Tegans have raised being boring to an art form, your Majesty, Oscagne agreed. Anyway, theres an old Tegan myth to the effect that the oyster-beds are haunted by a mermaid. Supposedly she eats oysters, shells and all, and that really upsets the Tegans. She also seduces Tegan divers, who tend to drown during the exchange of pleasantries.
Isnt a mermaid supposed to be half-girl and half-fish? Ulath asked.
So the legend goes, Oscagne replied.
And isnt she supposed to be a fish from the waist down?
Ive been told so, yes.
Then how... ? Ulath also looked quickly at Ehlana and then abruptly broke off.
How what, Sir Ulath? Ehlana asked him innocently.
Itsahnot really important, your Majesty, he replied with an embarrassed cough.
I wouldnt even raise this absurd myth, your Majesties, Oscagne said to Sarabian and Ehlana, except in the light of recent developments. The parallels between the vampires in Arjuna, the Shining Ones in southern Atan, and the werewolves, ghouls and Ogres in other parts of the Empire are really rather striking, wouldnt you say? Id imagine that if someone were to go to Tega and ask around, he might hear stories about some pre-historic pearl-diver whos been resurrected and also find that some rabble-rousers telling the Tegans that this hero and his half-fish, half-human mistress are going to lead the oysters in a mass assault on Matherion.
How droll, Sarabian murmured.
Sorry, your Majesty, Oscagne apologized. What Im getting at here is that weve probably got some relatively inexperienced conspirator on Tega. Hes just getting started, so hes bound to make mistakesbut experienced or not, he knows a great deal about the whole conspiracy. Since our friends here wont let us question Kolata too closely, we have to look elsewhere for information.
Were not being delicate about the Minister of the Interior, your Excellency, Kalten told him.
Its just that weve seen what happens to prisoners who are on the verge of talking too much. Kolatas still useful to us, but only as long as he stays in one piece. He wont be much good if little chunks and globs of him get scattered all over the building.
Oscagne shuddered. Ill take your word for it, Sir Kalten. At any rate, your Majesty, if some of our Elene friends here could go to Tega and put their hands on this fellow and talk with him before our enemy can dismantle him, they could probably persuade him to tell us everything he knows. Sir Sparhawk has some ambitions along those lines, I understand. He wants to find out if he can wring somebody out hard enough to make his hair bleed.
You have a very graphic imagination, Sparhawk, Sarabian noted. What do you think, Ehlana? Can you spare your husband for a while? If he and some of his knights went to Tega and held the entire island under water for a couple of hours, God only knows what kind of information might come bubbling to the surface.
Thats a very good idea, Sarabian. Sparhawk, why dont you take some of our friends, run on down to the Isle of Tega, and see what you can find out?
Id really rather not be separated from you, dear, he replied with feigned reluctance.
Thats very sweet, Sparhawk, but we do have responsibilities, you know.
Are you ordering me to go, Ehlana?
You dont have to put it that way, Sparhawk. Its only a suggestion, after all.
As my Queen commands, he sighed, putting on a melancholy expression.
2
Empress Gahenas was a Tegan lady of middle years with a severe expression and tightly pursed lips. She wore a plain gray gown, buttoned to the chin, and long-sleeved gloves of scratchy wool. Her hair was drawn so tightly back into a bun that it made her eyes bulge, and her ears protruded from the sides of her head like open barn doors. Empress Gahenas disapproved of everything, that much was clear from the outset. She had come to Sparhawks study to provide background information on the Isle of Tega, but she did not come alone. the Empress Gahenas never went anywhere without her four chaperones, a cluster of ancient Tegan hags who perched on a varnished bench like a row of gargoyles.
It was a warm day in early autumn, but the sunlight streaming in through the window of Sparhawks study seemed to grow wan and sickly when Empress Gahenas entered with the stern guardians of her virtue.
She spent an hour lecturing Sparhawk on the gross national product of her homeland in a tone that strongly suggested that she was going to give a test at the conclusion of the lecture. Sparhawk fought to keep from yawning. He was not really interested in production figures or labor costs. What he really wanted from the jug-eared Empress were little details of ordinary life on the Isle to flesh out the series of letters he was writing to his wifeletters which were to be doled out to Ehlana to help sustain the fiction that he and his friends were tracking down ring-leaders and other conspirators who were concealed among the general population.
