Jack Vance - Demon Princes 3 - The Palace of Love

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The Palace Of Love

By Jack Vance

Book 3 in the "Demon Prince" Series

From Popular Handbook to the Planets, 348th edition. 1525:

SARKOVY: Single planet of Phi Ophiuchi. Planetary

constants: diameter-9,600 miles; sidereal day-37.2

hours; mass-1.40; G-.98 . . .

Sarkovy is moist and cloudy; with an axis normal to

the orbital plane it knows no seasons.

The surface lacks physiographical contrast. The

characteristic features of the landscape are the steppes:

Hopman Steppe, Gorobundur Steppe, the Great Black

Steppe, and others... . From the abundant flora the no-

torious Sarkoy venefices leach and distill the poisons for

which they are famous.

The population is largely nomadic, though certain

tribes, generically known as Night Hobs, live among

the forests. (For detailed information regarding the

rather appalling customs of the Sarkoy, consult the En-

cyclopedia of Sociology and The Sexual Habits of the Sarkoy,

by BA. Edgar.)

The Sarkoy pantheon is ruled by Godogma, who

carries a flower and a flail and walks on wheels. Every-

where along the Sarkoy steppes may be found tall poles

with wheels on high, in praise of Godogma, the strid-

ing, wheeling God of Fate.

THF DEMON PRINCPS

News feature in Rigelhan Journal, Avente, Alphanor

Paing, Godoland, Sarkovy July 12

As if Claris Adam were to he destroyed for beguil-

ing William Wales

As if the Abbatram of Pamfile were to be liquefied

for smelling too strongly

As if Deacon Fitzbah of Shaker City were to be

immolated for an excess of zeal

Today from Sarkovy comes news that Master Ve-

nefice Kakarsis Asm must "cooperate with the guild"

for selling poison

Circumstances, of course, are not all that simple

Asm's customer, no ordinary murderer, was Viole Fa-

lushe, one of the Demon Princes The essence of the

crime was neither "trafficking with a notorious crimi-

nal" nor "betrayal of guild secrets," but rather "selling

fixed-price poisons at a discount "

Kakarsis Asm must die

How7 How else7

The longer Alusz Iphigema traveled in the company ofKirth Ger-

sen, the less certain she became that she understood his personality.

His moods perplexed her, his behavior was a source of misgiving

His modesty and self-effacement-were they inversion, brooding

cynicism3 His careful politeness-could it be no more than a sin-

ister camouflage7 Such questions entered her mind with increasing

frequency no matter how staunchly she rejected them

On one occasion-the date was July 22, 1526-they sat on the

Avente Esplanada in front of the Grand Rotunda, Gersen sought

to explain the seeming contradictions of his character "There's

really no mystery I've been trained to a certain function It's all I

know To justify the training, to fulfill my life, I exercise the func-

tion It's as simple as that."

Alusz Iphigenia knew the general outlines ofGersen's past The

five Demon Princes joining for the historic raid on Mount Pleasant

had destroyed or enslaved five thousand men and women Among

the handful of survivors were Rolf Gersen and his young grandson

Alusz Iphigema realized that such an experience must alter anyone's

life, still, she herself had known tragedy and terror "I am not

changed," she told Gersen earnestly "I feel neither rage nor hate "

illL !^L~t(EOI LOl-L

"My grandfather relt the rage and hate," said Gersen in rather

a flippant tone ot voice "So far as I'm concerned the hate is ab-

stract "

'\lus/ Iphigema became e\cn more disturbed "Are you then

just a mechanism7 This is rnindtessness, to be the instrument of

someone else's hate'"

Crersen grinned "That's not quite accurate \\\ grandfather

trained me, or rather had me trained, and I am grateful to him.

Without the training I would be dead "

"He must ha\e been a terrible man, so to warp a child's mind'"

"He was a dedicated man," said Gersen "He loved me and

assumed I shared his dedication I did and I do "

"But what of the future7 Is revenge all you want from life7"

" 'Revenge'7 I don't think so I have only one life to live and

I know what 1 hope to achieve "

"But why not try to achieve the same goals through a lawful

agency7 Isn't this a better way7"

"There isn't any lawful agency Only the IPCC*, which isn't

altogether etfective "

" Fhen why not bring the issues before the people of the Con-

course, and the other important worlds7 You have the energy, you

have more than enough mono) Isn't this better than killing men

with your own hands7"

