Lord of Light

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Ganesha of the City. The same who aided you in your flight from Heaven."

Nirriti appeared to consider this.

"Well do I remember my one friend from the old days," he said. "Why have you come to me?"

"Because the time is propitious to do so. You have finally undertaken the great crusade."

"Yes."

"I would hold privy counsel with you concerning it."

"Speak then."

"What of this fellow?"

"To speak before Jan Olvegg is to speak before me. Say what is on your mind."

"Olvegg?"

"Yes."

"Just so. I have come to tell you that the Gods of the City are weak. Too weak, I feel, to defeat you."

"I had felt this to be true."

"But they are not so weak as to be unable to hurt you immensely when they do move. Things might hang in the balance if they muster all their forces at the proper moment."

"I came to battle with this in mind, also."

"Better your victory be less costly. You know I am a Christian sympathizer."

"What is it you have in mind?"

"I volunteered to lead some guerrilla fighting solely to tell you that Lananda is yours. They will not defend it. If you continue to move as you have—not consolidating your gains—and you move upon Khaipur, Brahma will not defend it either. But when you come to Kilbar, your forces weakened from the battles for the first three cities and from these, our raids along the way, then will Brahma strike with the full might of Heaven, that you may go down to defeat before the walls of Kilbar. All the powers of the Celestial City have been readied. They wait for you to dare the gates of the fourth city of the river."

"I see. That is good to know. Then they do fear that which I bear."

"Of course. Will you bear it as far as Kilbar?"

"Yes. And I will win in Kilbar, also. I shall send for my mightiest weapons before we attack that city. The powers which I have held back to use upon the Celestial City itself will be unleashed upon my enemies when they come to the defense of doomed Kilbar."

"They, too, will bring mighty weapons."

"Then, when we meet, the outcome will lie neither in their hands nor in my hands, really."

"There is a way to tip the balance even further, Renfrew."

"Oh? What else have you in mind?"

"Many of the demigods are dissatisfied with the situation in the City. They had wanted a prolonged campaign against Accelerationism and against the followers of Tathagatha. They were disappointed when this did not follow Keenset. Also, Lord Indra has been recalled from the eastern continent, where he was carrying the war against the witches. Indra could be made to appreciate the sentiments of the demigods—and his followers will come hot from another battlefield."

Ganesha adjusted his cloak.

"Speak on," said Nirriti.

"When they come to Kilbar," said Ganesha, "it may be that they will not fight in its defense."

"I see. What will you gain from all this, Ganesha?"

"Satisfaction."

"Nothing more?"

"I would that you recall one day that I made this visit."

"So be it. I shall not forget, and you shall have reward of me afterward. . . . Guard!"

The tent flap was opened, and the one who had brought Ganesha re-entered the tent.

"Escort this man wherever he wants to be taken, and release him unharmed," Nirriti ordered.

"You would trust this one?" asked Olvegg, after he bad gone.

"Yes," said Nirriti, "but I would give him his silver afterward."

The Lokapalas sat to counsel within Sam's chamber at the Palace of Kama in Khaipur. Also present were Tak and Ratri.

"Taraka tells me that Nirriti will not have us on our terms," said Sam.

"Good," said Yama. "I half feared he would agree."

"And in the morning they attack Lananda. Taraka feels they will take the city. It will be a little more difficult than Mahartha was, but he is certain they will win. I am too."

"And I."

"And I."

"Then he will move on to this city, Khaipur. Then Kilbar, then Hamsa, then Gayatri. Somewhere along this route, he knows the gods will move against him."

"Of course."

"So we are in the middle and we have several choices before us. We could not make a deal with Nirriti. Do you think we could make one with Heaven?"

"No!" said Yama, slamming his fist upon the table. "Which side are you on, Sam?"

"Acceleration," he replied. "If it can be procured through negotiation, rather than u

"I'd rather deal with Nirriti than Heaven!"

"So let us vote upon it as we did upon making the contact with Nirriti."

"And you require only one assent to win."

"Those were my terms upon entering the Lokapalas. You asked me to lead you, so I require the power to break a tie. Let me explain my reasoning, though, before we talk of a vote."

"Very well—talk!"

"Heaven has, in recent years, developed a more liberal attitude toward Acceleration, as I understand it. There has been no official change of position, but no steps have been taken against Acceleration either—presumably because of the beating they took at Keenset. Am I not correct?"

"Essentially," said Kubera.

"It seems that they have decided such actions would be too costly every time Science rears its ugly head. There were people, humans, fighting against them in that battle. Against Heaven. And people, unlike our selves, have families, have ties which weaken them—and they are bound to keep a clean karmic record if they desire rebirth. Still, they fought. Accordingly, Heaven has been moved to greater lenience in recent years. Since this is the situation as it actually exists, they have nothing to lose by acknowledging it. In fact, they could make it show to their favor, as a benign gesture of divine graciousness. I think that they would be willing to make the concessions Nirriti would not—"

"I want to see Heaven fall," said Yama.

"Of course. So do I. But think carefully. Just with what you've given to humans over the past half century—can Heaven hold this world in fief much longer? Heaven fell that day at Keenset. Another generation, perhaps two, and its power over mortals will have passed. In this battle with Nirriti they will be hurt further, even in victory. Give them a few more years of decadent glory. They become more and more impotent with every season. They have reached their peak. Their decline has set in."

Yama lit a cigarette.

"Is it that you want someone to kill Brahma for you?" asked Sam.

Yama sat silently, drew upon the cigarette, exhaled. Then, "Perhaps," he said. "Perhaps that is it. I do not know. I don't like to think about it. It is probably true, though."

"Would you like my guarantee that Brahma will die?"

"No! If you try it, I'll kill you!"

"You feel that you do not really know whether you want Brahma dead or alive. Perhaps it is that you love and hate simultaneously. You were old before you were young, Yama, and she was the only thing you ever cared for. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"Then I have no answer for you, for your own troubles, but you must separate yourself this much from the problem at hand."

"All right, Siddhartha. I vote to stop Nirriti here at Khaipur, if Heaven will back us."

"Does anybody have any objections to this?"

There was silence.

"Then let us journey to the Temple and commandeer its communications unit."

Yama put out his cigarette.

"But I will not speak with Brahma," he said.

"I'll do the talking," said Sam.

Ili, the fifth note of the harp, buzzed within the Garden of the Purple Lotus.

When Brahma activated the screen within his Pavilion, he saw a man who wore the blue-green turban of Urath.

"Where is the priest?" asked Brahma.

"Tied up outside. I can have him dragged in, if you'd like to hear a prayer or two. . ."