"But-but it doesn't make sense, Maia! If it wasn't for what you did at the river, he'd never have been taken prisoner at all, would he?"
"Maybe," she said, "but sometimes things change. Are you coming or not?"
It was Meris who replied. "No, we're not: you'll never come out of there alive, Maia. You might as well go and give yourself up to Fornis straight away."
Maia looked at Zirek, but he only nodded in corroboration. Without another word she turned and left them, walking resolutely across the road and up to the gate of the gaol without once looking back.
The mucous-eyed, listless gatekeeper was on duty in his lodge. She gave him twenty meld. Once, she thought, it was nothing at alclass="underline" then it was five. You pay your own fear.
"I have to see U-Pokada at once: I'll wait in his room."
The stuffy little room was in darkness and she made the man leave her his lamp. She could not sit still, but paced up and down-five steps this way, five that-praying passionately to Lespa, yet hardly knowing what she was saying in her tension and anxiety.
At length the door opened and Pokada appeared with a second lamp, wiping his dyed beard with the back of his hand. Evidently she had interrupted his supper. His manner suggested none of his former obsequiousness. He shut the door behind him, bowed and stood waiting without a word.
"I hope I find you well, U-Pokada," she said.
"I am well, thank you, saiyett; but busy. How can I help you?"
"U-Pokada, I'm in haste too, so I'll tell you straight out. I'll give you ten thousand meld, money down, to hand two prisoners over to me immediately."
"Ten thousand meld, saiyett? That's a lot of money." He paused, then repeated unsmilingly. "Yes, that's a lot of money, ten thousand meld."
"Well," she said, "it's no less than I'll pay, I assure you."
He seemed to be deliberating. "Which two would those be, saiyett, I wonder?"
"Lord Bayub-Otal, the Urtan, and a Katrian officer named Captain Zen-Kurel."
"Ah. Yes. Well, saiyett, if you'll excuse me, I'll just go and look at my lists. I take it those are two of the prisoners who came in this afternoon, with the Sacred Queen?"
"Yes, they are."
He went out. The silence returned. How lifeless this dismal place seemed always to be! she thought. Every least, intermittent noise was like a stone thrown into a pool. Someone went quickly by outside. A dog barked. A door banged. There was a sound of running feet dying away in the distance.
She stood looking out of the north-facing window. The comet had become so dim that anyone not having seen it before would hardly, she supposed, have spared it a glance. A mere glow in the sky it seemed, no longer the radiant emissary of Lespa. Filled with sudden misgiving, she shivered and turned away.
Pokada returned. "Yes, I have these two men in my charge, saiyett."
"And you'll release them to me for that sum?"
He made no reply, so that at length she repeated it.
He shook his head. "It's not possible, saiyett, for that money; no, nor for any money, I'm afraid. I'm answerable for them to the Sacred Queen, you see."
"The whole city's upside-down," she said. "You could always say they escaped."
"No one escapes from here: I'd be the one upside-down, saiyett, believe me."
"I'll pay you generously. Perhaps I could just manage a little more than ten thousand meld."
He sat down. "Well, shall we talk about it, saiyett? I don't mind talking about it, you know. Yes, let's discuss it for a little while."
But there was a kind of temporizing in his manner, a lack of conviction, which puzzled and disturbed her.
"You mean, talk about how much?"
"Well, yes; and about what you'll do with them-where they go and so on."
"But I can't see that that's anything to do with you, U-Pokada. Why should you want to know that?"
"Well, you see, saiyett-you see- Have you ever been to Ikat Yeldashay?"
"No, never. But what's that got to do with it? U-Pokada, please-"
"Well, I was there once, you know. Yes, I was there once. Oh, some years ago, now. A nice city. Yes. But now it's in the hands of Santil-ke-Erketlis, they say. That's not good, is it? But of course General Kembri will beat him. No doubt of that-"
"U-Pokada, what's all this got to do with the prisoners?"
"Well, you see, saiyett, if you were going to Ikat Yeldashay, now-"
"U-Pokada, I don't want to appear rude, and I know as I can't afford to offend you, but I'm in great haste. If we're going to come to an agreement, for Cran's sake can we do it quickly, because-"
The door was flung open and two soldiers came into the room, their swords drawn in their hands. Maia, jumping up from where she was sitting, started back against the wall. Pokada also rose, but he showed no surprise, merely standing with folded arms as one of the two soldiers looked from him to herself.
"Is this the girl?" asked the soldier, and Pokada replied, "Yes."
Staring at them in the lamplight, Maia wondered what it was that seemed unfamiliar. The older was a tryzatt, the younger a common soldier. Both had an outlandish appearance, and their uniform, too, was unusual. Then, with an even worse access of fear, she saw that both were wearing the Fortress cognizance of Paltesh. These men were Palteshis.
The tryzatt seized her arm. "Are you Maia Serrelinda?"
She struggled, and he gripped her tighter. "Yes, yes, she is!" said Pokada, rubbing his hands. "You came quick. You came quick. That's good! That's very good!"
"Who are you?" she whispered.
"Guard commander at the Gate of Lilies: I'm arresting you on the Sacred Queen's instructions."
"What for?"
"She'll tell you that when she sees you."
Itt dread worse than ever she had known she stood, her legs almost giving way under her, while they tied her hands behind her back. Then the tryzatt, nodding curtly to Po-kada, followed the soldier as he pushed her out into the yard.
"Will you-will you let me go for ten thousand meld?" she asked, as they approached the gate.
"Not for twenty, neither," answered the tryzatt in his grating, Palteshi accent. "You're going to Queen Fornis, that's where you're going."
Suddenly both soldiers stopped, peering ahead of them towards the gate of the gaol. There was a flurry of tossing torches, their resinous, smoky smell drifting across the yard. Together with this came a sound of voices, stamping boots and the clink of arms and accoutrements. Evidently a considerable body of men had just entered the gate.
The two Palteshis stood irresolute. However, they did not have to wait long. Four torches detached themselves from the mass and came quickly towards them. Within a minute they were surrounded by a group of ten or twelve soldiers, led by a heavily-built man wearing the insignia of a captain.
"You belong to General Han-Glat?" asked the captain brusquely.
"We serve him and the Sacred Queen, sir. Tryzatt Nethik, acting on orders from-"
"Save your breath and you might even save your life, if you're lucky. Hand over your arms."
The tryzatt hesitated. "May I respectfully ask, sir-"
"Who I am? Captain Mendel-el-Ekna of Lapan, that's who I am. In case you didn't know, Bekla's now under command of Lord RandronOth."
"Sir, with all due respect-"
"Respect my venda." He drew his sword. "Hand over your arms, or you won't even have the chance to wish you had."
The two Palteshis, having no alternative, obeyed.
"Right," said the captain. "Now, I've taken over this gaol; have you got that? Are there any more of you Pa-tleshis here?"
"No, sir."
"If that turns out to be a lie you'll be killed. Where's the prison governor?"
The tryzatt pointed across the yard.