If Nefus had grown a second head Blade could hardly have been more surprised. It was a moment before he could speak in a normal tone of voice. «I had heard much to suggest that Your Majesty did not wish to fight the High Councilor Klerus. It is said that-I hope you will not take offense if I speak frankly.»
«I will be angry if you do not speak frankly, Pendarnoth. Say what you want to say.»
«I have heard that you honor Klerus because when your father died he was like a father to you. That you are blind to his faults and to his plans to betray Pendar to the Lanyri. And that you and your sister are at odds over this. She does not like Klerus at all.»
The king's dignity fell apart as he began to laugh, and Harima with him. They laughed until their laughter infected Blade also, and he laughed with them until all three ran out of breath. The laughter drove away the last of his anger and suspicion. He found it impossible to believe that King Nefus could be telling anything but the truth, either about Klerus or about Curana's murder.
Nefus finally wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes and said with a smile, «I am happy to know that you have heard this sort of thing. It proves the act my sister and I have been playing for two years is convincing. Did you hear the story from one of Klerus' enemies?»
Blade nodded and explained, briefly. Nefus smiled. «The act is very convincing when it has even the people who hate Klerus and the Lanyri worrying about me. Well, I ask that you tell Guroth that I and my sister honor him for his loyalty. We will see it properly rewarded some day.»
Blade nodded. «That will make him very happy. But before you can reward him, you must first keep your throne.»
Harima sighed. «Pendarnoth, we have thought much of how that might be done. But Klerus is king in all but name through his power in the Council of Regents. Nothing we have thought of would be accepted by the Council.»
«I believe you, my lady princess. But before you did not have a Pendarnoth, let alone one who was on your side. I believe I see a way that my position can help you. Perhaps it can even bring you victory."'
«Pendarnoth, if you can give us victory over Klerus and the Lanyri, you will deserve a new name. 'Pendarstrin,' Savior of the Pendari.»
«Let us worry about the Lanyri afterwards. You have a good army, and that may well be enough to repel the invasion. I can help you there also. But first, let us deal with Klerus.»
Blade quickly outlined his plan. It was appropriate that the Pendarnoth should have a large guard of his own, wasn't it? Particularly when he was going to be riding to war before long. The priests would certainly agree with this if asked-and they should be asked, secretly of course.
So Nefus should propose to the council that such a guard be organized. If the proposal had the blessing of the priests, not even Klerus would dare oppose it.
And then Nefus would appoint Guroth High Captain of the Pendarnoth's Guard. Guroth had a long list of officers and men he knew to be loyal to the king and Pendar. No doubt the king and Harima had lists of their own? Both nodded at that. These loyal officers and men should be gathered together in the Pendarnoth's Guard. This would create a strong force of absolutely loyal soldiers, and under the authority of the Pendarnoth himself, it would be even stronger, since it was sacrilege to fight against the Pendarnoth.
«And then?» asked Nefus.
Blade paused and took a deep breath. If Nefus balked at the next step, he would have to start all over again. «Then we arrest Klerus, search his papers, and question his servants for the evidence of his treason, and execute him.» For once Blade was not treating the king as an adult. As he spoke, his voice held the tone of an uncle warning a favorite nephew. He hoped it would work, or at least that Nefus would not resent it.
Apparently the boy-king did not. Perhaps he was used to having the High Councilor talk to him that way. In any case he frowned at Blade's words, but not with irritation. He seemed to be puzzling over a new and difficult problem that he had never met before. Then he sighed and spoke.
«I do not want to do such a thing. There is some truth to the stories about Klerus and me. He was good to me when my father died and I became king. That was a terrible time for me.»
«I can imagine, Your Majesty. But Klerus was doing that sort of thing simply to increase his own power and influence.»
«How can you know that, Pendarnoth?» said Nefus sharply.
Blade realized that in his eagerness to persuade the king he had said a little too much.
«I am sorry, Your Majesty. You are right. I do not know what Klerus was like years ago. But I know what he is like now. And so do you.»
«I do. And I know that we must do what you suggest. Now I must return to my own chambers before I am discovered here. How did you get into my sister's chambers, Pendarnoth?» Blade explained his dealings with the guards and saw Nefus frown. «I shall send some of my own eunuchs to take away the guards you attacked. Even if somebody has discovered the bodies, if they are gone by the time Klerus arrives, he will not be able to prove anything. He will only be suspicious, and he is suspicious already. But you will not have to hit my sister's guards on the head again. There is a secret passage that leads directly to her chambers. She will show you how to use it.» Nefus raised his hands in reverence to Blade, and Blade in turn bowed. Then the king rose on tiptoe to kiss his sister on the cheek, turned, and vanished through a curtained doorway. His small slippered feet made so little noise on the carpeted floor that he seemed to have been spirited away.
Blade turned to Princess Harima, and saw that she was shaking all over, as if she were chilled. «My lady princess, are you all right?»
«Oh yes,» she said with a laugh. «It's just-just that I'm so happy. Can you imagine what it was like for so long, alone, helpless, waiting for Klerus to strike, knowing that he would strike when he was ready. We were so lonely.»
«I can imagine it,» said Blade, but he was not really listening to her words. There seemed to be almost an edge of hysteria in Harima's voice, even though she was obviously trying to control it. Then before he could move, she stepped forward and threw her arms around him. Her lips came up to meet his, wet, clinging, and desperate, while her tongue slipped into his mouth and writhed there. A man blind, deaf, and dumb could have sensed the urgency pulsing in Harima's body. And Blade was none of these, but a healthy vigorous man with strong appetites and few inhibitions.
He felt his own body responding to hers as she pressed against him, and his own breath speeding up. His hands went to the back of her neck and stroked the fine hair there. A little moan came from her.
Then suddenly she twisted out of his grasp and backed off two steps. She stood facing him, her body still quivering, but her eyes cast down and her face pale. «Pendarnoth, I–I… I am virgin. I… you…» Tears sparkled in the corners of her dark eyes as she closed them.
Blade understood. She was a virgin and although she wanted him badly, she was frightened as well as passionate-in fact, frightened of being passionate. He would have to be very gentle with her-or reject her entirely. No, that second course might easily sour the relationship between them, a relationship Blade wanted to build and if possible build on.
He stepped forward until he could reach out and cup Harima's small firmly pointed chin in his right hand. At the same time he was unknotting the silken cords at the throat of her robe. As the cords came undone, Harima quickly hunched her shoulders and crossed her hands across her breasts to keep the robe from slipping down from her body.
Blade now knelt before Harima, running his hands gently up and down her spine. She shivered again, but the fear and strain were fading from her eyes. As his hands played over her buttocks, firm tight curves under the thin silk of the robe, he heard her moan again. She bent down until her cheek was resting on top of his head. Then she slowly drew his head against her breasts.