The Snout in the Dark

SIX: Dark Counsel

The first lamps had been lit against the dusk as Tuthmes sat in his chamber with Shubba and with Mum, the tall Kordafian sorcerer. Shubba, glancing uneasily at his mas­ter, had finished his tale.

“I see that I did not credit Tananda with her full measure of suspiciousness,” said Tuthmes. “A pity to waste so promising an instrument as that Nemedian girl, but not every shaft strikes the butt. The question, however, is: what shall we do next? Has anyone seen Ageera?”

“Nay, my lord,” said Shubba. “He vanished after stirring up that riot against Tananda - very prudently, if I may say so. Some say he has left Meroe; some, that he lurks in the temple of Jullah, working divinations by day and night.”

“If our divine queen had the wit of a woman,” sneered Tuthmes, “she would invade that devil-devil house with a few stout guardsmen and hang the priests to their own roof-tree,” His two companions started and shifted their eyes uneasily. “I know; you are all terrified of their spells and spooks. Well, let us see. The girl is now useless to us. If Tananda failed to wring our secrets from her, Conan will do so by gentler means, and in his house she will learn naught of interest to us anyway. She must die forthwith, Mum, can you send your demon to Conan's house while he is commanding his guardsmen this evening, to make away with the wench ?”

“That I can, master,” replied the Kordafan. “Should I not command it to stay there until Conan returns and slay him, too? For I see that you will never be king whilst Conan lives. As long as he holds his present post, he will fight like a devil to protect the queen, his leeman, because he so promised to do, regardless of how he and she may quarrel otherwise.”

Shubba added: “Even if we got rid of Tananda, Conan would still stand in our way. He might become king him­self. He is practically the uncrowned king of Kush now -the queen's confidant and lover. His guardsmen love him, swearing that despite his white skin he is really a black man like themselves inside.”

“Good,” said Tuthmes. “Let us dispose of the twain at the same time. I shall be watching the torture of Aahmes in the main square, so that none shall say that I had a hand in the slaying.”

“Why not set the demon on Tananda., also?” asked Shubba.

“It is not yet time. First, I must align the other nobles behind my claim to the throne, and this will not be easy. Too many of them, as well, fancy themselves as king of Kush. Until my faction grows stronger, my hold on the throne would be as insecure as Tananda's now is. So I am satisfied to wait, meanwhile letting her hang herself by her own excesses.”