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
shrine, the cabin of the hetman and brass tanks of water. Behind
were several dozen other wagons-some large, some small-motors
rumbling, clacking, whining. All carried astounding superstructures
at the very peak of which were tented living quarters, with goods
and bales loaded below. Some men rode motorcycles, others
lounged on the wagons, which were driven by old women or slaves
of the tribe. Children ran behind, rode bicycles or dangled peril-
ously from the understructure.

The caravan halted; women, children arranged tripods, hung
up cauldrons and began to prepare a meal, while slaves unloaded
goods from the wagons: furs, rare woods, bundles of herbs, chunks
of agate and opal, caged birds, tubs of raw gums and poisons, and
two captive hankap, the near-intelligent creature which furnished
the Sarkov sport known as harbite Meanwhile the men of the tribe
gathered in a quiet suspicious cluster to drink tea and glower toward
the ba/aar where they expected to be cheated.

Edelrod stepped briskly forth from the caravanserai. Gersen
grumbled to Alusz Iphigenia, "Here he comes with six reasons wh)
the business will cost more money."

THE PALACE OF LOVE

Edelrod procured an infusion of scorched a)ol from his grand-
mother. He sat down and silently began to sip.

"Well?" asked Gersen.

Edelrod sighed, shook his head. "My arrangements have been
for naught. The Chief Monitor declares the interview impossible."

"Just as well," said Gersen. "I only wished to bring him the
condolences ofViole Falushe. It will make small difference one way
or another. WTiere will he cooperate?"

"At the Poison Inn, as diversion for the Convenance, which
currently is in residence at Pamg."

"Perhaps I will have a chance to utter a few words there, or at
least make a reassuring signal," said Gersen. "Well, then, let us
look through the bazaar."

Subdued and depressed, Edelrod took them through the bazaar.
Only in the Poison Quarter did he recover his animation, and
pointed here and there to bargains and especially noteworthy prep-
arations. He seized a ball of gray wax. "Observe this deadly mate-
rial. I handle it without fear: I am immunized^ But if you were to
rub it on an article belonging to your enemy-his comb, his ear-
scraper-he is as good as gone. Another application is to spread a
film over your identification papers. Then, should an overofficious
administrator hector you, he is contaminated and pays for his in-
solence."

Alusz Iphigenia took a deep breath. "How does a Sarkoy survive
to become an adult?"

"Two words," Edelrod replied, holding two fingers didactically
high. "Caution, immunity. I am immune to thirty poisons. I carry
indicators and alarms to warn ofcluthe, meratis, black-tox and vole.
I observe the most punctilious caution in eating, smelling, donning
garments, bedding with a strange female. Ha-ha. Here is a favorite
trick, and the ovenmpulsive lecher finds himself in difficulties. But
to go on. I am cautious in these situations and also in passing down-
wind of a covert, even though I have no fear of meratis. Caution
has become second nature. If I suspect that I have or am about to
have an enemy, I cultivate his friendship and poison him to diminish
the risk."

"You will live to become an old man," said Gersen.

Edelrod reverently made a circular motion with his two hands,
moving in opposite directions, to symbolize a halting ofGodogma's
wheel. "Let us hope so. And here"-he pointed to a bulb contain-

THE DŁ MON PRINCES

ing white powder-"cluthe Useful, versatile, effective If you need
poison, buy here "

"I have cluthe," said Gersen, "though it may be somewhat
stale "

"Discard it, or you will be disappointed," Edelrod told him
earnestly "It will merely provoke suppurating sores and gangrene "
He turned to the dealer "Your stock is fresh7"

"Fresh indeed, fresh as the morning dew

After a bout of heated bargaining, Gersen bought a small casket
of cluthe Alusz Iphigema stood with her back turned, her head at
an angle of angry disapproval

"Now then," said Gersen, "back to the hotel "

Edelrod said tentatively, "A thought occurs to me Were I to
bring the monitors a cask of high-quality tea, at a cost of perhaps
twenty or thirty SVU, they might well allow your visit "

"By all means Make them such a gift "

"You will naturally reimburse me7"

"What7 When you already have been conceded a lavish hun-
dred and twenty SVU7"

Edelrod made an impatient gesture "You do not realize the
difficulties'" He snapped his fingers petulantly "Very well So be
it My friendship for you impels me to sacrifice Where is the
money7"

"Here is fifty The remainder after the interview "

"What of the lady7 WTiere will she wait3"

"Not here in the bazaar. The nomads might consider her part
of the merchandise."

Edelrod chuckled "Such events have been known But have no
apprehension' She is under the aegis of Submaster Iddel Edelrod.
She is as safe as a two-hundred-ton statue of a dead dog "

But Gersen insisted on hiring a conveyance and sending Alusz
Iphigema back to the Poison Inn Edelrod then conducted Gersen
into the caravanserai, through a set of halls, up to the roof Six
monitors hulked on stools beside a bubbling cauldron Hitching fur
collars up around their necks, they glanced incuriously at Edelrod,
then turning back to their tea, muttered among themseKes evi-
dently a satiric observation, for they all gave hoarse caws of amuse-
ment

Gersen approached the cage of Kakarsis Asm, one-time Master
Venehce, now condemned to cooperation Asm was somewhat taller

THE PALACE OF LOVE 351

than the average Sarkoy, though still bulky through chest and belly.
His head was long, narrow in the forehead, broad at the cheek-
bones, heavy at the mouth A thick black pelt grew low down his
forehead, his lank black mustache drooped dispiritedly. In keeping
with his criminal status, he wore no shoes, and his feet, tattooed
with wheels in the traditional fashion, were mottled pink and blue
with cold

Edelrod addressed Asm in a peremptory voice "Villainous dog,
here is a nobleman from off-world who deigns to inspect you Be
on your best behavior "

Asm raised his hand as if he were casting poison, Edelrod
jumped back with a startled oath, and Asm laughed. Gersen turned
to Edelrod "Wait to the side I wish to speak privately to Master
Asm."

Edelrod grudgingly withdrew. Asm, seating himself on a stool,
inspected Gersen with eyes like flints. "I have paid to speak to you,"
said Gersen "In fact I come from Alphanor for this purpose "

Asm made no response.

"Has Viole Falushe made representations on your behalf"
asked Gersen

A gleam shone behind the near opacity of the eyes "You come
from Viole Falushe3"

"No "

The gleam died.

"It would seem," said Gersen, "that having involved you in
wrongdoing, he should likewise be here, sentenced to cooperation "

"There's an agreeable thought," said Asm

"I don't fully understand the crime You were caged and sen-
tenced because you sold to a notorious cnnnnaP"

Asm snorted, spat into a corner of the cage "How should I
recognize him as Viole Falushe7 I knew him long ago under a dif-
ferent name He has changed, he is unrecognizable "

"WTly then should you be sentenced to cooperation3"

"The decretal was clear enough The Guild-master had pre-
pared a special price schedule for Viole Falushe All unaware I sold
him two drams of patziglop and a dram of vole, little enough, but
there can be no remission. The Guild-master has long been my
enemy, though he has never dared to test my poisons " He spat
again, glanced reflectively sidewise at Gersen. "W^hy should I talk
with you7"

I HI- DLMON PRINCES

352

"Because I will undertake that you die by alpha or beta, rather
than cooperation."

Asm gave a sad sardonic snort of regret. "With Guild-master
Peti-us on the scene7 Small chance. He wishes to test his new py-

rong.

"Guild-master Petrus can be persuaded. By money if no other

means.

Asm shrugged "I expect little, but what then7 I lose nothing
by talk. What do you wish to know?"

"I take it Viole Falushe has departed the planet7"

"Long ago."

"Where and when did you know him previously5"

"Long ago. How many years? Twenty7 Thirty7 A long time.
He was then a slaver, but very young. No more than a boy. Indeed,
he was the youngest slaver I had yet known. He arrived in a rickety
old ship bulging with young girls, all fearful of his wrath. Would
you believe it7 They were happy to be sold to me'" Asm shook his
head in wonder. "A terrible young man' He quaked and quivered
with the force of his passions Today he is different. The passion
is still terrible, but Viole Falushe has grown to surround it. He is
a different man."

"WTiat was his name when you first knew him7"

Asm shook his head. "It escapes me. I do not know Perhaps I
never knew. He traded two fine girls for money and poison. They
cried with relief to leave the ship The others cried from their ill-
fortune. Ah, what sobbing'" Asm gave his head a wry shake. "Inga
and Dundine were their names. How they would chatter' They
knew the lad well and never tired of reviling him."

"What became of them7 Do they still live?"

"There I am ignorant." Asm )umped to his feet, strode back
and forth, returned as abruptly to his stool. "I was called south to
Sogmere. I sold the girls. There was little depreciation, I had only
used them two years."

"Who bought them?"

"It was Gascovne the Wholesaler, of Murchison's Star. I can
tell no more, for this is all I know."

"And where was the first home of the girls7"

"Earth "

Gersen ruminated J moment. "And Viole Falushe as he is
now-what is his description7"

THE PALACE OF LOVE

"He is a tall man, well-favored. His hair is dark. He has no
remarkable or distinguishing features. I knew him when his mad-
ness was rampant, when it altered the look of his face. Now he is
careful and polite. He speaks softly. He smiles. His condition might
never be known, unless, like me, you had known him as a lad."

