King Of Zunga

Before anybody realized what was happening and could give those necessary orders, Blade had his mount up to a full trot again. Everybody was too stu

Blade kept the beast moving at that speed as he swung it still further to the right, down the main street of the camp and toward the main gate. If any orders to close those gates were given, the sentries either never heard them or were too stu

Almost at the gate of the camp lay forest, the northern fringes of the great Rulami forests that stretched south toward Kanda-and now toward the Zungan army. Again Blade did not spare the goad, and they plunged into the forest still at a gallop. They trampled bushes and smashed aside small trees like a runaway tank, putting more and more miles behind them, between them and Kleptor's army.

It was not until late afternoon that Blade let the animal drop below a trot. Even then, he would have kept it going if he thought it could have stood the pace any longer. But even the fabulous endurance of the Ivory People had its limits. A little while later they came to a stream, and Blade let the animal drink while he and Aumara dismounted and did the same.

After drinking, they let the animal browse among the bushes and saplings while they bathed. Blade felt as though he were bathing away more than the sweat and grime caked on him by the battle and the mad flight. He felt as though he were washing away the strain and frustration of his captivity as Roxala's chosen stud, and all the filth and decadence of Rulam in general.

He looked at Aumara. She was almost as pleasing to the eye as before, as she splashed about with the water beading on her dark skin. She had not been a slave more than a few days, not long enough for hunger or confinement to thin her ripe body or take the spirit out of her. But her back showed a mass of criss-crossing welts, and her wrists and ankles were half raw from the chafing of the irons.

Blade pointed at her back. «Queen Roxala's doing, by any chance?»

She nodded. Then she looked at him and said, «Blade, I knew you were favored by the Sky Father. But I did not think that he would work such a miracle for you and for me. How did we ever get away? I can hardly believe that we are here, free.»

«We're not completely in the clear yet,» Blade cautioned her. «Kleptor and Roxala may not be at each other's throats enough to prevent a search party from being sent out. But at least we've got a good headstart.» He shook his head to clear the water from his ears, then went on.

«I knew that Roxala and Kleptor were just short of open warfare. Not very short, considering that he tried to start off the day's business by poisoning me in full sight of his whole army. And your death by torture was Roxala's project-Kleptor didn't approve of it at all. At least not right then. When Roxala ordered her arena men to kill me and get you ready for the torture, it looked to the crowd like they were getting out of hand. So Kleptor could order his arena men to move in on the queen's, wipe them out, kill me, rescue you-and nobody in the crowd would know what was really involved. After that, Horun made us the gift of his mount, and there was nothing left to do but run like the wind. There's an English saying that covers what happened today. 'Order, — counterorder-disorder.' And there was certainly enough disorder!»

Aumara nodded. «But before that?»

«Yes. I would have killed you, to spare you what Roxala had pla

«So had I. I didn't mind dying so much myself, but-Blade, I am carrying your child. I am glad that is safe for now.»

Blade held her for a moment, then said, «I think our friend of the Ivory People has got back some of his strength. It's time we were on the move again.»

They were almost continuously on the move for two days without hearing any signs of pursuit. Occasionally they had to sneak past isolated forest dwellings or across roads, but there was little activity and less habitation in these forests. Aumara recognized this as more good luck, and made solemn prayers to the Sky Father in thanks for it and hope that it would continue.

Possibly the prayers were effective. Possibly also the fact that the Zungan invasion had scared the normal forest population into fleeing north helped. But for whatever reason, natural or otherwise, their luck held all the way south.

It was on the morning of the fourth day that Blade was scouting ahead across a clearing rank with long, dew-laden grass. He saw dark figures moving in the woods across the clearing, froze, watched, and waited. The mahogany colored skins and spears became visible. His spears too-he recognized the balance weights at the butts. He stepped out into the open, made the Peace Hand, and shouted.

All the Zungans instantly faded into the undergrowth, except for one who stepped out into the open, made the Peace Hand in reply-and then dropped his spear in astonishment. His mouth sagged open so wide it was awhile before he could choke out the words, «Richard Blade of the English?»

«Yes. And Princess Aumara escaped with me. She is back there in the forest.» He turned and shouted. «Aumara, we are safe! A Zungan patrol!» Again the Zungan gaped and stared as Aumara stepped out into the open. Finally he managed to get his mouth closed, then opened it again to greet the princess and call his men out from cover.

Blade noticed that all eighteen of the Zungans were carrying the new spears. He asked about that.

«Ah, the new fighting art is all over Zunga now,» the warrior replied. «Half our warriors have the Blade-spears, and many hundreds can use them well. The On'ror and the Ulungas grumble, but we have not yet violated the letter of their decision. And the letter of their decision is all that King Afuno will let them enforce.»

«King Afuno is a wise and great king,» said Blade. «I am glad to be able to make him happy by bringing his daughter back to him. And I do not think the On'ror will be able to enforce anything very much longer.»

His tone as he said this discouraged questions. The patrol leader nodded and said, «Tell us about what has happened to you.»

Blade told of his adventures once there in the clearing, twice more on the way back as they met other patrols, and a good half dozen times after they got back to the main camp of the Zungan army that afternoon. By this time he was getting a little weary of the repetition. But that evening King Afuno arrived from a visit to the part of his army that was besieging Kanda. Blade did not mind at all telling the king the story of his capture and escape-and what he learned in Rulam.

Afuno's face went dark and hard as stone when Blade told him about the treachery of the On'ror. «Aumara had very nearly convinced me of this before she was captured,» said the king. «But I-after she was captured, I did not… «He shrugged, for the moment too filled with a mixture of emotions to go on.

Finally he shook his head. «I am glad she is back. In truth I was not sure that I cared whether Zunga lost or won this war after Aumara was captured.» He fixed Blade with his old familiar sharp look. «What does Aumara truly want of you?»