The consul smirked, and kept his voice low too. “It’s important, all right. But first, before I forget, Nephthys instructed me to give you her warmest greeting. I can’t, of course. She hopes you’ll be our guest soon.” He turned and clapped the shoulder of the soldier who’d accompanied him. “And now, Artos, I want you to tell my friend what you’ve learned.”

Artos was small for an orc, but sinewy and shrewd-looking. “As a centurion in the Second Legion,” he began, “I was known as one of the most sensitive telepaths in the army. So when this happened-” he held out a wrist with no hand-“my Lord Draco made me the monitor of his psi tuner.

“I came to have a feeling for the tuner, a feeling I can’t describe. So with my Lord’s permission I removed the crystal from it. I’m not free to say what experiments were made or what I did, but the crystal has been recut and reground so that my mind is now in resonance with it.”

Draco interrupted. “It no longer looks like an esper crystal.” He grinned widely. “It’s just another stone in a jewelled goblet now, in Ahmed’s wine pantry. It’s been there for weeks, and in his room several times, but until last night it told us nothing worth knowing.” He nudged the maimed telepath with his mind. “Tell us what you read last night, and keep your voice down.”

The man nodded. “It was about midnight,” he murmured. “Ahmed had wine and a girl brought to him. He was preoccupied, and finished with her rather quickly, but the goblet stayed while he sat and thought.

“He’d been away in his sky chariot. He’d used his, um, radio, you see, to talk to the Northmen. They have a star woman hostage, the Northmen, and her radio; the star people are total cretins. And Ahmed knew about the radio.

“So after dark he’d flown to a meeting he’d set up with the Northmen scum, and sitting safe in his chariot he made an agreement with them. They are to send their army here and Ahmed promised to use his sky chariot to protect them from attack in the open, in case my Lord learned of their approach. When they reached the City, they’re to join with Ahmed’s legions to attack us.

“And he promised that when he’s the master he’ll take the army away to Egypt and leave this country to the Northmen. The City of Kazi a barbarian sty! That’s to be their reward. And it’s uncanny, but he really means to do it, give the country to them!”

“Garbage!” Kamal snorted, then lowered his voice. “I know him better than that. Your story’s a fable.” But as he said it he turned questioningly to his psi aid. It was almost too preposterous to be a lie.

The aid looked at him squarely. “The man left his mind wide open to me while he told it,” he answered flatly. “He told truthfully what he read in Ahmed’s mind, altering nothing and holding nothing back. There is no question about it.”

Kamal scowled thoughtfully for a time. “What is it you want me to do?” he asked at last, and his voice was as hard as his eyes.

“Take Ahmed prisoner for me. Trusted as you are, you can move the men you need close to his apartment. I’ll leave it to your imagination to figure out how; you know the situation much better than I.”

Kamal’s flinty eyes fixed on the consul’s and he made no answer.

“All right,” Draco spat out, “kill him then, if you think he’d be too dangerous as a prisoner. Then announce his crime-treason against the Master-declare yourself commander of his troops, and join me against the Northmen.”

The legionary continued to stare wordlessly at Draco, his eyes glittering now.

“She remains mine,” Draco growled at the unspoken demand, “but you will be our guest from time to time.”

For a moment Kamal still stood motionless, then nodded and drew his sword.

“Dmitri!”

The door opened quickly at his call.

“Kill them in there,” he murmured. “I must be sure there is no leak.”

The orc turned, pulling at his hilt. There were no screams, but they heard the husband grunt, and the woman whimpered briefly. When the orderly reappeared he was wiping his sword on a piece of her gown. As soon as he’d sheathed it, Kamal cut him down.

“No leaks,” he said meaningfully.

The one-handed Artos darted for the door but Draco was on him, thrusting with his short sword.

“No leaks,” Draco husked. “What about him?” He nodded toward Kamal’s psi aid.

Kamal shook his head. “He’s as close to me as my own breath. Whoever kills him answers to me.”

Draco’s response was inward and screened. Already you grow insolent, old friend. I’ll kill him myself when the time comes, and you’ll watch. Then I’ll kill you.

The audience chamber of Timur Karim Kazi had been unused since he’d left to conquer Europe. It was small-six meters square and four high-with walls of glossy obsidian and carpeted with thick black furs so cleverly joined they looked like a single huge pelt. There was only one seat, the throne on its dais, but pillows lay around the other three walls. Tall narrow windows let in light.

So he’s using the Master’s audience chamber already, Kamal thought. That arrogant filth. If he sits on the Master’s throne I’ll kill him here and now.

Draco, sensing his anger and suspecting its cause, did not approach the high seat.

“I’m told you did the job with your own hand and he gave you no trouble,” he said. “I appreciate the gift of Yusuf. I prevailed on him to tell everything he knew. I never imagined the Turk could be so talkative, so co-operative. The Northmen should be leaving their mountains at daybreak. I’ll observe them from the pinnace, which they think of as their protection. The young men who flew it for Ahmed are happy to fly it for me.

“I’m appointing you field commander and leave the final say on tactics to your judgment. I suggest though that you plan to meet the Northmen at least two day’s ride from here.”

Kamal nodded. “Four or five days from now, depending on how fast they travel. I’ll let them ride into a sack and pull the drawstring on them in the morning to have as many hours of daylight as possible. Otherwise some of them might lose themselves in the darkness and escape. It should be easy to time it, with you sitting in the sky keeping track of them. I suggest you attack them before I do, from the air, as soon as they’re aware of us. That should disorganize them and we’ll chop them to pieces with minimum losses of our own.”

Draco smiled and held out his hand. “It sounds beautiful-more like slaughter than battle.”

And when it’s over, old comrade, I’ll drop down and pick you up-to take you where none of your men are at hand. You’re too dangerous-and too powerful now, and possibly ambitious after all. You’ll give me the pleasure you denied me from Ahmed.

“And Kamal,” Draco said, “when the Northmen are destroyed, I want you to spend some time with me in harem. Someone there is hungry to see you.”