Blade spent the next week in a continuous fever of worry and anticipation; worry that Halda would strike, anticipation of finding a moment for Narlena's escape. Three of the women he trusted most among the new people were given the job of sneaking extra food to Narlena. Even from a distance he saw that she was losing some of the wild-animal gauntness of the slaves. He did his own work with more energy and enthusiasm than ever. Krog would have no cause for suspicion and discontent, and be himself would have every excuse for collapsing limply into bed at night. As the days passed without a word or a move from Halda, Blade began to wonder, then hope, and finally suspect that she might allow what he was doing for Narlena to pass unnoticed. Perhaps she no longer cared.
Another damp, hot night that seemed to be all too common during the Puran summer had settled over the city. Lightning flared dimly in the clouds to the north, promising rain and silhouetting the towers of the dead city. Blade was fighting to keep from yawning as Krog rambled on about his visions of the future of the People of the Blue Eye. Not that Krog's visions were so dull or so unpleasant. But Blade had heard them all before. At the end of a long day of training the new fighters every muscle and nerve in his body was crying plaintively for rest.
His muscles and nerves snapped fully alert as the curtains of the chamber whipped open. Halda and four fighters Blade recognized as members of her faction burst into the chamber. Each pair of fighters was carrying a woman bound hand and foot. Blade recognized one of the ex-slaves who had been feeding Narlena and then with a cold chill of fear in his stomach, Narlena herself.
Halda's hand chopped downward like a sword blade. The fighters dropped their burdens facedown on the floor. Blade heard the girl whimper in pain. Narlena was silent even when Halda kicked her in the ribs where she lay. Then Halda stepped forward toward her father and glowered at him.
«Father, this slave has been getting extra food-and the other slave has been bringing it-«
«She is not a slave but a free woman of the People of the Blue Eye,» snapped Krog. «Release her at once.» His hand was on his sword hilt, and so was Blade's. For a moment Halda seemed ready to launch herself at her own father, with the four fighters at her back taking on Blade. The tension in the room hung like a smelly fog. Then the moment passed, and Halda and the fighters stepped aside as Krog went over to the woman, cut her bonds, and raised her to her feet. He left Narlena lying where she had fallen. Then he turned to Halda. «Now, daughter, what do you wish to tell me?»
Halda took a deep breath to get her temper firmly under control. Then she said in the clipped tones of a fighter, «The woman was bringing food to Narlena. She said that Blade had asked her to do it. She did it because of his good treatment of the ones who were slaves.» Even now Halda balked at calling the woman one of the People.
«Did you do this, Blade?» asked Krog without raising his voice.
«I did,» Blade replied, keeping his voice at exactly the same calm level. «It seemed to me that Halda was ordering Narlena deliberately starved. I did not wish to provoke a quarrel between you and your daughter by complaining of it to you. I decided to see that Narlena got the food she needed this way.» He looked at Krog's face, hoping to see belief but not really expecting it. This story was the best he could think up. But he hardly expected it to be good enough to fool Krog.
It did not. The skepticism Blade feared appeared on the leader's face, and he stood in a frowning silence for a while. Finally he said, «Blade, the Dreamer slaves are no concern of yours. I have said this before. Why did you concern yourself with this one?»
Before Blade could reply, Halda broke in, her voice shrill with anger. «I say it was because he plans to escape and wanted to get this girl out before he did, so that she could not be punished. He cared for her when they were Dreamers together, and he cares for her still. Ask her!»
Krog's frown deepened. «Blade, is this true? No, you wouldn't tell the truth, I think. We will have to get it out of the slave.» He bent down and grasped Narlena by the hair, pulling her head up so that he could look into her face. Blade saw that her lip was trickling blood. «Narlena-«he was using her name at least «-did you and the war master have plans to escape together?»
«No, Master. Why should we?» Narlena was giving a perfect impression of honest bewilderment at a preposterous accusation.
Krog let Narlena's head drop back to the floor. «We shall have to question her. Halda, you are most expert at this. Go and get what you will need, and be quick about it!» Blade was very slightly relieved to see an expression of distaste on Krog's face. Only enough, however, to keep him from vomiting on the spot or killing both Krog and Halda and making a desperate run for it. Krog's humanity had its limits. When it was a question of finding out about a threat to his power, he would do anything to anybody. Blade knew that «anybody» included himself. Or at least it certainly would include himself if Narlena broke under the torture.
Halda tore out of the room at a dead run and was back so quickly that she had obviously run both ways. In her arms was a sickening collection of gleaming instruments whose purpose was unmistakable. She dropped them with a clatter on the floor in clear view of Narlena and knelt down and began rummaging through them. The naked blood-lust in her face kept on threatening Blade's control of both his stomach and temper.
He turned to Krog. «Am I needed for this, Krog? I still have things to do elsewhere this evening.»
Krog looked at him for a moment in silence, and Blade's nerves tightened. Had he said too much, confirmed Krog's suspicions? Would Krog's next words be an order to the guards to seize him? If they were, there was going to be a great deal of blood on the floor of this chamber in a short time. None of it would be Narlena's if he could help it.
Krog shook his head slowly. «Stay here, Blade. You have not seen what happens to a person who betrays me. I think it is time you did so.» From the granite-hard set of the leader's jaw Blade knew that any further protests or comments by him would be useless and dangerous.
At a barked order from Halda the guards moved to cut Narlena's bonds and flipped her over on her back. Halda knelt down beside the girl, knife in hand, and with a quick slash that took no care to avoid the skin, slashed through her kilt and jerked it away. This left Narlena nude with a thin line oozing red along the front of her left thigh.
«Hold her,» snapped Halda, and the four guards moved again, each one seizing hold of one of Narlena's limbs and spread-eagling her on the floor, They pulled so hard that Narlena's contorted face told Blade that her arms and legs were almost being yanked out of their sockets. He swallowed, reminding himself that it was also important-even if a great deal easier-for him to keep a straight face and give no hints of his feelings that Krog or Halda could pounce on. He was ten times more nervous now than he had been before the battle in the courtyard. And this time there would be no chance to work off the strain by fast action.
Halda knelt beside Narlena again, this time with a large needle glinting in one hand. She held it up in front of her victim's eyes, moved it back and forth over Narlena's body and suddenly jabbed. Narlena gasped, and Blade saw her eyes close briefly as the needle went in. It came out wet with blood.