Free Gaal the Conqueror by John White Page B

room was larger and the walls were curtained. Shagah
sat on a gold throne while the Lord Lunacy towered above him,
exuding power and menace. Lunacy spoke first, smiling as he
did so. "I sensed a release of power in the predawn hours. You
were aware of it?"
    Shagah's face was impassive. He spoke quietly and courteously. "Indeed, my lord. You have taught me well. It was, as you
are doubtless aware, the power of the Book. We shall soon have
it under lock and key."
    "You are sure of that?"
    "Quite sure, my lord." His face was pale, and his tone careful,
but he displayed no fear.
    "And you know the precise location of the Sword Bearer's

    "Its precise location, my lord-no. We know where the party
is headed. My suspicion is that they will reach Taavath-Basar
two or three days from now. I have activated the pool for their
benefit. Of course, as you will appreciate, once we have the
Sword Bearer we will have the treasure too. Including the Book.
A day or two will make little difference after so many centuries."
He drew in his breath, and there was a hint of tremor as he
did so. "You are concerned, my lord?"
    Lord Lunacy's voice was cold and expressionless. "You are
the one who is concerned-not I. As you know, should the
Book once get inside the tower, we will no longer have access
to it. Copies will sooner or later be made from it." He smiled
again. "That must not be allowed to happen. Remember," he
continued, "you are not immortal-yet."
    Shagah allowed a minute to pass before he replied. He
seemed unable to match his master's smile, but his voice was
controlled. "Be assured, my lord, that I bear all these things in
mind. I have my own plans for the tower which we can discuss
later. In the meantime we have the city to worry about-and the
Regenskind Gaal." He tensed as he uttered the name, gripping
the sides of his throne as if to anticipate the roar that had
greeted it on the previous occasion.
    At the mention of the name, Lord Lunacy's face darkened.
"Gaal. Still at liberty. I burn with longing to destroy the usurper
and consume him. Do you hear me, Shagah? I am consumed
with rage toward him!" he was shouting now, and the room
trembled from the paroxysm that shook him.
    Shagah paled. Beads of sweat appeared on his upper lip and
his forehead, but he continued to look steadily at his master,
and when he spoke again, even though his voice was low his
words were bold. "Nevertheless, your failures are returning to
haunt you. Prophecies from the dawn of Anthropos tell us that
a Regenskind will cripple you."
    The smile, a dark and hateful smile, slowly returned to Lord Lunacy's deathly face. He still shook with rage, but his voice
had sunk to a whisper while his form swelled to larger proportions. "I shall not fail. Hate is too powerful to fail. And I have
learned the power of hate!"

    Shagah leaned forward. There was a look of desperation on
his face, the face of a gambler playing for the highest stakes.
"You failed to identify him when he first arrived," he said and
drew in his breath sharply. But the calm response seemed to
throw him off balance.
    "We all did-"
    "Yet you knew of his coming. You murdered-"
    "Murder?" Lord Lunacy's lips quivered in joy. "Murder
now-that was a general measure. Valuable and pleasurable, as
you yourself are aware. Hate must murder and devour."
    "But, my lord, our slaves slip through our fingers and disappear. Where are the followers of Gaal? Where? My lord, they
will continue to slip through my fingers so long as Gaal remains
at liberty. I take it you know where he has hidden them. Where
are they?"
    Lunacy's face became impassive, and his tone expressionless
except for a hint of cruelty. "As controller of the guard, you are
expected to know. Am Ito perform your task for you?"
    Shagah rose to his feet, facing his master recklessly. "You do
know where they are, I take it? You assure me you know everything, but sometimes I wonder."
    He remained standing for nearly