Gersen asked further questions, Asm was unable to augment his
remarks. Gersen prepared to depart Asm, feigning indifference,
said, "You intend to speak to Guild-master Petrus on my behalf?"

"Yes."

Asm thought a moment. He opened his mouth and spoke, as if
it were an effort. "Be careful. He is a positive man, and baleful. If
you thrust at him over-strongly, he will poison you."

"Thank you," said Gersen. "I hope to be able to help you." He
signaled Edelrod, who had watched with poorly disguised curiosity.
"Take me to Guild-master Petrus."

Edelrod led Gersen down into the caravanserai, through one
crooked hall after another, finally to a room hung with yellow silk.
On a cushion sat a thin man with intricately tattooed cheeks ex-
amining a row of small flagons "An outworld gentleman to speak
to the Guild-master," said Edelrod.

The thin man hopped erect, approached Gersen, carefully
smelled his hands, patted his garments, inspected his tongue and
teeth. "One moment." He disappeared behind the silks. Presently
he returned to signal Gersen. "This way, if you will "

Gersen entered a high window less chamber-so high indeed
the ceiling could not be seen. Four spherical lamps hanging low on
long chains threw an oily yellow light On the table the ubiquitous
brass cauldron bubbled. The air was heavy with warmth and odor.
must, fabric, leather, sweat, the sharp dry exhalation of herbs.
Guild-master Petrus had been sleeping. Now he was awake, and
leaning forward from his couch, tossed herbs into a pot and pre-
pared an infusion. He was an old man with bright black eyes, a
pallid skin. He greeted Gersen with a quick nod.

Gersen said, "You're an old man."

"I have one hundred and ninety-four Earth years."

"How much longer do you expect to live7"

"Six years at least, or so I hope. Many men wish me poisoned."

"On the roof four criminals await execution Are all to coop-
erate7"

IIIL DI MON FRINCFS

"'Ml T have a dozen new poisons to test, as have other Masters
ot the Guild "

"I have assured Asm that he will die by alpha or beta "

"You must have the gift of perceiving miracles I myself am a
skeptic The arrogance ot- Asm has long been a blemish upon the
region He now must cooperate with the Guild Standards Com-
mittee "

Gersen eventually paid 42') SVU that Asm might die by alpha

Edelrod, somewhat sulky, met Gersen in the hall 1 hey set orf
through Paing by streets lined with tall timber huts on stilts, the
facade of each hut constructed to represent a visage doleful, sat-
urnine or astounded, and so the} returned to the Poison Inn

Alus/ Iphigenia was in her room, Gersen decided not to disturb
her He bathed in a wooden vat, went down to the lobby to look
out across the steppe Dusk blurred the landscape, the wheeled
poles were black intricate silhouettes

Gersen ordered a pot of tea and with nothing better to do
reflected on the condition of his life    By ordinary standards he
was a fortunate man, wealthy beyond the grasp of the mind What
of the future2 Suppose that by some freak of fortune he was able
to achieve his goal, with the five Demon Princes destroyed, what
then2 Could he integrate himself into the normal flow of existence3
Or had he become so distorted that always, to the end of his days,
he must seek out men to destroy Gersen gave a gnm chuckle
Unlikely that he would survive to confront the problem In the
meantime, what had he learned from Asm2 Only that twenty or
thirty years ago a young madman had sold a pair of girls, Dundme
and Inga, to Asm, who later sold them to Gascoyne the Wholesaler
of Vlurchison's Star Next to nothing   Except that Dundine and
Inga knew their kidnaper well and "never ceased to revile him "

Alusz Iphigenia appeared She ignored Gersen and went to look
out over the dark steppe, where now one or two far lights flickered
In the sk\ appeared a purple glow, a bank of white lights, and a
packet of the Robarth Hercules Line descended to the field Alus/
Iphigenia watched a row moments, then turned and came to sit by
Gersen, holding herself stiffly erect She shook her head at his offer
of tea "How long must vou stay here2"

"Only until tomorrow night "

"Whv may not we leave now2 \ou have conrerred with your
friend, you have bought vour poison "

THL PAL4C E OF LOVE 355

As if in response to her question Edelrod appeared bowing in
absurd punctilio Tonight he wore a long gown of green cloth, a
tall fur cap "Health and immunity'" he greeted them "Do you
attend the poisonings2 1 hey are scheduled for the hotel rotunda,
for the education of gathered notables "

"Tonight I thought they were tomorrow night "

"The date has been set forward, by a whirl of Crodogma's
wheel 'I omght the rogues must cooperate "

"We will be there," said Gersen

Alusz Iphigenia rose swiftly to her feet, departed the lobby

Gersen found her in her room "Are you angry with me2"

"Not angry I am utterly bewildered I can't understand your
morbid fascination with these horrible people    Death   "

"That isn't a fair statement The people live by a system dif-
ferent from ours I am interested I live by my ability to avoid death
I might learn something to help me survive "

"But you don't need this knowledge' You have a vast fortune,
ten billion SVU in cash-"

"No longer "

"No longer2 Have you lost it2"

"The vast fortune is no longer cash There now exists an anon-
ymous corporation of which I own the stock The money yields a
daily income, a million SVU more or less Still a vast fortune, of
course "

"W^ith all this money you need not involve yourself Hire mur-
derers to do your work Hire the disgusting Edelrod For money
he would poison his mother'"

"Any murderer I could hire could be hired to murder me But
there is another consideration I don't care for notoriety or public-
ity To be effective I must be unknown, a nonentity I fear I have
already been noted by the Institute, and this would be a great mis-
fortune "

Alusz Iphigenia spoke with great earnestness "You are ob-
sessed You are a monomaniac' This concentration on lethahty,
effectiveness, masters you completely'"

Gersen forbore to point out that this same effectiveness and
lethahtv had preserved her existence on several occasions

"You have other capacities," Alusz Iphigenia went on "You
have sensibilities, even frivolities You never indulge them You are

THE DEMON PRINCKS

356

spiritually starved, crippled. You think only of power, death, poison,
devious plots, revenge!"

Gerscn was startled by her vehemence. The accusations were
distorted far enough of the mark that they carried no sting; still if
she believed them, what a monster he must appear in her eyes!
Soothingly he replied, "What you say simply isn't true. Maybe
some day you'll know this, maybe some day. . ." Gersen's voice
dwindled, in the face of the angry shake Alusz Iphigenia gave her
head which sent her gold-brown hair flying. Additionally, what he
was about to sav, now that he considered it, seemed somewhat im-
probable, even absurd: talk of relaxation, a home, a family.

Alusz Iphigenia spoke in a cold voice: "What then of me?"

"I have no right to rule your life or disturb you," said Gersen.
"You have only one life; you must make the best of it."

Alusz Tphigenia rose to her feet, calm and composed. Sadly
Gersen went to his own room. Still, in a sense, the quarrel was
welcome. Perhaps, motivated subconsciously, he had brought her
to Sarkovy to indicate the direction his life must go, to give her the
option of detaching herself.

Somewhat to his surprise she appeared for dinner, though grim
and pale.

The dining room was crowded; everywhere were the fur collars
and black-furred pates of Sarkoy notables. Tonight an unusual
number of women were present, in their peculiar purple, brown
and black gowns, weighed down with necklaces, bangles, hair-pieces
of turquoise and jade. In one corner sat a large group of tourists
from the excursion ship which had put into Paing earlier in the
-the occasion, Gersen decided, for the advancement of the

evenms

poisonings. By their costumes the tourists were from one of the
Concourse planets-Alphanor, to judge by their beige and gray skin
toning. At Gersen's elbow appeared Edelrod. "Aha, Lord Gersen!
A pleasure to see you here. May I join you and your lovely lady? I
may be able to assist for the poisonings." Taking Gersen's assent
for granted he seated himself at the table. "Tonight a banquet of
six courses, Sarkoy style. I recommend that you attempt it. You are
here on our wonderful planet, you must enjoy it to the hilt. I am
pleased to be present. All goes well tonight, I trust?"

"Quite well, thank you."

Edelrod spoke correctly-tonight only the Sarkoy cuisine was
offered. The first course was served: a pale green broth of swamp

THE PALACE OF LOVE 357

produce, rather bitter, accompanied by stalks of deep-fried reed, a
salad of celery root, whortle-berry and shreds of pungent black
bark. As they ate, porters carried four posts out upon the terrace,
set them upright into sockets.

The second course appeared: a ragout of pale meat in coral
sauce, heavily seasoned, with side dishes of jellied plantain, crystal-
lized jaoic, a local fruit.

Alusz Iphigenia ate without great appetite; Gersen felt no hun-
ger whatever.

The third course was set before them: collops of perfumed paste
on disks of chilled melon, accompanied by what appeared to be
small mollusks in spiced oil. As the platters were being removed in
preparation for the fourth course, the criminals were led out on the
terrace, where they stood blinking into the lights. They were naked
except for heavy padded collars, bulky mattress-like gloves, a tight
girdle around the waist. Each was attached to a post by six feet of
chain.

