As he stood with his mouth foolishly half-open, feeling the blush creep up his ruddy skin, he at last heard the soft voice of Tangaloa break into the embarrassing silence. Good old George! For having rescued him in that horrid moment, Barn-evelt would have forgiven his colleague almost anything.
"Your Altitude," said Tangaloa, "we are but wandering adventurers who beg two favors: first, to be allowed to present our respects to you, as you have generously permitted us to do. The second is to raise in Ghulinde a company to sail into the Banjao Sea in search of gvam stones."
The girl cast an appealing glance at her mother, whose face remained stony. Finally Zei answered.
"Gorbovast tells us of your gvam-hunting proposal in this his letter." (She touched the paper on her desk.) "Not sure am I, however, that the gvam-stone quest is sanctioned by the Mother Goddess, since if the common belief respecting it be true, it affords the male an advantage contrary to the principles of our state…"
While she hesitated, Queen Alvandi prompted her in a stage whisper: "Tell 'em 'tis lawful sobeit they pay our taxes and sell their baubles far from here!"
"Well—uh—however," said Zei, "we can extend permission on two conditions: that you sell not the stones within the bourne of Qirib, and that you pay, from your profits on this transaction, subject to the scrutiny of our auditors, one-tenth to the treasury of the realm of Qirib, and an additional tenth to the coffers of the Divine Mother."
"Agreed," said Barnevelt, recovering his voice at last. It is easy enough to promise a cut on the gvam-stone profit when he and George knew there wouldn't be any such profit.
"Make 'em put up a bond!" hissed Alvandi. "Otherwise how shall we collect our money, once they've got their stones and are beyond our reach?"
"A—a slight bond, sirs, will be required," said Zei. "Of— of, let's say, a thousand karda. Can you meet it? On your return, all above the amount of our tax shall be returned to you."
"We can meet it," said Barnevelt after some fast mental calculations.
"I'd have mulcted 'em for five thousand," grumbled Alvandi. "Oh, well, Snyol of Pleshch always bore the reputation of…"
At that instant a round-faced young Krishnan strode in unceremoniously, saying loudly in a high voice: "A bearer of ill tidings I, fair Zei, for the Prefect and his lady are laid low by some tisick and cannot come tonight… I crave pardon. Do I interrupt an audience of weight and worth?"
"Worth enough," growled Alvandi, "to make one of your graceless intrusions more vexing than is its usual wont. Here we have a pair of perfect gentle cutthroats from the regions of the nether pole, where folk have names none other can pronounce and where a bath is deemed a shocking heathen custom. Yon gangler on the left hight Snyol of Pleshch, while this unwieldy mass of flesh upon the right gives as his barbarous appellation Tagde of Vyutr. This lown who into the flow of your eloquence has broken, my widely traveled friends, is Zakkomir bad-Gurshmani, a ward of the throne and my daughter's familiar."
"General Snyol!" cried Zakkomir, his round made-up face taking on a reverent expression. "Sir, may I grasp your thumb in abject homage? Long have I followed your deeds in admiration. As when with but a single wing of troops having upon their feet those boards you use for sliding on snow-skids, I think they're called—you did overthrow and rout the wretched rabble of Olnega… But I looked to see you one of greater age?"
"We come of a long-lived family," said Barnevelt gruffly, wishing he knew more about the man he was impersonating. Although he was not too favorably impressed by this painted youth, the latter's admiration seemed unbounded.
Zakkomir addressed Zei: "Princess, 'twere unworthy of us to deal with one of such eminence as though he were a common hilding, merely because the false cult of the Kan-gandites has driven him forth from the realm he served so well—to become a wanderer upon the planet. Since the Prefect and his dame be indisposed, let's have these masters in their stead tonight. What say you?"
"An idea worth pondering," said Zei. " 'Twould give us a full table of chanizekash."
"Ever a creature of whim," said Alvandi. "Such an invitation before even have their bona fides been confirmed! Oh, have 'em in, since not without dishonor may we withdraw an invitation once extended. But post a guard over the best royal plate. Perchance they'll prove more guestly than the locals, all of whom axe either queer or dull, and ofttimes both."
CHAPTER XIII
Although Barnevelt had expected the assembling of the expedition to consume a week, all the major matters had been taken care of by the end of the long Krishnan day. There were a dozen ships and boats for sale: an all-sail fisherman, seaworthy but slow; a naval galley-barge that would have needed a larger crew than the Earthmen cared to ship; a couple of wormy wrecks good for little but firewood…
"You pick her, pal," said Tangaloa, blowing smoke-rings. "You are the naval expert."
Barnevelt finally chose an anomalous little craft with a single lateener mast, fourteen one-man oars, and a stench of neglect. However, under her dirt he recognized good lines and satisfied himself that her wood was sound.
He shot a keen look at the dealer. "Was this craft built for smuggling?"
'Tis true, Lord Snyol. How knew ye? The queen's men took it from a crew of illegals and sold it at auction. I bought it in hope of turning a small but honest profit. But for three revolutions of Karrim has it lain upon my shelf, for legal traders and fishers find it not sufficiently capacious for their purposes, while for military use is it too slow. Therefore I offer it cheaply—a virtual gift."
"What's it called?"
"The Shambor, a name of good omen."
The price the man asked did not strike Barnevelt as exactly giving the ship away, however. When he had beaten the dealer down as far as he thought he could, Barnevelt bought the ship and made arrangements for careening, scraping, painting, and renewing all questionable tackle. Then he and Tangaloa repaired to the Free Labor Mart and posted applications with the crier for seamen of exceptional courage and loyalty, because, as he made plain, the expedition entailed risks of no ordinary jeopardy.
After that they went to a second-hand clothing shop, where they procured the blue uniform of a courier of the Mejrou Qurardena. And as the uniform—the only one in stock-fitted Barnevelt fairly well while Tangaloa could not get into it, Barnevelt was elected to wear it for the invasion of the Sunqar.
When their dinners had settled and they had gone back to their room to put on their best clothes, they set out for the palace which, like most of Ghulinde, was lighted by jets of natural gas. They were ushered into a room containing Queen Alvandi, Princess Zei, Zakkomir bad-Gurshmani, and a paunchy, bleary-eyed, middle-aged Krishnan sadly setting out a game board.
"My consort Kaj, such as he is," said Queen Alvandi, introducing the Earthmen under their Nyami pseudonyms.
"It's a great honor," said Barnevelt.
"Spare me these empty encomiums," said King Kaj. "Once had I, like you, some small name in gests of war or sport, but all's done now."
"Rrrrrk," said a familiar voice, and there was Philo in his cage. The macaw let Barnevelt scratch among the roots of his feathers without trying to bite.
The king continued: "Play you chanijekka?"
Barnevelt, a little taken aback by Zei's rising to offer him her seat, peered at the game board. The latter looked somehow familiar: a hexagonal board with a triangular crisscross of lines covering the interior area.