«Where is the Princess Harima's room?» whispered Blade. He made his voice sound as fierce as he could without raising it. The man's mouth opened and shut a couple of times and sweat broke out on his face. «Where?»

«Far end of the hall. Red… jewels… please…»

Blade applied a pressure hold to the side of the eunuch's neck and saw him slump into unconsciousness. The Blade rose and headed down the hall.

At the far end stood a red-enameled double door set with emeralds in the green falcon design. But in an alcove by it stood two more armed eunuchs.

Blade swore under his breath. But there was nothing to do but try to take these two also. Silent as a tiger stalking its prey, he moved toward them.

But these eunuchs were more alert than the ones in the outer corridor. They caught sight of Blade and sprang wide apart. Their swords flew clear with a hiss of steel, then they were coming at him.

Blade's reflexes and training saved him by only the slightest of margins from being sliced into half a dozen pieces. He dropped to the floor, rolled aside as one sword came down, and shot his left foot into the first man's stomach. The kick took the breath out of the man and jolted him back against the wall.

Now the second man's sword was slicing toward Blade and again Blade rolled and started to get to his feet. But this time he was a fraction of a second slow, and the tip of the sword laid his shoulder open. With blood streaming down his arm, Blade jumped to his feet and aimed a kick at the guard's knee. The guard was fast on his feet though. The kick struck only a glancing blow that slowed him without stopping him. Another sword stroke whistled within inches of Blade's head. This time the guard was slow in recovering and getting his sword back up. Before he could back out of range, Blade stepped in under the sword swing and threw a one-two punch into his opponent's stomach. The guard folded. Before he hit the rug, Blade whirled to meet the first guard.

He was still on his feet, gasping for air, trying to get enough into his lungs to shout an alarm. The man's mouth was open for that shout when Blade's fist snapped into the side of his head. He thudded to the carpet.

As if the sound of the guard hitting the floor had been a signal, the door slid open. From the perfumed darkness inside a face stared out at Blade. Small, sharp-featured, pale, framed in dark hair. A scanty white night-robe embroidered in gold. Princess Harima.

Before he could think about it, Blade was through the door. His hands went up and clutched at Harima's bare shoulders so hard that his fingernails almost broke the skin.

«Did you kill Curana, princess? I must know this, Harima. I must know what kind of people I must join if I must oppose Klerus. Speak, my lady princess, if you value your life.» Harima stared at him, eyes wide with terror and mouth open with soundless pleading.

Then from beyond Harima in the shadows a clear boy's treble voice spoke. The words came out calmly and slowly. «Release my sister, Pendarnoth. She is innocent of Curana's death, though not innocent of jealousy. It is to your honor that you wish the truth about Curana's death. I will give it to you. But my sister had nothing to do with it. This I swear by my honor and by all the gods of Pendar and the spirits of those who have ruled here before me.»

Blade raised his eyes and looked over Harima's shoulder. In the dim light beyond, with a knife raised in his left hand, stood King Nefus.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The spectacle of the eleven-year-old king standing with a knife in his small hand ready to defend his sister brought Blade to a sudden halt. He realized he had been closer to losing control of himself than he wanted to think about. He had come with the intention of being cold and calm, as he spoke to Harima. Instead, the fights with the guards and the long stalk through the darkness had tightened his nerves and swelled his anger.

Now he felt the anger subsiding or at least cooling. His voice was level as he said, «I will believe you for now because I must, Your Majesty. But it would be wise for you to make me believe it of my own free will. There must be trust between us before we can plan anything against Klerus.»

The king swallowed, and for a moment Blade thought he saw tears in the boy's eyes. Then the king said with a tremor in his voice, «Then you do want to help us fight Klerus? You really do?»

If Nefus had grown a second head Blade could hardly have been more surprised. It was a moment before he could speak in a normal tone of voice. «I had heard much to suggest that Your Majesty did not wish to fight the High Councilor Klerus. It is said that-I hope you will not take offense if I speak frankly.»

«I will be angry if you do not speak frankly, Pendarnoth. Say what you want to say.»

«I have heard that you honor Klerus because when your father died he was like a father to you. That you are blind to his faults and to his plans to betray Pendar to the Lanyri. And that you and your sister are at odds over this. She does not like Klerus at all.»

The king's dignity fell apart as he began to laugh, and Harima with him. They laughed until their laughter infected Blade also, and he laughed with them until all three ran out of breath. The laughter drove away the last of his anger and suspicion. He found it impossible to believe that King Nefus could be telling anything but the truth, either about Klerus or about Curana's murder.

Nefus finally wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes and said with a smile, «I am happy to know that you have heard this sort of thing. It proves the act my sister and I have been playing for two years is convincing. Did you hear the story from one of Klerus' enemies?»

Blade nodded and explained, briefly. Nefus smiled. «The act is very convincing when it has even the people who hate Klerus and the Lanyri worrying about me. Well, I ask that you tell Guroth that I and my sister honor him for his loyalty. We will see it properly rewarded some day.»

Blade nodded. «That will make him very happy. But before you can reward him, you must first keep your throne.»

Harima sighed. «Pendarnoth, we have thought much of how that might be done. But Klerus is king in all but name through his power in the Council of Regents. Nothing we have thought of would be accepted by the Council.»

«I believe you, my lady princess. But before you did not have a Pendarnoth, let alone one who was on your side. I believe I see a way that my position can help you. Perhaps it can even bring you victory."'

«Pendarnoth, if you can give us victory over Klerus and the Lanyri, you will deserve a new name. 'Pendarstrin,' Savior of the Pendari.»

«Let us worry about the Lanyri afterwards. You have a good army, and that may well be enough to repel the invasion. I can help you there also. But first, let us deal with Klerus.»

Blade quickly outlined his plan. It was appropriate that the Pendarnoth should have a large guard of his own, wasn't it? Particularly when he was going to be riding to war before long. The priests would certainly agree with this if asked-and they should be asked, secretly of course.

So Nefus should propose to the council that such a guard be organized. If the proposal had the blessing of the priests, not even Klerus would dare oppose it.

And then Nefus would appoint Guroth High Captain of the Pendarnoth's Guard. Guroth had a long list of officers and men he knew to be loyal to the king and Pendar. No doubt the king and Harima had lists of their own? Both nodded at that. These loyal officers and men should be gathered together in the Pendarnoth's Guard. This would create a strong force of absolutely loyal soldiers, and under the authority of the Pendarnoth himself, it would be even stronger, since it was sacrilege to fight against the Pendarnoth.