Alusz Iphigenia looked them over with se-eming indifference.
"These are the criminals? WTiat are their offenses?"

Edelrod looked up from the battery of bowls which had just
been set before him, containing a hash of crushed insects and cereal,
pickles, a plum-colored conserve and pellets of fried meat. Appre-
hending the question he glanced at the criminals. "There is Asm
who betrayed the guild. Next is a nomad who committed a sexual
offense."

Alusz Iphigenia laughed incredulously. "On Sarkoy is this pos-
sible?"

Edelrod gave her a look of pained reproach. "The third threw
sour milk on his grandmother. The fourth dishonored a fetish."

Alusz Iphigenia wore a puzzled expression. She glanced at Ger-
sen to learn whether or not Edelrod were serious.

Gersen said, "The offenses seem arbitrary, but some of our
restraints seem strange to the folk of Sarkovy."

"Precisely the case," stated Edelrod. "Every planet has its own
rules. I am appalled at the insensitivity of certain folk who come
here from other worlds. Avarice is a typical offense. On Sarkovy
one man's property is the property of all. Money? It is distributed
without a second thought. Unstinting generosity excites approval!"
And he looked expectantly toward Gersen, who only smiled.

Alusz Iphigenia had let the fourth course go untasted. The fifth

358 THE DEMON PRINCES

course was served: a wafer of baked pastry on which were arranged
three large steamed centipedes with a garnish of a chopped blue
vegetable and a dish of glossy-black paste, which gave off an acrid
aromatic odor. Alusz Iphigenia rose to her feet, departed the dining
room. Edelrod looked after her solicitouslv. "She is not well?"

"I fear not."

"A pity." Edelrod attacked his food with gusto. "The meal is
by no means at its end."

To the terrace came four undermasters from the guild and a
Master Venefice, to direct proceedings and make analytic com-
ments.

All seemed in readiness for the poisonings. The undermasters
set a tabouret in front of each of the criminals, with the poisons
arranged in white saucers.

"The first subject," called forth the Master Venefice, "is one
Kakarsis Asm. In requital for manipulations deleterious to the guild,
he has agreed to test a variation of that activant known as 'alpha.'
When ingested orally, alpha almost instantly shocks the main spinal
ganglion. Tonight we test alpha in a new solvent, which may well
result in the most rapid lethality yet discovered by man. Criminal
Asm, cooperate, if you please."

Kakarsis Asm rolled his eyes to right and left. The undermaster
stepped forward; Kakarsis Asm opened his mouth, gulped the dose
and a second or two later was dead.

"Amazing!" declared Edelrod. "Something new every week."

The executions proceeded, the Master Venefice supplying in-
formative details. The sexual offender tried to kick poison into the
undermaster's face and was reprimanded; otherwise the poisonings
proceeded smoothly. The sixth course, an elaborate salad, was fol-
lowed by teas, infusions and trays of sweetmeats, and the banquet
was at an end.

Gersen slowly went up to the suite. Alusz Iphigenia had packed
her belongings. Gersen stood by the door, puzzled by a sudden
gleam of panic in Alusz Iphigenia's eyes, unaware that against the
white woodwork he appeared a dark sinister shape.

Alusz Iphigenia spoke in a breathless rush, "The excursion ship
is returning to Alphanor. 1 have booked passage. We must go our
own ways."

Gersen was silent for a moment. Then he said: "There is
money in your bank account. I'll see that more is paid into it, as

is

THE PALACE OF LOVE

359

much as you'll ever need ... If an emergency arises, if there are
inadequate funds, notify the bank manager. He'll make the neces-
sary arrangements."

Alusz Iphigenia said nothing. Gersen went to the door. "Should
you ever need help . . ."

Alusz Iphigenia gave a short nod. "I'll remember."

"Good-bye then,"

"Good-bye."

Gersen went to his own room, where he lay on his bed, hands
behind his head. So ended a pleasant passage in his life. Never
again, he told himself, never would he involve a woman with the
dark necessities of his life: especially one so honorable and generous
and kind . . .

Early in the morning the Robarth-Hercules packet departed
with Alusz Iphigenia aboard. Gersen went to the space port, signed
the exit register, paid a departure tax, pressed a gratuity upon Edel-
rod and departed Sarkovy.

3

From Handbook to the Planets; 348th edition. 1525:

ALOYSIUS: Sixth planet to Vega. Planetary constants:

diameter-7340 miles; sidereal day-19.8 hours; mass-
.86;...

Aloysius with its sister planets, Boniface and Cuth-
bert, were the first worlds to be intensively colonized
from Earth. Aloysius hence presents aspects of consid-
erable antiquity, the more so that the first settlers, a
dynamic group of Conservationists, refused to build
structures not in harmony with the landscape.

The Conservationists are gone, but their influence
lingers. The pretentious glass towers of Alphanor and
Earth, the concrete of Olliphane, the unbridled confu-
sion which has overtaken the Markab system: these are
nowhere to be seen.

The axis ofAJovsius is inclined at an angle of 31.7
degrees to its plane of orbit; hence, there are seasonal
fluctuations of notable seventy, mollified somewhat by
a dense atmosphere. There are nine continents. Dorgan
is the largest, with New Wexford its chief city. Owing
to a calculated policy of low taxes and favorable regu-
lations, New Wexford has long functioned as an im-
portant financial center, with an influence far in excess
of its population.

The autochthonous flora and fauna are not partic-
ularly noteworthy. Through intensive effort by the
original settlers, terrestrial trees and shrubs are wide-

THE PALACE OF LOVE

spread, the conifers especially finding a hospitable en-
vironment.

Landing formalities at Aloysius were as rigorous as those of Sar-
kovy were lax. At a distance of a million miles, the "first shell,"
Gersen announced his intention to land, identified himself and his
ship, gave references, explained the reasons for his visit, and was
allowed to approach the "second shell" at a distance of a half-
million miles. Here he waited while his application was studied, his
references checked. He was then ordered down into the "third
shell," a hundred thousand miles above the planet, and here, after
a brief delay, he was given landing clearance. The formalities were
irksome, but not to be avoided. Had Gersen neglected to halt at
the first shell, weapons would have been trained on his ship. Had
he failed to heed the second shell a Thribolt gun would have fired
a salvo of adhesive-paper disks at his ship. Had he then failed to
halt, he and his ship would have been destroyed.*

Gersen complied with all necessary regulations, received clear-
ance and landed at the Dorgan Central Spaceport.

New Wexford lay twenty miles north, a city of crooked streets,
steep hills and old buildings of almost medieval aspect. The banks,
brokerage houses, exchanges occupied the center of the city, with
hotels, shops and agencies on the surrounding hills, and some of
the finest private homes in the Oikumene scattered about the sur-
rounding countryside.

Gersen checked into the vast Congreve Hotel, bought news-

*The Thnholt gun shoots a Jarnell-puwered pru)ectile toward its target \ quest-needle
protrudes a hundred and sixty feet ahead of the pro)ecnle, at the so-called preliminary roil
section of the intersplit, and is in tenuous contact with undisturbed space Upon encoun-
tering matter, the quest-needle disengages the intersplit and triggers its charge either
adhesive paper disks or high explosives In effect the Thnbolt gun is an instantaneous
weapon over last distances, its effectiveness limited only by the accuracy of the aiming
and launching techniques, since once in flight the pro)ectile cannot change direction

On every technically competent world, methods of guiding the Thnholt pro|cctile
by automatic sensors are under intensive study, and have been since the development of
the original weapon The most promising system is to fi\ upon the distance of the target
by conventional radar, drive the pru]ectile by mtersplit for a very brief period, in order to
bring it into space near the target, upon which it then Likes a new fix I liners of great
delicacy and dependability are necessary, together with the utmost discretion on the part
of the launchers, for there is nothing to prevent the pro[ectile, once it leaves the intersplit,
from fixing upon a new target which inconveniently happens to be cruising close at hand
None of the secondary or tertiary systems are considered trustworthy and are used only
under special circumstances

niL DI-MON PRINCFS

362

papers, ate a placid lunch. The life of the city flowed past him:

mercantilists in their consciously archaic garb, aristocrats from
Boniface, anxious only to return, occasional!) a citizen ofCuthhert,
conspicuous for the eccentric flair of his garments and his glossy
depilated head Farth-folk at the Congreve could be identified by
somber garments and an indefinable self-assurance-a quality the
citi/.ens of the outer worlds found exasperating no less than the
geocentric term "outer worlds" itself

Gersen relaxed. The atmosphere of New Wexford was sooth-
ing, everywhere were reassuring evidences of solidity, good-living,
law and order, he liked the steep streets, the stone and iron build-
ings, which now, after more than a thousand years, could no longer
be denigrated as "self-conscious quaintene," the Cuthbertian epi-
thet.

Gersen had paid one previous visit to New Wexford. Two
weeks of discreet investigation had then pointed to one Jehan Ad-
dels of Trans-Space Investment Corporation as an economist of
extraordinary resource and acumen. Gersen had called Addels by
public telephone, blanking his own image. Addels was a youngish
man, slight of body, with a long quizzical face, a balding scalp which
he had not troubled to have rehaired. "Addels here."

