2 - Blades of Mars (15 page)

 
          
 
Shizala sighed.

 
          
 
'Are we never to know peace, Michael Kane?'
she said. 'Has some other power decided that a love
so
rich as ours may not be enjoyed in tranquiliity? Why must we continually be
parted?'

 
          
 
'If I am successful, perhaps we shall have a
chance to spend long years together in peace,' I said comfortingly.

 
          
 
Again she sighed and looked into my eyes. 'Do
you think that is hkely?'

 
          
 
'It is worth striving for,' I said simply.

 
          
 
The next day we stood again on the balcony!

 
          
 
'The army of Mishim Tep must be on the move by
now,' she said, 'and marching towards Karnala. It will take many days before
they reach us.'

 
          
 
'That gives me so much longer to do what I
must,' I said. I knew she was hinting that we could spend a few more days
together, but I could not afford to risk anything going wrong - must give
myself as much margin of time as possible.

 
          
 
‘I suppose so,' she said.

 
          
 
I kissed her then, holding her close.

 
          
 
Later, looking down again into the square, I
watched the tiny force that only recently had to fight off a far larger force
of Argzoon blue giants, making their preparations.

 
          
 
It had been decided to meet the army of Mishim
Tep on a battlefield rather than wait for it to lay siege to the city. If
possible the city, and its women and children, would be preserved. The
army of Mishim Tep were
not barbarians and once they
defeated the army of the Kamala they would not make any further reprisals for
any supposed insults and treachery we.of Vamal had subjected them to.

 
          
 
Seeing the army making ready, I decided to
waste no more time and to leave that very night for the
Jewelled
City
.

 
          
 
I bid farewell to Camak and Damad. I said
goodbye to Shizala.

 
          
 
I also said a silent goodbye to that lovely
city as the waning sun stained its marble red as blood.

 
          
 
And then, the brief period of peace over, I
was heading back towards Mih-Sa-Voh.

Assassin's Mask

 
          
 
I STOOD at the gates of the
Jewelled
City
and answered the challenge of the guard.

 
          
 
'What do you want within? Know you not that
Mishim Tep js in a state of war?'

 
          
 
'That is why I come, my friend. Can't you see
that I am of the Jelusa?'

 
          
 
In my mask of thin, filigree silver covering
my whole face, my blood-red cloak and my sword carried in a sheath - a strange
custom on Mars - I looked a perfect mercenary of the Jelusa. Or so I thought.
Now that the guard gave me a careful appraisal I was not so sure.

 
          
 
Then he seemed satisfied.

 
          
 
'You may enter,' he said. After a moment's
delay the gates swung back and I strode through jauntily, a pack slung over my
back.

 
          
 
The guard came down from the wall and
confronted me.

 
          
 
'You have no dahara.' he said. 'Why is that?'

 
          
 
'It went lame on the journey here.'

 
          
 
He accepted this and pointed up the street
through the evening gloom.

 
          
 
'You will find the rest in the House of the
Blue Dagger,' he said.

 
          
 
'The rest?
The rest of whom?'

 
          
 
'Why, the rest of your companions, of course.
Were you not with the party?'

 
          
 
I did not dare risk denying this, so I went in
some trepidation up to the House of the Blue Dagger - a lodging house and
tavern - and entered. Seated inside were several Jelusa mercenaries in masks of
bronze, silver and gold, some of them modelled in the shapes of alien faces,
some studded with tiny
jewels.

 
          
 
Since they did not acknowledge me, I did not
acknowledge them.

 
          
 
I asked the tavern keeper if there was a room
available but he shrugged. 'Your fellows have them all. Would you share a room
with one?’

 
          
 
I shook my head.
‘No matter.
I'll find another tavern. Can you recommend one?'

 
          
 
'You could try the House of the Hanging
Argzoon in the next street'

 
          
 
I thanked him and left. It was very dark now and
I had difficulty finding my way through the streets. Street lifting seemed
non-existent, even in the most civilised Martian cities.

 
          
 
I lost my way and never did find the tavern
with the somewhat bloodthirsty
name
. As I quested
around for another tavern I began to sense that I was being followed.

 
          
 
I half turned my head, trying to see out of
the comer of my eye if there was anyone behind me, but the mask obscured my
view - and I did not want to risk removing it.

 
          
 
I continued to walk on and then took a narrow
side street, little more than an alley, and flattened myself in a doorway.

 
          
 
Sure enough, a figure passed me somewhat
hurriedly. I stepped from my hiding place, drawing my sword.

 
          
 
‘Is it polite, friend,' I said, 'to follow a
man about in this way?'

 
          
 
He tumed with a gasp, his
own hand reaching for his shield.

 
          
 
Moonlight flashed on something and I realised
he was wearing a Jelusa mask.

 
          
 
'What's this?' I said, speaking as jauntily as
possible. ‘Do you seek to rob a comrade?'

