Even as they covered the distance to the double doors at the end, he drifted into and out of consciousness. They burst through the doors and pounded down stairs just beyond.
Ardan gritted his teeth, coming back to himself. The pain had cut through his disorientation for a moment. His arm twinged sharply as his weight shifted.
"It won't be too long," grunted Lees. There was a crackle as a weapon discharged, and the three came to the floor of another corridor.
"O.K." That was an unfamiliar voice. "We've cleared our run to the main entrance. There's just about no staff or guard left here. This is spooky."
"Now!" That was Rem.
Ardan was pulled upright again and swung along swiftly, his toes dragging. He couldn't make his legs move properly, and so he just relaxed and let the other two men do all the work. He hoped they knew what they were doing.
Flashes from side passages told him that there was at least some resistance left in the complex, but they shot past too quickly for him to know what was being done about it Then they were outside.
It was raining. He was soaked through instantly, which made him sneeze so hard it shook both his bearers.
"We'd better get him into shelter fast. He could get pneumonia awfully easy," said Rem.
"We've located the ground vehicles they've been leaving behind," came a voice. "Over here. We've found a troop carrier that should take us all. Just hope that it's powered up and ready to go."
After some jostling and tugging, Ardan found himself lying flat on a hard surface. Men were tumbling in around him haphazardly. There was the sound of power and a vibration of the surface on which he lay. Then motion.
He cried out, "Hanse! Why?"
Lees reached down to touch his face. "Fever," his voice said. "Cas, you have the medkit?"
There was the familiar touch of a spray-shot on his arm. Then he went into a blackness as deep as that of the swamp.
* * * *
The messenger always hurried when he came into the room. Hanse supposed it was to impress him with the urgency of the news he carried, as well as the devotion of the man to his duty. It always irritated him.
"Well?"
"The mopping-up on Stein's Folly is complete. The last of the Liao forces have retreated to Redfield. Our casualties have been heavy, but not as heavy as we had originally expected. And your friend Ardan Sortek has been recovered from a hospital unit in the base used by Ridzik while on the planet"
Hanse felt relief surge through him. The tightness that had seemed to bind his heart so painfully now eased. He had dreaded other, worse news of his friend.
"I want a detailed report of his injuries and his present condition. The unit caring for him. Everything."
The messenger obeyed his gesture to sit. Hanse made himself settle into the deep chair behind his desk. He quieted his hands, breathed deeply, and concentrated on the words of his messenger. With his learned discipline, he would not forget a syllable that he heard.
"Ardan Sortek," said the messenger, going into his automatic-report mode, his voice sounding almost mechanical, "has suffered recent dehydration, starvation, broken left radius, badly stressed ligaments, right leg. Surface bruises, cuts, scratches, fungal infections." He paused for breath.
"Systemic infection, probably from contaminated food or water ingested. Mental disorientation is persistent characterized by repeated reference to injured child, to unusual fauna in the swamp on the world in question, and to some sort of doppleganger complex he has developed."
"Doppleganger? Doesn't that mean ghostly double..." Hanse said thoughtfully. "That is a symptom of mental derangement, is it not?"
"It can be, the MedTechs say. This is very deeply impressed upon his mind. He keeps linking it, strangely enough, with the Prince of Davion."
"Strange," said Hanse. "I have known that Ardan was not completely comfortable with many matters, but I hadn't thought it to be serious."
"The medical people are most concerned about his mental state. Their facilities are focused upon battlefield casualties, and they haven't the psychiatric staffing to deal with this sort of problem in the most effective manner. They suggest intensive care as soon as possible."
Hanse motioned for the man to pause, while he thought carefully. There were things Ardan knew concerning his own affairs that were best undisclosed, even to the most faithful MedTechs. If Ardan were seriously unbalanced in his mind, it was perhaps best to keep him away from New Avalon for the time being. The Court on New Avalon was rife with spies and informers, he knew, and Ardan could seriously compromise many affairs of state if he were to speak of them while not in his right mind. Hanse considered distances, facilities...and he had an idea.