Ah... he interrupted Gahenass droning monologue, this is absolutely fascinating, your Highness, but could we go back for a moment to the islands form of government? That really has me baffled.
Tega is a republic, Prince Sparhawk. Our rulers are elected to their positions every five years. Its been that way for twenty-five centuries.
Your officials arent elected for life?
Of course not. Who would want a job like that for life?
No one ever develops a hunger for power?
The government has no power, Prince Sparhawk. It exists only to carry out the will of the electorate.
Why five years?
Because nobody wants to be away from his own affairs for longer than that.
What happens if a mans re-elected?
Thats contrary to the law. No one serves more than one term in office.
Lets suppose somebody turned out to be an absolute genius in a particular position? Wouldnt you want to keep him there?
Weve never found anyone that indispensable.
It seems to me that the system would encourage corruption. If a man knows hes going to be thrown out of office after five years, whats to keep him from manipulating his official decisions to further his own interestslater on, I mean?
Quite impossible, Prince Sparhawk. Our elected officials have no outside interests. As soon as theyre elected, everything they own is sold, and the moneys put into the national treasury. If the economy prospers during their term in office, their wealth earns them a profit. If the economy collapses, they lose everything.
Thats absurd. No government ever makes a profit.
Ours does, she said smugly, and it has to be a real profit. The tax rates are set and cannot be changed, so our officials cant generate a false profit by simply raising taxes.
Why would anyone want to be an official in a government like that?
Nobody wants to be, Prince Sparhawk. Most Tegans do everything they possibly can to avoid election. The fact that a mans own personal fortunes in the treasury forces him to work just as hard as he possibly can to make sure that the government prospers. Many have worked themselves to death looking after the interests of the Republic.
I think Id run away from an honor like that one.
Thats really quite impossible, your Highness. Just as soon as a mans names placed in nomination for a public office, hes put under guard, and if hes elected, he remains under close guard for his entire term. The Republic makes absolutely sure that nobody evades his responsibilities to her.
The Republics a stern mistress.
She is indeed, Prince Sparhawk, and thats exactly the way it should be.
Though his companions chafed at the delay, Sparhawk put off their departure for two more days while he feverishly composed the letters to Ehlana. The progress of the fictitious investigation had to be convincing, certainly, and at least moderately interesting. Sparhawk wove false leads, plots and unsolved mysteries into his account. He became increasingly absorbed in the developing story, sometimes becoming so caught up in it that he lost sight of the fact that the events he was reporting were not actually taking place. He became rather proud of his efforts, and he began to revise extensively, adding a touch here and modifying a poorly phrased passage there, until he unwittingly crossed the line between careful artistry and sheer fussiness.
Theyre good enough, Sparhawk, Vanion said to him after reading through the letters on the evening of the second day. Vanion was rather pointedly wearing the plain tunic and heavy riding boots Pandions customarily put on before making an extended journey.
You dont think its too obvious?
Its fine just the way it is.
Maybe I should rework that third letter. It seems awfully weak to me for some reason.
Youve written it four times already. Its good enough.
Im really not happy with it, Vanion. Sparhawk took the offending letter from his friend and ran through it once more, automatically reaching for his pen as he read. Vanion firmly took the letter away from him. Let me just fix that last paragraph, Sparhawk pleaded.
No.
But...
NO! Vanion put the letter back in its proper place, folded the packet, and tucked it inside his doublet. Oscagnes sending Norkan along with us, he said. Well give the letters to him, and he can sort of dribble them back here to Ehlana. Norkans shrewd enough to space them out just enough to keep her from getting suspicious. The ships been ready for a week now, and Embans getting impatient. Well sail with the morning tide.
I think I know what I did wrong, Sparhawk said. I can fix that third letter in no more than an hour or two.
No, Sparhawk. Absolutely not.
Are you sure shes asleep? Sparhawk whispered.
Of course I am, father, Princess Danae replied.
The slightest sound will wake her up, you know. She can hear a fly walking across the ceiling.
Not tonight she cant. Ive seen to that.
I hope you know what youre doing, Danae. She knows every tiny little mark on that ring. If theres the slightest difference between it and this new one, shell notice it immediately.
Oh, father, you worry too much. Ive done this before, after all. Ghwerig made the rings, and I still fooled him. Ive been stealing those rings for thousands of years. Believe me, mother will never know the difference.