Blade did not think. He could not and did not want to think. He was engulfed. The cosmos was this pink red moist whorl of mouth beneath his own.
They did not speak. They did not look at each other. They were two beautiful animals come together, bent on coupling, and there was no love nor tenderness here. Each fought desperately for his own ultimate pleasure.
She ripped off her garment and flung it away. Blade, without knowing he did it, stripped himself and lowered himself. The enormous brawny man,, hirsute and dark tanned and rippling with muscle, bore her down on the cold stone of the altar-bier and was merciless.
She made one sound then, the only sound she made during the encounter. She screamed, small and shrill, as he violated her. After that she fought him silently, clinging with her legs and arms, her ivory pelt a part of his own, the sweat of both beginning and mingling and streaming in the crevices of their straining bodies.
For long minutes they fought, both wanting to end and neither wanting to end. There was no end. No beginning. This was moment of birth and moment of death. This was all there was.
But there was an end, and it came for both in the same millionth of a second. Silence could no longer be endured and she screamed once and Blade gave a grunting cry that was not human and yet had all of humanity in it.
By then the patrol was at the far end of the gardens and did not hear. It was just as well, for Blade was as helpless as any infant for a few seconds. It was dangerous, what he had just done.
He was the first to regain his senses. She lay inert and unmoving beneath his weight, and for a moment he thought she did not breathe. Then her breasts moved, slightly, and she opened her eyes and peered up at him and smiled and stroked his face.
Blade whispered. 'You will help me now, Empress Mei?'
She closed her eyes and smiled again and kept stroking his rough cheek. 'I will help you, stranger. And you tell me truth, for you are indeed a stranger. You are like no man of Cath. I swear to that!'
Blade swung himself off the altar and began to pull on his tunic. The armor he would leave, or hide. It was too small anyway. He picked up her dagger and thrust it into his belt.
'We had better go then, Empress. At once. This is not a safe place. For me, at least.'
She extended a hand to him and her smile said all there was to say. She was a subdued and contented woman, this Empress Mei, and neither of them thought to question it.
'We will go, Blade. But you must not worry now. You are safe with me. I rule Cath and my word is law. As your word shall be.'
So, thought Blade, are complex matters made simple. For now. He was a man very aware of time and the snares it puts down every passing second.
'You will not call me Empress,' she said. 'Never again call me that.'
He picked up her garment and handed it to her. 'What do I call you, then?'
She thought a moment, then laughed softly. 'You will call me Lali. Just that. It was a name my father had for me when I was very young and innocent. He was killed by Mongs when I was only a child and no one has ever called me that since.'
Blade regarded her with affection. Now that the storm was over he felt an odd tenderness for her - and knew he must never drop his vigilance.
'Lali? All right. But I am not a father.'
She was fastening the sheath of silken cloth about her splendid body. 'Indeed you are not! Yet you must call me Lali.'
'I will call you anything you like, but let's get out of this place. Think, Lali! How would you explain me to that patrol if they should come in here?'
Her aquamarine eyes were shrewd. 'How am I going to explain you to anyone? To my people and my wise men and my chiefs? Even to myself. Ah - that is going to require much thinking. And perhaps a few lies. I am very good at lying, Blade.'
'So am I,' he said, 'and I will help you. But I lie better on a full stomach and after I have had a bath and some sleep. Do we go, Lali, or do I carry you?'
She touched his face and kissed him lightly. 'We go.'
She led him to the far wall of the Temple of Death and pressed against one of the pillars with a finger. The wall slid open without a sound. Beyond was a narrow tunnel, well lighted, sloping downward.
'Come. This leads to my private apartments. We shall have a bath together, and talk.'
'And eat?' asked Blade hopefully. He was ravenous.
She brushed her fingers over his flat, hard-muscled stomach. 'And eat. And then you will make love to me again.'
Blade could see nothing wrong in that program.
She led the way. Without turning she said, 'You are sure that Mei Saka is dead? My husband? If he is not, everything could be spoiled. I will not give you up now and there would be fighting in Cath, which must not be. We have enough trouble withstanding the Mongs.'
'I cannot be positive,' he told her. 'I am a stranger. But I took the armor from a body that was very dead indeed. And the searching party thought I was your husband. I think it is certain enough.'
She tripped along lightly before him, He watched the play of muscles in that marvelous body and wondered that this Emperor, this Mei Saka, could have been fool enough to endanger a relationship with her.
'That is good,' said Lali. 'My assassin did a good job. It is too bad that I had to have him killed.'