"I am someone you don't know; my name is irrelevant. I believe
you are employed by Trans-Space?"

"Correct."

"How^ much do they pay you2"

"Sixty thousand, plus some fringe benefits," Addels replied
without embarrassment, though he was talking to a stranger over a

blank screen. "Why'-"

"I'd like to hire you in a similar capacity at a hundred thousand,
with a monthly raise of a thousand, and a bonus even' five years of,
say, a inillion SVU."

"The terms are appealing," Addels replied dryly. "Who are
you?"

"I prefer to remain anonymous," said Gersen. "If you insist,
I'll meet you and explain as much as you like Essentially, what you
need to know is that I am not a criminal, the money I want you to
handle has not been acquired contrary to the laws of New Wex-
ford "

"Hm. How much is the sum in question7 What securities are
represented7"

THE PAL4CE OF LOVT. 363

"Ten billion SVU, m cash "

"Whisht'" breathed Jehan Addels. "WTwre-" a flicker of an-
noyance crossed his face and he broke off his sentence. Jehan Addels
liked to think of himself as imperturbable. He continued. "This is
an extraordinary amount of money. I can't believe it was accumu-
lated by conventional means."

"I haven't said this. The money came from Beyond, where con-
ventions don't exist."

Addels smiled thinly. "And no laws. Hence, no legality. And no
criminals. Still, the source of your funds is no concern of mine.
Exactly what do you wish done7"

"I want the money invested to yield income, but I want to call
no attention to the money. 1 want no rumors, no publicity. I want
the money invested without causing even a ripple of notice."

"Difficult." Addels reflected a moment. "Not impossible, how-
ever-if the program is properly planned."

"This is at your discretion. You will control the entire opera-
tion, sub)ect to an occasional suggestion from me. Naturally you
may hire a staff, though the staff is to be told nothing."

"Small problem there. I know nothing."

"You are agreeable to my terms?"

"Certainly, if the whole business is not a hoax. I can't avoid
becoming an extremely wealthy man, both from my salary and from
investments 1 can make collateral with yours. But I will believe it
when I see the money. Presumably it is not counterfeit."

"Your own fake-meter will assure you of this."

"Ten billion SVU," mused Addels. "An enormous sum, which
might well be expected to tempt even an honest man. How do you
know I won't embezzle from you?"

"I understand that you are not only a cautious man, but a man
of discipline. Also, you should have no inducement to embezzle.
Otherwise I have no safeguards."

Jehan Addels gave his head a crisp nod. "W^here is the money3"

"It will be delivered wherever you like. Or you can come to the
Congreve Hotel and pick it up yourself."

"The situation is not all that simple. Suppose I should die over-
night3 How would you recover your money2 If you should die, how
would I learn of the fact? What disposition would I then make of
this \ast sum, presuming that it exists2"

"Come to Suite Six-fifty at the Congreve Hotel. I'll give you

364 THE DEMON PRINCES

the money and we'll make arrangements for any immediate contin-
gencies."

Jehan Addels appeared in Gersen's suite half an hour later. He
inspected the money, which was contained in two large cases,
checked a few of the notes with his fake-meter, and shook his head
in awe. "This is a tremendous responsibility. I could give you a
receipt, but it would be a meaningless formality."

"Take the money," said Gersen. "Tomorrow, include in your
will an instruction that in the event of your death, the money is
mine. If I die, or do not communicate with you within a year, use
the income for charitable purposes. But I expect to be back in New
Wexford within two or three months. Hereafter, I will communi-
cate with you only by telephone, using the name Henry Lucas."

"Very well," said Addels rather heavily. "I think this takes care
of all contingencies."

"Remember, absolute discretion! Not even your family must
know the details of your new occupation."

"As you wish."

The next morning Gersen had departed Aloysius for Alphanor.

Now, three months later, he was back in New Wexford, again at
the Congreve Hotel.

Going to a public telephone, blanking the screen as before, he
tapped out Jean Addels' call-number. The screen burst into a pat-
tern of green leaves and pink briar roses. A female voice spoke:

"Braemar Investment Company."

"Mr. Henry Lucas to speak to Mr. Addels."

"Thank you."

Addels' face appeared on the screen. "Addels."

"This is Henry Lucas."

Addels leaned back in his chair. "I am happy-and I may say,
relieved-to hear from you."

"The line is clear?"

Addels checked his anti-eavesdrop meter and blinker light. "All
clear."

"How are matters progressing?"

"Well enough." Addels proceeded to describe his arrange-
ments. He had paid the cash into ten numbered accounts in as many
banks, five in New Wexford, five on Earth, and was gradually con-
verting the cash into income-producing investments, using enor-

THE PALACE OF LOVE 365

mous delicacy to avoid sending tremors along the sandpapered
nerves of the financial world.

"I had not comprehended the magnitude of the job when I
undertook it," said Addels. "It is simply staggering! Mind you, I
am not complaining. I could not ask for a more interesting or more
challenging Job. But investing ten billion SVU discreetly is like
jumping into water without getting wet. I am putting together a
staff merely to handle details of investigation and management.
Eventually, for maximum efficiency, I think we will be forced to
become a bank, or perhaps several banks."

"WTiatever is most appropriate," said Gersen. "In the mean-
time, I have a special job for you."

Addels instantly became wary. "And what is this Job?"

"Recently I've been reading that the Radian Publishing Com-
pany, which publishes Cosmopolis, is in financial difficulties. I would
like you to buy control."

Addels pursed his lips. "I can do this without difficulty, of
course. In fact I can buy outright; Radian is oo the verge of bank-
ruptcy. But you should know that as an investment, this is not an
attractive buy. They have been losing money steadily for years,
which of course is why they can be had so easily."

"In this case we will buy as a speculation, and try to put things
right. I have a particular reason for wishing to own Cosmopolis."

Addels hastily disavowed any intent to act counter to Gersen's
wishes. "I merely want you to be under no misapprehensions. I will
start acquiring Radian stock tomorrow."

Murchison's Star, Sagitta 203 in the Star Directory^ lay out in the
galactic plane behind Vega, thirty light-years beyond the Pale. It
was one of a cluster of five varicolored suns: two red dwarfs, a blue-
white dwarf, a peculiar unclassifiable blue-green star of medium size
and a yellow-orange G6, which was Murchison's Star. Murchison,
the single planet, was somewhat smaller than Earth, with a single
huge continent cincturing the world. A searing wind blew dunes
around the equatorial zone; mountainous highlands sloped gradu-
ally to the polar seas. In the mountains lived aborigines, black crea-
tures of unpredictable characteristics: by turns murderously savage,
torpid, hysterical, or cooperative. In the latter mood they served a
useful purpose, supplying dyes and fibers for the tapestries which
were one of Murchison's principal exports. The factories which

366 THE DEMON PRINCES

produced the tapestries were concentrated about the city of Sabra
and employed thousands of female operatives. These were supplied
by a dozen slaving concerns, chief among which was Gascoyne the
wholesaler. By virtue of efficient inventory control Gascoyne was
able to give his customers efficient service at reasonable prices. He
made no effort to compete with the specialty houses, dealt mainly
in Industrial and Agricultural classifications. At Sabra his principal
business was in Industrial F-2 Selecteds: women unprepossessing or
past the first bloom of youth, but warranted to be of good health
and agility, cooperative, diligent and amiable: such were the terms
of Gascoyne's Ten-Point Guarantee.

Sabra, on the shore of the north polar sea, was a drab haphazard
city with a heterogeneous population whose main goal was to earn
sufficient money to go elsewhere. The coastal plain to the south
was studded with hundreds of peculiar volcanic stubs, each crowned
with a bristle of liver-colored vegetation. Sabra's single distinction
was Orban Circus, an open area at the heart of the city centered
on one of these volcanic stubs. The Grand Murchison Hotel oc-
cupied the crest of the stub; around the Circus were the most im-
portant establishments of the planet: Wilhelm's Trade Hotel, the
Tapestry Mart, the depot of Gascoyne the Wholesaler; Odenour's
Technical Academy; Cady's Tavern; the Blue Ape Hotel; the Her-
cules Import Company; warehouse and showroom of the Tapestry
Producers' Cooperative; the Sportsman Supply and Trophy House;

Gambel's Spaceship Sales; the District Victualling Company.

Sabra was a city large enough and wealthy enough to need pro-
tection from raiders and free-hooters, even though, like Brinktown
in another quarter of the Beyond, it fulfilled a service to the folk
who lived beyond the Pale. Thribolt batteries were constantly
manned by members of the City Militia, and ships coming in from
space were regarded with intense suspicion.

Gersen, approaching with circumspection, radioed down to the
spaceport, and was directed into a landing orbit. At the spaceport
he was subjected to interrogation by members of the local De-
weaseling Brigade*, who were reassured by Gersen's Pharaon. Wea-
sels uniformly traveled space in Locater 9Bs; these were the only

*The single interworld organization of Beyond, existing to identity and destroy agents of
the IPCC The IPCC, accepting a contract to locate and destroy a malefactor who had
fled the Oikumene, could implement its commitments only by sending one or more agents
Beyond, where they were known as weasels and considered fair game

THE PALACE OF LOVE 367

ships the IPCC chose to risk Beyond. Gersen for once could afford
to be candid. He stated that he had come to Sabra to locate a
woman brought here twenty or more years before by Gascoyne the
Wholesaler. The Deweaselers, watching the pips and bulbs on their
truth machine, exchanged sardonic glances, amused by this excess
of quixotism, and waved Gersen forth to the freedom of the city.

