"I'll tell you. I'll do it on one condition."
"What's that?"
"It has not escaped your attention that my niece Fouri entertains for you feelings warmer than mere esteem?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well then, let you wed her by the rites of our most holy Church, and I'll undertake to keep your prisoner till you send me instructions for his disposal, as you demand."
Neither Haste nor Fouri yet knew he was an Ear-thman, and moreover that he intended to return to Earth as soon as he perfected arrangements here. Legally it would not much matter. Once he got away from Gozashtand, he could nullify the marriage or ignore it, as Fallon had done with his.
Still, he disliked doing such a serious thing—serious to Fouri at least—under false pretenses.
"Well?" said Haste.
Now Hasselborg was squirming on the horns of the dilemma, as Haste had been previously. Should he balk at this point, throw up the game, turn his captives over to King Eqrar, or to Chuen, and report failure back to Batruni? It would simplify matters with Alexandra.
No, having come/this close to success, he would not let himself be finessed out of it.
"Okay," he said. "How about as soon as I get back from where I'm going with the queen?"
"No; ere you leave. This night."
Away went that chance of escape. "All right. Whenever you say."
Haste broke into a weary smile. "I had long hoped that the wedding of my niece would be a splendid affair. I should, for example, have consulted the ancient astrological archives to calculate the most aus-spicious date. However, Fouri insists upon an immediate ceremony. Therefore 'twill not even be necessary to compute your horoscopes." Haste looked at the time candle. " Tis the hour for supper. What say you we perform it now, as soon as we and our friends can make ourselves presentable? Then to sup."
This was going to put Hasselborg in still more of a spot, unless he found a reason for setting off into the darkness right after supper. Yet, at this stage of the game it would not much matter if Fouri found out that he was an earthman.
"Very well," he said amiably, "but I'm afraid I'll have to get married the way I am, since all the rest of my clothes are over in Eqrar's shack."
He went to the room that Haste assigned him, shaved, washed up, took a short nap, and then came out to prowl the palace. He knocked on Julnar's door.
"Yes?"
"Queen Julnar? This is the soi-disant Kavir bad-
Ma'lum."
"What is it, fiend?" She opened the door.
"I thought you might like to attend the wedding."
"Wedding? Who? Where? When? How divine! I'd love to!"
"It seems that Haste's niece Fouri and I are getting hitched in about fifteen minutes in His Reverence's private chapel."
"You are? But how can you if you're an earth—"
"Sh! That can't be helped, and I don't want it spread around. Just say, would you like to come?"
"I'd adore it! But—but—"
"But what?" asked Hasselborg.
"I couldn't very well accept while you're holding my husband in that wretched little cell, could I? That wouldn't be loyal."
"I'm sorry, but—"
"My idea was, why not let him out long enough to attend? Tony's a good sport, and I'm sure he'll behave."
"I'll see."
He went downstairs to Fallon's cell, finding the erstwhile king comfortably settled and playing Krishnan checkers with Ferzao. He said to the captive:
"Tony, I'm getting married to Haste's niece in a few minutes, and your—uh—wife said she'd like to attend if I'd let you come, too. Would you like to?"
"We most certainly should!" said Fallon with such emphasis that Hasselborg looked at him in alarm.
Hasselborg warned: "Don't nourish ideas of making a break, chum; I'll have you well guarded."
"Oh, we won't bother you. Word of honor and all that."
"Okay. Ferzao, you and Ghum let King Antane out and take him up to the high priest's private chapel in a few minutes. Stick close to him and watch him."
Hasselborg then went to the chapel itself, finding Haste, Fouri, Chuen, Fouri's maid, and Julnar. Fouri looked at him with a hungry expression that re-minded him of those terran female spiders that ate their mates. Julnar, Hasselborg had decided, was just a healthy, normal girl, impressionable perhaps, but with a wonderful shape that the topless Krishnan evening dress made the most of.
Haste said: "I will run through the forms once, to forewarn you of the responses you must make. You stand there and Fouri there. You take her hand in yours, so, I say— Who's this? Take that man away!"
Hasselborg turned to see Fallon and his two guards. "Which man?" he asked.
Fallon cut loose with a shout: "Haste, you double-crossing—"
"Silence! I forbid you to speak!" cried Haste.
Fallon paid no attention. "You double-crossing zeft, we'll see that you get—ohe, watch him!"
Hasselborg turned to see the high priest cock a little one-hand pistol crossbow and aim it in the general direction of Fallon. Fallon and his two guards ducked frantically. So did everybody else in the room except Hasselborg and Chuen.
While Chuen looked around for something to throw, Hasselborg, who was standing closer to Haste, brought his right foot up in a terrific kick at Haste's hand. The twang of the string mingled with the smack of Hasselborg's boot, the little crossbow flew high into the air, and the bolt struck the ceiling with a sharp sound and buried itself in the plaster.
Hasselborg threw himself upon Haste in a tackle. Down went the priest, gorgeous robes and all. Hasselborg heard one of his men gasp at the sacrilege.
"Really, my son," said Haste when he got his breath back, "be not so rough with one who is no longer young!"
"Sorry," said Hasselborg. "I thought you were reaching for a knife. Anyway, who told you you could plug Antane! He's my prisoner, see?" He got up with a grunt, feeling as if he had dislocated a hip joint. You are old, Father Victor, he thought, at least for football practice. "Say!"
"What?" Haste sat up.
"This!" Hasselborg reached out and yanked off one of Haste's antennae, which had become partly detached in the scuffle. "An Earthman, huh?"
Haste felt his forehead. "Yes, now that you make mention thereof." Then as the significance of the event sank in, Haste did a double-take. The rather stupid expression on his face changed to one of horror: "Speak it not, my's-s-son! I p-pray you! The results were dire! I were slain; the Established Church were overthrown; the bases of morality and justice were destroyed! Anything shall be yours, so that you betray not this dread's-s-secret!"
"Oho, so that's it? You were in on this smuggling deal too, eh? And you tried to murder Fallon just now because he was going to give you away?"
"That were a harsh interpretation, my boy. I—I c-can explain, though 'twere a lengthy tale—"
"Huh. No wonder you wouldn't see him when I brought him in! Well, that simplifies things. Sorry, Fouri, wedding's off."
"No! No! I love only you!"
He ignored her cries, not without a small internal pang. But then, he hoped to see Alexandra soon. He continued:
"Haste, I'm pulling out tonight with Queen Julnar. You'll put Fallon back in his cell and hold him on pain of exposure. Moreover you'll carry out any instructions I send you with regard to him; meanwhile you'll make him as comfortable as possible. You'd also better pension Ferzao and Ghum to keep their mouths shut. Follow me?"
"I understand. But tell me one thing, my son—I've suspected that you, too, are of the race of earthmen. Be that the truth, or—"
"That's my business, chum. You understand, Julnar? You'll do just as I say, or I'll get word to Haste to put your boy friend out of his misery?"
"I understand, you fiend."
"Chuen, you'll want to stick around, won't you?"