He focused his attention on the Director again. Hinrik was beginning to repeat himself. Aratap felt a twinge of compassion. The man had been made into such a coward that even the Tyranni themselves grew impatient with him. And yet it was the only way. Only fear could insure absolute loyalty. That and nothing else.
Widemos had not been afraid, and despite the fact that his self-interest had been bound at every point with the maintenance of Tyrannian rule, he had rebelled. Hinrik was afraid and that made the difference,
And because Hinrik was afraid, he sat there, lapsing into incoherence as he struggled to obtain some gesture of approval. The major would give none, of course, Aratap knew. The man had no imagination. He sighed and wished he had none either. Politics was a filthy business.
So he said, with some air of animation, "Quite so. I commend your, quick decision and your zeal in the service of the Khan. You may be sure he will hear of it."
Hinrik brightened visibly, his relief obvious.
Aratap said, "Have him brought in, then, and let us hear what our cockerel has to say." He suppressed a desire to yawn. He had absolutely no interest in what the "cockerel" had to say.
It was Hinrik's intention at this point to signal for the captain of the guard, but there was no necessity for that, as the captain stood in the doorway, unannounced.
"Excellency," he cried and strode in without waiting for permission.
Hinrik stared hard at his hand, still inches from the signal, as though wondering whether his intention had somehow developed sufficient force to substitute for the act.
He said uncertainly, "What is it, Captain?"
The captain said, "Excellency, the prisoner has escaped."
Aratap felt some of the weariness disappear. What was this? "The details, Captain!" he ordered, and straightened in his chair.
The captain gave them with a blunt economy of words.
He concluded, "I ask your permission, Excellency, to proclaim a general alarm. They are yet but minutes away."
"Yes, by all means," stuttered Hinrik, "by all means. A general alarm, indeed. Just the thing. Quickly! Quickly! Commissioner, I cannot understand how it could have happened. Captain, put every man to work. There will be an investigation, Commissioner. If necessary, every man on the guards will be broken. Broken! Broken!"
He repeated the word in near hysteria but the captain remained standing. It was obvious that he had more to say.
Aratap said, "Why do you wait?"
"May I speak to Your Excellency in private?" said the captain abruptly.
Hinrik cast a quick, frightened look at the bland, unperturbed Commissioner. He mustered a feeble indignation. "There are no secrets from the soldiers of the Khan, our friends, our-"
"Say your say, Captain," interposed Aratap gently.
The captain brought his heels together sharply and said, "Since I am ordered to speak, Your Excellency, I regret to inform you that my Lady Artemisia and my Lord Gillbret accompanied the prisoner in his escape."
"He dared to kidnap them?" Hinrik was on his feet. "And my guards allowed it?"
"They were not kidnapped, Excellency. They accompanied him voluntarily."
"How do you know?" Aratap was delighted, and thoroughly awake. It formed a pattern now, after all. A better pattern than he could have anticipated.
The captain said, "We have the testimony of the guard they overpowered, and the guards who, unwittingly, allowed them to leave the building." He hesitated, then added grimly, "When I interviewed my Lady Artemisia at the door of her private chambers, she told me she had been on the point of sleep. It was only later that I realized that when she told me that, her face was elaborately made-up. When I returned, it was too late. I accept the blame for the mismanagement of this affair. After tonight I will request Your Excellency to accept my resignation, but first have I still your permission to sound the general alarm? Without your authority I could not interfere with members of the royal family."
But Hinrik was swaying on his feet and could only stare at him vacantly.
Aratap said, "Captain, you would do better to look to the health of your Director. I would suggest you call his physician."
"The general alarm!" repeated the captain.
"There will be no general alarm," said Aratap. "Do you understand me? No general alarm! No recapture of the prisoner! The incident is closed! Return your men to their quarters and ordinary duties and look to your Director. Come, Major."
The Tyrannian major spoke tensely once they had left the mass of Palace Central behind them.
"Aratap," he said, "I presume you know what you're doing. I kept my mouth shut in there on the basis of that presumption."
"Thank you, Major." Aratap liked the night air of a planet full of green and growing things. Tyrann was more beautiful in its way, but it was a terrible beauty of rocks and mountains. It was dry, dry!
He went on: "You cannot handle Hinrik, Major Andros. In your hands he would wilt and break. He is useful, but requires gentle treatment if he is to remain so."
The major brushed that aside. "I'm not referring to that. Why not the general alarm? Don't you want them?"
"Do you?" Aratap stopped. "Let us sit here for a moment, Andros. A bench on a pathway along a lawn. What more beautiful, and what place is safer from spy beams? Why do you want the young man, Major?"
"Why do I want any traitor and conspirator?"
"Why do you, indeed, if you only catch a few tools while leaving the source of the poison untouched? Whom would you have? A cub, a silly girl, a senile idiot?"