she's most anxious to see you. I'm to take you to her, and I would
strongly advise that you bring your Assassins along. There are other
people at this dome, and they are not personally loyal to the Lady
Dallona. I've no reason to suspect them of secret enmity, but their
friendship is based entirely on political expediency."

"And political expediency is subject to change without notice," Verkan
Vall finished for him. "Have you an airboat?"

"On the landing stage below. Shall we go now, Lord Virzal?"

"Yes." Verkan Vall made a two-handed gesture to his Assassins, as
though gripping a submachine-gun; they nodded, went into another room,
and returned carrying light automatic weapons in their hands and
pouches of spare drums slung over their shoulders. "And may I suggest,
Dirzed, that one of my Assassins drives the airboat? I want you on the
back seat with me, to explain the situation as we go."

Dirzed's teeth flashed white against his brown skin as he gave Verkan
Vall a quick smile.

"By all means, Lord Virzal; I would much rather be distrusted than to
find that my client's friends were not discreet."

There were a couple of hotel Assassins guarding Dirzed's airboat, on
the landing stage. Marnik climbed in under the controls, with Olirzon
beside him; Verkan Vall and Dirzed entered the rear seat. Dirzed gave
Marnik the co-ordinate reference for their destination.

"Now, what sort of a place is this, where we're going?" Verkan Vall
asked. "And who's there whom we may or may not trust?"

"Well, it's a dome house belonging to the family of Starpha; they own
a five-mile radius around it, oak and beech forest and underbrush,
stocked with deer and boar. A hunting lodge. Prince Jirzyn of Starpha,
Lord Girzon of Roxor, and a few other top-level Volitionalists, know
that the Lady Dallona's hiding there. They're keeping her out of sight
till after the election, for propaganda purposes. We've been hiding
there since immediately after the discarnation feast of the Lord
Garnon of Roxor."

"What happened, after the feast?" Verkan Vall wanted to know.

"Well, you know how the Lady Dallona and Dr. Harnosh of Hosh had this
telepathic-sensitive there, in a trance and drugged with a
_zerfa_-derivative alkaloid the Lady Dallona had developed. I was Lord
Garnon's Assassin; I discarnated him, myself. Why, I hadn't even put
my pistol away before he was in control of this sensitive, in a room
five stories above the banquet hall; he beg