Thus he missed the seeing spout that thrust upward, and the b.a.l.l.s of colored fire that arced into the air.
He missed them because more than one packet had exploded too low: he was on fire.
He was screaming and batting himself, panic-stricken as the sulfurous fire burned him.
And he was overboard, in the water, by the time the packets that had been rocketed fifty feet in the air started to cascade like the wrath of heaven, exploding the very night and rendering al-Banna and his skiff in sharp relief, culprits against the fog.
But then an unexpected thing happened: the skiff, burning, began to founder. And as it sank, the fire below was put out.
The fire above in the heavens seemed to go on forever as the burned and half-blinded Sword operative tried to save himself. First he swam away from the sinking skiff, then he swam toward it, hoping to find a timber to hold onto, hoping to find a way to sh.o.r.e.
Somehow his feet got tangled in the sea anchor, but by then he was already too exhausted to swim any farther. He was only half aware that he was bound up in the rope, tied to a piece of the skiff"s bow, and being dragged with the current. He"d swallowed too much water, breathed too much sulfur, been burned over too much of his body. But he"d seen the sharrh flaming across the heavens, and he"d seen that the evidence was destroyed.
Unconsciousness came so stealthily that he never wondered whether he"d drown, trussed to the spar with the anchor rope, or be washed ash.o.r.e. It didn"t matter. He"d made the snarrh return to Merovin, made the very sky into an Adventist testament.
"Come on, Ca.s.sie," Michael pleaded to the trembling woman weeping against his chest. "It"s not Retribution, it"s just-"
"The sharrh?" said Vega Boregy bleakly, an interrogatory 264.
JaHft Morris eyebrow raised, as the last tails of red and green faded into wisps in the moonless sky.
Chamoun didn"t answer, but he knew what he"d tell Magmder tomorrow night. And he was no longer afraid that Chance was trying to kill him. Even if Ca.s.sie hadn"t explained that it was Ito she was worried about, some ill will from the College, the fireworks display would have eased his mind.
Chance, you crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d . . . thanks. Michael Chamoun kissed the top of Ca.s.sie"s head and ran his hands slowly up and down his wife"s back and looked over her shoulder at her father.
Vega Boregy"s face was composed, but then, Boregy had been to Nev Hettek. He might well have seen fireworks before. Nowhere in the house was there an echo of his calm. Servants were screaming and sobbing and praying and begging forgiveness. People streamed toward the House"s small chapei. Beyond, even through the fog, one could see lights in the Signeury and. black dots like a ma.s.s of ams, headed for the Revenantist College.
Up from the water, on foot, and over the high bridges they hurried. Beyond the balcony, it was as noisy as midday in Merovingen tonight.
"When you get her calmed, Michael, I"ll see you in my office," said Vega, and stomped away, slamming the balcony doors shut behind him.
There was time to deal with Vega; there was time to deal with Ito; there was time, even, to find Rita and console her, if she were as shaken and as guilt-ridden as Ca.s.sie seemed to be.
But right now, Michael Chamoun knew exactly what he had to do. He had to take his wife in his arms, carry her up the stairs, and help her find a previous life in which she wasn"t afraid, a life which would help her deal with her present.
When that was done, Michael Chamoun could get back to helping the Sword of G.o.d. Not that Chance Magmder needed anybody"s help now -that the sharrh bad come back again.
INSTANT KARMA.
26$.
Cardinal Ito Tremaine Boregy had been personally punishing his failed a.s.sa.s.sins when the ruckus began. So it seemed to him at first that the flaming sky was some personal Retribution visited on him by an angry G.o.d for his failure-or for his foolishness at attempting to change fate.
But now, with people streaming into the great chapel in search of salvation, with all the faithful crying out for guidance, their trembling hands outstretched with gifts of atonement they begged the College holy men to take, Ito was once again composed.
If the sharrh had come, so be it. If this was some other manifestation-Instant karma for the attempt on Michael Chamoun"s life, or for any other failing of Ito"s, including failing in the attempt on Chamoun"s life-then Ito would make the best of it.
The sharrh had liot destroyed anything, the churchmen were telling the faithful as they logged in the gifts of gold and silver and oil and gasoline, of fish and textiles and ceramics and gla.s.s. It was a test of faith.
"Look around you," Ito told his mult.i.tude of aristocratic faithful, in the chapel reserved for the most wealthy and the most karmically flawed. "These are your brethren, the true believers. Whoever is absent this night, is lacking in faith, is a part of the reason we are huddled here together in prayer. Fail not to cleanse yourselves, and fail not to notice who is absent. For the absent are the guilty ones, who are not true believers, who do not pay the price of kannic debt, and who have brought this evil upon us all."
And just as Ito was finishing his lecture, in strode Vega Boregy and Anastasi Kalugin, shoulders brushing.
Which, in the long run, mightn"t be so bad an omen: if no representative of the ruling house, or of Ito"s own house, had arrived to share the guilt and do penance, then the College might have had an opportunity to take power. But power was up for grabs tonight.
