The Dragon in the Sword (15 page)

“First they must have the knowledge of our Entrance Tunnel,” said Alisaard as the boat bumped against the wall.

We watched as a gangplank was laid from ship to quay. Then Alisaard led the way onto dry land, into a little cobbled square and up a steep, winding lane to where, some distance from the shore, a tall, somewhat Gothic, house stood. It had the air of a civic building.

The sun was warm on our bodies as we took the final few steps up to the building.

“Our Council House,” said Alisaard. “A modest enough piece of architecture, but it is the hub of our government.”

“It has the unpretentious air of our old German town halls,” said von Bek with approval. “And,” he added, “it is considerably finer than anything we’ve experienced of late. Just think, Daker, what one of Armiad’s Binkeepers would make of a Council House like this!”

I could only agree with him.

Within, the place was cool and pleasant, full of sweet-smelling plants and flowers. The floor was marble, but fine rugs were scattered everywhere, and there was nothing chilled about the green obsidian of pillars and fireplaces. On the walls were tapestries, mostly non-representational, and the ceilings were painted with elaborate and exquisite designs. There was an air of quiet dignity about the place and I found it harder still to believe that these Eldren women planned to use me for barter.

An older woman, with silver hair piled above a face which, typical of her kind, showed none of the less attractive signs of age we humans so frequently display, emerged from a small door on the right. “So you were persuaded to come to us, Prince Flamadin,” she said warmly. “I am most grateful.”

Alisaard introduced Ulric von Bek and explained a little of the circumstances. The older woman wore flowing red and gold. She welcomed us and said she was known as the Announcer Elect, Phalizaarn. “But of course nobody has explained to you why we were seeking you, Prince Flamadin.”

“I had the impression, Lady Phalizaarn, that you wanted the help of my sister, Sharadim.”

She was surprised. She signed for us to go ahead of her through a door and into a conservatory full of the most magnificent blooms. “How did you know of that?”

“I have a certain sixth sense in these matters, my lady. Is it true?”

She paused beside a purple rhododendron. I seemed to have embarrassed her. “It is true, Prince Flamadin, that some of our number have tried—through unconventional means—to summon your sister to them, or at least ask for her help. They were not forbidden to do this, but in general it was disapproved by everyone, including the Council. It seemed an unlikely and barbaric means of approaching the Princess Sharadim.”

“These women do not, then, represent all the Eldren?”

“Simply a faction.” The Announcer Elect looked a little quizzically at Alisaard, who dropped her gaze. It was clear to me that Alisaard was, or had been, one of those women who sought my sister by “barbaric” means. Yet why had she rescued me from Armiad? Why had she sought me out at all?

I thought it fair to say something on Alisaard’s behalf. “I must tell you, madam, that I am used to such incantations.” I smiled at Alisaard, who had looked up in mild surprise. “It is not the first time I, myself, have been called across the barriers of the worlds. But what puzzles me is why I should have heard the call for Sharadim.”

“Because Sharadim is not whom we sought,” said Alisaard simply. “I must admit that until yesterday I was prepared to insist that the oracle had misled us. I was convinced that no human male could have the rapport with the Eldren which was needed if we were to proceed. Of course we knew of you both. Knew that you were twins. We assumed the oracle had spoken of Flamadin in mistake for Sharadim.”

“There were many heated debates on the matter,” said Lady Phalizaarn gently. “In this very hall.”

“The night before last,” Alisaard continued, “we attempted once more to call Sharadim. We thought that there was no better place to do this than at the Massing Ground. We were aware of the power flowing in us by then. It was stronger than ever. We lit our fire, we linked arms, we concentrated. And for the first time we had a vision of the one we sought. You can imagine, I am sure, whose face it was.”

“You saw Prince Flamadin,” said Lady Phalizaarn, evidently trying to disguise the satisfaction in her voice. “And then you saw him in the flesh…”

“We remembered that you had commissioned Helmswoman Danifel to approach Prince Flamadin if he was at the Massing. We went to her and admitted that we had been mistaken. Together, as you can see, we went to visit Prince Flamadin. We were forced to go secretly because of the nature of the Massing and the character of the brute who is Baron Captain of the particular hull where Prince Flamadin and his friend were guesting. To our complete astonishment we arrived to discover that Prince Flamadin and Count von Bek were in the process of attempting escape. So we helped them.”

“Alisaard,” said Lady Phalizaarn softly, “did you think to invite Prince Flamadin to Gheestenheem? Did you give him the choice?”

“In the heat of the moment, I forgot, Lady Announcer Elect. I apologise to all. We thought we might be pursued.”

“Pursued?”

“By the bloodthirsty enemies from whom Alisaard saved us,” said von Bek quickly. “We owe you our lives, madam. And, of course, we should have accepted your invitation had it been extended.”

Lady Phalizaarn smiled. She, too, was evidently charmed by my friend’s old German courtesy. “You are a natural courtier, Count von Bek. Or perhaps a natural diplomat is a better choice.”

“I would prefer the latter, my lady. We von Beks have never been overfond of monarchs. We even had one member of our family serve in the revolutionary French National Assembly!”

Again the words were meaningless. I could understand them but they were like a foreign language to the others. One day von Bek would learn, as I had learned, to carry on a conversation without reference to the existence of our Earth or its twentieth century.

