She flung herself at his feet, clasping his ankles.
"No, Randro, no! Oh, please don't try to make me! I won't do it!"
He raised her to her feet with an air of genuine bewilderment.
"But Maia, my darling, you said you would! You told Seekron. You took the money, too."
"Oh, I didn't realize, Randro! I never thought it would come to this! I didn't mean it-"
"Well, there's four thousand men marching on Bekla now who are quite sure you did, and they're not going to be all that pleased if you back down, I tell you."
He took her face between his hands, tilting it up and gazing down into her eyes.
"You're essential to us, Maia! My men know me, but the people of Bekla don't. You they do know-to say the least."
"But you can't make me do it against my will! You can'tr
"This is the first inkling I've had that you weren't entirely
with us, Maia. What's happened to make you start jibbing now? Are you a coward-like your friend Elvair-ka-Vir-rion?"
" 'Tain't a question of being a coward; though I don't mind telling you I'd be scared stiff-if I was going to do it. But I won't do it! I'll give you back the money!"
"Haven't you used any of it as I said?"
She shook her head. "I'll be honest. Some I've spent, but most of it I've still got. I'll give it back to you and the rest as soon as ever I can."
He was silent, sitting bent forward, elbows on parted knees tapping his scabbard on the floor between his feet. At length she said, "Will you please leave now, Randro? I want to go back to bed."
"The comet's waning," he said. "Have you noticed? That's a sign the gods mean the Leopards to fall."
"Will you only go?"
He looked up sharply. "I'm sorry, Maia," he replied, "but the answer's no. Seekron has orders to report to me here as soon as he enters the city."
"Randro! Here?"
"So I'm afraid I can't let you leave this house until Seekron comes: until we've taken the city, in fact. Then I shall have you proclaimed queen, publicly, from the Scales. And no one's going to like it very much, Maia, if you're taken up on the Scales crying and making a fuss, in front of the whole city. Can you imagine it? What it comes to is, I'd say you haven't much choice."
At this she leapt up and was already at the door when he said, "There are two of my soldiers out there, with orders to stop anyone leaving the house. Better keep your dignity, Maia!"
"This is insufferable, Randronoth! In my own house?"
"As insufferable as taking forty thousand meld and doing nothing in return? I'm sorry, Maia: I thought we were friends. Yes, and I thought we were lovers, too: it was you who made me think so. But I'll tell you, I'm not going to be thwarted now. Things have gone too far. If you didn't want to play this game you should have told Seekron in the first place."
"You're holding me a prisoner, then?"
"I wouldn't call it that, Maia. Let's hope we can reach a better understanding during the next few hours. I love you, and in that I'm perfectly sincere."
"Can I go back to bed now?"
"You can; but I'm afraid I shall have to join you. Your bedroom window isn't very high and I wouldn't put it past a girl like you to jump out or climb down."
"If I promise not to?"
"Promise? You promised to do all you could to help us."
Once upstairs, however, he made no attempt to make love to her, but merely dozed in a chair. She lay in her bed, at first feigning sleep, yet falling asleep at last from sheer weariness and nervous exhaustion.
When she woke it was daylight. For some time she lay unmoving, with closed eyes, reflecting on her plight. For the moment, clearly, there was nothing to be done. Later, perhaps, there might be a chance to escape. Meanwhile, the most prudent course seemed to be not to fall out any more with Randronoth, but to try to smooth things over and pretend to assent to his plans: in that way she might even be able to create an opportunity. Still without moving, she prayed long and earnestly to Lespa and at last felt in her heart some stirrings of comfort and reassurance. If I die, she thought, I shall have died for Zenka's sake. I could have gone to Quiso with Nasada: there was nothing to stop me. I'm here, and that must be Lespa's will. Surely she'll protect me.
She murmured, opened her eyes and sat up. Randronoth was awake, seated in the chair and looking at her. She jumped out of bed, ran over and kissed him on both cheeks.
"I'm sorry I was angry," she said. "I was that tired and frightened and it was such a shock. I'll do my best to help you, Randro: only it's enough to scare anyone, you must surely see that."
He nodded, holding her hands and kissing them. "I want your servants to think there's nothing out of the ordinary- for the moment, anyway. I'm here as your lover-your porter thinks so and your slave-girl too. I've told my soldiers to say nothing to the contrary. The girl-what's her name, Ogma?-do you generally send her to the market?"
She nodded.
"Let her go. It can't do any harm. I've already given her money and told her to say nothing outside about my being here. We'll have breakfast now."
During the morning Maia did all she could to give the impression of having recovered her calm. For a time she
worked on a piece of embroidery, then read for an hour and practiced her writing. She was hoping that Nennaunir or Otavis might come to the house, but there were no visitors. The city, when she went up on the roof towards noon, seemed more than usually still and unstirring in the heat: the markets looked almost deserted.
"The caravans aren't coming in," said Randronoth when she remarked on it. "There's nothing arriving now from Ikat, you see, or Herl-or from Dari, for that matter. But I dare say stuff will still be coming from the north, unless trouble's broken out there, too."
She offered an inward prayer for the safety of Nasada, but said no more.
During the early afternoon Randronoth became increasingly restive, making Maia accompany him while he returned several times to the roof to look out to the southward.
"Seekron should have been here by now," he said. "I hope nothing's gone wrong."
"Why, how could it?" asked Maia, hoping with all her heart that it had.
"Well, before I left Lapan I'd found out all I needed to know about the whereabouts of Erketlis; and of the Bek-lans-the Chalcon force, I mean. But EHeroth-that's another matter entirely."
"I've heard of this Elleroth before," answered Maia. "Who is he? I thought he was with Erketlis?"
"He's the eldest son of the Ban of Sarkid; and as to what he is, he's a very active young fellow spoiling for trouble, that's about it. He's popular in Sarkid, he's a good leader and he's never made any secret of his heldro sympathies. As soon as Erketlis took up arms, Elleroth got together a bunch of volunteers and went off to join him in Chalcon. But after the battle, when Erketlis went south to take Ikat, Elleroth lit out on his own to break up the slave-farm at Orthid in Tonilda. And where he may have got to now I've no idea. That bunch of his can move very fast when they want to, and I wouldn't put it altogether past him to be giving Seekron some trouble."
"But how would he know about Seekron?" asked Maia. "My friend Shend-Lador was here only yesterday and he had no idea what you were up to."
"Well, it's simply that I don't trust Elleroth not to be
anywhere, that's all," said Randronoth, and relapsed into a moody silence.