"Imperial jesters have been doing that trick for a thousand years," Laquatus said. Chainer thought he saw the barest flicker of recognition, however.
"Of course. My apologies. I'm sure that the Mer learned to speak silently generations ago. Makes it easier to issue commands at the bottom of the sea." Laquatus was staring sharply at Chainer, as if he had just realized there was a deeper meaning to Chainer's casual banter. "You mentioned a demonstration, Master. I am waiting."
"By all means. For the purposes of the demonstration, I'm going to put Burke up against a mixed group of sea creatures and land crawlers."
"An excellent idea. But that is an offensive term to some mer-folk tribes."
"I meant no offense," Chainer said. "There are so many types of sea creatures in the sea that I sometimes have trouble keeping all their customs straight. It would be better for everyone if Mer could unite behind a single leader, don't you think?"
Laquatus looked intrigued, but his voice was suspicious. "I would welcome the chance to discuss the current situation in Mer with you. Later on. But right now… my demonstration?"
Chainer nodded, and with a wave cast four hostile monsters across the room at Burke. A twenty- foot sea serpent thrashed wildly, forcing a long-horned tiger to spring aside and stalk Burke from his left. A four-foot bat with eight spider's legs flapped and chittered madly around the ceiling, and a huge bipedal killer whale slowly moved closer to the gel man. Burke stood impassive with his feet planted firmly on the floor as the creatures all oriented on him and began their attack.
"Order him to kill them all," Chainer said. Laquatus shrugged.
"Burke," he intoned. "This is your master. Destroy your attackers."
The tiger pounced first, seven hundred pounds of snarling fangs, gleaming horns, and sharp claws. Burke stood frozen as the big cat descended on him, and then, in a motion so fast that not even Chainer could follow it, he ducked under the tiger's extended paws and sunk his arm up to the shoulder in the brute's belly. Burke wrapped his other arm around the top of the tiger's torso and slammed it head-first into the stone floor with a brutal combination of power and balance. The tiger's skull cracked, and it faded from the room.
Burke then turned his eyeless face up to the ceiling and extended his arm out toward the spider bat. The gel in his arm softened and stretched as he reached, doubling then tripling the length of the appendage until the bat was trapped in the upper comer of the room. Burke's hand dipped and weaved as the bat tried to avoid it, but he quickly caught the rabid creature by the throat. His arm snapped back to its normal size and shape in a heartbeat, leaving the bat to fall dead to the floor. Its head remained clenched in Burke's hand until both parts of the bat's body disappeared.
The whale creature was better suited to fighting on dry land than the serpent, and it reached Burke first. It grabbed the ambassador's jack like a doll in both hands and rammed him deep into its mouth. The creature ground its huge jaws together once, twice, and then threw its head back like a shark to swallow the chunks of its meal without further chewing. It turned to
Chainer and Laquatus, spread its arms, and bellowed defiantly.
"Well, that was entertaining," Laquatus said. "Perhaps we should just forget this ever happened and you can-"
"Three, two, one," Chainer said. "Go."
A bruise-black fist erupted out of the monster's sternum. The whale-thing roared and tried to tear Burke's arm off, but the gel man held on, and the creature only succeeded in ripping Burke completely out of its gullet. Burke's expressionless face showed no reaction to the layer of blood and bile that coated him. The mortally wounded whale-monstrosity fell onto its back and soon vanished.
"One more to go," Chainer said.
The sea serpent had at last found some traction and was undulating at Burke with its jaws wide. Burke regarded those jaws, and then he leaped forward. His spread-eagled body met the oncoming serpent's head, and Burke splashed across the serpent's face like an overripe piece of fruit. To Laquatus's visible amazement, the shapeless splotch of gel adjusted itself and willfully expanded across the serpent's mouth and nose until both airways were blocked. The serpent shook its head violently in an attempt to dislodge its tormentor, but the gel clung tight and would not be thrown off. The serpent's struggles grew slower, then feeble, then stopped altogether. Only when it disappeared out from under him did Burke reform himself into his humanoid shape.
"He's even better underwater," Chainer said happily. "He can smother gills as easily as lungs. The principle's exactly the same, keep air from entering the body."
Burke stood tall and silent, awaiting his next command. Laquatus woodenly began to clap, slow, measured applause that gave him time to think.
"Absolutely marvelous," Laquatus said. "Forgive me, Master. I did not fully appreciate the value of your gift."
Chainer smiled graciously. "Not at all Ambassador. There are many tasks a man in your position needs a reliable jack to perform. The Cabal is always willing to assist you."
Laquatus was still staring at Burke, his mind furiously churning.
"I'm sure," Chainer went on, "that you'll find something useful for Burke to do almost immediately."
That caught Laquatus's attention. "There are many ways I could employ such a champion. Some are more urgent than others."
"I also have urgent matters to attend to. Matters far less enjoyable than meeting with you, Ambassador. I wonder if we were to discuss these matters together, would we find a way to help each other, as we have done today?"
"I would be most interested in finding out the answer to that question, Master Chainer. I would welcome the Cabal's help and the chance to help the Cabal in return."
"Perhaps we should meet again before you head back below the sea. Tonight, for example. Over dinner?"
"I would be honored. Come to my embassy this evening, and we'll discuss the future."
"I am looking forward to it. Ambassador?"
"Yes?"
"I've heard wondrous tales of the great libraries of Mer. Is it true that they go back thousands of years?"
"Absolutely true."
"And if you had access to certain other… special documents… a man of your talents could uncover a secret that has been hidden for generations?"
"It would be my pleasure to try. More, it would be my duty. You have done me a great service here today, Master Chainer."
Chainer offered the ambassador his hand, and after a conspiratorial smile, he took it.
"The Empire and the Cabal," Chainer said. "May their interests always coincide."
PART FOUR: MASTER
CHAPTER 23
"Master Chainer?"
Chainer started and looked for the speaker. He was in his private chambers with his hands in casting position, facing the corner of the room. Deidre stood in his doorway, all eyes and sharp edges. She appeared more nervous and timid than Chainer had ever seen her before. She seemed shorter and slighter, but she still had the eyes, the hair, the teeth and the nails..
"I thought you were dead," he said. He lowered his arms and bowed.
"Oh. Uh, the First requires your presence, Master." Deidre's face began to soften and melt, running like candle wax.
"Don't go," Chainer said urgently. His vision fogged, and in Deidre's place stood Fulla. She was smiling savagely. Slowly, she snapped her fingers in front of Chainer's face.
Chainer shook his head to clear it. Fulla had vanished. Skellum stood before him, his hat tucked under his arm, his eyes shining and confident.