Tonight, all of Merovingen, for perhaps the first time in 266.
Janet Morris history, truly believed. And true believers were what the College loved most.
"Perhaps we should go to the College with the others," Tatiana Kalugin whispered into Chance Magruder"s neck.
"Like this? 1 don"t think your family would ever get over it, m"sera Secretary." Her Excellency was lying under Magruder, naked, her legs wrapped around him.
She hated it when he got formal with her in bed. But in bed was where he"d made sure to have her when the fireworks started. And in bed was where he"d kept her, because if he could ever make the earth move under her, it was tonight.
She cursed him like a soldier, and then her ire dissolved into nervous laughter.
He simply stroked her, waiting for her distress to pa.s.s. She was tough, and before him she pretended to be tougher still. He knew she was frightened; he"d considered telling her the truth, but he couldn"t risk it.
He looked into her hungry eyes and saw an urgency there that only fear could spark. She said, "Tell me it isn"t the end of the world," in a voice hardly louder than a sigh.
"It isn"t-not our world. I promise, if the sharrh come, I"ll use all my influence to get you whatever tech protections you"ll accept from Nev Hettek. Just you, of course, not your brothers."
"And if the sharrh don"t come?"
Then, honey, I"m going to use you to get the same result. Just you, the way I said-not your brothers. Relax, lady; play me straight and I won"t let you lose. Out loud; "If they don"t, we"ll hear a lot about what it all means, and things will go on the same as before. We"ll have to watch those cardinals-or you will. They could interpret this . . . event ... to their advantage. But so can you."
Then she chuckled, and locked her arms behind his neck. "You"re a monster, Magruder. But you know that."
Despite her words, she was pleased. And beginning to pay attention to what he was doing to her. Which in turn pleased him.
INSTANT KARMA.
267.
There wasn"t a place more dangerous in Merovingen to the health of Chance Magruder than Tatiana Kalugin"s bed. And there wasn"t a place, for that reason as much as despite it, that he"d rather be.
He"d told her the truth, tonight: he was going to do his d.a.m.nedest to hand her Merovingen on a silver platter. And when it came time to hand her, in her turn, to Kar! Fon. . . . well, that was a long time off.
Right now, he had all the trouble in bed with him that any man could handle, even a man like Chance Magruder.
And outside, tonight, Merovingen had all the trouble it could handle: Merovingen had just met the sharrh, courtesy of the Sword of G.o.d.
APPENDIX.
Merovingian Songs FEVER SEASON.
Lyrics by Mercedes Lackey Music by CJ. Qierryk The night is hot and starless And the moon won"t show her face. The walkways and the bridges Seem as frail as half-burnt lace, And if the city holds its breath In silence, there"s a reason- Fever season.
She drifts along the bridges- Or ca.n.a.lside she will go. She"s on the prowl for lovers And this lady don"t take "no." Her lovin1 leaves you burnin1 hot Her lovin" leaves you freezin*. Fever season.
Now if she comes to take you You will never see her face; You"ll only hear her laughter As you melt in her embrace. And if you wake next mornin"
271.
272.
Appendix Thank the Angel she was teasin"- Fever season.
She takes "em rich and hightown And she takes "em low and poor. It don"t matter-when you hear her You cannot escape the lure. The priest in ail his holiness The rebel steeped in treason- Fever season.
The night is hot and restless And the clouds hang dark and low. You"ll never see her shadow But she"ll take you even so. And if you feel a breath of chill Be certain there"s a reason- Fever season.
MIST-THOUGHTS (A WALTZ WITH A LIMP).
Lyrics by Mercedes Lackey Music by CJ. Cherryh I have no reason to hope-I have no license to care- It is no more logical far not to trust Anything, anyone, anywhere.
Just taking each hour as it comes-and grateful to have one more day Letting my guard down no more than I must Never seek-never touch-never pray.
I should be watching my back-I should be just marking time-Go through the motions, and know it is worth Slightly less than a badly-made rhyme. Why do I let myself wish.? Why do I hear myself laugh? Where is my reason for longing or mirth, Who is helpless as wind-scattered chaff?
Who is this slip of a girl that touches the soul I thought dead?
What did she do when she saved me to share In her life and her heart and her bed?
Making a wreck of my pride-or what little pride I had left- 273.
274.
Appendix Binding me up in the loom of her care. Where bright hope is the warp and the weft.
/ say I"ve nothing to give. She will not leave me alone- She sees through evasions and futile disguise As I try to seem harder than stone.
She searches for a way out; / give myself to despair- Yet when she is done with her tricks and her lies Then somehow an escape will be there.
What could I give her but pain? Or dreams that could never come true?
But-G.o.d help me-in unguarded moments I see My traitor heart"s dreaming them too. Til make no bonds I may break-or promises I might deny- But-despite what has been-and for all that might be- And my dear, foolish, Jones-I will try.