The time was mid-morning; Gersen registered at the Grand
Murchison Hotel on top of Orban Stub, which was crowded almost
to capacity with tapestry buyers, commercial salesmen from the
Oikumene, sportsmen intent on stalking the Bower Mountain ab-
origines.

Gersen bathed, changed into local costume: scarlet plush pan-
taloons and a black jacket. Descending to the dining room he ate
a lunch of local sea produce: seaweed salad, a dish of local mollusks.
Directly below were the depot and offices of Gascoyne the Whole-
saler: a rambling structure of three stories enclosing a central court-
yard. An enormous pink and blue sign across the facade read:

GASCOYNE'S MART

Select Slaves for Any Purpose

A pair of handsome women and a stalwart man were depicted be-
low. At the bottom of the sign a message read: Gascoyne's 10-Point
Guarantee Is Justly Famous!

Gersen finished his lunch, descended to the circus, crossed to
Gascoyne's Mart. He was lucky enough to find Gascoyne himself
available and was ushered into a private office. Gascoyne was a
handsome well-built man of indeterminate age, with dark curly hair,
a dashing black mustache, expressive eyebrows. His office was sim-
ple and informal, with a bare floor, an old wooden desk, an infor-
mation screen showing evidence of much use. On one wall hung a
plaque with Gascoyne's famous ten-point guarantee limned in gold
leaf and surrounded by scarlet festoons. Gersen explained the pur-
pose of his visit. "About twenty-five years ago, give or take five
years, you visited Sarkovy, where you bought a pair of women from
a certain Kakarsis Asm. Their names were Inga and Dundine. I am
anxious to locate these women; perhaps you would be good enough
to search them out in your records."

"Gladly," said Gascoyne. "I can't say as I recall the circum-
stances, but-" He went to the information bank, worked the knobs

368 THE DEMON PRINCES

and dials a moment, evoking flashes of blue light and a sudden
grinning visage which nickered away. Gascoyne shook his head de-
spondently. "Might as well be a stone for all the use it gives me. I
must have it repaired. . . . Well, we shall see. This way, if you
please." He took Gersen into a back room lined with ledgers. "Sar-
kovy. I go there seldom. A pestilent world, the home of a wicked
race!" He searched his ledgers, one year after another. "This must
be the trip. So long ago! Thirty years. Now, let us look. My, my,
how this old ledger brings back the memories. Good old days is
not just a banality. - . . What were the names again?"

"Inga, Dundine. I don't know their last names."

"No matter. Here they are." He copied numbers upon a slip
of paper, went to another ledger, turned to the numbers in ques-
tion. "They were both sold here on Murchison. Inga went to
Qualag's Factory. You know where that is? Third along the right
bank of the river. Dundine went to Juniper Factory, across the river
from Qualag's. I trust these women were not friends or relatives?
Like any other, my business has its disagreeable aspects. At Qualag's
and Juniper the women live wholesome productive lives, but cer-
tainly they are not pampered. Still, who is in this life?" And raising
his eyebrows, he made a deprecatory gesture around his austere
office.

Gersen gave his head a wry shake of sympathy. He thanked
Gascoyne and departed.

Qualag's Factory was a half-dozen four-story buildings around
a compound. Gersen entered the lobby of the main office, which
was hung with sample tapestries. A pallid male clerk with varnished
blond hair came to inquire his business.

"Gascoyne tells me," said Gersen, "that thirty years ago
Qualag's purchased a female named Inga, on your invoice 10V623.
Can you tell me if this woman is still employed by you?"

The clerk shuffled off to search his records, then went to an
intercom and spoke a few words. Gersen waited. Into the office
came a tall placid-faced woman with heavy arms and legs.

The clerk said petulantly: "Gentleman here wants to know
about Inga, B2-AG95. There's a yellow card on her with two white
clips but I can't find the reference."

"You're looking under Dormitory F. The B2s are all Dorm A."
The woman located the correct reference. "Inga. B2-AG95. Dead.
I remember her very well. An Earth-woman giving herself all style

THE PALACE OF LOVE 369

of airs. Complained constantly of this and that. She came to the
dye works while I was recreation counsellor. 1 remember her well.
She worked in blues and greens, and it put her off; she finally threw
herself into a vat of dusty-orange. That's long ago. . . . My, how
time flies."

Leaving Qualag's, Gersen crossed the river by a bridge and
walked to the Juniper Factory, which was somewhat larger than
Qualag's. The office was similar, though with a brisker atmosphere.

Gersen again put his question, this time in connection with
Dundine. But the clerk was not cooperative and refused to check
the records. "We aren't allowed to give out such information," said
the clerk, looking disdainfully at Gersen from the altitude afforded
him by his position behind the counter.

"Let me discuss the matter with the manager," said Gersen.

"Mr. Plusse owns the factory. If you will be seated I will an-
nounce you." Gersen went to examine a tapestry ten feet wide by
six feet high, representing a flowered field on which stood hundreds
of fanciful birds.

"Mr. Plusse will see you, sir."

Mr. Plusse was a small surly man with a white topknot and eyes
of blue agate. Clearly he had no intention of obliging Gersen or
anyone else. "Sorry, sir. We have our production to consider. Trou-
ble enough with the women as it is. We do our best for them; we
provide good food and recreational facilities, bathe them once a
week. Still it's impossible to keep them satisfied."

"May I ask if the woman still works for you?"

"It makes no difference if she does or not; you would not be
allowed to disturb her."

"If she is here, if she is the woman I am looking for, I'll be
glad to recompense you for any inconvenience."

"Hmf. Just a moment." Mr. Plusse spoke into the intercom.
"Is not there a Dundine in wicker-stitching? What's her current
index? . . . Hmf. . . I see." He returned to Gersen, whom he now
regarded in a thoughtful new light. "A valuable employee. I can't
have her badgered. If you insist on speaking to her, you'll have to
buy her. The price is three thousand SVU."

Without a word Gersen put down the money. Mr. Plusse licked
his small pink mouth. "Hmf." He spoke into the intercom. "W^ith
a minimum of commotion, bring Dundine to this office."

Ten minutes passed, while Mr. Plusse ostentatiously made no-

370 THE DEMON PRINCES

tations on a chart. The door opened, the clerk entered with a large-
bodied woman in a white smock. Her features were big and moist;

her hair was short, mouse-brown, crimped and tied with string.
Wringing her hands apprehensively she stared from Mr Plusse to
Gersen and back again.

"You are leaving our service," said Mr. Plusse in a dry voice.
"This gentleman has bought you."

Dundine looked at Gersen with bright fear. "Oh, what do you
plan to do with me, sir5 I'm useful and well here, I do my work; I
don't want to go out on the back farms; I wouldn't want to do this,
and I'm too old for barge work."

"Nothing like that, Dundine I've paid Mr. Plusse off; you're a
free woman now. You can go back to your home if you like."

Tears sprang into her eyes. "I don't believe it."

"It's true."

"But-why did vou do this5" Dundme's face wavered between
bewilderment, fear and doubt.

"I want to ask you a few questions."

Dundine turned her back, bent her head over her hands.

After a moment Gersen asked, "Is there anything you want to
bring with you5"

"No. Nothing. If I was wealthy I'd take that little tapestry on
the wall, the little girls dancing. I did the wickenng on that tapestry
and I was all that fond of the thing."

"What is the price5" Gersen asked Mr. Plusse.

"That is our Style Nineteen, which is priced at seven hundred
fifty SVU."

Gersen paid 750 SVU and took the tapestry "Come, Dun-
dine," he said shortly. "Best that we start off."

"But my good-byes! My dear friends-"

"Impossible," said Mr. Plusse. "Do you wish to disturb the
other women5"

Dundine sniffed and rubbed her nose. "There's my bonuses I
haven't taken. It's three recreation half-periods. I'd like to give
them to Almenna."

"That can't be done, as you know. We never allow transfer or
bartering of bonus units If you wish, you may use them now, before
your departure."

Dundine looked uncertainly toward Gersen. "Do we have time5

THF PAIALE OF LOIT

It seems a shame to let them go to waste-but 1 suppose it makes
no difference now . . "

They walked along the river road toward the center of town,
with Dundine casting timid glances toward Gersen

"I can't imagine what you want of me," she said tremulously.
"I'm certain I've never known you in my life."

"I'm interested in what you can tell me ofViole Falushe."

"Viole Falushe5 But I know no such person. I can tell you noth-
ing." Dundine stopped short, her knees shaking. "Are you going to
take me back to the factory5"

"No," said Gersen hollowly "I won't take you back." He
looked at her in deep discouragement. "Aren't you the Dundine
who was kidnaped with Inga5"

"Oh yes I'm Dundine. Poor Inga. I've never heard other since
she went to Qualag's. They say it's ever so dreary at Qualag's."

