'An ox, stupid. He had two great big beefy oxen under that great big black cloth. One for Chonjara, one for you.’
'But I felt my… I felt my heart getting torn out. I remember.’
'That's your imagination speaking,' said Yen Olass. 'You were slashed across the chest, that's all.’
'But if the whole sacrifice was a sham,' said Hearst,
starting to get angry. 'Then why cut me at all?’
'Because my lover is something of a sadist,' said Yen Olass.
'Your lover?' said Hearst. 'The… the Ondrask?' 'Not yet,' said Yen Olass. 'But he will be. Once I'm Kenagek.' 'Kenagek?’
'The Kenagek is the mother of the emperor,' said Yen Olass.
'You're going to try and make yourself Celadric's mother?' said Hearst, feeling confused.
'No,' said Yen Olass. 'Celadric is going to abdicate in favour of Monogail. He doesn't know it yet, of course. But he will.’
'How are you going to persuade him?' said Hearst.
'With a knife,' said Yen Olass. 'A castrating knife, if necessary. He's accepted an invitation to dine with the Ondrask at noon. His brother Meddon's coming too. We'll kill Meddon and kidnap Celadric. Once we get him to the Lesser Teeth, we can make him agree to anything we want.’
'You've left something out of your battle plan,' said Hearst.
'What's that,' said Yen Olass. 'York.’
'Oh, I've killed him already,' said Yen Olass happily. 'I'm famous, don't you know. Hundreds of soldiers are out combing the countryside for me. Celadric always wanted his brother dead, but as a matter of form he's even committed his persona! bodyguard to the hunt.’
'You're crazy,' said Hearst scornfully. 'Garabatoon is still swarming with men. What've you got here? Five? Six?’
'About a dozen,' said Yen Olass. 'And the same number of women.’
'You'll all be dead by nightfall,' said Hearst.
'By nightfall, we'll be safely at sea,' said Yen Olass. 'Losh Negis-’
'Who?’
'The Ondrask here,' said Yen Olass. 'There was a banquet last night. Afterwards, he went to Draven's ship, anchored just downriver from Garabatoon. He'd offended the emperor, and did not think it safe to spend the night in Castle Celadric. They spent part of the night plotting. Today, while we seize Celadric, Draven's men will be raiding the marketplace at Garabatoon, to release Watashi and the others.’
'A handful of pirates versus a whole town?' said Hearst. 'That's ridiculous!’
' 'Draven's got sixty men,' said Yen Olass. 'Some of them have got Collosnon armour. They can pose as Celadric's soldiers.’
'They'll need more than a little amateur acting to cheat the mob of its victims,' said Hearst.
'They're going to burn down the town,' said Yen Olass. 'Start a few fires, and people will be running in all directions – most of them drunk. Draven isn't stupid, you know. Probably there'll be so much confusion that nobody will notice the prisoners are gone until this time tomorrow.’
'Celadric will be missed sooner.’
'Yes, but nobody will know where he's gone. We'll grab him, stuff him into a sack – a wet sack, with dirt and worms and rotten apples in it – then smuggle him down the river in a boat. With someone sitting on him. No, with two people sitting on him! Then we'll put him on Draven's ship.’
'How do you know you can trust the pirate?' said Hearst.
T don't know if I can trust him at all,' said Yen Olass simply. 'But I don't have much choice. My child's on his ship.’
'Which child is that?’
'What do you mean, which child? Monogail, of course, you ignorant-’
'Monogail! But how-’
'Nan Nulador, that's how. He grabbed her for Celadric. 421
What're your dungeons made of, huh? Ricepaper, perhaps?’
'Where's Nan Nulador now?' said Hearst.
T was put to the necessity of killing him,' said Yen Olass, 'So I could make good my escape.’
'Really? And tell me, how did you escape?’
T can walk through walls,' said Yen Olass, not wishing to confess to Hearst that she had been kidnapped and spirited out of the castle by a Yarglat tribesman in the Ondrask's employ.
'That's a very clever trick,' said Hearst. 'You must show it to me one day.’
'One day I will,' said Yen Olass.
'But only if you abandon your crazy scheme to kidnap Celadric,' said Hearst. 'Otherwise you won't live to see nightfall, let alone one day, whenever that may be.’
'Hey, it's not my crazy scheme. It's all these crazy men who thought it up. If you want to argue, you argue with them.’
'I'm not going to argue,' said Hearst. 'I'm going to sleep. Wake me up when it's all over.’
T haven't finished explaining things to you yet!' said Yen Olass.
'Goodnight,' said Hearst.
And, true to his word, he laid his head down and went to sleep – or pretended to.
'What does he say?' asked Chonjara, who had been unable to follow this conversation.
'He says he's not going to fight for us,' said Yen Olass. 'He's going to sleep instead.’
'He'll feel better when he's rested,' said Chonjara. 'In fact… so will I. Wake me if anything happens.’
And he too laid himself down, and, with the ease of a professional soldier, went to sleep.
Towards noon, the Lord Emperor Celadric came to the Ondrask's raft with his brother Meddon and a mob of fighting men. Some of the soldiers were Meddon's; some were members of Celadric's personal bodyguard, which he had now withdrawn from the womanhunt.
Hearst, Yen Olass and Chonjara watched through cracks in the bamboo walls as the troops came aboard. There was no need for a council of war: they were obviously badly outnumbered. They would not be kidnapping Celadric today.
Losh Negis came into the cabin and silently handed out ceremonial masks, which would obscure their identity if anyone was rude enough to challenge the cabin's privacy. Along with ten of the Ondrask's men, they waited, hoping Celadric and Meddon would not stay too long. Outside, the rest of the Ondrask's people – most of them women – began serving the guests.
With so many people crowded into the cabin and warm sunlight beating down, it was hot. Yen Olass, sweating behind a horsehide mask, peered through a crack in the wall. What she saw was mostly legs, none of which took her fancy.
Outside, the Ondrask was now confronting Celadric, who had brought him a gift.
'What is it?' said Losh Negis, taking the elaborately carved casket his emperor handed him.
'Open it,' said Celadric with a smile.
So Losh Negis opened the casket, and discovered a knife reclining on velvet. A very beautiful knife.
'Do you know what it's for?' said Celadric gently.
'No,' said Losh Negis.
'It's to kill yourself with,' said Celadric, in his oboe-smooth voice. 'Your behaviour last night was less than acceptable. You must understand that such behaviour has consequences.’
Losh Negis hesitated.
Celadric turned to Meddon and said:
'Kill him.’
'With pleasure,' said Meddon, drawing his sword. 423
Losh Negis dropped the casket and fled. He hurled himself against the door of the cabin, which burst open. He