"Is the Steiner DropShip still docked on the Folly?" he asked.
"It is scheduled to leave in three planetary days. The supplies have been unloaded, and a number of the badly wounded have been placed aboard for transport to the medical facilities on Tharkad," the messenger concluded.
"You are scheduled to go back down the Command Circuit tomorrow," Davion said, "and so you will arrive in time. Have Ardan Sortek placed in the care of Steiner. Their psychologists are among the best in any sphere. If anyone can help him, they can." He felt reassured, relieved. "Is there anything else of importance?"
"Only a minor matter," the messenger replied. "The officer leading the rescue mission was puzzled at how easily it was carried out. He insisted that I report to you his suspicions that we were intended to recover Sortek. He wonders if some sort of biological might have been used to infect him in order to bring a danger into your presence when he returns to New Avalon. With the uncatalogued infections already in his system, this would be quite possible."
Hanse sat forward, frowning. "If we got him back easily, after Liao took the trouble to capture instead of killing him, there is something beneath it. Not necessarily that, but something. Do warn the Steiner Meds to use utmost caution as they care for him. Assure them that we appreciate their faithful adherence to our treaty. Anything else?"
"All the technical data is being entered into the computers. You will receive a printout shortly. For now, that is all." The messenger looked a bit pale.
Hanse had a twinge of conscience. Jump was a strain on the system, and it showed on the messenger. He smiled at him and said, "You will find that your good work has earned you a fitting reward. I think a promotion and a grant of land to your family will be in order, later, when there is more time for such things."
The man looked surprised. Then he grinned, the first expression Hanse had ever seen on his tight face. He left the room less pale than he had entered it
Before the man was out of earshot, Hanse had touched a button on his desk. "I need an Adept, please," he said to the ComStar Tech who replied.
While waiting for the arrival of the Adept, Hanse composed a terse message to Katrina Steiner, asking her not only to take good care of Ardan but to take care that he did not reveal information sensitive to both their Houses. He was just finishing when Adept Ara tapped quietly at his door.
"Enter," he said at once.
Ara was assigned as liaison to the Federated Suns by her Order, and so she was not Hanse Davion's subject and had no need to salute him. Ordinarily, this irritated him, but he had no time for that now.
"I want a message to go through to Katrina Steiner on Tharkad. It is of great importance and secrecy. How soon can I expect it to reach her?''
Ara's smile was gendy reproving. "You know as well as I that the HyperPulse Generator signal travels the distance from New Avalon to Tharkad in three weeks. No more, no less. Impatience, Highness, is no virture in a ruler."
He sighed. She was right, which was the most irritating thing of all.
"Of course." He handed her the message he had been working on while waiting. It was dated Third Quarter, Ten-day, 3025. It would be on Tharkad before the ship bearing Ardan could possibly reach there. No need to worry about that.
Ara glanced at the message, which wa
s coded. She smiled faindy. "A message to the fair Melissa?"
How did they know these things? Hanse shifted in his chair, but remained expressionless. Good thing he had used the new code. "You can see that it is addressed to the Archon," he said. "Only to her."
She took the message and nodded. "This will be sent at once. Good evening, Your Highness."
Hanse stared after her. Secrets were the leakiest of matters. If his own ComStar Adept knew of his secret engagement to Melissa Steiner, who else did? The union of their two Houses would form a formidable barrier to the ambitions of the Liao-Kurita interests. And that information could be of inestimable value to any of a number of other powers.
He sighed. One could only trust that ComStar was still the unaligned, impartial body it claimed to be.
19
The first jump, added to his existing condition, made Ardan very ill, indeed. While the group in transit waited for recharge, he was entrusted to a Doctor Karn, who kept a close check on him.
