The clockwork traitor, p.6
The Clockwork Traitor, page 6
"Does Evekian know what the job was?"
Luise shook her head. "He says he doesn't, and I tend to believe him. Evekian's the sort who wouldn't ask, on the theory that he's not an accessory to the crime if he doesn't know what the crime is. But Winsted performed his function, was paid, and then disappeared. Evekian thought that would be the end of it, until I showed up, claiming to be Winsted's partner whom he'd sent for to help him work on this job. Naturally Evekian didn't want anyone coming into the picture unless he got his commission on it, so he had me picked up to `discuss' the matter with me. It didn't work out that way."
"Did you at least find out the name of the client who wanted Winsted's services?"
Luise drew in a deep breath. "Yes, I did. It was Fyodor Paskoi-Duke of Kolokov."
Chapter 5
Competitions
The Princess's Progress started out in a relaxed enough way with a ride down the beach. Everyone in the Princess's party was given a dorvat, a hexapedal animal about the size of a burro. They were native to Ansegria, and had proved easily tamable for riding. It took a little while for non-Ansegrians to get used to the strange six-legged gait of these creatures, and a good deal of fun was had at the expense of those members of the party who were particularly less adept at dealing with the tranquil but clumsy beasts. Jules especially made himself look less agile than he was, and had a lot of fun poked at him-all of which he took in good-natured stride, as befitted the character of John Dallum.
The Princess's retinue had been carefully balanced so that there were enough ladies-in-waiting to complement the candidates. Thus, no one would be without companionship of a member of the opposite sex during any of the events scheduled for the coming two weeks, and it was Edna's duty to mingle among the men and try to spend as much time with each of them as she could. In this way, she hoped to find her future consort and the father of the next Stanley ruler after herself.
The day was sunny and warm; the weather was nearly always pleasant around Cambria, especially at this time of the year. As the party rode their dorvats along the oceanside, the Princess chatted with one young man named Hans Gudding. He was a banker's son from the planet Vandergast, and was making quite a name for himself in the world of interstellar finance-particularly dealing in agricultural futures. He explained to her the problems of that trade: how he had to keep apprised of the total food situation on not just one but several planets; how he had to spot the trends developing at least two years in advance; how he had to buy as discreetly as possible, since too much activity in one area could affect the outcome adversely; and how he had to keep updating his figures and weeding out the bad investments while continuing to improve his stock on hand.
The subject was not as dry as it sounds, because Hans Gudding was a very personable young man with a great deal of enthusiasm for his subject, and such enthusiasm is generally contagious. Edna listened with interest that was unfeigned; she'd had a considerable amount of training about the ins and outs of finance on interstellar levels, and knew that she would need even more knowledge about such intricate matters once she assumed the Throne. The ruler of this vast galactic empire had to know a great deal about nearly every subject known to man, and Edna still considered herself woefully ignorant of entirely too much.
So she listened intently as the young man spoke, occasionally interjecting a question or comment of her own. She fielded very expertly his not-subtle hints that she should choose a husband who was as adept as he was at manipulating situations and dealing with people. She had been on enough previous Progresses to know that she was not really a person to most of these men, but merely an object that could bring them untold wealth and power. It was one of the facets of these jaunts that dismayed her the most, and turned what should be pleasant vacations into boring duties.
They arrived at a predetermined spot on the beach where the Baron's servants had gone ahead and prepared a barbecue lunch for the party. There was talking and laughing on the sand as they ate, and Edna took the opportunity to slip politely away from Gospodin Gudding and mingle with some of the other young men available.
After lunch, Anton Borov suggested some competitions as a method of passing the time. Jules suspected that he had made the suggestion because he expected to win and therefore bring himself more to the Princess's notice. At any rate, the idea met with general approval, and they bickered for a while over what forms those contests would take. Some wrestling matches were agreed on first, after which there were to be some races. Most of the men were eager to participate, with the exception of Choyen Liu, who sat silently off to one side while the others were limbering up. Curious, Edna went over to him. "Aren't you going to compete?" she asked him.
"No," he said. "To compete is to acknowledge the illusion of life that some arbitrary goals are more important than inward revelation. I prefer to let the others do the competing, if they must."
"You don't believe in competing, yet you're along on this Progress, competing for my hand. Doesn't that strike you as contradictory?"
"Not at all. You are a creature with free will, as are we all. You will eventually make your choice; I was chosen by my planet as one of your alternatives, nothing more. To strive against the other men would be folly, because you would still have to consider their virtues and faults. Only by killing all of them, and thus depriving you of alternatives, would competition avail me."
The novelty of Liu's ideas was so unexpected that Edna could just stare at him, stunned. What an odd young man, she thought. His objectivity was refreshing after so many clamors for her attentions. I should learn more about him. After all, the planet Anares will be part of my realm, and I should learn how the people think and act, and what they want and need. But despite her interest, and despite the fact that she was normally a well-spoken young lady, she could think of nothing further to say to this stranger. He seemed to transcend the normal topics of conversation. So, instead, she sat silently by his side and watched the action taking place on the beach before her.
