He turned to the yellow-robed figure across the table and whispered, "Is there somewhere we can speak privately?"
He was unsure whether the cowled head nodded slightly or not, but a moment later the old man rose and turned as if to go. Garth did likewise, only to find himself following as the Forgotten King led the way upstairs. At the head of the stairs a corridor led toward the front of the building, with four doors opening off either side. It was utterly bare and smelled of dust, a dry, ancient smell despite the rain which rattled on the roof above it. There was no ceiling; the naked rafters and planks of the inn's roof were dimly visible some fifteen feet overhead, and the ridgepole ran along the center of the passage.
Behind them, Garth heard the sound of chairs pushed back and departing feet. The soldier's warning had apparently had some effect, and he wondered if it had been necessary to abandon the cheery tavern for this dark musty corridor that somehow reminded him of the crypts beneath Mormoreth.
Heedless of the darkness, the Forgotten King led the way directly to the farthest door and brought an ornate key out from under his tatters. It clicked loudly, and the door swung open, revealing a large, low-ceilinged room with a broad, many-paned window overlooking the street, whence a dim glow trickled in to provide the only illumination. As Garth stepped across the threshold, the old man reached up to an ornate wrought-iron candelabrum, and the huge tallow cylinder that topped it sprang alight, though Garth had seen no splint, spark, or match. The candle cast a dull, smoky light whereby Garth could make out something of the furnishings.
The room was a bedchamber. A velvet-canopied bed stood against the far wall, with elaborate candelabra on either side, both free-standing and on tables. The light was too dim to distinguish colors, but the velvet coverings reminded Garth of dried blood.
A gust of wind slapped rain against the glass, and Garth looked toward the window. Two low chairs, richly upholstered and resembling none he had ever seen before, stood on either side of a low table that glittered oddly, as if it were made of mica-bearing stone.
The old man motioned toward these chairs. Cautiously, Garth settled his weight on one, and found it surprisingly comfortable, though too low to sit straight in. He adjusted himself as best he could and peered through the gloom at the King.
The silence was finally broken when Garth announced,, without preamble, "I have returned from Mormoreth."
The Forgotten King did not deign to reply to so obvious a statement, and after a pause Garth went on, "I brought forth that which I found in the crypts, and it is now in Skelleth."
"Indeed?" The dry, hideous voice startled the overman, though he had heard it before. He had forgotten, while traveling just how harsh it was. Likewise, noticing the hands that clutched the arms of the Forgotten King's chair, he saw all over again how old and withered the man was. His fingers were little more than bone bound in a thin layer of wrinkled skin. His face was hidden, as always, and Garth wondered again what his eyes looked like.
"Yes."
"Then deliver it to me, and we may resolve further the terms of our bargain."
"There are matters to be settled first."
"Indeed?"
"I believe you know what it was I found."
The King made no answer.
"I do not believe you would have set me such a task had you not known its nature."
Again there was no reply.
"Therefore, I believe that you have some use for this creature. When we spoke before, you made mention of certain desires of your own, which required things you do not yet possess. This creature is one of those things, is it not?"
"I have a use for the basilisk."
"What use?"
"That is not your concern."
"Perhaps not; still, I would know what it is"
"That was no part of our agreement."
"True. But when we framed our bargain, I had no idea that I was being sent for so venomous a creature."
"Ah. How does that alter the agreement?"
"I want no part of unleashing so potent a force of death as the basilisk. I can see no use or need for such a creature unless you plan to use it as Shang did, to destroy large numbers of people."
"Nonetheless, I have a use for it, and you have agreed to bring it to me as the first part of our bargain.
"As I told you at our first meeting, I am weary of the omnipresence of death and decay. I do not wish to contribute to the spread of death."
The yellow-clad figure stirred slightly. "Garth, do you know what year this is?"
Garth was puzzled by the apparent change of subject. "It is the year three hundred and forty-four of Ordunin."
"Do you know no other reckoning?"
"The men of Lagur call it the Year of the Dolphin, I believe."
"This is the year two hundred and ninety-nine of the Thirteenth Age, the age in which the goddess P'hul is ascendant over all the world."
"I do not see the significance of this."
"P'hul is the goddess of decay, the handmaiden of death, one of the greatest of the Lords of Dыs."
"I still fail to see why this is of any concern to me."
"This is the Age of Decay, Garth. There is nothing you nor anyone can do to prevent the continuance of universal decline, so long as P'hul remains dominant."
"Such fatalism is irrelevant. I do not believe in your gods. And even if I cannot prevent death and decay, at the very least I can avoid contributing to it."
"Perhaps. Yet perhaps not. How many deaths have you caused already upon this errand?"
"A dozen men died that I might bring you the monster."
"One, undoubtedly, was Shang, the wizard responsible for the depopulation of Mormoreth. The rest, I take it, were bandits?"
"Yes."
"You mourn the loss of these twelve?"
"Any death is unfortunate."
"Yet you killed them."
"I acted in self-defense."
"Still, you killed them. Can you really avoid contributing to decay and death?"
Garth was silent for a moment, then answered, "I killed in self-defense. You are under no threat so dire that you need the basilisk to defend you."
"So you will not deliver it?"
"Not unless you first satisfy me that you will not use it to slaughter."
"But I can do that without revealing my purpose."
There was another moment of silence, or rather, a moment in which the only sound was the steady patter of rain at the window. The glow of the single candle flickered. Finally, Garth said, "How?"
"I swear, by my heart and all the gods, that I have no intention of using the basilisk's gaze or venom to slay others. That oath satisfied you once."
Garth said nothing, considering.
"If that is not sufficient, then I will swear further by the God Whose Name Is Not Spoken."
Garth hesitantly said, "I have been warned that you are an evil being."
"Ah. Shang thus warned you?"
"Yes."
"What is evil? Perhaps I merely opposed Shang, who destroyed an innocent city. In any case, even evil beings are not lightly foresworn, and you have heard my oath."
Garth made no answer. He felt slightly ashamed, though he was unsure why.
"Will you fetch now the basilisk?"
Garth cleared his throat. "Yes."
"Good. Deliver it to the stable here at the inn. I will have a place readied." '