Gersen had no rational counterarguments "These aren't my

talents," he told her "I work alone at what I do best"

"But you could learn'"

Gersen shook his head "If [ involve myself with words and

harangues, I trap myself, I become futile "

Alus/ Iphigema rose to her feet She walked to the balustrade,

looked out across the rhaumaturge Ocean Gersen studied the

clear profile, the proud stance, as if he had never seen them before

The time was approaching when he must lose her, and everything

that was eas) and fresh and uncomplicated would leave his life The

breeze shifted her bright hair, she was looking down into the blue

water, watching the shifting glints and planes ofRigel light Gersen

sighed, picked up a newspaper and morosely scanned the frontpage

*IPC C Inn_r\u)rld Polin- ( oonim.unm C oinpirn-m thcon .a pn\ )[L or^mi/.mon

pri)

mim^ the I<)L)I poliLL s\stLins ot tin OikuiiiLiiL sp(.u lli^ul (.onsultltion

i cuitril inter

nnnon hit Lnniinolo^iLil hhonroriLs in prictiLt l siiptrgoicrnniLnnl igeno

oLLisionilh ninu-ninin^ as i bn in irscit I he complin stock is widd\

disscnimircd ind

though \ itlilin^ no t^rc it hn inu ll arum is much in dun ind

340 I HP DF MON PRINCFS

COSMOLOGISI KILIFD

Hyrcan Major Attacks Camping Party

Gersen glanced at the text

Trovenei, Phrygia, July 21 Johan Scrub, advocate

of the star-capture theory which assigns the original

parentage of the Concourse Worlds to Blue Compan-

ion, yesterday was set upon by an adult hyrcan ma)or,

and almost instantly killed Dr Strub and several mem-

bers of his family were exploring the Midas Mountains

of upper Phrygia and unwittingly crossed the elving-

platform of a king beast Before others in his party were

able to destroy the eight-foot ogre, Dr Strub had suf-

fered fatal blows

Dr. Strub is chiefly noted for his efforts to prove

that Blue Companion and the twenty-six worlds of the

Concourse were originally an independent system

which wandered into the gravitational domain of Rigel

Such a circumstance would explain the disparity in the

ages of the Concourse worlds and Rigel, a compara-

tively young star

Gersen looked up Alusz Iphigenia had not moved He read on

COSMOPOLIS MAGAZINE ABOUT TO BE SOLD

Famous Old Journal Faces Extinction

Directors Make Last-ditch Efforts at Salvage

London, England, Earth, June 25 The ancient firm of

Radian Publishing Company today sought a stopgap loan

to meet the chronic annual deficit incurred in the publica-

tion of Cosmopohs, the 792-year-old magazine devoted to the

life and affairs of the civilized universe Sherman Zugweil,

Chairman of Radian's Board of Directors, admitted a crisis

to be at hand, but announced himself confident of coping

with it and keeping the doughty old journal in circulation

another eight hundred years

THF P iLiCE OF LOIT 341

Alusz Iphtgenu had shifted her position Elbows on the balustrade,

chin resting in her hands, she studied the hon/on Contemplating

the soft contours, Gersen felt himself softening He now was a man

of almost unlimited wealth, the\ could live a life of wonderful ease

and pleasure Gersen considered a long minute, then shrugged

and looked back to the newspaper

S^RKO\^ POISON-VUSIER TO DIF

C.UILU RULES \IOL\IFD

Pamg, Godoland, Sarkovy, July 12 As if Claris Adam

were to he destroyed

Alus/ Iphigenia glanced over her shoulder Gersen was reading the

newspaper in complete absorption She swung around in outrage.

Here was sang-froid indeed While she wrestled with doubts and

conflicts, Gersen read a newspaper an act of conspicuous msensi-

tivity'

Gersen looked up, smiled. His mood had changed. He had

comeah\e Alusz Iphigenia's fury ebbed Gersen was a man beyond

her understanding, whether he were vastly more subtle than she or

vastly more elemental, she would never know

Gersen had risen to his feet "We're going on a trip Across

space, toward Ophmchus Are vou ready3"

"Ready2 You mean now2"

"Yes Now W^hynot^

"No reason Yes, I'm ready In two hours "

"I'll call the spaceport "

The Distis Spaceship Corporation produced nineteen models,

ranging from a version of the 9B to the splendid Distis Imperatrix,

with a black and gold hull. With funds derived from his epic looting

of Interchange* Gersen had purchased a Pharaon, a spacious craft

equipped with such niceties as an automatic atmospheric control

which during the course of a voyage gradually altered air pressure

and composition to match that of the destination.

