Blade thought fast. He didn't know what reason the Lanyri had to keep him alive. But if they were going to do so, for whatever reason, he'd be better off than continuing the fight against this kind of odds. If he surrendered unwounded, there was a better chance of escape.
«Very well,» he said. «I submit.»
The Lanyri officer grinned, and his men ran forward to surround Blade.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
General Ornilan was a large and beefy specimen of a normally rather small people. His breastplate and helmet were not only gilded but jeweled, and so was the hilt of his sword. He wore a dark red cloak and a red plume on his helmet. Both swirled and waved as he strode up and down inside his headquarters, without taking his eyes off Blade. Blade, unarmed but unbound, was seated on a stool in the middle of the room.
Neither did Blade take his eyes off the general. Every little bit he could learn or guess about Ornilan was something he might be able to use. He had learned that early in his career as an agent and followed it ever since. It had meant the difference between success and failure a dozen times, and had saved his life four times. So he watched Ornilan continuously, and mentally noted down every word the man spoke, every gesture he made.
Ornilan finally stopped in front of Blade and stared down at him. «You are a sensible man,» said the general. «And you are not one of those dirty Pendari savages. That's obvious to anyone who looks at you. What do you think you have to gain by showing loyalty to them?»
Blade tried to pick the answer most in keeping with the image he was projecting. He wanted the Lanyri to think that he was really a cynical adventurer who was playing the role of the Pendarnoth for what he could get out of it. He wanted to come across as a man who might be bought, but who had enough of an opinion of himself to set a high price. That way he could spin on the bargaining as long as possible. In the process he could find out as much as possible about the Lanyri, and in the end win himself as much freedom as possible. Then all that would be left after that was to use the freedom to escape. All? That would be enough.
He shrugged. «You haven't convinced me I have much to gain by abandoning that loyalty to the Pendari.» He waited for Ornilan to say something like «Except your life,» and gave the general due credit when those words didn't come. Ornilan was not a blusterer who hurled wild threats like his soldier's javelins.
«There isn't much you could gain by simply joining us as another warrior, I agree. We already have more than enough auxiliary fighters, with the Rojags and the mercenaries. And even if we didn't have those, we could still win. Our soldiers are the best in the world.» That was not said as a boast but a fact. Blade was more than willing to admit that the Lanyri were very good, even if not that good. He said so.
Ornilan beamed at the compliment. «I said you were a reasonable man. Do you really think then that the Pendari rabble can stand against our infantry?»
The Pendari had done so once before and could do so again, but that would not be the right thing to say. «They can certainly put up a long and stubborn fight. And they will be as stubborn as the rocks of their own mountains against a foreign invader who seeks to conquer and hold their land. I have been among them more than any Lanyri. I know the way their minds work better than you do.» A blunt statement, every word of it perfectly true. And every word of it was intended to remind Ornilan that Blade was a precious mine of information.
Ornilan got the message and rose to the bait. The man was not a good negotiator. He was much too eager to win Blade over, and inclined to be careless about the price he paid for it. The general's reputation was at stake in this campaign. And the Pendarnoth could make the difference between success and failure. So it was not surprising that Ornilan was reaching out with both hands to grab at any chance of winning Blade's support.
«You are quite right about the Pendari's courage. They may not have much discipline of the kind that has made Lanyr, but they have courage and they will fight long and hard. In such a fight their whole land will be terribly devastated. You must know what happens to those who resist the efforts of the Empire to bring them under its just rule. You can spare the people of Pendar all this fighting and death.» The general was allowing for the possibility that Blade might be truly loyal to the Pendari. He was holding out the possibility of saving the Pendari by betraying them. Blade found it hard to keep a thin smile off his face.
But his expression was sober as he replied. «All these words are very pretty to hear. The Lanyri have as great a skill in word-spinning as they do in fighting. But you have not told me what you would like to see me do. Perhaps it is time you spoke of that.»
From the expression that lit up Ornilan's face, Blade knew he had struck the right tone at the right moment. Ornilan would never make a poker player. He face telegraphed every emotion in him, and he would lose his shirt in every game.
«Consider,» said Ornilan. «You are the Pendarnoth, the Father of the Pendari, the man who rides the Golden Steed, who fulfills the oldest and greatest myth of a foolish people much given to such myths. You have enormous power among them. What would happen if you rode back to Vilesh and proclaimed that you had just had a vision?»
«That would depend on what kind of vision I said I had. What are you suggesting?» Blade was trying to balance his voice between skepticism and curiosity.
«Let us say-a vision that the Lanyri come as friends to the Pendari, and should not be resisted?»
The contempt in Blade's laugh was entirely real. «Are you serious, General Ornilan? And I thought you were also an intelligent man.» Ignoring the swift hardening of Ornilan's face, he went on. «It would be a miracle if I lived two days after saying something like that. The Pendari are determined to fight you, whether they have any hope of winning or not. And they believe they can win.» This drew a short burst of laughter from Ornilan. Blade shrugged. «I know what you Lanyri think. But that doesn't make any difference here. What counts is what the Pendari think. And they are certain they can win.»
Blade stood up and in his turn began to pace around the room. He was trying to look tense, concerned, and sincere all at the same time. «As long as they are certain they can win, they will try to fight. And it will be dangerous for anyone, even the Pendarnoth, to try to persuade them not to fight. I have not lived as long as I have by running into dangerous situations, at least not without some prospect of reward.»
The word «reward» made Ornilan stop and almost glow all over, as if Blade had just offered him a ton of Pendari gold. Then the general clasped his hands behind his back tightly, as if he were trying to bottle up his delight. «We can manage a reward. Indeed we can manage a reward great enough to make any man interested. We can…»
«I want specific terms,» said Blade sharply. «No more fine words. They may glitter like Pendari gold, but they are like so much mountain rock when it comes to being worth anything.»
For the first time Blade wondered if he had gone too far. Ornilan's face went first pale, then red. His voice grated as he said, «You set yourself very high for an adventurer, my friend. That will not improve your chances among the Lanyri, let me tell you.»
«Tell me something I don't already know,» snapped Blade. «Tell me why I should expect any chance among the Pendari if I go along with your proposals. And tell me what the Lanyri will do to me that the Pendari will not if they detect this change of loyalties and… ah… let us say, resent it.»