The wrestling matches quickly showed that they were a contest between three people-Jules, Paul Symond, and Anton Borov. Jules knew that, with his incredible DesPlainian strength and physical training, he could best either of the other two; but he also knew that to do so would be to blow his cover identity. So, in the semi-final match, he lost gracefully to Symond and sat back on the sand to watch the outcome of the final pairing.
It was a hard-fought battle. It was clear to Jules quite early that Symond was the better fighter, being both stronger and more agile. Borov, though, was much more determined to win. As he and Symond circled one another there was an expression of near-animal ferocity on the face of the Kolokovnik. He attacked again and again with blows that were far too savage for friendly competition, and only Symond's agility enabled him to escape without injury. Then Borov finally managed to flip his opponent onto the ground and came down hard on top of him. The Lateestan wriggled like an eel and finally managed to twist out of the other's grasp, turning him over and pinning him to the ground instead. Borov had to concede the match.
The next competition was to be foot races along the shore, but that idea turned out to be impractical; the sand was so loose that it was difficult to gain solid footing except right down at the waterline. Borov came up with an alternative suggestion: "Why don't we race on our dorvats?"
"Will they run?" another of the men asked dubiously. "They seem so tranquil."
"Of course they will," Borov said. "All animals that can walk can run; how else can they escape from predators and from fires? It's just a question of giving them the proper motivation. Who's game?"
Five of the other candidates, including Symond, decided to take up Borov's challenge. Jules decided to sit out this particular contest. He was not as confident of his abilities with an unpredictable animal-particularly with a species unfamiliar to him. Forcing a strange beast to do something it was not trained for could have dire consequences.
The half dozen contestants lined their mounts up in a line at one spot along the beach. They were to race to a rock about a kilometer down the shore, then turn their mounts around and race back to the starting point.
At the starting signal, all six men dug their heels into the flanks of their dorvats. The animals, not trained for anything more than a gentle, loping gait, did not react to this at first, so several of the men dug in harder. The dorvats panicked and began rearing; the riders, not expecting this maneuver, were thrown from their saddles to the ground. The panic was contagious, and all six of the animals were trampling about and threatening to grind the men beneath their hooves.
Jules, Jacques, and Yvonne reacted instantly to the menace by running to the scene and trying to help. Yvette thought of going with them, then decided against it; someone had to stay by Edna's side, no matter what, in case this miniature stampede were only a diversion to attract people's attention while the threatened time bomb was planted. While everyone else's eyes were on the scene below, hers were on everyone else. But she saw no suspicious activity.
The trio of DesPlainians reached the site of the action just seconds after the riders were thrown, due to the quickness of their reflexes and their fantastic speed. All at once they found themselves in the middle of a forest of flailing legs. The dorvats had six limbs apiece, and each animal massed better than three hundred kilograms-a formidable obstacle to face. Dodging under the flying hooves, Jules reached for one of the fallen bodies. The man, a Nagalian named Itsu Yabashi, had been stunned by his fall to the earth, and would have been helpless under the dorvats' feet. Jules pulled him to safety, noticing that Yvonne and Jacques were similarly occupied rescuing others of the candidates. Symond, Jules noted happily, had managed to retain his senses and crawl away from the area of danger. He was now standing to one side, not sure precisely what to do and thus being of no positive help. But he was one less body the DesPlainians would have to remove.
Jules spotted Anton Borov lying prone directly in the center of the stampede. Hooves and rearing dorvat bodies were scattered all around him. Dodging between the frightened animals, he tried to make it to Borov's side.
The middle left hoof of one dorvat caught him on the side of the head. Though it was barely a glancing blow, the creature's three-hundred-kilo mass gave it a lot of impact. Jules staggered slightly to the side, and collided with the body of another dorvat. This second encounter knocked him to the ground, right into the path of a third oncoming dorvat.
Vonnie, his fiancee, saw what had happened and gave an involuntary shriek. In an instant she had dropped the body she was carrying and had started in Jules's direction to save him. Her brother Jacques, who had not been watching Jules, looked up as she cried out, and sized up the situation at a glance. He, too, dropped his burden and started into the melee to rescue his future brother-in-law.
But both of them knew they would not be in time. They were on the other side of the group, and had too much distance to cover, dodging through the panic-stricken dorvats, to reach Jules before the danger did.
As Jules tried his best to roll out of the way of the charging beast, he felt the presence of another person in the area. Out of the comer of his eye, he could see the slim, slight form of Choyen Liu racing into the fray. One part of his mind had the fraction of a second it needed to wonder what this fragile-looking religious scholar hoped to achieve with this act of bravery.
Then the Anarian was beside the raging steed, seemingly unfazed by its flailing hooves. Reaching up with one hand, he began stroking the creature's short, stubby neck and making trilling sounds to soothe its confused mind. The dorvat slowed its charge and began to return to its more tranquil self, and this slight slowing was all Jules needed. He rolled free of the oncoming animal's path. By that time, Vonnie had reached him and was helping him to his feet, and together the two of them left the danger zone. Jacques Roumenier finished Jules's task of rescuing Borov.
