“Yes, great Lord,” said Viviana.
“Yes, great Lord,” said Alacida.
Abrogastes then turned to one of his armsmen. “Herd these two imperial sows back, as they are, on all fours, head down, to the hall, and then place them on their bellies, before the high seat. We will consider whether or not to chain them, naked, later.”
“Yes, Lord,” said the armsman, and he thrust a whimpering Viviana forward, with the butt of his spear.
When the princesses were out of earshot, Ingeld turned to Abrogastes. “Things may not proceed as easily as envisaged, father,” he said.
“Let us suppose,” said Abrogastes, “the princesses now understand two things, that they are women, and where their best interests lie.”
“Things are not so simple, father,” said Ingeld. “Surely one needs more than the mere acquiescence of princesses in this matter. There is the acceptance of such things, by the empire, the throne, the senate. Who would honor, or ratify, a putative union supposedly formed faraway on a foreign world? Is it to be taken seriously? Might it not have been enacted under duress? Is it authentic, genuine, meaningful?”
“I have made arrangements,” said Abrogastes. “The marriages will take place in Telnar itself, openly, and publicly. They will be proclaimed broadly, throughout the empire; they will be anticipated eagerly; they will be celebrated with elaborate ceremony, with detailed pomp and pageantry, with formality and complex ritual. All will look forward to this most desired consummation, bearing in its train peace and the union of peoples.”
“I find it hard to believe these arrangements would be entered into by the throne,” said Ingeld.
“The throne is not the only force in Telnaria,” said Abrogastes.
“I do not understand,” said Ingeld.
“The marriages will be performed by the Exarch of Telnar himself,” said Abrogastes. “He will bestow on them the supposed blessing of a faith. Interestingly, some take such things seriously. In short, he will allegedly, in the foolishness he propagates, solemnize things, sanctify matters, and so on. Advantages obtain in such a procedure. We gain standing and legitimacy, and he gains prestige and power. We serve each other. We play his stupid game and his game, in our playing of it, is confirmed as the game to play.”
“I think,” said Ingeld, “the exarch has more in mind.”
“Why should you think that?” asked Abrogastes.
“It is a thought, I have,” said Ingeld, warily.
“You are right,” said Abrogastes. “He wants to own the empire. “The koos, whatever that is, is to be superior to the fist. The fist is to fight for the koos, obey the koos, do the work of the koos, and so on. In this way the koos gets its way and does not have to risk skinning its own knuckles.”
“Who knows,” asked Ingeld, “what the koos wants?”
“That is made clear by the spokesman for the koos,” said Abrogastes.
“The exarch,” said Ingeld.
“Of course,” said Abrogastes.
“Surely, if we obtain the empire, by our steel, our ships, our blood, our toil, you would not surrender it to some sleek, cowardly, pernicious fraud,” said Ingeld.
“Fortunately for frauds, they are few,” said Abrogastes. “Otherwise they could not batten with impunity on the trust of the many. They take advantage of the honesty and decency of the many. A population of frauds would soon have no frauds or be extinct.”
“It seems so,” said Ingeld. “But surely you would not surrender a won prize to the deceit and contrivance of an ambitious spectator.”
“Perhaps the spectator might make the prize more accessible,” said Abrogastes.
“I do not understand,” said Ingeld.
“An interesting thing about liars and frauds,” said Abrogastes, “is that they do not expect to be lied to, or defrauded. They assume that those with whom they deal dishonestly will deal honestly with them.”
“And they may not?” said Ingeld.
“I see no harm in betraying the betrayer, in doing treason to the treasonous, in lying to the liar, in defrauding the fraudulent.”
“You would use the exarch for your ends, as he would use you for his?” said Ingeld.
“Yes,” said Abrogastes. “And, if necessary, or if it seems judicious, he can always be martyred at one’s convenience. The sword of the fist has a clear advantage over that of the koos. It exists. The sword of the koos is helpless without the sword of the fist; the sword of the fist, as it is real, does not need the sword of the koos.”
“The princesses are scarcely in a condition to participate in the splendor of some imperial wedding,” said Ingeld.
“They can be washed up, brushed and combed,” said Abrogastes. “Too, it would not do to put them muddy in the tiny kennels I have prepared for them.”
“We brought them from Telnar with only the clothes on their backs,” said Ingeld, “and those, thanks to the attentions of your armsmen, are in shreds.”
“Do not fear,” said Abrogastes. “We will look after our lovely guests. We will fit them out, appropriately. They will have gowns and jewels, tiaras, entire wardrobes. They will awe multitudes.”
“I think there is little of that sort here,” said Ingeld, “wardrobes, tiaras, and such. This is Tenguthaxichai. This is a little-known world, rude, simple, unspoiled, little settled, known to few but Alemanni.”
“Our agents have been in touch with gown-and-jewel merchants on four worlds, including Telnaria,” said Abrogastes. “The merchants contacted will know nothing of princesses. They will think their goods are sought for the daughters of kings.”
“How will they find Tenguthaxichai?” asked Ingeld.
“Gold has been bestowed, ships may be hired, coordinates will be supplied,” said Abrogastes.
“Surely it will be difficult to keep such things secret,” said Ingeld.
“Certainly,” said Abrogastes.
“Do you know which merchants our agents have contacted?” asked Ingeld.
“No, but several,” said Abrogastes.
“There is then danger,” said Ingeld.
“No,” said Abrogastes.
“Yes, dear father,” said Ingeld. “Unwelcome visitors, agents of the empire, impostors, pirates, raiders, spies.”
“Of course,” said Abrogastes.
“You expect them?”
“Yes.”
“Then you see the danger,” said Ingeld.
“No,” said Abrogastes. “Those contacted by our agents will have something impostors will not.”
“What, father?” asked Ingeld.
“The password,” said Abrogastes.
52
“Have you seen the daughters of the kings?” inquired Rurik, politely, of a saffron robed, turbaned fellow.
“Yes,” he said, “four days ago. Do you wish to sell your slave?”
“No,” said Rurik, “not now.” Then he turned to the kneeling slave. “Get your head to the floor!” he snapped.
“Yes, Master,” said the slave.
“She is nicely tunicked,” said the turbaned fellow.
“She is not now chained to my couch,” said Rurik.
“You are of the Larial Farnichi, are you not?” asked the turbaned fellow.
“Yes,” said Rurik.
Doubtless his interlocutor’s supposition was based on the recognition of the emblem, that inscribed in the circular patch sewn into Rurik’s jacket, at the left shoulder, that of the five-petaled Pin Flower.
“A great merchant house,” said the turbaned fellow.
“We have such interests, amongst others,” said Rurik.
“A pretty slave,” said the turbaned fellow.