Part 6 (2/2)
.When the doors closed leaving the nine of them in privacy. the judge said bitterly: ”Herald, where did you learn such devilish tricks?”
Alen told him: ”My College and Order instructed me weD. A similar situation existed on a planet called England during an age known as the Victorious. Trial by combat had long been obsolete, there as here, but had never been declared so -there as here. A litigant won a hopeless lawsuit by publis.h.i.+ng a challenge to his opponent and appearing at the appointed place in full armor. His opponent ignored the challenge and so lost the suit by default. The English dictator, one Disraeli, hastily summoned his parliament to abolish trial by combat.”
”And so,” mused the judge, ”I find myself accused in my own chamber of high crime if I do not permit you five to slash away at each other and decide who won.”
The wineshop keeper began to blubber that he was a peaceable man and didn't intend to be carved up by that black-bearded, bloodthirsty star-traveler. All he wanted was his money.
”Silence!” snapped the judge. ”Of course there will be no combat. Will you, shopkeeper, and you watchmen, withdraw if you receive satisfactory financial settlements?”
They would.
”Herald, you may d.i.c.ker with them.”
The four watchmen stood fast by their demand for a hundred credits apiece, and got it. The terrified shopkeeper regained his balance and demanded a thousand. Alen explained
that his black-bearded master from a rude and impetuous world might be unable^ to restrain his rage when he, Alen, interpreted the demand and, ignoring the consequences, might beat him, the shopkeeper, to a pulp. The asking price plunged to a reasonable five hundred, which was paid over. The shopkeeper got the judge's permission to leave and backed out, bowing.
”You see, trader,” Alen told blackbeard, ”that it was needless to buy weapons when the spoken word-”
”And now,” said the judge with a sneer, ”we are easily out of that dilemma. Watchmen, arrest the three star-travelers and take them to the cages.”
”Your honor!” cried Alen, outraged.
”Money won't get you out of this one. I charge you with treason.”
”The charge is obsolete-” began the Herald hotly, but he broke off as he realized the vindictive strategy.
”Yes, it is. And one of its obsolete provisions is that treason charges must be tried by the parliament at a regular session, which isn't due for two hundred days. You'll be freed and I may be reprimanded, but by my head, for two hundred days you'll regret that you made a fool of me. Take them away.”
”A trumped-up charge against us. Prison for two hundred days,” said Alen swiftly to the trader as the watchmen closed in.
”Why buy weapons?” mocked the blackbeard, showing his teeth. His left arm whipped up and down, there was a black streak through the air-and the judge was pinned to his throne with a black gla.s.s knife through his throat and the sneer of triumph still on his lips.
The trader, before the knife struck, had the clumsy pistol out, with the cover off the glowing match and the c.o.c.king piece back. He must have pumped and c.o.c.ked it under his cloak, thought Alenlnumbly as he told the watchmen, without prompting: ”Get back against the wall and turn around.” They did. They wanted to live, and the grinning blackbeard who had made meat of the judge with a flick of the arm was a terrifying figure.
”Well done, Alen,” said the trader. ”Take their clubs, El-won. Two for you, two for the Herald. Alen, don't argue! I had to kill the judge before he raised an alarm-nothing but death will silence his breed. You may have to kill too before
we're out of this. Take the clubs.” He pa.s.sed the clumsy pistol to Chief Elwon and said: ”Keep it on their backs. The thing that looks like a thumb-safety is a trigger. Put a dart through the first one who tries to make a break. Alen, tell the fellow on the end to turn around and come to me slowly.”
Alen did. Blackbeard swiftly stripped him, tore and knotted his clothes into ropes and bound and gagged him. The others got the same treatment in less than ten minutes.
The trader bolstered the gun and rolled the watchmen out of the line of sight from the door of the chamber. He recovered his knife and wiped it on the judge's s.h.i.+rt. Alen had to help him prop the body behind the throne's high back.
”Hide those clubs,” blackbeard said. ”Straight faces. Here we go.”
They went out, single file, opening the door only enough to pa.s.s. Alen, last in line, told one of the liveried guards nearby: ”His honor, Judge Krarl, does not wish to be disturbed.”
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