Rigel and the Concourse receded. Ahead lay star-spangled dark-

ness. Alusz Iphigenia studied the Star Directory with a puzzled

frown. "Ophiuchus isn't a star. It's a sector. Where are we going?"

"The sun is Phi Ophiuchi," said Gersen, and after a barely

perceptible pause, "the planet is Sarkovy."

"Sarkovy?" Alusz Iphigenia looked up quickly. "Isn't that where

the poisons come from?"

Gersen gave a curt nod. "The Sarkoy are poisoners, no doubt

about it."

Alusz Iphigenia looked dubiously out the forward port. Ger-

sen's haste to leave Alphanor had puzzled her. She had credited a

sudden determination to alter his way of life; now she was not so

sure. She opened Handbook to the Planets, read the article on Sar-

kovy. Gersen stood by the pharmaceutical cabinet, compounding a

conditioner against possibly noxious serums, proteins, viruses and

bacilli of Sarkovy.

'Interchange an institution of the planet Sasani in the near-Beyond,

functioning as a

detention depot and broker between kidnappers and those who sought to pay

ransom.

Gersen had swindled Interchange of ten billion SVU (Standard Value Units).

THE PALACE OF LOVE 343

Alusz Iphigenia asked, "Why are you going to this planet? It

seems an evil place."

"I want to talk to someone," said Gersen in a measured voice.

He handed her a cup. "Drink this; you'll avoid itches and scabs."

Wordlessly Alusz Iphigenia drank the mixture.

There were no formalities at Sarkovy; Gersen landed at Paing

Space-port, as close as possible to the depot, a timber structure

roofed with varnished reeds. A clerk registered them as visitors, and

they were immediately set upon by a dozen men wearing dark

brown gowns with bristling fur collars and cuffs. Each protested

himself the foremost guide and sponsor of the region.

"What do you wish, my sir, my lady? A visit to the village? I

am a hetman-"

"If it's the sport of harbite you seek, I know of three excellent

beasts in furious condition."

"Poisons by the dram or pound; I guarantee freshness and pre-

cision. Trust me for your poisons!"

Gersen looked from face to face. Several of the men were tat-

tooed on the cheek with a dark blue Maltese cross; one wore two

such tattoos. "Your name?"

"I am Edelrod. I know the lore of Sarkovy, marvelous tales. I

can make your visit a joy, a period of edification-"

Gersen said, "I see you are a venefice of the undermaster cat-

egory."

"True." Edelrod seemed a trifle crestfallen. "You have visited

our world before?"

"For a brief period."

"You come to replenish your chest? Rest assured, sir, I can

guide you to fascinating bargains, absolute novelties."

Gersen took Edelrod aside. "You are acquainted with Master

Kakarsis Asrn?"

"I know him. He is condemned to cooperation."

"He is not dead then?"

"He dies tomorrow night."

"Good," said Gersen. "I will hire you then, provided that your

rates are not exorbitant."

"I lend my knowledge, my friendship, my protection: all for

fifty SVU per day."

"Agreed. Well then, our first need is conveyance to the inn."

344 I HE DFMON PRINCES

"At once" Edelrod summoned a dilapidated carryall, they

bumped and jounced through Pamg to the Poison Inn, a three-

stoned structure with walls of poles, a twelve-coned roof sheathed

with green glass tiles There was a barbaric grandeur to the great

lobby Rugs woven in bold patterns of black, white and scarlet cov-

ered the floor, along the wall were pilasters carved to represent

attenuated hankap with gaunt sagging faces, vines with green leaves

and purple flowers hung from the roof beams Windows thirty feet

high overlooked Gorobundur Steppe, with a black-green swamp to

the west, a dark forest to the east Meals were to be taken in a vast

dining room furnished with tables, chairs and buffets of a dense

black wood To Alusz Iphigenia's relief, the kitchen appeared to be

operated by outworlders, and they were offered a choice of six cui-

sines Alusz Iphigema nevertheless distrusted the food. Tor all we

know it's seasoned with some horrid drug."

Gersen made light of her qualms "They wouldn't waste good

poison on us. I can't guarantee much else This is nomad-style

bread, the little black things are reed-berries, and this is some sort

of stew or goulash " He tasted it. "I've eaten worse."

