"You compliment only yourself," I replied.
Thiede threw back his head to laugh. "Oh, you have such spirit, Pellaz. You are ninety percent yourself and ten percent me, if that much. I expect you feel obliged to be annoyed at how I've taken control of your fate ..."
I did not answer. Thiede looked at me wryly. "I shall arrange a coronation for you. That will be an excuse for a celebration. I do so like celebrations, don't you? Your title will be Tigron; Tigron of Immanion and of Wraeththu." He folded his arms which had been gesticulating wildly.
"Forgive my ignorance, Thiede, but what exactly is my purpose? You are the true ruler of Wraeththu, that's obvious. Why do you need me?"
The smile never moved from his face. "I need you because you will rule well, Pellaz. I'm not interested enough to spend all my time attending to the affairs of the little hara. You must have seen; they are in such a mess. They need government, central government."
I put aside further objections to comment on what I thought was his simplistic view of things. "Thiede, I hate to sound pessimistic, but has it ever occurred to you that the majority of the tribes of Wraeththu, who most need controlling, will fanatically resist anyone trying to wrest their autonomy away from them?"
He leaned forward and squeezed my arm. "Ah, Pellaz, this is what I was looking forward to! Your rational little mind wrestling with the problems of administration!"
"Thiede, there must be a hundred Gelaming capable, and more knowledgeable than I, of becoming Tigron. I don't understand; why me? All this fuss, what you put me through, what is it for?"
Thiede affected an expression of being downcast. "Pellaz, what must I do with all the power at my command? Call it a whim, if you like, but I had the desire to make you what you are. I wanted a new start, a new king, a stranger. Someone like you. You are still young, but I have always been able to see your potential."
I leaned back in my chair. "That is reasonable, I suppose. I hope you are right about me."
"I am. Now, as to the problems of establishing order that you mentioned. For the most part, of course, our authority must be implemented by force; distasteful though such measures are to the Gelaming. There are trouble spots, that must be cut out, and swiftly. You will have under your control an impressively adequate army; you shall meet your generals later. Obviously, major decisions of a strategic nature must be left to them. The majority of our tribes, however, will welcome my organization. Everyone shall benefit." He took a few mouthfuls of the coffee, staring out of the window. "I must begin to spend more time here in Immanion," he said. "It is the jewel of Wraeththu cities.
"Thiede," I began, having been thinking of it for some minutes, "how much of my life is an open book to you?
He carefully replaced his coffee cup on the table. "You don't smoke much, do you." He removed a slim cigarette case from a top pocket. "This is one of the advantages of our hygiene-conscious bodies. They clean up after everything, even tar."
He offered me one and I accepted.
"These luxuries were not always available to me," I said, leaning forward to the flame he offered me. "Why won't you answer me?"
Thiede fidgetted in his seat. "Some sacrifices are necessary, for someone in your position, Pellaz."
"Privacy being the first of them, I suppose?"
"The very first." He inhaled deeply and blew perfect smoke rings at the ceiling. "I had to study you, to be sure."
"And since?"
He smiled and reached to pat my cheek. "Not always, my dear, not always. You handled Vaysh with princely sensitivity last night, though. You have a knack of getting your own way with people, haven't you; of making them love you. I'm very proud."
"Thiede, don't ever watch me with anyone," I insisted, "It can't be necessary now."
He raised an eyebrow at my audacity. "True, true; but I enjoy it. Vaysh is an interesting creature. Why didn't you reintroduce his miserable frigidity to the delights of aruna? He's not as disabled as he likes to make out."
I cannot understand why I was still shocked by anything Thiede could say. "I'm not going to discuss Vaysh with you," I said. "Whatever you did to him was despicable, merciless . . ."
"How do you know that?"
"He told me ... some of it." Thiede sighed. "Ah, well, what happened to Vaysh was an accident; unfortunate, but still. . . . He's yours Pellaz. Do as you like with him. Be liberal with the famous healing touch and the ever attentive ears. ... A pleasing challenge, I'm sure." He stood up. "Take time to relax, this morning. Have someone bring you to my apartments for lunch. Then I can introduce you to your staff."
"All of them at once?!" I cried.
"Oh, Pellaz, Pellaz; you are of my flesh, my blood, my essence. All these Hara are below you and you must believe that. They are naturally wary of you, but I have every confidence that you shall win them over." He squeezed my shoulder. "Until later then."
After he had left me, Vaysh came back into the room. "I listened at the door," he said.
"You and Thiede have a lot in common, it seems," I retorted, but I was not angry with him. Now I would not have to repeat everything, although some things I would have preferred Vaysh not to hear. "I am not what Thiede thinks I am," I complained.
"Think positively," Vaysh replied. "It is fairly safe to assume Thiede knows better than you."
My attendants reappeared and inquired whether I needed assistance to dress. Why not? I thought. I sneakily enjoyed being pampered.