“I still have no notion of what you want from me,” I said politely. “I assure you, my lady, I am here most willingly, given that all others appear to be against me, but I will be frank with you. I have no real memory of being Prince Flamadin. It is only a matter of a few days since I first inhabited his body. If Flamadin has knowledge that you need, then I am afraid I’m likely to disappoint you.”

At this the Lady Phalizaarn beamed. “I am most relieved to hear that, Prince Flamadin. The accuracy of our ‘oracle’, as Alisaard insists it be called, is further confirmed. But you shall hear all when the full Council convenes. It is not for me to speak until I am given instructions to do so.”

“When does the Council convene?” I asked her.

“This afternoon. You are at liberty to explore our capital if you will, or to rest. We have chambers here which have been set aside for you. Anything you need in the way of food or clothing, please let us know. I am exceedingly pleased to see you here, Prince Flamadin. I had thought it almost too late!”

On this mysterious note we were dismissed. Alisaard showed us to the rooms which had been prepared for me. “You were not expected, Count von Bek, so it will take a little while to make ready your accommodation. Meanwhile there are two adjoining chambers, with a couch large enough for even a man of your size.”

I opened the door. “This is what I’m interested in,” I said delightedly. It was a huge bathtub, rather reminiscent of the old Victorian kind, though it had no obvious plumbing attached to it. “Is there perhaps some way we can obtain hot water?”

She indicated something I had mistaken for a bell rope hanging to one side of the tub. “Two tugs for hot,” she said. “One for cold.”

“How does the water reach the bath?” I wanted to know.

“Through the pipes.” She pointed at a peculiar kind of plug near one end of the bath. “And up through there.” She spoke to me as if I were some kind of barbarian being introduced to civilised amenities.

“Thanks,” I said. “No doubt I’ll soon learn how to work it.”

The soap she handed me was a kind of abrasive powder, but it softened well enough in the water. My first blast of hot water almost killed me. I learned that she had forgotten to tell me that it was three tugs for a mixture…

Von Bek had been talking to Alisaard while I bathed. She had left by the time it was his turn to use the tub. He had the benefit of my new wisdom where the water was concerned. As he soaped himself he rattled on cheerfully. “I asked Alisaard if her race and humans can normally interbreed. She thinks it unlikely, though she can only speak from her own experience. Apparently this method they have isn’t all that simple. She said that ‘a great deal of alchemy’ is involved. Presumably they make use of chemicals, other agents. Some form of artificial insemination, perhaps?”

“I’ve no understanding of such matters, unfortunately. But the Eldren were always clever with medicines. What puzzles me is how the women came to be separated from the men and if these people are the descendants of those I knew or are they, perhaps, their ancestors?”

“Now I find you hard to follow,” von Bek admitted. He began to whistle some popular jazz song of his time (which was a few years before my own, as John Daker).

The rooms were furnished in much the same style as the rest of the Council House, with large pieces of carved hardwood furniture, tapestries, rugs. There was a great quilt flung across my bed which, by the workmanship, must have taken fifty years to make. More flowers filled the place and the windows looked down into a courtyard with a gravel walk, a green lawn and a fountain at the centre. The mood of tranquility was thus maintained. I felt I could cheerfully settle amongst these people. But I knew it was not to be. Again came a pang of almost physical agony. How I longed for my Ermizhad!

“Well,” said von Bek later as he towelled himself, “if I did not have urgent business with the Chancellor of Germany, I would find this Barobanay an excellent place for a holiday. Eh?”

“Oh, indeed,” I replied absently. “However, von Bek, I think we’ll be busy soon enough. These women seem to think it a matter of urgency, our coming here. I still find it hard to understand, however, why Sharadim was called and not me. Did Alisaard offer you any further explanation?”

“A matter of principle, I think. She did not wish to believe that a human male could be of any use to them at all! I suppose that’s based on her experience. And then, of course, there was the business of the murder, or the probable murder.”

“What? The murder they say I attempted? Do they think now that I actually succeeded in killing my twin sister?”

“Oh, no, of course not.” Von Bek rubbed at his hair. “Weren’t you present when Alisaard mentioned that? Apparently Prince Flamadin is almost certainly dead. The story put out from the Draachenheem is the reverse of the truth. Flamadin seems to have been murdered on the direct instructions of Sharadim!” Von Bek found this amusing. He laughed and slapped me on the shoulder. “It’s a turning world, eh, my friend?”

“Oh, aye,” I agreed as my heart began to pound again. “A turning world indeed…”

2

“W
E SHOULD FIRST
tell you,” said the Lady Phalizaarn, rising from amongst the seated women, “that we are in grave danger. For many years we have been attempting to seek out our own folk, the Eldren, and rejoin them. Our method of maintaining our race is, as I am sure you can imagine, distasteful to us. Admittedly our purchased males are well treated and given almost all the privileges of the community, but it is an unnatural business. We would rather procreate through union with those who had a choice in the matter. Of late we have embarked upon a series of experiments, designed to locate our people. Once we have located them, we believe, we will find a means of rejoining them. However, we have made a number of unlikely discoveries. What is more, we have been forced to compromise and, finally, some of our number have taken a wrong direction. Now, for instance, your sister Sharadim knows a great deal more than we would have revealed, had we understood her character.”

“You must illuminate me as to that,” I said. Von Bek and I were seated, cross-legged, in front of the women, most of whom were of a similar age to Phalizaarn, though some were younger and one or two older. Alisaard was not present. Neither were any of the others who had rescued us from Armiad’s hull.