That seemed to satisfy everybody except Jonkvank, and he had wit
enough not to make an issue of it. He even had the Spear of Krink
carried back aboard his launch, out of sight, and when he accompanied
von Schlichten, an hour later, to see Hideyoshi O'Leary off for Grank,
he had the Spear of Skilk carried behind him. When he was alone with
von Schlichten, in the room that had been King Firkked's bedchamber,
however, he exploded.

"What is all this foolishness which you promised these people in my
name and which I must now carry out? That I am to leave the Spear of
Skilk in Skilk and the Spear of Krink in Krink, and come here to
live...."

"You wish to hold Skilk?" von Schlichten asked.

"I intend to hold Skilk. To begin with, there shall be a great killing
here. A very great killing: of all those who advised that fool of a
Firkked to start this business; of those who gave shelter to the false
prophet, Rakkeed, when he was here; of the faithless priests who gave
ear to his abominable heresies and allowed him to spew out his
blasphemies in the temples; of those who sent spies to Krink, to
corrupt and pervert my soldiers and nobles; of those who...."

"All that is as it should be," von Schlichten agreed. "Except that it
must be done quickly and all at once, before the memories of these
crimes fade from the minds of the people. And great care must be taken
to kill only those who can be proven to be guilty of something; thus
it will be said that the justice of King Jonkvank is terrible to
evildoers but a protection and a shield to those who keep the peace
and obey the laws. And when the priests are to be killed, it should be
done under the direction of those other priests who were faithful to
the gods and whom King Firkked drove out of their temples, and it must
be done in the name of the gods. Thus will you be esteemed a pious,
and not an impious, king. It must not be allowed to seem that the city
has come under foreign rule. And you must not change the laws, unless
the people petition you to do so, nor must you increase the taxes, and
you must not confiscate the estates of those who are put to death, for
the death of parents is always forgiven before the loss of
patrimonies. And you should select certain Skilkan nobles, and become
the father of their young, and above all, you must leave none of the
young of Firkked alive, to raise rebellion against you later."

Jonkvank nodded, deeply impressed. "By the gods, Karlok