The Super Barbarians by John Brunner Read Free Book Online Page B

saw Pwill Heir Apparent.
    I didn’t come much into contact with him any more. PwillHimself had decided on returning to Qallavarra—his son being by then nearly twenty years old—that the polish an Earthly tutor was supposed to impart was wasted on him. Nowadays the young hopeful was generally away from the house, supervising various of the far-flung enterprises of the family. I’d gathered that he wasn’t very diligent in learning the business.
    He slouched now in a high-backed chair, his brilliant red satin shirt rumpled, his high black boots defiantly out-thrust across the floor, his face like thunder. Next to him, looking nervous, but trying to stand in a proper military fashion, was a young officer of the space fleet called Forrel, whom I knew to be a close friend of Pwill, Jr. He looked acutely unhappy.
    “Where—have—you—been?” Pwill roared at me. Involuntarily the three maids-in-waiting and Forrell flinched.
    I took my time over answering, coming another three paces closer. Also I bowed with extreme correctness to Over-lady Llaq, because I was of her personal retinue, and this surprised and pleased her.
    The Grand Terrace was more of a conservatory than a terrace, actually; it was mainly of white and bright blue tile, and its chief decorations were magnificent orchidlike flowers in hand-carved alabaster tubs. At present, the day being warm, it was open to the air, but at night and in cold weather big glazed screens were manhandled into place to wall and roof it in. I thought it was a pity Pwill had chosen to have his blow-up in such a pleasant part of the house.
    I said formally, having finished my bow, “With respect to Himself, it was my information that Himself and the Over-lady would be absent until sunset less an hour.”
    “Seven gods of Casca-Olla!” Pwill said half under his breath. I memorized the oath with interest; if he swore by those godshe might conceivably believe in them. Then he was bellowing again.
    “I asked where you’d been—not where you thought I was!”
    His temper was impressing everyone else, but it left me cold. I phrased my answer very carefully. “On the understanding that my services would not be required by Himself or the Over-lady until then, I put myself at the disposal of the Under-lady Shavarri for a task which could not easily be carried out except by an Earthman.”
    That fazed him all right. It also made his son take notice. He looked at me suddenly as though he had never seen me before.
    “You went to the Acre!” Pwill challenged.
    I looked as bland as I could. “I was certain that Himself would not have failed to question the gatekeeper,” I said, trying to suggest that I did actually think he might overlook the obvious. “I was
punctilious
in informing the gatekeeper.”
    Pwill, obviously at a loss, rubbed his chin with the back of his hand. There wasn’t anything he could accuse me of doing without looking silly; he had told Swallo he was going to be out until an hour before sunset, and I was back promptly at that time, and I had gone duly on an errand for one of his wives. He decided to make the best of a bad job.
    “Hah!” he said, and strode to his big chair next to Llaq. “Hah!” he repeated.
    Then I got the point. The reason he was so furious was not that I hadn’t been here when he returned; it was because he too had been in the Acre, and was afraid I might have seen him there! I was grateful that Marijane had thrown my cloak over my face.
    “All right!” he barked after a pause. “Shaw, I have a job for you. Since you were just now talking of a task only anEarthman could conveniently carry out, you ought to be pleased to do something different from your usual fiddling little odds and ends. It’s about time I made use of you as an Earthman instead of just another hanger-on.”
    This wasn’t like Pwill Himself at all! What could have got into him?
    His face betraying despondency, the young officer, Forrel, marched forward a pace. He said,