Gersen's mind raced back and forth. "You were kidnaped and
brought to Sarkovy5"

"Yes, indeed, and oh, what a time we had! Riding the steppes
on those bouncing old wagons'"

"But the man who kidnaped you and brought you to Sarkovy-
that was Viole Falushe, or so I am told."

"Him'^ Dundme's mouth twisted as if she had bit into some-
thing sour. "His name wasn't Viole Falushe."

And Gersen belatedly recalled that Kakarsis Asm had told him
the same The man who had sold Inga and Dundine had not used
the name Viole Falushe at that time.

"No, no," said Dundine m a soft voice, looking far back in her
life. "That wasn't any Viole Falushe. It was that nasty little Vogel
Filschner."

All the way back into the Oikumene, in fragments and e)aculations,
bits from here, oddments from there, Dundine told her story, and
Gersen gave over trying to elicit a connected narrative

Expansive, inflated with freedom, Dundine talked with enthu-
siasm. She knew Vogel Filschner, yes indeed' She knew him well.
So he changed his name to Viole Falushe5 Small wonder, after the
shame his mother must feel! Though Madame Filschner had never
enjoyed the best of reputations, and no one had ever known Vogel
F'llschner's father. He had attended school with Dundine, two
classes ahead.

372 THE DEMON PRINCES

"Where was this?" asked Gersen.

"Why, at Ambeules!" declared Dundine, surprised that Gersen
did not already know the story as well as herself. Though Gersen
knew Rotterdam, Hamburg and Paris, he had never visited Am"
beules, a suburb of Rolingshaven on the west coast of Europe.

Vogel Filschner had always been a strange brooding boy, ac-
cording to Dundine. "Extremely sensitive," she confided. "Ripe al-
ways for a great rage or eyefuls of tears. One never knew what
Vogel might do!" And for a space she fell silent, shaking her head
in marvel at the deeds of Vogel Filschner. "Then when he was
sixteen, and I but fourteen, a new girl came to school. Oh, she was
a pretty thing-Jheral Tinzy was her name-and who but Vogel
Filschner should fall in love!"

But Vogel Filschner was grubby and unsavory; Jheral Tinzy, a
girl of sensitivity, found him repulsive. "Who could blame her?"
mused Dundine. "Vogel was an eerie boy. I can see him yet-tall
for his age and somewhat thin, with a round belly and a round
bottom, like a billiken. He walked with his head to the side, watch-
ing all with his dark burning eyes. They watched, they saw all, they
never forgot a thing, did Vogel Filschner's eyes. I must say that
Jheral Tinzy used him heartlessly, laughing and gay the while! She
drove poor Vogel to desperation, this is my belief. And that man
Vogel took up with-I can't recall his name! He wrote poetry, very
strange and daring! He was thought ungodly, though he had pa-
trons in the upper classes. Those days are so long ago, so tragic
and so sweet. Ah, if I could live them again, what changes there
would be."

At this point Dundine went into a nostalgic reminiscence:

"Even now I can smell the air from the sea. Ambeules, our old
district, is on the Gaas, and this is the loveliest part of the city,
though by no means the richest. The flowers are unimaginable. To
think that I have seen no flowers for thirty years, except for those
I myself have worked." And now nothing must do but that Dundine
should examine her tapestry which she had draped upon the back
bulkhead of the saloon.

Presently she returned to the subject of Vogel Filschner. "The
most morbidly sensitive of youths. The poet egged him on. And
truth to tell, Jheral Tinzy humiliated Vogel dreadfully. Whatever
the cause, Vogel performed his terrible deed. There were twenty-
nine girls in the choral society. Every Friday night we sang, Vogel

THE PAL-1CK OF l.OVE 373

had learned to operate a spaceship-it was a course all the boys
took. So Vogel stole one of those little Locater ships, and when we
came out from choral practice to the bus, it was Vogel who drove
us away. He took us to the spaceship and made us all get aboard.
But it was the one night Jheral Tinzy had not come to practice.
Vogel had no knowledge of this until the last girl left the bus, and
he was like a stone statue. Too late then, he had no choice but to
flee." Dundine sighed. "Twenty-eight girls, pure and fresh as little
flowers. How he dealt with us! W^e knew he was strange, but fe-
rocious as a wild beast? No, never; how could we girls imagine such
things? For reasons best known to himself he never used us in
bed-Inga thought he was sulking because he had failed to capture
Jheral. Godelia Parwitz and Rosamond-I can't think of her
name-they tried to hit him with a metal implement, though it
would have been the death of all had they succeeded, for none of
us knew how to guide the ship. He punished them in a dreadful
manner so that they cried and sobbed. Inga and I told him he was
a wicked monster to act so. He only laughed, did Vogel Filschner.
'A wicked monster, am I? I'll show you a wicked monster!' And he
took us to Sarkovy and sold us to Mr. Asm.

"But first he stopped at another world and sold ten girls who
were the least well-favored. Then Inga and I and six others who
hated him the most were sold on Sarkovy. Of the others, the most
beautiful, I know nothing. Thanks to Kalzibah, I have been suc-
cored."

Dundine wanted to return to Earth. At New W^exford, Gersen fur-
nished her a wardrobe, a ticket to Earth and funds sufficient to keep
her in comfort the rest of her life. At the spaceport she embarrassed
him by falling on her knees and kissing his hands. "I thought to
die and have my ashes scattered on a far planet! How was I so lucky?
With so many other poor creatures, why did Kalzibah select me for
his favor?"

The same question, in different terms, had been troubling Ger-
sen himself. With his wealth, he might have bought the whole of
Qualag and Juniper and every other factory in Sabra, and brought
each of the wretched women to their homes . . . WTiat then? he
asked himself. Sabra tapestries were in demand. New factories
would be established, new slaves imported. A year later all would
be as before.

374 THE DEMON PRINCES

Still. .. Gersen heaved a sigh. The universe abounded with
evils. No one man could defeat them all. Meanwhile Dundine was
wiping her eyes, and apparently preparing to fall on her knees once
more. Gersen said hastily, "One request I wish to make of you."

"Anything, anything!"

"You plan to return to Rolingshaven?"

"It is my home."

"You must not reveal how you were brought from Sabra. Tell
no one! Invent any wild tale. But do not mention me. Do not men-
tion that I asked you ofVogel Filschner."

"Trust me! The fiends of hell can tear forth my tongue, even
then I will not speak!"

"Good-bye then." Gersen departed hastily before Dundine
could again demonstrate her gratitude.

At a public telephone he called Bramar Investment Company.
"Henry Lucas to speak to Mr. Addels."

"A moment, Mr. Lucas."

Addels appeared on the screen. "Mr. Lucas?"

Gersen allowed his image to go forth. "All continues to go
well?"

"As well as could be expected. My problems arise only from
the sheer mass of our money. I should say, your money." Addels
permitted himself to smile. "But gradually I am training an orga-
nization. Incidentally, Radian Publishing Company is ours. We had
it cheaply because of the circumstances I mentioned previously."

"No one has been inquisitive? There have been no questions,
no rumors?"

"To the best of my knowledge, none. Zane Publishing Com-
pany bought Radian; Irwin and Jeddah own Zane, a numbered ac-
count at a Pontefract bank owns Irwin and Jeddah. Bramar
Investment is the numbered account. Who is Bramar Investment?
Ostensibly it is I."

"Well done!" said Gersen. "You could not have managed bet-
ter."

Addels acknowledged the praise with a stiff nod. "I must say
once more that Radian seems a poor investment, at least on the
basis of past performance."

"Why has it been losing money? Everyone seems to read Cos-
mopolis. I see it everywhere."

"Perhaps this is so. Nevertheless circulation has slowly been

THE PALACE OF LOVE 375

declining. More significantly, the typical reader no longer is a de-
cision-maker. The management has been trying to please everyone,
including the advertisers; as a result the magazine has lost its flair."

"There would seem to be a remedy for the situation," said
Gersen. "Hire a new editor, a man of imagination and intelligence.
Instruct him to revitalize the magazine, without regard for adver-
tisers or circulation, sparing no reasonable expense. When the mag-
azine regains its prestige, circulation and advertisers will return fast
enough."

"I am relieved that you preface the word expense with reason-
able," said Addels in his driest voice. "I still am not accustomed to
dealing with millions as if they were hundreds."

"No more am I," said Gersen. "The money means nothing to
me-except that I find it uncommonly useful. One other matter.
Instruct the Cosmopolis head office-I believe it is located in Lon-
don-that a man named Henry Lucas will be sent to the editorial
offices. Represent him as an employee of Zane Publishing if you
like. He is to be put on the payroll as a special writer, who will
work when and where he chooses without interference."

"Very well, sir. I will do as you require."