"It's your birth-sign," Vaysh said scathingly
I had found a box of jewelery in my bedroom and gave Attica and Cleis a different earring each. That way I could recognize them by looking at their ears. They thanked me effusively, the earrings must have been worth a fortune. I was no expert; cheap and expensive generally looked the same to me. Attica was the most talkative of the two. Because of the gift, he offered me some advice.
"It is not my place to say this, of course, but watch out for the one called Ashmael. He will try to trip you up."
"What, literally?" I had visions of flying, head first, into Thiede's apartments.
Attica did not laugh. "The word is, he disagrees with Thiede bringing you here. It is only rumor, of course, but many think he would have liked to see himself as Tigron of Immanion. No disrespect to you, my lord, but there are others who will say that he deserved the title; he is popular."
"Thank you, Attica," I said, awkwardly. Obviously, if spoiled, my two attendants were going to prove a fertile source of information. However, I was not blind to the fact that it could work two ways; I would have to watch my tongue. I asked them what their duties were and where they lived. It appeared that, since my arrival, their sole function was to attend to my needs. At present, they resided in a humbler region of the palace.
"It would be more convenient, I think, if you were to move into one of the empty rooms here," I said. They exchanged a glance of surprise.
"You have means of summoning us if necessary, my lord," Attica explained.
"All the same; I think it would be better," I said.
The rest of the morning was spent investigating my rooms. Vaysh assisted me, looking into every drawer and cupboard.
“It’s amazing," he said. "You have everything; it's almost as if someone lived here before."
Thiede's apartments were similar to my own, except rather untidy. At lunchtime, I was conducted to his dining room, nervous and wary; I had no idea what to expect. Thiede obviously had his own reasons for not briefing me more thoroughly. Perhaps he believed in throwing people in at the deep end. Half a dozen Gelaming hara were already seated there and all went quiet when I entered the room. Thiede, at the head of the table, stood up, dressed simply, looking breathtaking, as usual. "Tiahaara," he announced grandly, "May I introduce Pellaz to you." This was met with stony silence. They all stared at me, but not one of them smiled. Thiede was not discouraged. "Pellaz, you must get to know these hara. They shall be working very closely with you." A prospect that was not greeted with pleasure on either si
de.
He introduced them as Cedony, Tharmifex, Dree, Eyra, Glave and Chrysm. No Ashmael. I sat down, braced for a trying meal. It was obviously not going to be an easy task winning acceptance from this lot, that was clear. More than likely, they were all supporters of the absent Ashmael.
"How much do you know of governmental procedures?" the one called Tharmifex asked me. He had long, pink and black hair which contrasted lather strongly with his taciturn expression.
"Nothing at all," I replied, thinking honesty was the best policy. Thiede was watching me through slitted eyes (what was he up to?), his head resting on his hand. Was he praying I would not let him down? This was a test of lire, which he could have made easier for me if he'd wanted to. Perhaps he realized his confidence in me was premature.
"Nothing at all, eh?" Dree remarked, throwing a weary glance at Thiede.
"He shall learn," Thiede drawled, not moving his position. "None of us came into this situation with vast knowledge, but we've coped. We need fresh minds, and this particular mind is of the finest quality.
"Being your own?" someone asked; I didn't notice who. Thiede laughed theatrically.
"It gives you such sport to inject my motives with cunning, doesn't it!"
"I shall try to fulfill my purpose," I said, realizing with shame how small and young my voice sounded.
"But do you know what it is?" This was Cedony, leaning forward over the table. I appealed to Thiede with my eyes, which he would not meet.
Tharmifex was seated next to me and turned in his seat to speak. Kind-hearted, he appreciated my difficulty. "We have no end of problems to solve," he said, taking the chance to assess me without appearing impolite.
"Thiede has told me a little about the outline of your plans," I said. "To unite Wraeththu into one nation. Is that possible?" Thiede's servant poured me wine, which was livid purple, and I sipped it nervously.
"The scale of this thing is vast," Tharmifex admitted. "But with cooperation from other tribes, not impossible. As a race, we desperately need organization. If something isn't done soon, it may be too late. We are a young race and for that reason, no-one has really become set in their ways. The way must be outlined as soon as possible."
"I have traveled around a little," I said. "So I can understand some of the problems you're likely to encounter. I should imagine some tribes won't be that enthusiastic about the idea."
"Mmm," Tharmifex murmured eloquently. "One thing I must stress though, we are not advocating mere oligarchy. The trouble with the world, or the civilized world as we know it, which at this time constitutes Almagabra and Megalithica, is that as throughout time, a few individuals of unscrupulous nature have seized power. They do not realize it, but they are a threat to Wraeththu existence. The Gelaming do not believe that we were put on this Earth to continue in the same way that mankind did."
"It is time wasted," Dree put in, "that spent on pursuing selfish ventures. This world has been neglected. It needs attention, not further abuse." During these words, visions of the Varrs kept flashing before my eyes, but it was obviously not just of them that they spoke. "What we wish ultimately to initiate," Tharmifex told me, "is a world council of tribes, although that term is a little deceptive. Our own country and the continent west are what we mean by that. That is where the strongest Wraeththu tribes exist. At the moment, we can plan no further than that. It will require more than enough diplomacy and planning to achieve results in these two countries. But if we succeed, we will have something to build on."
