prevailed on him, by means of a small bribe, to call an officer. He who came, I had known quite well and had liked. I had taken him up in my ship a number of times, and we were good friends. When he recognized me, he looked mighty uncomfortable. I laid a hand on his arm, reassuringly.
"Please don't be embarrassed," I begged. "I have heard. Am I in time?"
"Thank the good fates, you are," he replied. "It was to be announced at the 27th hour this night. It is almost that now."
"And I may go in?" I asked, out of courtesy; for I intended going in, if I had to kill someone doing it.
"I would be the last man to stop you," he said, "even if I lost my head for it."
"Thanks," I said, and ran up the broad stairway beyond the ornate portals.
I could see down the center corridor to the great throneroom. It was packed with the aristocracy of Sanara. I knew that whatever of interest was taking place in the palace was taking place there; so I hurried along the corridor toward the doorway. Over the heads of the assembly I could see Muso standing on a dais beside the throne. He was speaking.
"A jong," he was saying, "must take his woman before the eyes of all men; so that all may know whom to honor as their vadjong. Being without a woman, I have chosen to honor one whose man gave his life in the service of Korva and myself. It is the highest award of merit that I can confer upon his memory."
I was elbowing my way through the crowd to the discomfiture of ribs and toes and to the accompaniment of scowls and muttered imprecations. Finally an officer seized me by the shoulder and swung me around facing him. When he saw who I was, his eyes went wide; and then a wry smile twisted his lips as he let me go and gave me a push forward. As I came in full view of the dais, I saw Duare sitting on a low bench, her eyes staring straight ahead, that noble little head of hers unbowed. A strapping warrior of the jong's guard sat on either side of her. That was the only reason she was there.
"And now," said Muso, "lives there any man who says I may not take Duare, Janjong of Vepaja, to be my queen?"
"There does," I said in a loud voice, stepping forward. Duare looked quickly down at me; then, before the warriors could prevent, she had leaped to the floor and flung herself into my arms.
Muso stood there with his mouth open, his arms hanging limply at his side. If the saying about having the starch taken out of one was ever appropriate, it was then. Here was a situation with which it seemed impossible for him to cope. Here was a problem without a solution. Finally he forced a sickly smile.
"I thought you were dead," he said. "This is indeed a happy moment."
I just looked at him, and made no reply. The silence in the room was deathlike. It must have lasted for a full minute, which is a very long time under such circumstances; then someone started for the doorway, and like a funeral procession the guests passed out. I felt a hand on my arm, and turned to see whose it was. It was Taman 's. Jahara was at his side. She looked both frightened and pleased.
"Come," he said, "you had better get out of here."
As we reached the doorway, I turned and looked back. Muso was still standing there beside his throne like one in a trance. We left the jong's palace and crossed directly to Taman 's, nor did any of us breathe freely until we were seated in Jahara's boudoir.
"You will have to leave Sanara at once," said Taman —"tonight, if possible."
"I don't want to leave Sanara," I said. "At last Duare and I have found a place where we might live in peace and happiness. I shall not let one man drive me out."
"But you cannot fight the jong," he said; "and until Kord is restored, Muso is jong."
"I think I can," I said, "and I think I can create a new jong. Kord is dead."
"Kord dead? How do you know?"
"I saw Mephis kill him," and then I told them the story of the assassination of the jong of Korva.
"And the new jong?" asked Jahara. "Who is he to be?"
" Taman ," I said.
Taman shook his head. "That cannot be. I owe allegiance to Muso, if Kord be dead."
"Even if he were proved to be a traitor to his people?" I asked.
"No, not in that event, of course; but Muso is no traitor to the people of Korva."
"How many high officers of the army and officials of the government would feel as you do?" I asked.
"All but a few who owe everything to Muso," he replied.
"How many of them can you gather here tonight?" I asked.
"Twenty to thirty of the most important," he said.
"Will you do it? I ask you to trust me. It will be for the best good of Korva—the country that I would wish to make my own."
He summoned several aides and gave instructions; then Taman , Jahara, and Duare settled down to listen to the story of my adventures in Amlot while we awaited the coming of the invited guests. I did not tell Duare that I had found her father a prisoner in a Zani prison until after we were alone together the next morning after the guests had left. She was very brave about it, and was confident that I would rescue him eventually.
At last the great men commenced to arrive. There were generals and councillors of state and great nobles of the realm, the flower of Korvan aristocracy that had escaped the Zani massacres. We met in the large audience chamber and were seated at a great table that had been brought into the room for the occasion. Taman was seated at the head of the table; I, being without nobility or rank, sat at the lower end. When all were seated, Taman rose.
"You all know Carson of Venus and what he has done for Sanara," he said. "He has asked me to call you together at this late hour because a national emergency exists. I trust him, and have taken his word that such is the case. I feel that we should listen to him. Are you all agreed?"
Thirty heads nodded gravely; then Taman turned to me. "You may speak, Carson of Venus," he said; "but you must have proof of what you have insinuated to me, for though you are my friend, my first duty is to my jong. Do not forget that. Proceed."
"Let me put a hypothetical question to you gentlemen before I lay my information before you," I commenced. "If it were proved beyond doubt that your jong had sought to conspire with the enemy to cause the defeat of the forces holding Sanara and turn the city over to the Zanis at a price, would you feel that you were relieved of your oaths of allegiance to him and be warranted in replacing him with one of royal blood in whom you had the utmost confidence?"
Many a face was clouded by a resentful scowl. "You are suggesting a grievous charge," said a great general.