Alusz Iphigema glumly ate the reed-berries, which had a dank

smoky flavor. "How long do you plan to remain here?" she asked

politely

"Two days or so, provided all goes well "

"Your business of course is your own affair, but I feel a certain

curiosity-"

"There's no mystery. I want information from a man who may

not live long."

"I see " But it was plain that Alusz Iphigenia felt no great in-

terest in Gersen's plans, and she remained in the lobby while Ger-

sen sought out Edelrod

"I would like to speak with Kakarsis Asm Can this be ar-

ranged3"

Edelrod pulled thoughtfully at his long nose "A ticklish matter

He must cooperate with the guild, such men are guarded carefully,

for obvious reasons Of course I can try to make arrangements Is

expense a critical factor3"

"Naturally I expect to pay no more than fifty SVU into the

guild treasury, another fifty to the Guild-master and perhaps twenty

or thirty to you "

Edelrod pursed his lips He was a plump man of uncertain age

THE PALACE OF LOVE 345

with a pelt of soft, heavy black hair "Your largesse is not of the

regal variety The people of Sarkovy respect reckless liberality

above all other virtues "

"If I understand the signs correctly," said Gersen, "I have sur-

prised you by the money I seem willing to spend The amounts I

mentioned are the top limit If you can't arrange matters at these

rates I will inquire of someone else "

"I can only do my best," said Edelrod despondently "Please

wait in the lobby, I will make inquiries."

Gersen went to sit beside Alusz Iphigenia, who pointedly asked

no questions .. Edelrod presently returned with a )ubilant expres-

sion "I have set affairs in motion The cost will be very little more

than the figures you suggested " And he snapped his fingers exul-

tantly

"I have had second thoughts," said Gersen "I don't care to

speak to Master Asm "

Edelrod became agitated "But it is feasible I have approached

the Guild-master'"

"Perhaps on another occasion "

Edelrod made a sour grimace "Foregoing all personal gain, I

might arrange matters for some trifling sum-two hundred SVU

or thereabout"

"The information is of no great value I am leaving tomorrow

for Kadaing, where my old friend Master Venefice Coudirou can

settle everything for me "

Edelrod raised his eyebrows and allowed his eyes to bulge

"Why then, this alters all' You should have mentioned your con-

nection with Coudirou I believe the Guild-master will accept sub-

stantially less than his previous demand "

"You know my top figure," said Gersen.

"Very well," sighed Edelrod "The interview may be conducted

later this afternoon In the meantime what are your wishes^ Would

you care to explore the countryside5 The weather is fine, the woods

are ablaze with flowers, sultnes, pop-barks, there is a well-drained

path "

Alusz Iphigenia, who had been restless, rose to her feet Edelrod

led them along a path which crossed a brackish river and plunged

into the forest.

The vegetation was a typical Sarkovy melange trees, shrubs,

cycads, bubble-shells, grasses of a hundred varieties The high fo-

546 THP DEMON PRINCES

hage was for the most part black and brown, with occasional

splotches of red; below were purples, greens, pale blues. Edelrod

enlivened the stroll with a discussion of various plants beside the

way. He indicated a small gray fungus. "Here is the source oftwi-

tus, an excellent selective poison, fatal only if ingested twice within

a week. It ranks in this respect with mervan, which migrates harm-

lessly to the skin, and becomes a lethal principle only upon exposure

to direct sunlight. I have known persons who fearing mervan kept

to their tents for days on end."

They came to a little clearing. Edelrod looked sharply in all

directions. "I have no overt enemies, but several people have died

here recently . . . Today all seems well. Notice this tree growing to

the side." He pointed to a slender white-barked sapling with round

yellow leaves. "Some call it the coin-tree, others the good-for-

nought. It is completely inoffensive, either as a primary or an op-

erative. You might ingest the whole of it leaves, bark, pith, roots,

and note nothing other than a sluggishness of digestion. Recently

one of our venefices became irritated at such insipidity. He made

an intensive study of the coin-tree, and after several years finally

derived a substance of unusual potency. To be useful it must be

dissolved in methycm and wafted into the air as a fog or a mist,

whence it enters the corpus through the eyes, causing first blind-

ness, then numbness, then complete paralysis. Think of it' From

waste, a useful and effective poison' Is this not a tribute to human

persistence and ingenuity3"

"An impressive accomplishment," said Gersen. Alusz Iphigema

remained silent.