The first course of the meal was brought in to us; savory soup made of shellfish, and fresh, warm bread.
"How do you anticipate beginning this campaign?" I asked Thiede. "Well, that depends on how long it takes us to get properly organized. Naturally, I have other matters to attend to as well . . . Dree, where is Ashmael?" There was an uncomfortable silence. "Oh, I seel" Thiede said archly. "He is punishing me by his absence. If I was more suspicious, I would doubt his faith in my authority."
"Thiede," Dree cajoled. "You know Ashmael, always a law unto himself!"
"Yes," Thiede remarked drily, "his contrived waywardness has not escaped me." Thiede looked at me. "Unfortunately, the Ashmael we speak of is a brilliant strategist, a fearless warrior and a cunning diplomat. You will need his talents, Pellaz despite the fact (which I regret), that he may not be too willing to let you use them."
"I know about that; I've heard rumors," I said.
"Already?" Tharmifex grinned. "Something tells me it will be quite entertaining when you two come to cross swords.
"Metaphorically speaking, I trust," Thiede observed. "I will speak to him."
"Again?!" This was Chrysm speaking. Of all of them, I found out that he was the least sympathetic with Ashmael. "He is an infernal egotist! Because he had proved useful to you in the past, Thiede, he imagines you will condone all the absurdities of his behavior!" Chrysm was younger than The others. They looked at him with mild displeasure; his face was red.
Thiede stared at him for a moment and then smiled at me. "Ah, well, enough of that," he said to change the subject. "I've got some news for you, Pellaz; good news. An old friend of yours will be coming here to join your staff."
My stomach lurched, but I should have known better. "Who?"
"Seel, from Saltrock. I've always admired him. He has an enterprising spirit and these last few years have planed the edge off his temper."
1 had never thought him bad-tempered, but I was surprised at Thiede's choice. "Seel? That's odd, I thought Orien, from Saltrock, would have been more suitable, if anyone."
Thiede took a deep breath and looked down at his plate. "Yes, you are right of course. Unfortunately . . . Orien is no longer with us; he is dead."
If you have ever received news like that, unexpectedly, you will appreciate how I felt;
breathless and cold.
"How?" I demanded. "What happened?" Visions of a smoking Saltrock blackened my mind.
"Well, I ... I'm not exactly sure," Thiede said, still not looking at me (that alone should have alerted me.) "Seel will be able to tell you."
What I thought he meant was, "I'm not exactly interested; Seel will be able to tell you."
"Why does Seel want to leave Saltrock?" I asked, my voice too urgent.
"He doesn't. I want him to. He's wasted there. We need hara of his caliber here in Immanion. Anyway, he won't be here for a while yet..."
"We have to improve communications," Tharmifex put in, impatient with what he thought were personal matters. Obviously, communication with Saltrock had proved a problem.
"Our technologists are working on it, Thar, as you know," Thiede drawled wearily, as if he had said that a hundred times.
Tharmifex flashed him an irritated glance. "I was about to explain things to your protege actually, our proposed Tigron. I believe he will need to know about these things?"
Thiede inclined his head, smirking at the sarcasm. "Please, carry on." He leaned back in his seat and gazed out of the window. Tharmifex stared at him for a few moments before turning back to me.
"Clearly, in order to achieve any kind of union between the tribes of Wraeththu, we have to establish a reliable, far-reaching communication system," he began. "War, rioting, inexplicable dissolution; these factors have all contributed to virtually destroying those systems used by man, and as some areas no longer have access to the power supplies needed to run them, a completely new kind of communication network is called for. I'm sure I don't really need to tell you that we've not yet had the time to assess what may be salvaged of the world's technology and resources. It is a sad fact that many of the newly-incepted hara neglected their education; events conspired against them. Their belief was what use is knowledge of the old world when they are full of the fire of the new. It was an exciting and frightening time when Wraeththu first stepped out into the light, so to speak. Anyway, the situation now is that we believe all the finest, most capable minds Wraeththu have to offer are being summoned to Immanion. The Gelami
ng have been scouting around for some years . . .
"Second to communication then, is education," Dree put in. "But that will have to come later, of course."
Tharmifex nodded. "Mmm. Fortunately, we think it will be possible to use our natural powers, those things that most Hara have been eager to explore and develop, to achieve things that Mankind had to carry out through science and machinery. Namely, our innate gifts for telepathy and telekinesis. Our technologists are working on an idea for communication involving the amplification of thought, the main problem being that over a long distance, this may not be effective for hara of lower caste. We shall arrange, as soon as possible, for you to speak with the technologists, so you may understand more fully."
"Representatives from Olopade, Unneah, Sulh, Colurastes and Smalt will be arriving here soon for talks," Thiede said to stem Tharmifex's enthusiasm. "Once we have outlined our plans and are confident of their co-operation, we can begin to devise a program for world domination!" He laughed. I suppose that was a joke.