Yvonne's first impulse once she and Jules were out of peril was to smother him with kisses and tell him how happy she was that he was all right. But her sharp agent's instincts came to the fore and reminded her that she and Jules were still acting the parts of total strangers. Restraining herself admirably, she looked him over with a formal glance and said, "Are you hurt, Gospodin?"
"All smooth," Jules replied, winking back at her. Then he turned to see what was happening with the panicked dorvats.
Choyen Liu was doing a remarkable job. Without any trace of fear he walked calmly through the crowd of frightened beasts talking to them, trilling at them, touching them gently, and in general soothing the confusion and pain in their meager minds. Although the animals were still reacting wildly when he entered the area, he moved among them without being touched and, within thirty seconds, had calmed them down to an approachable level; and, while they were still snorting uneasily, they were no longer a threat.
Jules was frankly astonished. He had only seen one other person who could handle animals that well-his second cousin Jeanne d'Alembert who, at only seventeen, was the Circus's premiere animal trainer and was considered the top handler in the Galaxy. She had such an affinity with all living things that she could persuade the fiercest beasts man had found in the Galaxy to do her bidding. And it appeared that Choyen Liu had some of this talent, too. It was a fact to remember, and Jules stored the item in a corner of his mind.
For now, he simply got to his feet, walked over to the Anarian and patted him on the back. "Thank you," he said. "That was pretty fancy work you did there, saving my life."
"You showed a good deal of bravery yourself, risking your life to save several others," Liu countered. "If I may be permitted to say so, you look as though you were born to be a hero."
Again Liu was dropping hints that he thought Jules might be more than he seemed. And again Jules deliberately ignored the bait. "Come on," he said, "let's see if our comrades need any help."
By now everyone in the party was approaching the scene of the near-tragedy. The Princess's natural instincts had been to run over to the site once the danger from the dorvats was over, but Yvette reminded her that she was in enough peril already and that she should, for safety's sake, hang back a little. Consequently, while the rest of the group ran over to help, Edna, Yvette, and the rest of the bodyguards stayed at the top of a little hillock and watched what was going on.
All things considered, the injuries were very slight. One of the young men remained unconscious, though his breathing was regular and there was no sign of bleeding. Another of the candidates had twisted an ankle and had two fingers trod upon by a dorvat; otherwise he was all right. Borov regained consciousness and complained about sharp pains on the right side of his chest. Jules and several of the other people suspected he may have had a few ribs broken. One of the Princess's bodyguards was dispatched back to the castle with the news of what had happened, and shortly thereafter an ambulance copter arrived to take the injured men away.
The remaining members of the party rode their now tranquil mounts back to Rockhold in gloomy silence. A pall had fallen over their spirits. This Progress, which was supposed to be such a pleasant experience for all concerned, had in its first day turned out to be a lot more serious a matter than most of the people had counted on.
Once back at the castle, there was a two-hour rest period to freshen up before dinner, during which time they learned the fate of the three injured members of their party. The young man who had remained unconscious had a concussion and a skull fracture; he would not be returning to the Progress. The one with the twisted ankle and the smashed fingers would be returning, though of necessity his physical activities would be limited. The doctors diagnosed three cracked ribs on Borov and wanted to keep him hospitalized for a while, but he insisted that he would be all right and asked to be allowed to return to the Progress. So, reluctantly, they taped up his ribcage, shot him full of regeneratives, and said they would send him back to Rockhold in the morning after one night in the hospital for observation.
With the knowledge of what had befallen their companions, the spirits of the group raised slightly. Making a monumental effort to shake off the afternoon's gloom, everyone came down to supper in their finest clothing and seemed determined to be carefree despite the incident. Edna ended up seated next to Paul Symond, and that young man proved to be a very agreeable dinner partner. He did not bore her ear off with talk about his job or about his qualifications to be her husband; instead, the two of them swapped incidents that had happened in their childhood, traded a couple of shaggy dog stories, and discussed items of current events in the newsrolls. By the time the meal was finished and she was to retire for the evening, the Princess had almost forgotten the unpleasantness of the afternoon.
She dismissed her maidservants and summoned Yvette to come alone into her room. "Well," she asked her friend and protector, "the Progress is now one day old. What do you think?"
"That's hard to say. I take it such excitement is not exactly common at these affairs."
"Hardly. This is the first time anything like that has happened. If it weren't for the fact that three people were hurt and more could have been, I would almost have welcomed the episode as a break in the monotony. But I was asking your professional--opinion, primarily; how do things look with regard to your assignment?"
Yvette sighed. "I haven't spotted anything yet. I've been over your room thoroughly with the equipment the Head gave me; there aren't any bombs in here yet. I was planning to go over most of this wing of the castle once everyone's asleep, but it's an almost impossible job-bombs can be made so small these days. Our best hope is still to catch whoever's going to plant the bomb--if, indeed, there's going to be one."