4

From Introduction to Old Earth, by Ferencz Szantho

Erdenfreude A mysterious and intimate emotion
which dilates blood vessels, slides chills along the sub-
cutaneous nerves, arouses qualms of apprehension and
excitement like those infecting a girl at her first ball
Erdenfreude typically attacks the outworld man ap-
proaching Earth for the first time Only the dull, the
insensitive, are immune The excitable have been
known to suffer near-fatal palpitations

The cause is the subject of learned dispute Neu-
rologists describe the condition as anticipatory adjust-
ment of the organism to absolute normality of all the
sensory modes color recognition, sonic perception,
conolis force and gravitational equilibrium The psy-
chologists differ, Erdenfreude, they state, is the flux of a
hundred thousand racial memories boiling up almost to
the level of consciousness Geneticists speak of RNA,
metaphysicians refer to the soul; parapsychologists
make the possibly irrelevant observation that haunted
houses are to be found on Earth alone

History is bunk
-Henry Ford

Gersen, who had lived nine years on Earth, nevertheless felt some-
thing of an outworlder's exhilaration as he hung above the great
globe awaiting his clearance from Space Security Finally it arrived,

THE PAL/ICE OP IOVE

with precise landing instructions, and Gersen dropped down to the
West Europe spaceport at Tarn. He passed through sanitation pro-
cedures and health inspection-the most stringent of the Oiku-
mene-punched appropriate buttons at the Immigration Control
console, and finally was allowed to proceed about his business

He rode to London by tube, and registered at the Royal Oak
Hotel, a block off the Strand The season was early autumn, the
sun shone through a high thin overcast Old London, permeated
with the vapors of antiquity, shone like a fine gray pearl

Gersen's clothes were in the Alphanor style, fuller in cut and
richer in color than the clothes of London. On the Strand he went
into a gentleman's outfitter, where he selected a fabric, then
stripped to his underwear and was measured by photonic scanners
Five minutes later he was delivered his new garments black trou-
sers, a jacket of dark brown and beige, a white blouse and black
cravat Inconspicuous now, Gersen continued along the Strand.

Dusk came to the sky Every planet had its distinctive dusk,
thought Gersen The dusk of Alphanor, for instance, was an electric
blue, gradually fading to the richest of ultramarines Sarkovy dusk
was a dead dismal gray, with a tawny overtone Dusk at Sabra had
been brown-gold, with domains of color around the other stars of
the cluster The dusk of Earth was dusk as it should be-soft,
heather-gra), soothing, an ending and a beginning   Gersen
dined at a restaurant which had maintained an unbroken tenancy
for over seventeen hundred years The old oak beams, fumed and
waxed, were as stout as ever, the plaster recently had been scraped
of twenty layers of whitewash and refinished, a process which oc-
curred every hundred years or so Gersen's thoughts reverted to his
youth He had visited London twice with his grandfather, though
for the most part they had lived in Amsterdam There never had
been dinners such as this, never leisure or idleness Gersen shook
his head sadl\ as he recalled the exercises to which his merciless
grandfather had put him A wonder that he had stood up to the
discipline

Gersen bought a copy of Covmopohs and returned to the hotel,
He went into the bar, and sitting at a table ordered a pint of Wor-
thmgton's AJe, brewed at Burton-on-Trent as had been the case for
something less than two thousand years He opened Cosfwpo/is It
was easy to understand why the magazine had become moribund
There were three long articles: "Have Earthmen Become Less Vir-

378 THK DEMON PRINCKS

ile?" "Patricia Poitrine: New Toast of the Smart Set"; "A Cler-
gyman's Guide to Spiritual Renewal." Gersen flicked through the
pages, then laid the magazine aside. He drained the mug, and went
up to his room.

In the morning he visited the editorial offices of Cosniopolis, and
asked to speak to the personnel director. This was Mrs. Neutra, a
brittle, black-haired woman wearing a great deal of preposterous
jewelry. She showed no inclination to speak to Gersen. "Sorry,
sorry, sorry. I can't consider anything or anyone at this moment.
I'm in a flap. Everybody's in a flap. There's been a shake-up; no
one's job is any good."

"Perhaps I had better speak to the editor in chief," said Gersen.
"There was to have been a letter from Zane Publishing, and it
should have arrived."

The personnel director made a gesture of irritation. "Who or
what is Zane Publishing?"

"The new ownership," said Gersen politely.

"Oh." The woman pushed among the papers on her desk.
"Maybe this is it." She read. "Oh, you're Henry Lucas."

"Yes."

"Hmm .. . Piff puff. . . You're to be a special writer. Some-
thing we Just don't need at the moment. But I'm only personnel
director. Oh hell, fill out the application, make an appointment for
your psychiatric tests. If you survive, and you probably won't, show
up a week from tomorrow for your orientation course."

Gersen shook his head. "I don't have time for any of these
formalities. I doubt if the new owners have much sympathy with
them."

"Sorry, Mr. Lucas. This is our inflexible program."

"What does the letter say?"

"It says to put Mr. Henry Lucas on the payroll as special
writer."

"Then please do so."

"Oh, double bing-bang hell. If this is how things are going to
go, why have a personnel director? WTly have psychiatric tests and
orientation courses? Why not just let janitors put out the rag?"

The woman seized a form, wrote with swift strokes of a flam-
boyant quill pen. "Here you are. Take it into the managing editor,
he'll arrange your assignment."

The managing editor was a portly gentleman with lips pursed

THE PALACE OF LOVE 379

in a worried pout. "Yes, Mr. Lucas. Mrs. Neutra Just called me. I
understand you have been sent in by the new ownership."

"I've been associated with them for a long time," said Gersen.
"But all I want at this moment is whatever identification you supply
your special correspondents, so that if necessary I can demonstrate
that I'm an employee of Cosmopolis."

The managing editor spoke into an intercom. "On your way
out, step into Department 2A and your card will be prepared." He
leaned morosely back into his chair. "It seems that you are to be a
roving reporter, responsible to no one. A very nice billet, if I may
say so. WTiat do you propose to write about?"

"One thing or another," said Gersen. "Whatever comes up."

The managing editor's face sagged with bewilderment. "You
can't go out and write a Cosmopolis article like that! Our issues are
programmed months ahead! We use public opinion polls to find
out what subjects people are interested in."

"I low can they know what they're interested in if they haven't
read it?" asked Gersen. "The new owners are throwing the public
opinion polls away."

The managing editor shook his head sadly. "How will we know
what to write about?"

"I have an idea or two. For instance, the Institute could stand
an airing. What are its current aims? Who are the men of Degrees
101, 102, 103? What information have they suppressed? What of
Tryon Russ and his anti-gravity machine? The Institute deserves a
comprehensive study. You could easily devote an entire issue to the
Institute."

The editor nodded curtly. "Don't you think it's a bit-well,
intense? Are people really interested in these matters?"

"If not they should be."

"Easily said, but it's no way to run a magazine. People don't
w^nt to really understand anything; they want to think they have
learned without the necessity of application. In our 'heavy' articles
we try to supply keys and guides, so at least they'll have something
to talk about at parties. But go on-what else do vou have in
mind?"

"I've been thinking of Viole Falushe and the Palace of Love.
Exactly what goes on at this establishment? What face does Viole
Falushe show? What name does he bear when he comes in from

\W DP MON PRINCES

BeyoncP Who are his guests at the Palace ofLove^ How have they
farced Would they care to return^"

"An interesting topic," the editor admitted "A bit close to the
knuckle perhaps. We prefer to steer away from sensationalism
and-shall we say-the grim facts of reality. Still I've often won-
dered about the Palace of Love WTiat in the world does go on3 The
usual, I suppose. But no one knows for sure. WTiat else^"

"That's all for now." Gersen rose to his feet. "In fact I'll be
working on this last story myself."

The managing editor shrugged his shoulders. "You seem to
have been accorded a free hand."

Gersen immediately rode the sub-Channel tube to Rolmgshaven,
arriving at the vast Zone Station a few minutes before noon. He
crossed the white-tiled lobby, past shdeways and escalators labeled
W^ien, Pans, Tsargrad, Berlin, Budapest, Kiev, Neapolis and a
dozen other ancient cities. He paused at a kiosk to buy a map, then
went to a cafe, settled himself at a table with a stem of beer and a
plate of sausages

Gersen had lived long in Amsterdam and had passed through
the Zone Station on several occasions, but of the city Rolingshaven
he knew little. As he ate, he studied the map.

Rolingshaven was a city of considerable extent, divided into four
principal municipalities by two rivers, the Gaas and the Sluicht, and
the great Evres Canal. At the north was Zummer, a rather grim
district of apartment towers and careful malls laid out by some neat-
minded city council ot the distant past. On the Heybau, a prom-
ontory hooking out into the sea, was the famous Handelhal
Conservatory, the wonderful Galactic Zoo and the Kindergarten;

Zummer otherwise was devoid of interest.

South across the Sluicht was the Old City-a teeming confu-
sion of small shops, inns, hostels, restaurants, beer caverns, book-
stalls, huddled offices, askew little houses of stone and timber-
dating from the Middle Ages. A district as chaotic and picturesque
as Zummer was stark and dull; and here as well was the ancient
University, overlooking the fish market along the banks of the
Evres Canal

Ambeules lay across the canal- a district of nine hills covered
with homes and a periphery given to wharves, warehouses, ship-
yards, mud flats from which were dredged the famous Flamande

THE PAMCE OF LOVE

oysters. The great Gaas estuary separated Ambeules from Dourrai,
a district of somewhat lower hills, again covered with small homes,
with the great industries and fabrication plants straggling along the
shore and southward.

