«I want no child by Ramsus,» said Valli. She came to stand beside him at the window. She put her hand on his fuzzy head and stroked it. «My darling little Blade. I hate to lose you, to see you grow so fast.»

«Go,» Blade said, «and come for me tonight as planned. Be careful. If you are caught now all is ruined.»

«I come and go by a secret way. In the harem I sleep alone and the Izmir has not visited me for months. That is not the danger. The danger will come when I try to smuggle you into the Izmir's bed chamber.»

«We can only try,» said Blade, «and hope. Just be sure that you are a satisfactory lover to Ramsus this day. Make him desire you again. If he wants more he will be careful and cooperative and guard his own neck better. And in this case his neck is our neck. Goodbye, Valli.»

He felt like a pimp.

Valli lifted him and swung him high and kissed him on the mouth. «Goodbye, little Blade. I will see you tonight. Heed your own advice and be careful.»

When she was gone Blade retired to his closet and pulled a rug over him. He was hungry, starving, but if things went well tonight he would have food. If things did not go well he would not need food. He lay sleepless and tried to concentrate and let the computer, and Lord L, know what he was up to. After a time he sensed that he was not getting through and gave it up. The crystal was in one of its bad moods, on strike, and there were no impulses either way. Blade was on his own. No great surprise in that, for he usually was, and during the next thirty days he would survive, if at all, by his wits, guile, cunning and above all his brass, his gall.

Blade had no illusions about his chances in Zir. He had milked Valli far more completely than she knew-he was an expert in interrogation back in Home Dimension-and before the night was half over he had known that this was the worst snake pit into which he had ever strayed. Intrigue, cruelty, lust for power-it was all there. Zir was a land torn to shreds by jealousy and hate and clashing factions. Ruled by an aging, superstitious fool.