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Blade also remembered Fierssa and the Friends of Mythor. He wanted Kloret's blood for their deaths!

«Degyat,» said Blade. «I'm not going to ask you to betray the Emperor. Believe me or not, I still call myself Harkrat's friend, and I hope to have a chance to tell him this myself. I will ask you not to make things more difficult for Mythor. In return-«

«How?»

«Don't try to sail out of the harbor, stir up trouble in the City, or send messages to anyone outside.»

«That's all?»

«For now. In return, we'll treat the men we hold well, supply you with food and water if you need any, and care for your sick.»

«And when Kloret comes?»

«When Kloret comes, we'll accept any of your men who want to stay and join free Mythor. The rest can go where they will.»

Degyat clenched his fists and said, looking down at the table before him, «Many will stay. The men of Mythor have always been eager to serve in the fleet, and some Goharans have women here.»

«I thought so,» said Blade. «Degyat, I'll say this, whether you believe me or not. No one in Mythor wants a long war with Gohar, now that we're free. We'd rather make a treaty between equals, and share the trade of the Sea and Ocean between us.»

Degyat was silent for so long that Blade thought the meeting was over. Then the admiral said, his voice not quite steady: «What about the Sarumi?»

«What about them?»

«I might as well tell you. We captured one of their ships on the way south and persuaded the crew to talk. They are gathering all their ships and men to sail against Mythor and its coast. They think the storms have thrown everything into confusion, so they'll have easy pickings.»

«They won't,» said Blade. His decisive tone made Degyat start. «I have a suggestion. If the Sarumi fleet arrives before Kloret's, let's sail against it together.» The admiral looked at Blade as if he'd suddenly grown a second head. «I mean it. The Sarumi are the common enemy of Mythor and Gohar alike. If your ships and mine join to defeat the Sarumi, it will show them they can't gain anything from this rebellion. It will also show certain people that Mythor's rebellion is no danger to Gohar. The two cities can be friends even now.»

Degyat shook his head like a man half-stunned. «Blade, I.»

«You don't need to decide now,» Blade said, rising. «We'll gather all the Mythoran ships and fighting men we can anyway. If the Sarumi come, and you decide to sail with us, we'll return your men. We'll even send some of our archers aboard your ships.» He held out his hand and Degyat took it mechanically. «Think it over. This rebellion may not be an end, but a beginning.»

As he was rowed back to shore, Blade found himself desperately hoping Degyat would decide to join Mythor against the pirates. It would reduce the danger of a long war between the two cities, and that in turn would strike a heavy blow at Kloret. In fact, it would do more to upset the Prime Minister's plans than anything else except killing him outright.

Blade also hoped that Khraishamo could forgive him, for planning what could only end in the final defeat of the Sarumi.

During the next ten days, Blade heard nothing from Degyat and had no chance to sit down with Khraishamo and talk about the future. He was too busy keeping the peace between the two factions of the rebels, the farmers and the city merchants.

One city merchant spoke for many of his fellows when he told Blade: «We don't mind the farmers raising the rebellion when they pleased and winning the big battle. We're grateful. But we're not going to get down on our knees and kiss their asses, and they seem to want us to!»

The farmers were equally blunt in saying that the merchants had been weak, some of them perhaps even in Goharan pay. Several times this exchange of insults led to brawls, and once to a fatal stabbing.

Fortunately everyone on both sides seemed to accept Blade as a reasonably impartial mediator. Very few cared whether he was a Man from the Future, but everyone knew that he had courage and common sense. Also, the Maghri kept their promise not to loot and usually stayed outside the city.

«We do not love to live with stone all around,» said Sigluf. «We stay close to the grass if we can. It makes us stronger in a fight.»

«Also in bed?» said Blade, and Sigluf laughed. The Maghri chief was now regarded as something of a conquering hero, and had his pick of the women of Mythor. He very seldom slept alone.

Blade went on. «Will you be willing to come aboard the ships and fight the pirates if they come? Your archers will be a great help.»

Sigluf nodded. «Yes. For our friends, we come. But the Great Water must be quiet.»

Blade could see the chief's point. If the Sea was rough, the Maghri would probably be too seasick to know one end of an arrow from the other.

The biggest help in uniting the two factions of the rebels was the menace of the Sarumi. Blade had the feeling that not everyone believed the pirates were actually going to come. On the other hand, nobody was willing to risk being unprepared if they did. Many hoped to negotiate with Gohar, but no one believed it would be possible to negotiate wtih the Sarumi.

«They're right,» said Khraishamo, when he heard two merchants talking it over. «This is too good a chance for the Sarumi to miss, and it's one that won't come again.» He shrugged. «We'll just have to take them as they come.»

«They, Khraishamo?»

The pirate smiled and gripped both of Blade's hands. «Ah. You've asked yourself, 'Does Khraishamo want to fight his own people.'»

«Yes.»

«I have sailed away from the Sarumi, Blade. The winds will not blow me back there again, even if I wanted them to.

«That temper you've seen-it led me into a quarrel with certain powerful warriors. I went out with my three ships to win a victory and make myself a chief that others would support in that quarrel. Instead I lost the three ships and most of the warriors aboard them.

«So I have no home in Sarumland. Once I was not sure I wanted to seek one elsewhere. Now I have found it, among Rhodina and her people. So why shouldn't I defend my new home?»

The next night Khraishamo invited Blade to dine at his house in Mythor. Most of the rebel leaders took over the homes of Goharan officers who hadn't returned from the great battle, and Khraishamo was no exception. He'd even hired a cook and a maid.

Food was scarce in Mythor, but Khraishamo still did his best to keep up a Goharan standard of hospitality. It was a memorable meal, and Blade couldn't help noticing how relaxed and comfortable Khraishamo and Rhodina looked. They might have been happily married for years.

By the time dinner was over, it was raining heavily. Blade accepted Khraishamo's invitation to stay the night, and made his way upstairs to an attic bedroom. He'd just finished pulling off his clothes when there was a knock on the door.

«Blade? Can I come in?» It was Rhodina's voice.

«Certainly.»

Rhodina pushed the door open and came in as Blade hastily snatched up his sleeping robe and pulled it around him. Rhodina was wearing a robe too, a short one which barely came down to her knees and left shoulders and arms bare. She laughed when she saw Blade covering himself. «No, no, Blade. Less, not more.» Blade frowned. She saw the frown, caught his meaning, and nodded. «Khraishamo knows I'm here. In fact, he told me to come.»