“Jhal, it's all right,” Gordon stumbled. “What else were you to think when it was so cunningly planned?”
“The whole Empire shall soon know the truth,” Jhal Arn said. He swung to Thern Eldred. “First, the names of the other traitors.”
Thern Eldred went to the desk and wrote for minutes. He silently handed the sheet to Jhal Arn, who then summoned guards forward.
“You'll be confined until this information is verified,” he told the Sirian sternly. “Then I'll keep my promise. You shall go free-but the tale of your treachery will follow you to the remotest stars.”
Jhal Arn turned his eyes to the list of names, when the guards had taken the Sirian out. He cried out, stunned, “Good God, look!”
Gordon saw. The first name on the list was “Orth Bodmer, Chief Councilor of the Empire.”
“Bodiner a traitor? It's impossible!” Jhal Arn said. “Thern Eldred has merely accused him because of some grudge.”
Gordon frowned. “Perhaps. But Corbulo was as trusted as Orth Bodmer, remember.”
Jhal Arn's lips tightened. He spoke sharply into a panel on the desk. “Tell Councilor Bodmer to come in at once.”
The answer was quick. “Councilor Bodmer left the anteroom some time ago. We do not know where he went.”
“Find him and bring him here at once,” ordered Jhal Arn.
“He fled when he saw Thern Eldred brought in here to be questioned,” cried Gordon. “Jhal, he knew the Sirian would expose him.
Jhal Arn sank into a chair. “Bodmer a traitor. Yet it must be so. And look at these other names. “Byrn Ridim, Korrel Kane, Jon Rollory, all trusted officials.”
The guard-captain reported. “Highness, we can't find Orth Bodmer anywhere in the palace. He wasn't seen to leave, but isn't to be found.”
“Send out a general order for his arrest,” snapped Jhal Arn. He handed the list of names to the guard-captain. “And arrest all these men instantly. But do so without arousing attention.”
He looked haggardly at Gordon and Lianna. “All this treachery has already shaken the Empire. And the southern star-kingdoms are wavering. Their envoys have requested urgent audience with me tonight, and I fear they mean to throw off their alliance with the Empire!”
Chapter XXIII. The Secret of the Empire
GORDON suddenly noticed that Lianna's slim figure was sagging with weariness. He uttered an exclamation of self-reproach.
“Lianna, you must be half dead after all you've been through.”
Lianna tried to smile. “I'll admit that I won't be sorry to rest.”
“Captain Burrel will see you to your apartments, Lianna,” said Jhal, Arn. “I want Zarth to be here with me when the star-kingdom envoys come, to impress on them that our royal house is again united.”
He added to Hull Burrel and Val Marlann, “You two and all your men are completely cleared of the mutiny charge, of course. I'm your debtor for life for helping to expose Corbulo and save my brother.”
When they had escorted Lianna out, Gordon sank tiredly into a chair. He was still feeling reaction after the long strain.
“Zarth, I'd rather let you rest too but you know how vital it is to hold the star-kingdoms when this crisis is deepening,” Jhal said. “Curse that black devil, Shorr Kan.”
A servant brought saqua and the fiery liquor cleared Gordon's numbed mind and brought strength back into his weary body.
Presently a chamberlain opened the door of the room, bowing low.
“The ambassadors of the Kingdoms of Polaris, of Cygnus, of Perseus and of Cassiopeia, and of the Baronies of Hercules Cluster.”
The envoys, in full dress uniforms, stopped in amazement when they saw Gordon standing beside Jhal Arn.
“Prince Zarth!” said the chubby Hercules envoy. “But we thought…”
“My brother has been completely cleared and the real traitors have been apprehended,” Jhal informed them. “It will be publicly announced within the hour.”
His eyes ran over their faces. “Gentlemen, for what purpose have you requested this audience?”
The chubby Hercules ambassador looked at the grave aged envoy from Polaris Kingdom. “Tu Shal, you are our spokesman.”
Tu Shal's lined old face was deeply troubled as he stepped forward and spoke.
“Highness, Shorr Kan has secretly just offered all our kingdoms treaty of friendship with the League of Dark Worlds. He declares that if we cling to our alliance with the Empire, we are doomed.”
The Hercules ambassador added, “He has made the same offer to us Barons, warning us not to join the Empire.”
Jhal Arn looked swiftly at Gordon. “So Shorr Kan is now sending ultimatums? That means he is almost ready to strike.”
“We none of us have any love for Shorr Kan's tyranny,” Tu Shal was saying. “We prefer to hold to the Empire that stands for peace and union. But it is said that the Cloud has prepared such tremendous armaments and has such revolutionary new weapons that they'll carry all before them if war comes.”
Jhal Arn's eyes flashed. “Do you dream he can conquer the Empire when we have the Disruptor to use in case of necessity?”
“That's just it, highness,” said Tu Shal. “It's being said that the Disruptor was never used but once long ago, and that it proved so dangerous then that you would not dare to use it again.”
He added, “I fear that our kingdoms will desert their allegiance to the Empire unless you prove that that is a lie. Unless you prove to us that you do dare to use the Disruptor.”
Jhal Arn looked steadily at the envoys as he answered. And his solemn words seemed to Gordon to bring the whisper of something alien and supernally terrible into the little room.
“Tu Shal, the Disruptor is an awful power. I will not disguise that it is dangerous to unchain that power in the galaxy. But it was done once when the Magellanians invaded, long ago.
“And it will be done again, if necessary. My father is dead, but Zarth and I can unloose that power. And we will unloose it and rive the galaxy before we let Shorr Kan fasten tyranny on the free worlds!”
Tu Shal seemed more deeply troubled than before. “But highness, our kingdoms demand that we see the Disruptor demonstrated before they will believe.”
Jhal's face grew somber. “I had hoped that never would the Disruptor have to be taken from its safekeeping and loosed again. But it may be that it would be best to do as you ask.”
His eyes flashed. “Yes, it may be that when Shorr Kan learns that we can still wield that power and hears what it can do, he will think twice before precipitating galactic war.”
“Then you will demonstrate it for us?” asked the Hercules envoy, his round face awed.
“There's a region of deserted dark-stars fifty parsecs west of Argol,” Jhal Arn told them. “Two days from now, we'll unchain the power of the Disruptor there for you to see.”
Tu Shal's troubled face cleared a little. “If you do that, our kingdoms will utterly reject the overtures of the Cloud.”
“And I can guarantee that the Barons of the Cluster will declare for the Empire!” added the chubby envoy from Hercules.
When they had gone, Jhal Arn looked with haggard face at Gordon. “It was the only way I could hold them, Zarth. If I'd refused, they'd have been panicked into submitting to Shorr Kan.”
Gordon asked him wonderingly, “You're really going to unloose the Disruptor to convince them?”
The other was sweating. “I don't want to, God knows. You know Brenn Bir's warning as well as I do. You know what nearly happened when he used it on the Magellanians two thousand years ago.”
He stiffened. “But I'll run even that risk, rather than let the Cloud launch a war to enslave the galaxy!”
Gordon felt a deeper sense of wonder and perplexity, mixed with cold apprehension.