PARTNERS.
Lyrics by Mercedes Lackey Music by CJ. Cherryh My mother worships money And my father worships work. My sister says that I"m a wh.o.r.e, My brother, I"m a sherk With such a loving family There"s no need to wonder why At sixteen I determined that I"d break away or die.
Well, die is what I nearly did- Out singing for my cash; They threw a little money But they threw a lot of trash. I tried a little acting "Cause the bug was in my soul, But acting couldn"t keep me fed; I starved, and then I stole.
Her name was Rif; she sang in bars; Her hat was full of coin; And she caught me quite red-handed With what I tried to purloin.
275.
276.
She didn"t call out for the law, She didn"t make a fuss - said; "Rob from the rich to feed the poor - And, partner, that means us."
She taught me how to pick gitar And how to pick a lock.
She taught me how to kill And where to bluff, and when to shock.
But being partner to Rif Sometimes is a royal pain - A singer-thief; that"s fine - but she"s An undercover Jane!
She"s a crazy rabble-rouser And she wants to save the world. I think she"d challenge G.o.d himself WUh rebel flags unfurled. And 1 love her like my sister - more! "Cause 1 hate my sister"s guts. But I"ll be the first to tell you that I think my partner"s nuts.
So here we are out singing In some dark ca.n.a.lside dive - And all I want to do is Somehow keep us both alive Between the priests and blacklegs trying to send us both to h.e.l.l - And the sc.r.a.pes she gets us into - Lord, The stories I could tell!
She"s a crazy rabble-rouser And she"s out to change the world And with all she"s dragged me into I"m surprised my hair airr"t curled.
But I wouldn"t trade my partner" Rif For anyone 1 know - And 1 sometimes think she might be right- But, Lord, - don"t tell her so!
APPENDIX277.
Index of Isles and Buildings by Regions THE ROCK: (ELITE RESIDENTIAL) LAGOONSIDE.
1. The Rock 2. Exeter 3. Rodrigues 4. N a vale 5. Columbo 6. McAllister 7. Basargin 8. Kalugin (governor"s relatives) 9. Tremaine 10. Dundee 11. Kuzmin 12. Raj wade 13. k.u.minski 14. Ito 15. Krobo 16. Lindsey 17. Cromwell 18. Vance 19. Smith 20. Cham 21. Spraker 22. Yucei 23- Deems 24. Onega 25. Bois 26- Mansur GOVERNMENT CENTER THE TEN ISLES.
(ELITE RESIDENCE).
27. Spur (militia) 28. Justiciary 29. College (Revenant) 30. Signeury 31.Carswell 32.Kistna 33.Elgin 34.Narain 35.Zorya 36.Eshkol 37.Romney 38.Rosenblum 39.Boregy 40.Dorjan 278.
Appendix THE SOUTH BANK.
THE RESIDENCIES.
Second rank of elite 41.Wtiite 42.Eber 43.Chavez 44.Bucher 45.St. John 46.Malvino (Adventist) 47.Mendelev 48.Sofia 49.Kamat 50.Tyter Mostly wealthy or government 51.North 52.Spellbridge 53.Ka.s.s 54.Borg 55.Bent 56.French 57.Gantry 58.Porfirio 59.Wex WEST END.
PORTSIDE.
Upper middle cla.s.s 60. Novgorod 61. Giro 62. BoiadoMiddle cla.s.s 78. Golden 79. Pauley 80. Eick 63.diNero81.Torrence 64.Mars82.Yesudian 65. 66. 67.Venture Gallandry (Advent.) Martel83. 84. 85.Capone Peva Bruder 68.Safazar86.Mohan 69.Williams87.Deniz 70.Pardee88.Hendricks 71.Calliste89.Racawski 72. 73.Spilier Yan90. 91.Hofmeyr Petri 74.Ventani92.Rohan 75.Turk93.Hersch.e.l.l 76.Princeton94.Bierbauer 77.Dunnara95.G.o.dwin 96.Arden 97.Aswad APPENDIX.
279.
TIDEWATER (SLUM)FOUNDRY DISTRICT.
98.Hafiz (brewery) 99.Rostov 100.Ravi 101.Greely 102.Megary (slaver) 103.Ulger 104.Mendez 105.Amparo 106.Calder 107.Fife 108.Salvatore 109.Spellman 110.Foundry 111.Vaitan 112.Sarojin 113.Nayab 114.Petrescu 115.Hagen EASTSIDE (LOWER MID.).
RIMMON ISLE (ELITE/MERCANTILE).
116. Fishmarket 117. Masud 118. Knowles 119. Gossan (Adventist) 120. Bogar 121. Mamovan (Advent.) (wealthy) 122. Salem 123. Delaree 124.Khan 125.Raza 126.Takezawa 127.Yakunin 128.Balaci 129.Martushev 130.Nikolaev MEROVINGEN.
(first quarter-frontispiece nuip) i 2) MEROVINGEN.