[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
the back and conducted him into the salon. Glinnes saw a dozen folk in
fashionable garments, apparently aristocratic friends of Lord Gensifer, and
also Akadie, Marucha, and Duissane, who now wore over her sheet I white gown a
red cloak, evidently borrowed from one of the ladies present. "Here then is
our hero!" declared Lord Gen-sifer, "With cool resource he saved two lovely
sheirls from the sarmenters. In our great grief we at least can be thankful
for this boon." Glinnes looked in wonder about the salon. He felt as if he
were living a particularly absurd dream. Akadie, Lord
Gensifer, Marucha, Duissane, himself what a strange mix of people!
"I hardly know what happened today," said Glinnes, "beyond the bare fact of
the raid." "The bare fact is about all anyone knows," said Akadie. He seemed
unusually subdued and neutral, and careful in his choice of words. The
starmenters knew exactly who they wanted. They took exactly three hundred folk
Page 76
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
of substance, and about two hundred girls as well. The three hundred are to be
ransomed for a minimum of a hundred thousand ozols apiece. No ransom prices
have been set on the girls, but we will do our best to buy them back."
Then they've already been in communication?" "Indeed, indeed. The plans were
carefully made, and each person s financial capacity was carefully gauged."
Lord Gensifer said with facetious self-deprecation, Those left behind have
suffered a loss of prestige, which we keenly resent."
Akadie went on. "For reasons apparently good and sufficient, I have been
appointed collector of the ransom, for which effort I am to receive a fee. No
great amount, I assure you in fact, five thousand ozols will requite my work."
Glinnes listened, dumbfounded. "So the total ransom will be three hundred
times a hundred thousand, which is "Thirty million ozols a good day's work."
"Unless they end up on the prutanshyr Akadie made a sour face. "A barbaric
relict. What benefit do we derive from torture? The starmenters come back
regardless."
The public is edified," said Lord Gensifer. Think of the kidnaped maidens
one of whom might have been my good friend Duissane!" He placed his arm around
Duissane's shoulders and gave her a mock-fraternal squeeze. "Is, then, the
revenge too severe? Not to my way of thinking." Glinnes blinked and gaped
back and forth between Lord Gensifer and Duissane, who seemed to be smiling at
a secret joke. Had the world gone mad? Or was he in truth living a
preposterous dream?
file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E...ck%20Vance%20-%20Alastor%202262
-Trullion.txt (55 of 82) [12/29/2004 12:50:35 AM]
file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/Jack%20Vance%20-%20Alastor%
202262-Trullion.txt
Akadie formed a quizzical arch with his eyebrows. The starmenters' sins are
real enough; let them suffer." One of Lord Gensifer's friends asked, "By the
way, which particular band of starmenters is responsible? There has been no
attempt at anonymity," said Akadie. "We have attracted the personal attention
of Sagmondo Bandolio Sagmondo the Stern who is as wicked as any."
Glinnes knew the name well; Sagmondo Bandolio had long been the quarry of the
Whelm. "Bandolio is a terrible man," said Glinnes. "He extends no mercy."
"Some say he is a starmenter only for sport," Akadie remarked. "They say he
has a dozen identities about the cluster, and that he could live forever on
the fortunes he has gained." The group mused in silence. Here was evil on a
scale so fast that it became awesome. Glinnes said, "Somewhere in the
prefecture is a spy, someone intimate with all the aristocrats, someone who
knows the exact level of every fortune." "That statement must be reckoned
accurate," said Akadie.
"Who could it be?" pondered Lord Gensifer. "Who could it be?" And all persons
present considered the matter, and each formed his private speculation.
Chapter 16
* * *
The Tanchinaros, by defeating the Karpouns, had done themselves a disservice.
Since Sagmondo
Bandolio and his starmenters had taken their treasure, the team was without;
resources, and because of their demonstrated abilities, Perinda could schedule
one thousand ozol or two-thousand-
ozol. And now they lacked the treasure to challenge any teams in the
ten-thousand-ozol class. A
week after the Karpoun game the Tanchinaros met Rabendary Island, and Perinda
explained the sorry state of affairs. "I've found only three teams willing to
play us, and not one will risk their sheirl for less than ten thousand ozols.
Another matter: we lack a sheirl. Duissane seems to have caught the interest
of a certain lord, which naturally was her ambition. Now neither she nor Tammi
Page 77
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
choose to risk the exposure of her precious hide." Bahl said Lucho.
"Duissane never loved hussade in the first place."
"Naturally not," said Warhound. "She's Trevanyi. Have you ever seen a Trevanyi
play hussade?
She s the first Trevanyi sheirl I've ever known." "Trevanyi play their own
games," said Gilweg.
"Like Knives and Gullets, said Glumes. "And Trills and Robbers "And
Merling, who's got the
Cadaver. "And Hide and Sneak. Perinda said, "We can always recruit a
sheirl. Our problem is money." Glinnes said grudgingly, "I'd put up my five
thousand ozols if I thought I'd get it back." Warhound said, "I could scrape
up a thousand, one way or another." That's six thousand,"
said Perinda. Until I put in a thousand or rather, I can borrow a thousand
from my father . . .
Who else? Who else? Come then, you miserly mud-thumpers, bring out your
wealth."
Two weeks later the Tanchinaros played the Ocean Island Kanchedos, at the
great Ocean Island
Stadium, for a twenty-five thousand-ozol cpurse, with fifteen thousand
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]