Ardan had waked fully for a time after the jump. He had been visibly distressed, trying to convey some information that seemed terribly important to him. It had required a sedative to quiet him, and now Ardan knew that Karn was peeping into his cubicle often.
He liked the young doctor. For one thing, the man was not talkative. The cool, clean feel of competence he brought with him was also extremely reassuring. And right now, Ardan needed a lot of that.
For the fifth time, Karn was saying, "Yes, Commander Sortek, you are on your way to Tharkad, as a guest of the Archon herself. Others of the expeditionary force are also being sent to our facilities for treatment. You are definitely out of the hands of the Liao forces. Please relax. Everything is all right, now. Sleep. Rest. You need that if you are to heal."
Ardan closed his eyes. They sprang open again as if his eyelids were on springs.
"There is something I must tell someone. I am not often as clear in my mind as I am right now, Doctor. But you must listen."
The young man nodded, a patient expression on his dark-browed face. "Yes. I am listening."
"There was a duplicate of Hanse, back there where I was. I take it that was the Liao base?"
Karn nodded.
"I woke up. Someone had just left the room. I found, unexpectedly, that I could move, though I hadn't been able to before. Or even to hold onto any single thought for more than a moment. But I seemed suddenly much better. I thought that I would escape, if luck were with me."
Ardan paused, as Karn held water to his lips. He sucked gratefully on the tube.
"I went down the hall. Someone was talking in the other direction, so I went the opposite. You see?"
Again the doctor nodded.
"There was a door at the end of the hall...on the side. I'd tried others, but they led into rooms with wounded men in them. This one went into a dark hallway. Halfway down were big glass doors on either side. I looked into one, and saw some sort of laboratory.
"I went into it. I don't quite know why, but I did. There was a table in the middle...I remember I had to lean on it for a bit to get my breath. There were glass boxes along one side." He shivered, and the doctor put a hand reassuringly on his shoulder.
"I looked into one of them, and Hanse was inside. Or someone just like Hanse, only...only different. His face... he had a face that never had been used. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"You saw—you think you saw a double or a duplicate of your Prince of House Davion? Interesting. Most interesting."
"The other doctors told me I was hallucinating. They talked about doppelgangers, whatever those might be. But I did see that. Everything else is hazy, but I remember that, without any doubt. You do believe me?" He looked anxiously at Karn.
The young doctor bent his head. "I think that you did see something. Whether you are interpreting it correctly, I have no way of knowing. There must have been something there, to convince you so deeply. But now you must rest"
Ardan caught at his hand. "Why wasn't I put into cryogenic stasis for travel? That's the way we always brought home our wounded before."
Karn smiled. "You were in such a strange physical state that it didn't work on you. One of those strange infections,
I suspect. But we have those under control now. Don't worry, though, you won't have to sweat out every stopover. The next time you wake up, you will be on Tharkad."
Ardan relaxed against the foam pillow. "Thank you, Doctor. You have helped me a lot. I needed to tell someone what I saw. You will pass it on?"
"Of course. Now sleep. The shot I gave you should put you out When you open your eyes again, we will be at the palace in Tharkad City. In winter, of course, which is not much fun, but it will, indeed, be Tharkad."
* * * *
And that was just the way it happened. Before he opened his eyes, Ardan smelled the rock-firs that tanged the air of the capital of that stony world. Even inside a building, as he obviously was, the crisp scent of green things managed to sneak through the ventilators to liven up the hospital's antiseptic smell.
He sighed heavily. Now he knew that he was safe. The Steiner dynasty had become a staunch supporter of the Federated Suns...and Hanse. He smiled secretively. In a few years, Hanse would marry Melissa, daughter of the Archon, Katrina Steiner. After all, fifteen was still a bit young to take on marriage with a man so much her senior.
