Prince Durouman's mouth fell open again and stayed open. He seemed to have completely lost all powers of speech. His hands clutched at the tablecloth. Blade went on.
«Again, consider. If Kul-Nam's fleet and army are destroyed in battle, he will lose much of his reputation. So many of his people will be looking for a ruler to take his place, that no amount of terror will keep all of them quiet. If you come forward then, it may be the best chance you'll ever have to take the throne of Saram without a civil war.
«In fact, you may have to step forward. If Kul-Nam loses a good part of his army, he may not have enough left to hold the borders against the Steppemen. Then you'll not only have to move, but move fast.»
That was the end of Blade's case, but it was not the end of the argument. That began as soon as Prince Durouman regained control of his voice, and it went on all night, fueled at intervals by more food and wine. It went back and forth, both men speaking with equal determination, both speaking from a great deal of experience, and both speaking with growing respect for each other.
There were times during the night when Blade felt like a door-to-door salesman trying to sell a vacuum cleaner to a particularly stubborn customer. But it wasn't a vacuum cleaner he was trying to sell. It was a plan that could bring a new and just Emperor to Saram, peace to this whole Dimension, and life to thousands and thousands of people who would otherwise die unpleasantly. That thought kept Blade going, as hoarse as he became and as stubborn as Prince Durouman remained.
Dawn was breaking when the prince finally threw up his hands in a gesture of resignation. Blade noted that those hands were shaking slightly with fatigue or excitement.
«Very well, Prince Blade. You seem to have thought of everything. You have great wisdom and you have used all of it in making your plans.»
«Thank you.»
«That does not mean that we will succeed, of course. It only means that you are not simply trying to get me to join you in committing suicide. Anything is better than sitting and waiting for our doom to come to us. That way gives no hope of either honor or victory.» He picked up the last wine jug, discovered that it was empty, and set it back down on the table.
«So. Are you willing to take my men and me north in your galley?»
«I am. This is a mission that some aboard Kukon may not enjoy. They have no great love for the pirates.»
«Do you doubt the loyalty of your crew, Blade?»
«No. They have even less love for Kul-Nam. Overthrowing him is the only hope most of them have of seeing their homes again.»
«Indeed. Well, then I shall accept your judgment on your crew. We must all stand together as we sail north.»
That, Blade reflected, was much too true. They would all have to stand very solidly together as they sailed north to thrust their heads into the jaws of the lion and hope that the beast wasn't hungry!
Chapter 20
Kukon sailed north three days later with nearly three hundred men aboard her, all capable of rowing or fighting.
The commandant of the main fort of Parine, his two aides, and a dozen of the best musketeers among Parine's soldiers were also on board. They had volunteered to accompany the mission in order to strengthen it and to observe the events on behalf of Princess Tarassa.
The princess herself would gladly have accompanied them. Blade turned her down politely but as firmly as he could. «There are no proper accommodations for a lady aboard a war galley as crowded as ours.» Before she could bristle or flare up at that, he went on. «Also, Parine must be placed in a proper state of defense. Can you be sure the job will be done as well as it must be without you here to oversee it?»
Tarassa sighed. «As usual, Blade, you have the right of it.» She clenched her fists and waved them in front of his nose in mock rage. «Damn you, you are so often right!» Then she kissed him on the lips and said more softly, «Very well. Go to the pirates, but come back safely to me.»
After two days' sail to the north, the commandant made a suggestion that intrigued everyone. Blade was not only intrigued by it; he was worried.
«The pirates may not believe in our good faith unless we give them proof,» said the commandant. «If they do not believe in our good faith, they may open fire on us the moment we sail within range, flag of truce or no.»
«Perhaps,» said Dzhai. «But I doubt it. The pirates are very proud of their honor. Even now it would take much to make them fire on a truce flag.»
The commandant ignored Dzhai, as he almost always did. He consistently refused to be more than minimally polite to those of «lower rank.» When he was not flaunting his lineage, he was still a good soldier, but his manner was beginning to grate on Blade.
«The pirates will not trust us if we simply approach them as we are. But suppose we approach them in company with a ship we have taken from the fleet of the Emperor? They will know that we have committed ourselves to their side. Also, we may have a valuable batch of prisoners, who can be useful in many ways.»
Blade merely looked polite. Prince Durouman seemed openly delighted. «That's a marvelous idea, Commandant. But where do we find such a ship?»
The commandant looked around the little cabin. «This is knowledge we have received in Parine, but which does not seem to have reached the mainland. The Emperor is sending out armed sailing ships toward the eastern part of the Silver Sea, to watch the coasts of the Five Kingdoms.»
«And land spies and assassins?» put in the prince.
«Probably,» said the commandant. «The ships will be sailing alone, many miles apart. Our fighting men would easily outnumber the crew. Once we boarded, it would be all over.»
«Yes,» said Dzhai, «but-«He hesitated.
«But what?» said the commandant severely. Blade fought down an urge to kick the man in the shins under the cabin table. «What is your objection, Captain Dzhai?»
«It is not easy for a galley to attack a sailing ship if the ship has good guns and brave men behind them.»
«It is not easy to sink it, no,» said Prince Durouman, obviously sharing the commandant's annoyance. He was only trying to be polite to Dzhai out of respect for Blade. «But we wish to capture it. That is a matter of boarding and hand-to-hand fighting.»
Dzhai shrugged. Blade said nothing. He had some thoughts of his own about how galleys might sink sailing ships, but he didn't want to say a single word about them in front of the commandant.
Blade did not care very much for this idea of an attack on one of the Empire's scouting vessels. It meant an unnecessary battle and therefore an unnecessary risk. Blade had fought in more battles than any ten ordinary men, but he had never liked unnecessary ones and always avoided them when he could.
Besides, what was this about the scout ships? He hadn't heard anything of it until just now. If it had been known in Parine, as the commandant said, why hadn't he been told?
Blade firmly reined in his suspicions. It was quite possible that he was looking for sinister implications that weren't there. There was no good reason why he should have been told everything that Princess Tarassa learned. Besides, Prince Durouman was obviously falling in with the commandant's idea. That was the best argument of all for Blade's keeping his mouth shut. If he didn't, it could lead to an open quarrel between him and Prince Durouman. That would be a much greater danger to their success than anything that might come of this attack on the Imperial scout ship.
So Blade kept silent as Kukon made her way steadily toward the north.
They sighted the Imperial ship at sunrise on the morning of the seventh day out. At the lookout's wild cry, Blade started scrambling up the foremast shrouds to the crow's nest.