Edelrod went on: "We are frequently asked why we persist in

deriving our poisons from natural sources. Why do we not immure

ourselves in laboratories and synthesize3 The answer is of course

that natural poisons, being initially associated with living tissue, are

the more effective."

"I would suspect the presence of catalyzing impurities in the

natural poisons," Gersen suggested, "rather than metaphysical as-

sociation."

Edelrod held up a minatory finger. "Never scoff at the role of

the mind' Eor instance-let me see-there should be one some-

where near . Yes. See there-the little reptile."

Under a mottled white and blue leaf rested a small lizardlike

creature.

THE PALACE OF LOW 347

"This is the meng. From one of his organs comes a substance

which can be distributed either as uigar or as furux. The same sub-

stance, mind you' But when sold as uigar and used as such, the

symptoms are spasms, biting off of the tongue and a frothing mad-

ness. When sold and used as furux, the interskeletal cartilage is

dissolved so that the frame goes limp WTiat do you say to that3 Is

that not metaphysics of the most exalted sort3"

"Interesting, certainly . • . Hm . . . What occurs when the sub-

stance is sold and used as, say for the sake of argument, water^"

Edelrod pulled at his nose. "An interesting experiment. I won-

der . .. But the proposal encases a fallacy. W^ho would buy and ad-

minister an expensive vial of water?"

"The suggestion was poorly thought out," admitted Gersen.

Edelrod made an indulgent gesture. "Not at all, not at all. From

|ust such apparent folly come notable variations. The graybloom,

for instance. Who would have ever suspected the virtue to be de-

rived from its perfume, until Grand Master Strubal turned it upside

down and left it in the dark for a month, whereupon it became tox

meratis? One waft will kill; the venefice need merely walk past his

subject."

Alusz Iphigema stooped to pick up a small rounded pebble of

quartz. "WTiat horrible substance do you produce from this stone3"

Edelrod looked away, half embarrassed. "None whatever. At

least none to my knowledge. Though we use such pebbles in ball

mills to crush photis seed to flour. Never fear; your pebble is not

so useless as it seems."

Alusz Iphigema tossed it away in disgust. "Unbelievable," she

muttered, "that people should dedicate themselves to such activity."

Edelrod shrugged. "We serve a useful purpose, everyone oc-

casionally needs poison. We are capable of this excellence and we

feel duty-bound to pursue it." He inspected Alusz Iphigema with

curiosity. "Have you no skills of your own3"

"No."

"At the hotel you may buy a booklet entitled Primer to the An

of Preparing and Using Poisons, and I believe it includes a small kit

of some basic alkaloids. If you are interested m developing a skill-"

"Thank you. I have no such inclination."

Edelrod made a polite gesture, as if to acknowledge that each

must steer his own course through life.

They continued; in due course the forest thinned, the path

IW DKMON PRINCES

turned out upon the steppe. At the edge of town stood a long eight-

coned structure of iron-bound timber with ten iron doors facing to

the steppe Across an area of packed clay were hundreds of small

booths and shops. "The caravanserai," explained Edelrod. "This is

the seat of the Comenance, from which the )udgmencs come." He

pointed to a platform at the top of the caravanserai, where four

caged men gazed disconsolately down into the square. "To the t-ar

right stands Kakarsis Asm."

"Can I speak to him now3" Gersen asked.

"I will go to inquire. Wait, if you please, at this booth, where

my grandmother will prepare you a fine tea."

Alusz Iphigenia looked dubiously at the appurtenances of the

booth. On a plank a brass urn bubbled furiously, flanked by brass

drinking pots. Shelves displayed a hundred glass jars containing

herbs, roots and substances impossible to identify.

"All clean and salubrious," Edelrod declared cheerfully. "Rest

and invigorate yourselves. 1 will return with good news."

Alusz Iphigenia wordlessly seated herself on a bench. After con-

sultation with Edelrod's grandmother, Gersen procured pots of

mildly stimulating verbena tea. They watched a caravan trundling

in from the steppe, first an eight-wheeled wagon carrying the

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ThePalaceOfLoveByJackVanceBook3inthe"DemonPrince"SeriesFromPopularHandbooktothePlanets,348thedition.1525:SARKOVY:SingleplanetofPhiOphiuchi.Planetaryconstants:diameter-9,600miles;siderealday-37.2hours;mass-1.40;G-.98...Sarkovyismoistandcloudy;withanaxisnormaltotheorbitalplaneitknowsnoseasons.Thesurfa...

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