He had known her well, and her mother, too. The last time Hanse had visited Tharkad, Ardan had commanded the Guard unit assigned to the Prince. He had loved that assignment more than most
The world was a bracing one, not too lush and easy, as so many of the most populous ones tended to be. Tharkad held challenge for its inhabitants, and danger. As Hanse had wanted him to see the countryside and get to know the people, Ardan had spent much time mountain climbing, especially with men and women of the Lyran guard.
It had been during that visit that Hanse had arranged with Katrina for her daughter's hand, a clause that was worked into the intricate treaty they were negotiating and that was later signed at Sol.
Ardan stirred. For the first time in what seemed an eternity, he felt able to sit He pushed with his right arm, trying to raise himself.
"None of that!" It was the Archon herself, bustling in through the curtained space serving as a door. "Be still, Ardan, and get well. I have particular instructions from Hanse to take special care of you."
Ardan found himself smiling. She was a woman after his own heart, strong and determined. Now she stood in the narrow space between his bed and the screen dividing it from the next cubicle. Her hair was coiled about her finely shaped head, and her color was ruddy from the brisk weather.
"Ardan, how are you?" she asked, perching on the edge of his bed and taking his hand in both of hers. "I have had word from the Prince, and he is most concerned about you. We are taking you with us, back to the palace. Melissa is going to learn nursing, tending you."
The young man tried to sit but the woman pushed him back gendy. "I am so happy to see you," he said. "My duty on Tharkad was the most pleasant of all my service, I think. But do take care, ma'am. I have had some very odd infections and viruses. Don't risk infecting yourself or the Archon-Designate."
She laughed. "I have had a full report from your doctors. Don't trouble yourself about anything. We are going to bring you back to health so quickly it will astonish you. Now sleep a bit more. We will move you when the snowstorm ends—or tomorrow, whichever comes first."
He closed his eyes, only to open them again at the sound of a quiet voice at his side. Melissa stood there, wrapped in a long fur robe with a round fur hat on her smooth hair. She regarded him intently with her gray eyes.
"How do you feel?" she asked softiy. "Don't worry about us. The doctors say they have eliminated the bugs from your system. It's quite safe to be around you now."
She was still the tall, slender girl he remembered. At fifteen, she was not yet the stunning woman she looked to become, but her understated loveliness was unmistakable. H
e thought that Hanse could have done much worse in the choice of a wife, even without the political considerations.
"Then I'm ready to go! I remember the palace well. Is it as comfortable in the winter as it is in the spring?"
"Not quite," she said, wrinkling her patrician nose. "You have to wear long underwear, unless you want to freeze stiff. But it will be some time before you are allowed up. We will read together, and you shall tell me stories about...about your Prince. If you don't mind?"
He understood her curiosity. She had last seen her intended husband several years before. She had been a child then, unaware of many things that must now have her wondering.
He nodded briskly. "Indeed, I will. I can remember Hanse from the time he must have been about fifteen, and I was only five or so. We were neighbors, and good friends were rearing him. Though he was almost a man, he was very patient with me, even as a tiny child. I loved him like the brother I never had. We have been close, even when we were great distances apart"
Even as he spoke, Ardan realized how true were his words. Why had he stopped trusting Hanse? Why had he questioned the ethics of the man he knew better than anyone else? A surge of sorrow went through him.
"What is it? What is the matter?" Melissa asked, bending over him to place her small, chilly hand on his forehead. "Are you worse?"
Ardan managed a sick smile. "No. Not physically. I have just realized that I've been a fool, and that is never a pleasant experience. For some silly reason, I began to think that I knew more about running a system of worlds than those who have been trained for it. Somehow, I thought that my personal standards must, of necessity, be those that everyone must practice. Ridiculous, eh?"
"Well, you look worse than you did when mother left. I think I'd better call for a doctor." Her tone was decisive. In that moment, Ardan saw the ruler in the making. Melissa would be just such another as her mother. Perhaps not a warrior—she had, after all, not been trained for that—but as a statesman, a manager of human beings, she was going to be something to watch.
The sword and the dagger Page 14
