"There is an old saying," said Lathrynne quietly. "The husband is always the last to know. I don't take Earl for a fool and only a fool would have made such a statement unless he had grounds for believing it to be true." Her voice hardened a little. "You have data?"
"A ship damaged by explosives accidentally detonated. Why were they being carried and who ordered the unloading?"
"Captain?"
"Explosives are a normal cargo for any vessel operating as a trader and touching a variety of worlds. As for who ordered the unloading, I guess the handler did."
"The man who is dead and now.cannot be questioned." Lathrynne glanced at Dumarest. Without discussion she seemed to have become the head of the impromptu interrogation. The child-like servants who had been discreetly present during the meal had vanished. "Well?"
"Some of the explosives were unloaded and taken to a predetermined point. And there was a laser which didn't belong to your normal armament."
"Which could have been left here by a previous visitor," pointed out a man.
"And given to the Ohrm? Exactly." Dumarest looked from one to the other. "I notice you avoid the subject of where the explosives could have been taken."
"If any were taken." The man raised the objection. He was young with purple hair and neat in puce and emerald. "The first box to be unloaded could have been detonated."
"Doubtful but possible," admitted Dumarest. The young man seemed to have adopted the position of a devil's advocate and, like Lathrynne, had done so without discussion. "But some of the Ohrm were hurt in the blast and they refused to come to you for help. That in itself would be suspicious on the majority of worlds I have visited. When the people fear authority there is usually a good reason. As far as I can tell, you don't seem to be unduly harsh."
"We treat the Ohrm as if they were children," said a woman. "Children to be loved and protected."
"We are of the same roots," said another. "We landed on the same vessel-surely, you know a little of our history?"
"We ask only that they should obey," said a man. "And we ask that only because they lack the knowledge to govern themselves."
Ursula said blankly, "Why should they hate us? They should be happy."
"As you are?" Dumarest waited for an answer and when none came added, "I'm not defending the Ohrm. I don't give a damn for their condition or imagined grievances or supposed cause. But I am a guest and, as you've mentioned before-" He glanced at Ursula. "-A guest has certain obligations. In my experience it is to defend the people and the property of those who have given him hospitality. I have given you warning and that ends my obligation. If you refuse to heed it then that is your business. Now, with your permission, it is late and I am tired."
"Earl! Don't leave!" Ursula turned to the others. "At least let us probe the possibility. Lathrynne? Khurt?"
The young man nodded. "Of course."
"Yes," said Lathrynne. "Is there general agreement? Etallia? Casavet? Rattalie?" Nods answered as she called names. "So what do we have so far? Explosives which may have been taken from the Sivas and hidden. Men injured by a known event who refuse to ask for treatment. A gun which must have been smuggled or stolen by a servant some time in the past. An attack on a guest which he fortunately survived. And?"
"A feeling," said Dumarest. "A conviction."
"That a revolution is imminent? How imminent? Tomorrow? Next week? In a month? A year?"
"If I could tell you the exact time and the manner of the insurrection," said Dumarest dryly, "I wouldn't be a guest but a prophet."
"Or the leader of the insurrection itself." Lathrynne nodded. "A good point. It was unfair to try and pin you down. Is there anything else?"
"Names. Wilkie, Flavian, Masak. They were three of the men who attacked me. "
"And who are now dead. A pity. Did they need to die?"
"They wanted to kill me." It was answer enough. Dumarest added, "But they would have had associates and they could be found."
"And persuaded to talk. Of course, but there is doubt as to their identity. Many of the scanners in the homes of the Ohrm are no longer operating or have become erratic."
Scanners? Dumarest had seen none or, if he had, had failed to recognize them for what they were. As easy mistake; such instruments could be small and masked in a variety of ways. But scanners presupposed a central operations room where data could be evaluated and correlated. Another item to add to the rest but as yet the knowledge was of little use.
He said, "Are any scanners installed in the homes of the Choud?"
"No." Lathrynne looked puzzled. "What would be the point?"
A question Tuvey answered. "None. Earl, you probe too deeply. It would be wise to remember that you are a guest on this world."
"As you are, Captain," reminded Dumarest. "But I present no danger to my hosts."
"Are you saying I do?" Tuvey stepped forward, fists clenched, face ugly. "You accuse me? Do that and I'll leave you here to rot."
"As you did Balain." Dumarest saw the captain frown, glanced at Renzi and saw his blank expression. "You know him?"
"No. Damn you, Earl, you-"
"I wasn't accusing you, just stating a fact. The Sivas is a prime factor in the revolution. It has been used to bring the insurgents arms and explosives. It could even have supplied their leader."
"Balain? No."
"How can you be certain, Captain? Men have been smuggled before."
"Not on my ship." Tuvey looked down at his hands, unclenched them, then halted the automatic movement of one toward his empty shoulder. He frowned, missing his pet, an irritation exploded into anger. "Damn you for a fool! Why can't you leave well enough alone? This is a nice, pleasant world and I want to keep it that way.
That's why I keep it secret and why I'm reluctant to carry passengers. Now you've spoiled it with your talk of revolution and arms and explosives. There was an accident, that's all, and-"
"Men tried to kill me."
"So you say. But what reason could they have had? A woman?" Tuvey glanced at Sardia then at Ursula. "Another woman? Didn't you have the sense to leave the Ohrm alone?"
"Did Balain?"
"To hell with Balain! He's just a name you picked up from somewhere. I've never seen him and wouldn't know him if I did. If he exists at all he's some crazy fool chasing dreams."
"No," said Dumarest. "He's not crazy and he's not chasing a dream. What he wants he can get. And what he wants is to end the rule of the Choud."
Casavet laughed. He laughed as he had at the first mention of the rebellion, jowls quivering, tears streaming from his eyes. A man convulsed with genuine amusement.
"Earl, my friend, you will kill me with your jokes. Balain destroy the Choud? One man?" He broke into fresh peals and ended gasping and dabbing at his eyes. "The thing is inconceivable. You don't know-how could you? You don't understand. If you did you would realize how incredible the concept is. One man, even the entire Ohrm, couldn't harm us. The Choud cannot be overthrown."
"You are wrong," said Dumarest. "And you are making the biggest mistake which could ever be made by a ruling class. You consider yourselves to be invulnerable and that your rule will last forever. If history has anything to teach us at all it is the fact that such conviction is the prelude to inevitable defeat."
"Nonsense!"
Dumarest shrugged. "It's your world."
"And a strong one."
"Strong?" Goblets stood on a nearby table; fine-stemmed containers of engraved crystal with fluted rims and delicate curves. Dumarest selected one and held it between his outstretched fingers. "Strong," he said. "I could stand on it and it would carry my weight if I chose how to position it. It's beautiful, too. As strong and as beautiful as your world." He opened his fingers and, as the goblet fell to shatter on the floor, added, "And as brittle."