Lepold flushed and the sparkle in his eyes blazed. "By Seldon, if I had been my grandfather, I would have fought even so."
"No, Lepold. We decided to wait to wipe out the insult at a fitter time. It had been your father's hope, before his untimely death, that he might be the one to Well, well!" Wienis turned away for a moment. Then, as if stifling emotion, "He was my brother. And yet, if his son were"
"Yes, uncle, I'll not fail him. I have decided. It seems only proper that Anacreon wipe out this nest of troublemakers, and that immediately."
"No, not immediately. First, we must wait for the repairs of the battle cruiser to be completed. The mere fact that they are willing to undertake these repairs proves that they fear us. The fools attempt to placate us, but we are not to be turned from our path, are we?"
And Lepold's fist slammed against his cupped palm.
"Not while I am king in Anacreon."
Wienis' lip twitched sardonically. "Besides which we must wait for Salvor Hardin to arrive."
"Salvor Hardin!" The king grew suddenly round-eyed, and the youthful contour of his beardless face lost the almost hard lines into which they had been compressed.
"Yes, Lepold, the leader of the Foundation himself is coming to Anacreon on your birthday probably to soothe us with buttered words. But it won't help him."
"Salvor Hardin!" It was the merest murmur.
Wienis frowned. "Are you afraid of the name? It is the same Salvor Hardin, who on his previous visit, ground our noses into the dust. You're not forgetting that deadly insult to the royal house? And from a commoner. The dregs of the gutter."
"No. I guess not. No, I won't. I won't! We'll pay him back but...but I'm afraid a little."
The regent rose. "Afraid? Of what? Of what, you young" He choked off.
"It would be...uh...sort of blasphemous, you know, to attack the Foundation. I mean" He paused.
"Go on."
Lepold said confusedly, "I mean, if there were really a Galactic Spirit, he...uh...it mightn't like it. Don't you think?
"No, I don't," was the hard answer. Wienis sat down again and his lips twisted in a queer smile. "And so you
really bother your head a great deal over the Galactic Spirit, do you? That's what comes of letting you run wild. You've been listening to Verisof quite a bit, I take it."
"He's explained a great deal"
"About the Galactic Spirit?"
"Yes."
"Why, you unweaned cub, he believes in that mummery a good deal less than I do, and I don't believe in it at all. How many times have you been told that all this talk is nonsense?"
"Well, I know that. But Verisof says"
"Pay no heed to Verisof. It's nonsense."
There was a short, rebellious silence, and then Lepold said, "Everyone believes it just the same. I mean all this talk about the Prophet Hari Seldon and how he appointed the Foundation to carry on his commandments that there might some day be a return of the Galactic Paradise: and how anyone who disobeys his commandments will be destroyed for eternity. They believe it. I've presided at festivals, and I'm sure they do."
"Yes, they do; but we don't. And you may be thankful it's so, for according to this foolishness, you are king by divine right and are semi-divine yourself. Very handy. It eliminates all possibilities of revolts and insures absolute obedience in everything. And that is why, Lepold, you must take an active part in ordering the war against the Foundation. I am only regent, and quite human. You are king, and more than half a god to them."
"But I suppose I'm not really," said the king reflectively.
"No, not really," came the sardonic response, "but you are to everyone but the people of the Foundation. Get that? To everyone but those of the Foundation. Once they are removed there will be no one to deny you the godhead. Think of that!"
"And after that we will ourselves be able to operate the power boxes of the temples and the ships that fly without men and the holy food that cures cancer and all the rest? Verisof said only those blessed with the Galactic Spirit could"
"Yes, Verisof said! Verisof, next to Salvor Hardin, is your greatest enemy. Stay with me, Lepold, and don't worry about them. Together we will recreate an empire-not just the kingdom of Anacreon-but one comprising every one of the billions of suns of the Empire. Is that better than a wordy 'Galactic Paradise'?"
"Ye-es."
"Can Verisof promise more?"
"No."
"Very well." His voice became peremptory. "I suppose we may consider the matter settled." He waited for no answer. "Get along. I'll be down later. And just one thing, Lepold."
The young king turned on the threshold.
Wienis was smiling with all but his eyes. "Be careful on these Nyak hunts, my boy. Since the unfortunate accident to your father, I have had the strangest presentiments concerning you, at times. In the confusion, with needle guns thickening the air with darts, one can never tell. You will be careful, I hope. And you'll do as I say about the Foundation, won't you?"
Lepold's eyes widened and dropped away from those of his uncle. "Yes certainly."
"Good!" He stared after his departing nephew, expressionlessly, and returned to his desk.
And Lepold's thoughts as he left were somber and not unfearful. Perhaps it would be best to defeat the Foundation and gain the power Wienis spoke of. But afterward, when the war was over and he was secure on his throne He became acutely conscious of the fact that Wienis and his two arrogant sons were at present next in line to the throne.