David Eddings - Domes of Fire

‘I’ve lost track of him for a time there, Sir Sparhawk. He went into the Elene Kingdoms of Western Tamuli about two and a half years ago and didn’t return to Arjuna until eight or ten months later. I have no idea of where he was during that interim. Oh, one other thing. The so-called vampires began to appear in Arjuna at almost precisely the same time that Scarpa began telling the Arjuni that he’d been in contact with Sheguan, their national hero. The traditional monsters of the other kingdoms also put in their appearance at the same time these other revolutionaries began their campaigns. Believe me, your Majesty,’ he said earnestly to Ehlana, if you’re looking for a ringleader, Scarpa’s your man.’

‘We thank you for this information, Master Emuda, she said sweetly. ‘Would you please provide Sir Bevier with your supporting data and describe your findings to him in greater detail? Pressing affairs necessarily limit the time we can spend with you, fascinating though we find your conclusions.’

‘I shall be happy to share the entire body of my research with Sir Bevier, your Majesty.’ Bevier rolled his eyes ceilingward and sighed. They watched the enthusiast lead poor Bevier from the room.

‘I’d hate to have to take that case into any court—civil or ecclesiastical,’ Emban snorted.

‘It is a bit thin, isn’t it?’ Stragen agreed.

‘The only thing that makes me pay any attention to him at all is that timetable of his,’ Sparhawk said. ‘Dolmant sent me to Lamorkand late last winter to look into the activities of Count Gerrich. While I was there, I heard all the wild stories about Drychnath. It seems that our prehistoric Lamork started making appearances at a time that coincides almost exactly with the period when our scholarly friend lost track of Scarpa. Emuda’s such a complete ass that I sort of hate to admit it, but he may just have hit upon the right answer.’

‘But it’s for all the wrong reasons, Sparhawk,’ Emban objected.

‘I’m only interested in his answers, your Grace,’ Sparhawk replied. ‘As long as they’re the right answers I don’t care how he got them.’

‘It’s just too risky to do it any earlier, Sparhawk,’ Stragen said later that day.

‘You two are taking a lot of chances,’ Sparhawk objected.

‘It’s a hull lot more chancy t’ start out earlier, Sparhawk,’ Caalador drawled. ‘If’n we want t’ grab th’ leaders sooner, them oz is left could gist call it all off, an’ all these traps o’ ourn wouldn’t ketch no rabbits. We gotta wait ‘till they open that warehouse an’ start passin’ out them there weepons.’

Sparhawk winced. ‘Weepons?’

‘The word wouldn’t appear in that particular dialect,’ Caalador shrugged. ‘I had to countrify it up—just for the sake of consistency.’

‘You switch back and forth like a frog on a hot rock, my friend.’

‘I know. Infuriating, isn’t it? It goes like this, Sparhawk. If we pick up the conspirators any time before they start arming the mob, they’ll be able to suspend operations and go to ground. They’ll wait, reorganise and then pick another day—which it is that we won’t know nuthin’ about. On the other hand, once they pass out the weapons, it’ll be too late. There’ll be thousands in the streets—most of them about half-drunk. Our friends in the upper councils could no more stop them than stop the tide. The sheer momentum of this attempted coup will be working for us instead of for our shadowy friends.’

‘They can still go to ground and just feed the mob to the wolves, you know.’

Caalador shook his head. ‘Tamul justice is a bit abrupt, and an attack on the emperor is going to be viewed as the worst sort of bad manners. Several hundred people are going to be sent to the headsman’s block. Recruitment after that will be virtually impossible. They have no choice. Once they start, they have to follow through.’

‘You’re talking about some very delicate timing, you know.’

‘Ain, that’s easy tuk care of, Sparhawk,’ Caalador grinned. ‘There’s this yore temple right smack dab in the middle o’ town. It’s more’n likely all fulla cobwebs an’ dust, on accounta our little yolla brothers don’t take then religion none too serious-like. There’s these yore priests oz sits around in there, drinkin’ an’ carousin’ an’ sick. When they gits themselves all beered-up an’ boistrous-like, they usual decides t’ hold services. They got this yore bell, which it is oz must weigh along ‘bout twenty ton ‘er so. One o’ them there drunk priests, he wobbles over t’ that there bell an’ he takes up this yore sledge-hammer an’ he whacks the bell a couple licks with it. Makes the awfullest sound you ever did hear. Sailors bin known t’ hear it ‘bout ten leagues out t’ sea. Now, there ain’t no special time set fer when they goes t’ whackin’ on that there bell. Folks here in Matherion don’t pay no attention t’ it, figgerin’ that it’s gist the priests enjoyin’ themselves.’

Even Caalador could apparently tire of the exaggerated dialect. ‘That’s the beauty of it, Sparhawk,’ he said, lapsing into normal speech. ‘The sound of that bell is random, and nobody takes any special note of it. Tomorrow night, though, it’s going to be profoundly significant. As soon as that warehouse opens, the bell’s going to peal out its message of hope and joy. The murderers sitting almost in the laps of the people we want to talk with will take that as their orders to move. We’ll have the whole lot rounded up in under a minute.’

‘What if they try to resist?’

‘Oh, there’ll be some losses,’ Caalador shrugged. ‘You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs. There are several dozen people we want to pick up, so we can afford to lose a few.’

‘The sound of the bell will also alert you, Sparhawk,’ Stragen pointed out. ‘When you hear it start ringing, you’ll know that it’s time to move your wife’s party inside.’

‘But you can’t do this, your Majesty.’ the minister of the interior protested shrilly the next morning as tons of water began to gush into the moat from the throats of the huge pipes strewn across the lawn of the imperial compound.

‘Oh?’ Ehlana asked innocently. ‘And why is that, Minister Kolata?’

‘Uh, well, uh, there’s no sub-foundation under the moat, your Majesty. The water will just sink into the ground.’

‘Oh, that’s all right, Minister Kolata. It’s only for one night. I’m sure the moat will stay full enough until after the party.’ Kolata stared with chagrin at a sudden fountain-like eruption of air and muddy water out in the centre of the moat. ‘My goodness,’ Ehlana said mildly, looking at the sudden whirlpool funnelling down where the eruption had taken place. ‘There must have been an old abandoned cellar under there.’ She laughed a silvery little laugh. ‘I’d imagine that the rats who lived in there were very surprised, wouldn’t you agree, your Excellency?’

Kolata looked a bit sick. ‘Uh, would you excuse me, your Majesty?’ he said, and he turned to hurry across the lawn without waiting for a reply.

‘Don’t let him get away, Sparhawk,’ Ehlana said coolly. ‘I strongly suspect that Lord Vanion’s list wasn’t as complete as we might have hoped. Why don’t you invite the minister of the interior into the castle so that you can show him our other preparations?’ She tapped one finger thoughtfully against her chin. ‘And you might ask Sir Kalten and Sir Ulath to join you when you get around to showing his Excellency the torture chamber. Emperor Sarabian’s excellent minister of the interior might want to add a few names to Vanion’s list.’

It was the cool and unruffled way , she said it that chilled Sparhawk’s blood the most.