 
          
 
The voice that issued from the mask was cool
now. The man did not bother to draw his sword.

 
          
 
'It is against the code of the Jelusa to do
any such thing,' he said.

 
          
 
'Then what do you want of me?'

 
          
 
‘A peep behind the mask, friend.’

 
          
 
'That, too, is against our code,' I pointed
out.

 
          
 
'I do not know what your code is, friend, but
I know the code of the Jelusa well enough. Do you?'

 
          
 
Evidently I had made some mistake and this man
had noticed it. Perhaps there was some secret sign that Jelusa exchanged
without apparently seeming to acknowledge one another.

 
          
 
It appeared that I would have to kill this man
if he threatened to reveal my secret. Too much was at stake to risk his giving
me away and thus mining my whole plan

 
          
 
'Draw you sword,' I told him grimly.

 
          
 
He laughed.

 
          
 
'Draw!'

 
          
 
‘So I was right,' he said. 'You are
masquerading as a Jelusa.'

 
          
 
'Just so.
Now draw
your sword!'

 
          
 
'Why?'

 
          
 
'Because,' I said, 'I cannot let you betray my
secret -I must try to silence you.'

 
          
 
'Did I say I was going to tell anyone what I
know?'

 
          
 
'You are a Jelusa. You know that I am not,
that I only pretend to be.'

 
          
 
Again he laughed. 'But the Jelusa might be
flattered that you should wish to be one of them. There is nothing in our code
that says we must betray a man or kill him simply because he pretends to be one
of us.'

 
          
 
'Then why were you following me?'

 
          
 
'Curiosity.
I thought
you were a thief. Are you?'

 
          
 
'No.'

 
          
 
'A pity.
You see - as
you might know - the Jelusa Guild of the Masked is not only a guild of
mercenaries and assassins, but of thieves also. It had struck me, my friend,
that you might be here on the same errand as
myself
.'

 
          
 
'What is that?'

 
          
 
'To rob the treasure vaults
of the palace.
After all, there are so few guards that it is an ideal
opportunity. They are supposed to be impossible to rob, you know.'

 
          
 
'I am no thief.'

 
          
 
'Then why do you lurk behind a Jelusa mask?'

 
          
 
'My own business.'

 
          
 
'You are a spy for the Kamala.'

 
          
 
Since I was not a spy, I shook my head.

 
          
 
'This is very mysterious,' said the Jelusa in
his mocking voice.

 
          
 
Something occurred to me then. 'How do you
plan to enter the palace?' I asked him.

 
          
 
'Ah, so you have the same object as me, after
all!'

 
          
 
'I told you, I am no thief - but I would enter
the palace without the necessity of approaching the guards.'

 
          
 
'What is it then?
Assassination?'

 
          
 
I shuddered. There was no point in lying - as
a very last possibility, I was prepared to kill Horguhl if it would stop the
two great nations from destroying one another.

 
          
 
'So that is it,' the Jelusa murmured.

 
          
 
'It is not what you think. I am not a paid
killer.’

 
          
 
'An idealist!
By the
moons, I beg your pardon -I must be on my way.
An idealist!'
The Jelusa gave a mocking bow and pretended to try to hurry past me.

 
          
 
'A realist,' I said. 'I am here to try to stop
the war which is imminent'

 
          
 
'An idealist.
Wars
come and go - why try to stop them?'

 
          
 
'That is scarcely an objective judgement
coming from one who makes his living from war,' I said. 'But I'm tired of this.
Will you swear silence about me, or will you draw your sword?'

 
          
 
'In the circumstances, I will keep silent,'
said the masked man, his golden, jewelled mask suddenly flashing as a ray of
moonlight caught it.
'Though I have a suggestion.
I
promise I will pry no more into your object for entering the palace - and I
think my proposal will be to our mutual advantage.'

 
          
 
'What is it?'

 
          
 
'That we help each other to
gain entrance to the palace, then we go our different ways - you to the - er -
victim, me to the treasure house.'

 
          
 
It was true that I could do with an ally,
though whether this cynical thief was exactly the ally I would have chosen I
did not know.

 
          
 
I thought over his suggestion.

 
          
 
Then I nodded.

 
          
 
'Very well,' 1 said. 'Since you are probably
more experienced in these matters than I, I will do as you say. What is your
plan?'

 
          
 
'Back to the House of the
Blue Dagger,' he said, 'and the privacy of my room.
Some wine, some rest
- and some talk.'

 
          
 
Somewhat reluctantly, I followed him back
through the maze of streets, marvelling at his sense of direction. Perhaps this
thief would be more than useful, after all.

 
          
 
The thief did not remove his mask when we
reached his room, though I removed mine. He cocked his head on one side. His
mask was moulded to resemble a strange bird and gave him a grotesquely comical
appearance.

 
          
 
'My Guild-name is Toxo,' he said.