Ruori sat throned on the caldeвs dais, Tresa at his right and P‡wolo DOnoju on his left. Until a new set of officials could be chosen, these must take authority. The Don sat rigid, not allowing his bandaged head to droop, but now and then his lids grew too heavy to hold up. Tresa watched enormous-eyed from beneath the hood of a cloak wrapping her. Ruori sprawled at ease; he felt a little more happy now that the fighting was over.
It had been a grim business, even after the heartened city troops had sallied and driven the surviving enemy before them. Too many Sky Men fought till they were killed. The hundreds of prisoners, mostly from the first Maurai success, would prove a dangerous booty; no one was sure what to do with them.
гBut at least their host is done for,д said D—noju.
Ruori shook his head. гNo, Sвflor. I am sorry, but there is no end in sight. Up north are thousands of such aircraft, and a strong hungry people. They will come again.д
гWe will meet them, captain. The next time we shall be prepared. A larger garrison, barrage balloons, fire kites, cannons that shoot upward, even a flying navy of our own. . . we can learn what to do.д
Tresa stirred. There was life again in her words, but a life which hated: гIn the end, we will carry the war to them. There will not be one left in all the Corado highlands.д
гNo,д said Ruori. гThat must not be.д
Her head jerked about, she stared at him from the shadow of her hood. Finally she said, гTrue, we are bidden to love our enemies, but you cannot mean the Sky People. They are not human!д
Ruori spoke to a page: гSend for the chief prisoner.д
гTo hear our judgment on him?д asked DOnoju. гBut that should be done formally, in public.д
гOnly to talk with us,д said Ruori.
гI do not understand you,д said Tresa. Her tones faltered, unable to carry the intended scorn, but the phrases came out:
гAfter all you have done, suddenly there is no manhood in you.д He wondered why it should hurt for her to say that. He would
not have cared if she had been anyone else.
Loklann entered between two guards. His hands were bound behind him and dried blood was on his face, but he walked like a conqueror under the pikes. When he reached the dais, he stood with feet braced apart and grinned up at Tresa.
гWell,д he said, гso you find these others less satisfactory and want me back.д
She jumped to her feet and screamed: гKill him!д
гNo!д cried Ruori.
The guardsmen hesitated, their machetes half drawn. Ruori stood up and caught the girlвs wrists. She struggled, spitting like a cat. гDonвt kill him, then,д she agreed at last, so thickly it was
hard to understand. гNot now. Make it slow. Strangle him, burn him alive, toss him on your spearsчд
Ruori held fast till she stood quietly.
When he let go, she sat down and wept.
P‡wolo DOnoju said in a voice like steel: гI believe I understand. A fit punishment must certainly be devised.д
Loklann spat on the floor. гOf course,д he said. гWhen you have a man tied up there are any number of dirty little games to play with him.д
гBe still,д said Ruori. гYou are not helping your own cause. Or mine.д
He sat down, crossed his legs and laced fingers around one knee and gazed before him, into the darkness at the hailвs end. гI know you have all suffered from this manвs work,д he said, slowly and with care. гYou can expect to suffer more from his kinfolk in the future. They are a young race, heedless as children, even as your ancestors and mine were once young. Do you think the Perio was established without hurt and harm? Or, if I remember your history rightly, that the Spaflol people were welcomed here by the Inios? That the Ingliss did not come to NвZealann with slaughter, and that the Maurai were not once cannibals? In an age of heroes, the hero must have an opponent.
гYour real weapon against the Sky People is not an army, sent up to lose itself in unmapped mountains. . . . Your priests, merchants, artists, craftsmen, manners, fashions, learningчthere is the means to bring them to you on their knees, if you will use it!д
Loklann started. гYou devil,д he whispered. гDo you actually think to convert us to. . . a womanвs faith and a cityвs cage?д He shook back his tawny mane and roared so the walls rang. гNo!д
гIt will take a century or two,д said Ruori.
Don P~iwolo smiled in his young scanty beard. гA refined revenge, Sвflor captain,д he admitted.
гToo refined!д Tresa lifted her face from her hands, gulped after air, held up claw-crooked fingers and brought them down as if into Loklannвs eyes. гEven if it could be done,д she snarled, гeven if they did have souls, what do we want with them, or their chil
dren or grandchildren. - . they who murdered our babies today? Before almighty DloчI am the last Carab‡n and I will have my following to speak for me in Meycoвs governmentчthere will never be anything for them but extermination! We can do it, I swear. There would be Tekkans who would help, for plunder. I shall yet live to see your home burning, you swine, and your sons hunted with dogs!д
She turned frantically toward Ruori. гHow else can our land be safe? We are ringed in with enemies. We have no choice but to destroy them, or they will destroy us. And we are the last Merikan civilization!д
She sat back and shuddered. Ruori reached over to take her hand. It felt cold. For a bare instant, unconsciously, she returned the pressure, then jerked away.
He sighed in his weariness.
гI must disagree,д he said. гI am sorry. I understand how you feel.д
гYou do not,д she said through clamped jaws. гYou cannot.д
гBut after all,д he said, forcing dryness, гI am not just a man with human desires. I represent my government. I must return to tell them what is here, and I can predict their response.
гThey will help you stand off attack. That is not an aid you can refuse, is it? The men who will be responsible for all Meyco are not going to decline our offer of alliance merely to preserve a precarious independence of action, whatever a few extremists may argue for. And our terms will be most reasonable. We will want little more from you than a policy working toward conciliation and close relations with the Sky People, as soon as they have tired of battering themselves against our united defense.д
гWhat?д said Loklann. Otherwise it was very still. Eyes gleamed white from the shadows of helmets, toward Ruori.
гWe will begin with you,д said the Maurai. гAt the proper time, you and your fellows will be escorted home. Your ransom will be that your nation allow a diplomatic and trade mission to enter.д
гNo,д said Tresa, as if it hurt her throat. гNot him. Send back
all the others if you must, but not himчto boast of what he did today.д
Loklann grinned again, looking straight at her. гI will,д he said.
Anger flickered in Ruori, but he held his mouth shut.
гI do not understand,д hesitated Don P‡wolo. гWhy do you favor these animals?д
гBecause they are more civilized than you,д said Ruori.
гWhat?д The noble sprang to his feet, snatching for his sword. Then, stiffly, he sat down again. His tone froze over. гExplain yourself, Sвflor.д
Ruori could not see Tresaвs face, in the private night of her hood, but he felt her drawing farther from him than a star. гThey have developed aircraft,д he said, slumping back in his chair, worn out and with no sense of victory. 0 great creating Tanaroa, grant me sleep this night!
гButчд
