"Jack Vance - The Languages of Pao" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vance Jack)

"You are now Captain Andrade, in the place of Mornune."
"Very well."
"We return to Eiljanre. Make the necessary arrangements."
Bustamonte descended to the terrace, seated himself with a glass of
brandy. Palafox clearly intended Beran to become Panarch. The Paonese
loved a young Panarch and demanded the smooth progression of the
dynasty; anything else disturbed their need for timeless continuity. Beran
need only appear at Eiljanre, to be led triumphantly to the Great Palace, and
arrayed in Utter Black.
Bustamonte took a great gulp of brandy. Well then, he had failed. Aiello
was dead. Bustamonte could never demonstrate that Beran's hand had
placed the fatal sting. Indeed, had not three Mercantil traders been executed
for the very crime?
What to do? Actually, he could only proceed to Eiljanre and hope to
establish himself as Ayudor-Senior, regent for Beran. Unless guided too
firmly by Palafox, Beran would probably overlook his imprisonment; and if
Palafox were intransigent, there were ways of dealing with him.
Bustamonte rose to his feet. Back to Eiljanre, there to eat humble-pie; he
had spent many years playing sycophant to Aiello, and the experience
would stand him in good stead.
In the hours and days that followed, Bustamonte encountered three
surprises of increasing magnitude.
The first was the discovery that neither Palafox nor Beran had arrived at
Eiljanre, nor did they appear elsewhere on Pao. Bustamonte, at first
cautious and tentative, began to breathe easier. Had the pair met with some
unforeseen disaster? Had Palafox kidnapped the Medallion for reasons of
that Beran would appear to give the lie to rumors, and submit to a more
definite assassination.
Then came the second unsettling shock.
The Mercantil Ambassador delivered Bustamonte a statement which
first excoriated the Paonese government for the summary execution of the
three trade attaches, broke off all trade relations until indemnification was
paid, and set forth the required indemnification--a sum which seemed
ridiculously large to a Paonese ruler, who every day in the course of his
duties might ordain death for a hundred thousand persons.
Bustamonte had been hoping to negotiate a new armament contract. As
he had advised Aiello, he offered a premium for sole rights to the most
advanced weapons. The note from the Mercantil Ambassador destroyed all
hope of a new agreement.
The third shock was the most devastating of all, and indeed reduced the
first two to the proportion of incidents.
The Brumbo Clan of Batmarsh, elevated to primacy over a score of
restless competitors, needed a glory-earning coup to cement its position.
Eban Buzbek, Hetman of the Brumbos, therefore gathered a hundred ships,
loaded them with warriors and set forth against the great world of Pao.
Perhaps he had only intended a foray: a landing, a vast orgiastic assault,
a quick garnering of booty, and departure--but passing the outer ring of
monitors he met only token resistance, and landing on Vidamand, the most
disaffected continent, none at all. This was success of the wildest
description!