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the employ of the family of Starpha, have received orders from our clients to
withdraw our protection from you, and to discarnate you, and all with you who
undertake to protect or support you." That much sounded like a recitation of
some established formula; then his voice became more conversational. "I and my
colleagues, Erarno and
Kirzol and Harnif, offer our apologies for the barbarity of the
servants of the family of Starpha, in
attacking without declaration of cessation of friendship. Was anybody hurt or
discarnated?"
"None of us," Olirzon said. "How about Marnik?"
"He was warned before hostilities were begun against him," Sarnax replied. "We
will allow five minutes until "
Olirzon, who had been looking up the well, suddenly sprang at Dalla, knocking
her flat, and at the same time jerking out his pistol. Before he could raise
it, a shot banged from above and he fell on his face.
Dirzed, Verkan Vall, and Sarnax, all drew their pistols, but whoever had fired
the shot had vanished.
There was an outburst of shouting above.
"Get to cover," Sarnax told the others. "We'll let you know when we're ready
to attack; we'll have to deal with whoever fired that shot, first." He looked
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at the dead body on the floor, exclaimed angrily, and hurried to the ascent
tube, springing upward.
Verkan Vall replaced the small pistol in his shoulder holster and took
Olirzon's belt, with his knife and heavier pistol.
"Well, there you see," Dirzed said, as they went back to the gun
room. "So much for political expediency."
"I think I understand why your picture and the Lady Dallona's were exhibited
so widely," Verkan Vall said. "Now, anybody would recognize your bodies, and
blame the Statisticalists for discarnating you."
"That thought had occurred to me, Lord Virzal," Dirzed said. "I suppose our
bodies will be atrociously but not unidentifiably mutilated, to further enrage
the public," he added placidly. "If I get out of this carnate, I'm
going to pay somebody off for it."
After a few minutes, there was more shouting of: "Assassins' Truce!" from the
descent tube. The two
Assassins, Erarno and Kirzol, emerged, dragging the gamekeeper,
Tarnod, between them. The upper-servant's face was bloody, and his jaw
seemed to be broken. Sarnax followed, carrying a long hunting pistol in his
hand.
"Here he is!" he announced. "He fired during Assassins' Truce; he's subject to
Assassins' Justice!"
He nodded to the others. They threw the gamekeeper forward on the floor, and
Sarnax shot him through the head, then tossed the pistol down beside him. "Any
more of these people who violate the decencies will be treated similarly," he
promised.
"Thank you, Sarnax," Dirzed spoke up. "But we lost an Assassin: discarnating
this lackey won't equalize that. We think you should retire one of your
number."
"That at least, Dirzed; wait a moment."
The three Assassins conferred at some length. Then Sarnax hooked fingers and
clapped shoulders with
his companions.
"See you in the next reincarnation, brothers," he told them, walking toward
the gun-room door, where
Verkan Vall, Dalla and Dirzed stood. "I'm joining you people. You had two
Assassins when the parley began, you'll have two when the shooting starts."
Verkan Vall looked at Dirzed in some surprise. Hadron Dalla's Assassin nodded.
"He's entitled to do that, Lord Virzal; the Assassins' code provides for such
changes of allegiance."
"Welcome, Sarnax," Verkan Vall said, hooking fingers with him. "I hope we'll
all be together when this is over."
"We will be," Sarnax assured him cheerfully. "Discarnate. We won't get out of
this in the body, Lord
Virzal."
A submachine-gun hammered from above, the bullets lashing the
fountain pool; the water actually steamed, so great was their velocity.
"All right!" a voice called down. "Assassins' Truce is over!"
Another burst of automatic fire smashed out the lights at the bottom of the
ascent tube. Dirzed and Dalla struggled across the room, pushing a heavy steel
cabinet between them; Verkan Vall, who was holding
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