"Oh, quiet, Shenda!" cried Maia, who was supersti-tiously frightened by impiety-especially where Lespa was concerned. "But I don't understand! I was told as Ran-dronoth was supposed to be going to join to you with every man he had. When did you and Elvair leave? Didn't you see Randronoth at all?"
"Well, that's the mysterious thing," replied Shend-La-dor. "No one's seen hide nor hair of Randronoth or any of his men, either. When I left with Elvair, they'd already sent two messengers to ask where the hell he was and what he meant to do."
"So it'll be all right now, will it?" asked Maia. "I mean, that ought to be enough to keep Erketlis from getting anywhere near Bekla?"
"I wish I felt sure of that," said Shend-Lador. "Kembri's a good general, but what he's got there is a demoralized army to which I gather they've just added a bunch of untrained, reluctant conscripts. As for Randronoth, if I were Kembri I'd believe him when I saw him."
"Why, where d'you reckon he's got to, then?" asked Maia.
"Well, I think he's like the rest of them-hanging back and waiting to see how things turn out. The provinces have all got enough troubles of their own, you know, Maia. There are half-a-dozen heldro scraps going on in as many different provinces, and no governor's got men to spare. I heard that most of the men they sent up to Bekla for Kembri were just about the bottom of the barreclass="underline" they'd even let 'em out of the jails, some of them."
"Ah!" said Maia, "That just accounts for something as I saw t'other day, down the Market. I'd say you were just about right."
"Well, I might find myself catching it in the neck yet, I suppose," said Shend-Lador, rather in the tone of voice in which he might have said he was expecting to be badgered by creditors. Looking down at the gold Leopard em-
blem round his neck, he pretended to tug at it. "It won't come off, you see. But you'll be all right, Maia. You're going to be Sacred Queen, aren't you? That'll mean-"
"No!" she cried, stamping her foot. "No! I'm not, and I'm sick and tired of bein' told as I am! I-"
"Well, that's only what everybody's saying," he answered. "But whether or not, no one's going to be in a hurry to chop up a lass like you. It isn't even as if you'd been a Leopards' shearna or any particular Leopard's girl, is it? I think you've handled things very cleverly from that point of view."
"First time anyone's said that, I'll tell you, Shenda. Far's I can see, most of 'em reckons I'm just about suicidal not t'ave taken up with some big Leopard to protect me by now."
But his thoughts had apparently run on. "I wouldn't like to be Milvushina, though, would you? If Erketlis does get to Bekla-" He shook his head. "And then, Elvair's little lapse: whatever happens-even if we were to win hands down-I don't see what they're going to be able to do with him after this. Ambassador to Deelguy'll be about the size of it, I suppose: something like that."
"How's Milva taken it?" asked Maia.
"I haven't seen her. I'm afraid she may be regretting she didn't take Fornis's tip and go back to Chalcon like a good girl."
"I'm damned sure she isn't!" cried Maia. "Want my opinion, all you men make a lot too much of this fighting carry-on. There's Elvair, as nice a fellow as ever-"
"I personally don't make much of it," replied Shend-Lador. "Only I do think it's bad luck, don't you, when ordinary, rough-and-ready fellows entrust their lives to people who've always lived in luxury and had the best of everything, and then those people lead them badly and let them down in the pinch? That's all I'm saying. I mean, take that lame slave-girl of yours-would you run away if someone else was going to knock her about?"
Maia made no reply.
It was not in Shend-Lador's nature, however, to rub anything in until it hurt. "I'm sorry for Elvair," he said, "and I've told him as much. I'd help him if I could, but how's anyone ta help him? He's ruined himself, that's about the size of it."
"You could let yourself be seen about with him," said Maia.
"Well, so I will, if ever we get back to any sort of ordinary life," answered Shend-Lador.
Suddenly he fell on one knee before her. "Maia, you're beautiful; you're lovely! I adore you! That's what I really came to say, only you made me waste such a lot of time talking about the war. Won't you go to bed with me?" He slapped his pockets. "I believe I've got fifty meld left somewhere, so I won't charge you!"
She could not help laughing, and did not resist even when he kissed her and ran his hands for a moment over her deldas under their smooth, close-fitting silk bodice. But still she shook her head as he released her.
"Why," said he, "this is worse than Chalcon-to keep looking at the jam-pot and get no jam."
"There's no one else gets any, honest," she answered, smiling.
"Randronoth?"
"Yes, once-for nine thousand mekl-and I never touched a trug of it. But he'll never get it again."
"It was for the Chalcon expedition, wasn't it?" said Shend-Lador. "What a waste! I'll bet it was all Lapanese taxes, too."
"It was a waste all right," said Maia. "You can take that from me, Shenda. I'll tell you what wouldn't be, though. If you really meant what you just said, go and see Elvair. Go and see him now, and have a drink with him." At random she picked up a silver filigree box from a side-table. "Give him that from me and tell him I'm his friend. It'll give you an excuse to go."
He kissed her again and this time she returned his kiss. They walked together to the outer door, where Jarvil gave him his belt and sword.
" 'No one could hinder, The Serrelinda!' My lads used to sing that in Chalcon, you know. By the way, have you noticed, the big star doesn't seem so bright tonight? May be gone soon, I suppose."
Maia looked up into the northern sky. It was even as Shend-Lador had said.
81: RANDRONOTH
She woke with a start. Ogma was bending over her with a lamp, her familiar, ugly face all shadow one side and wavering, yellow brightness the other. Maia sat up quickly.
"What is it, Ogma? Is the house on fire?"
"No, miss, it's-"
"Is there fighting or something?" She swung her legs out of bed.
"No, miss; it's Lord Randronoth."
"What d'you mean, Lord Randronoth? Where? You mean he's been killed or what?"
"No, miss; he's downstairs."
"Downstairs? Ogma, have you gone crazy? He can't be downstairs; he's in Lapan and it's the middle of the night! Go back to bed."
"Saiyett-Miss Maia-it's not my fault! Lord Randronoth was knocking and he woke Jarviclass="underline" and Jarvil looked out and saw it was Lord Randronoth and he just had two soldiers with him, no one else. So then Lord Randronoth said he had to see you at once-it was very important. And Jarvil came and woke me and said what should he do? So of course I said yes, let them in-"
"But Ogma, whatever for?"
"What, Lord Randronoth, miss?" said Ogma in a puzzled tone, as though Maia's question were quite inexplicable. "Well, of course I let him in!"
The sweaty smell of her, stooping over Maia in her nightdress, came strong. It had always been a job to get Ogma to wash. Maia, now really angry, felt ready to box her ears. She was perfectly entitled to hit Ogma, of course, only she never had as yet.
"Well, now you just go down and tell him to go away again. Go on!"