Part 12 (2/2)
”I had to kill him, myself, with a sword; according to local custom, that makes me King of Skilk.”
”Why, your Majesty!” She rose and curtsied mockingly. ”But I thought you were going to make Jonkvank King of Skilk.”
He shook his head. ”Just Viceroy,” he corrected. ”I'm handing the Spear of State _down_ to him, not up to him; he'll reign as my va.s.sal, and, consequently, as va.s.sal of the Company, and before long, he won't be much more at Krink, either. That'll take a little longer--there'll have to be military missions, and economic missions, and trade-agreements, and all the rest of it, first--but he's on the way to becoming a puppet-prince.”
Half an hour later, a large and excessively ornate air-launch, specially built at the Konkrook s.h.i.+pyards for King Jonkvank, was sighted coming over the mountain from the east. An escort of combat-cars was sent to meet it, and a battalion of Kragans and the survivors of Firkked's court were drawn up on the Palace roof.
”His Majesty, Jonkvank, King of Krink!” the former herald of King Firkked's court, now herald to King Carlos von Schlichten, shouted, banging on a bra.s.s s.h.i.+eld with the flat of his sword, as Jonkvank descended from his launch, attended by a group of his n.o.bles and his Spear of State, with Hideyos.h.i.+ O'Leary and Francis X. Shapiro shepherding them. As the guests advanced across the roof, the herald banged again on his s.h.i.+eld.
”His Majesty, Carlos von Schlichten,”--which came out more or less as Karlok vonk Zlikdenk--”King, by right of combat, of Skilk!”
Von Schlichten advanced to meet his fellow-monarch, his own Spear of State, with Firkked's head still grinning from it, two paces behind him.
Jonkvank stopped, his face contorted with saurian rage.
”What is this?” he demanded. ”You told me that I could be King of Skilk; is this how a Terran keeps his word?”
”A Terran's word is always good, Jonkvank,” von Schlichten replied, omitting the t.i.tles, as was proper in one sovereign addressing another. ”My word was that you should reign in Skilk, and my word stands. But these things must be done decently, according to custom and law. I killed Firkked in single combat. Had I not done so, the Spear of Skilk would have been left lying, for any of the young of Firkked to pick up. Is that not the law?”
Jonkvank nodded grudgingly. ”It is the law,” he admitted.
”Good. Now, since I killed Firkked in lawful manner, his Spear is mine, and what is mine I can give as I please. I now give you the Spear of Skilk, to carry in my name, as I promised.”
The Kragan who was carrying the ceremonial weapon tossed the head of Firkked from the point; another Kragan kicked it aside and advanced to wipe the spear-blade with a rag. Von Schlichten took the spear and gave it to Jonkvank.
”This is not good!” one of the Skilkan n.o.bles protested. ”That you should rule over us, yes. You killed Firkked in single combat, and you are the soldier of the Company, which is mighty, as all here have seen. But that this foreigner be given the Spear of Skilk, that is not at all good!”
Some of the others, emboldened by his example, were jabbering agreement.
”Listen, all of you!” von Schlichten shouted. ”Here is no question of Krink ruling over Skilk. Does it matter who holds the Spear of Skilk, when he does so in my name? And King Jonkvank will be no foreigner. He will come and live among you, and later he will travel back and forth between Krink and Skilk, and he will leave the Spear of Krink in Krink, and the Spear of Skilk in Skilk, and in Skilk he will be a Skilkan. That is how it must be.”
That seemed to satisfy everybody except Jonkvank, and he had wit enough not to make an issue of it. He even had the Spear of Krink carried back aboard his launch, out of sight, and when he accompanied von Schlichten, an hour later, to see Hideyos.h.i.+ O'Leary off for Grank, he had the Spear of Skilk carried behind him. When he was alone with von Schlichten, in the room that had been King Firkked's bedchamber, however, he exploded.
”What is all this foolishness which you promised these people in my name and which I must now carry out? That I am to leave the Spear of Skilk in Skilk and the Spear of Krink in Krink, and come here to live....”
”You wish to hold Skilk?” von Schlichten asked.
”I intend to hold Skilk. To begin with, there shall be a great killing here. A very great killing: of all those who advised that fool of a Firkked to start this business; of those who gave shelter to the false prophet, Rakkeed, when he was here; of the faithless priests who gave ear to his abominable heresies and allowed him to spew out his blasphemies in the temples; of those who sent spies to Krink, to corrupt and pervert my soldiers and n.o.bles; of those who....”
”All that is as it should be,” von Schlichten agreed. ”Except that it must be done quickly and all at once, before the memories of these crimes fade from the minds of the people. And great care must be taken to kill only those who can be proven to be guilty of something; thus it will be said that the justice of King Jonkvank is terrible to evildoers but a protection and a s.h.i.+eld to those who keep the peace and obey the laws. And when the priests are to be killed, it should be done under the direction of those other priests who were faithful to the G.o.ds and whom King Firkked drove out of their temples, and it must be done in the name of the G.o.ds. Thus will you be esteemed a pious, and not an impious, king. It must not be allowed to seem that the city has come under foreign rule. And you must not change the laws, unless the people pet.i.tion you to do so, nor must you increase the taxes, and you must not confiscate the estates of those who are put to death, for the death of parents is always forgiven before the loss of patrimonies. And you should select certain Skilkan n.o.bles, and become the father of their young, and above all, you must leave none of the young of Firkked alive, to raise rebellion against you later.”
Jonkvank nodded, deeply impressed. ”By the G.o.ds, Karlok vonk Zlikdenk, this is wisdom! Now it is to be seen why the likes of Firkked cannot prevail against you, or against the Company as long as you are the Company's upper sword-arm!”
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