This was the city where Viole Falushe-or more accurately,
Vogel Filschner-had lived, and where he had committed his first
great crime. The exact locale was Ambeules, and Gersen decided
to base himself in this area.

Finishing the beer and sausages he rode an escalator to the third
level above, where a local tube car whisked him south under the
Evres Canal to Ambeules Station. He rode to the surface, and look-
ing right and left through the hazy radiance which characterized
the region, approached the old woman who managed a newsstand.
"Which is a good hotel nearby?"

The old woman pointed a brown finger. "Up Hoebhngasse to
the Rembrandt Hotel: as good as any in Ambeules. Of course, if
it's elegance you require, then you must go to the Hotel Prince
Franz Ludwig in Old Town, the finest m Furope with prices to
match."

Gersen chose the Rembrandt Hotel, a pleasant old-fashioned
structure with public rooms paneled in dark wood, and was taken
to a suite of high-ceilmged rooms overlooking the great gray Gaas.

The day was still young. Gersen rode a cab to the Maine, where
he paid a small fee and was given access to the City Directory He
ran the record back to 1495. The screen spun to the letter F, Fi,
and finally the name Filschner. At this time three Filschners were
listed. Gersen made notes of the addresses. He likewise found two
Tmzys, and made similar notes. Then he dialed to the current list-
ings and found two Filschners and four Tinzys. One of the Fil-
schners and one of the Tinzys had maintained the same address
across the years.

Gersen next visited the office of the Ambeules Helion, and on
the strength of his Cosmopolis card was given access to the morgue.
He brought the index to the screen, scanned it for the name Vogel
Filschner, found a code number, coded and punched the "show"
button.

The tale was much as Dundine had told, though in condensed
form. Vogel Filschner was described as "a boy given to spells of
brooding and wandering alone by night." His mother, Hedwig Fil-
schner, identified as a beautician, professed herself amazed at Vo-

THF DEMON PRINCES

382

gel's outrageous deed. She described him as a "good boy, though
very idealistic and moody."

Vogel Filschner had had no close friends. In the biology labo-
ratory he had been teamed with a lad named Roman Haenigsen,
the school chess champion. They had played an occasional game of
chess during the lunch hour Roman evinced no astonishment at
Vogel's crime "He was a fellow who hated to lose. Whenever I
beat him, he would go savage and throw aside the pieces. Still, it
amused me to play with him. I don't like people who take the game
frivolously "

Vogel Filschner was not a frivolous boy, thought Gersen.

A photograph appeared, the kidnaped girls, grouped in a picture
identified as the "Philidor Bohus Choral Society " In the front row
stood a plump smiling girl m whom Gersen recognized Dundme.
Among the girls would be Jheral Tmzy, and Gersen checked the
faces against the caption. Jheral Tmzy was the third girl in the
fourth row. Not only did a girl m the third row obscure her face,
she also had turned her head aside at the time the photograph was
taken, and what could be seen of her face was indistinct.

There was no photograph of Vogel Filschner.

The file ended. So much for that, thought Gersen. Vogel Fil-
schner's identity as Viole Falushe was not widely apprehended m
Ambeules, if at all. As verification, Gersen dialed for the file on
Viole Falushe, the Demon Prince, but only a single reference ex-
cited his interest "Viole Falushe at various times has implied that
his original home was Earth. On several occasions a rumor has
reached us to the effect that Viole Falushe has been seen here m
Ambeules. Why he should wish to haunt our unexciting district is
a question which cannot be answered, and the rumors appear no
more than an insane hoax."

Gersen departed the newspaper offices and went to stand in the
street The gendarmery? Gersen decided against approaching them.
Unlikely, that they could tell him more than he already knew Un-
likely, that they would if they could. Additionally, Gersen had no
desire to arouse official curiosity.

Gersen checked the addresses he had noted, as well as the lo-
cation of the Philidor Bohus Lyceum, on his map. The Lyceum
was the nearest, at the far side of Lothar Parish Gersen signaled a
three-wheeled autocab, and was conveyed up one of the nine hills
through a district of small detached houses. Some were constructed

THE P4LACE OF LOVE

in the ancient fashion, of glazed dark red brick and a high pitched
roof of milk-glass tiles, others were m the new "hollow trunk" style:

narrow concrete cylinders two thirds below the ground. There were
houses of artificial sandstone compressed as a unit from molded soil;

houses of pink or white panels surmounted by crimped metal
domes; houses of laminated paper, with transparent roofs
electrically charged to repel dust. The bulbs of urn-cast glass or
glass-metal, so common among the worlds of the Concourse, had
never won acceptance among the folk of western Europe, who com-
pared them to pumpkins and paper lanterns, and called the people
who lived in them "nonhuman futunans." The cab discharged Ger-
sen before the Philidor Bohus Lyceum, a grim cube of synthetic
black stone flanked by a pair of smaller cubes

The director of the lyceum was Dr. Willem Ledmger, a bland
large-bodied man with taffy-colored skin and a lank lock of yellow
hair which wound around his scalp in a most peculiar manner. Ger-
sen wondered at the man's audacity thus to present himself before
several thousand adolescents. Ledinger was affable and unsuspi-
cious, readily accepting Gersen's statement that Cosmopohs wished
to present a survey of contemporary young people.

"I don't think there's much to write about," said Ledinger.
"Our young people are, if I must say it, unexceptionable. We have
many bright students and at least a fair quota of dullards . "

Gersen steered the conversation to students of the past and
their careers, from here it was an easy connection to the sub)ect of
Vogel Filschner.

"Ah yes," mused Dr Ledmger, patting his yellow topknot.
"Vogel Filschner. I haven't heard his name for years. Before my
time, of course; I was a mere instructor across the city at Hulba
Technical Academy But the scandal reached us, never fear. Fac-
ulties have big ears. WTiat a tragedy' To think of a lad like that
going so far wrong'"

"He never returned to Ambeules, then^"

"He'd be a fool to do so Or to advertise his presence, at any
rate."

"Do you have the likeness of Vogel Filschner among your rec-
ords^ Perhaps I might do a separate piece upon this peculiar crime."

Grudgingly Dr. Ledmger admitted that photographs of Vogel
Filschner were on file. "But why rake up the old nastiness? It is like
breaking into graves."

II IF DI MON PRINCES

"On the other hand, such an article might identify the rogue,
and bring him to )ustice "

"Justice5" Dr. Ledmger curled his lip in disbelief. "After thirty
years5 He was a hysterical child No matter what his crime, by this
time he has made redemption and found peace. What could be
gamed by bringing him to what you call justice5"

Gersen was somewhat startled by Dr. Ledinger's vehemence.
"To dissuade others. Perhaps there is a potential Vogel Filschner
among your students this very instant."

Dr. Ledmger smiled wistfully "I don't doubt it an instant. Cer-
tain of these young rascals-well, I won't tell tales out of school.
And I won't supply you with the photographs. I find the idea com-
pletely ob)ectionable."

"Is there a yearbook for the year of the crime5 Or better, the

previous year-

Dr. Ledmger looked at Gersen a moment, his affability slowdy
disappearing. Then he went to his wall, plucked a volume from the
shelves. He watched quietly as Gersen turned the pages, and finally
came upon the photograph of the Girls Choral Society he had al-
ready seen. Gersen pointed "There is Jheral Tmzy, the girl who
rebuffed Vogel, and drove him to his crime."

Dr. Ledmger examined the picture "Think of it. Twenty-eight
girls, snatched away Beyond. Their lives blasted. 1 wonder how they
fared. Some may still be alive, poor things "

"Whatever became of Jheral Tmzy5 She was not among the
group if you recall."

Dr. Ledmger examined Gersen with suspicion "You seem to
know a great deal about the case. Have you been completely candid
with me5"

Gersen grinned. "Not altogether I am principally interested in
Vogel Filschner, but I don't want anyone to know I'm interested.
If I can get the information I need discreetly, with no one the wiser,
so much the better."

"You are a police officer5 Or of the IPCC5"

Gersen displayed his identification. "Here is my sole claim to

fame."

"Hmmf. Cowiopohs plans to publish an article on Vogel Fil-
schner5 It seems a waste of paper and ink No wonder Cosmopohs
has lost prestige."

THE PALACE OF LOVE

"What of Jheral Tinzy? You have her photograph in your
files5"

"Undoubtedly." Dr Ledmger laid his hands upon the desk, to
signal that the interview had reached its end. "But we cannot open
our confidential files haphazardly I am sorrv "

Gersen rose to his feet. "Thank you, in any case."

"I have done nothing to help you," said Dr. Ledmger stonily

Vogel Filschner had lived with his mother in a narrow little house
at the eastern end of Ambeules, bordering on a dingy district of
warehouses and transportation depots. Gersen climbed the em-
broidered iron steps, touched the button, faced the inspection eye.
A woman's voice spoke. "Yes5"

Gersen spoke m his most confident voice. "I am trying to locate
Madame Hedwig Filschner, who lived here many years ago."

"I know no one of that name. You must consult with Ewane
Clodig who owns the property. We only pay rent "

Ewane Clodig, whom Gersen found m the offices of Clodig
Properties, consulted his records. "Madame Hedwig Filschner . . .
The name is familiar ... I don't see it on mv list. . . Here it is. She
moved, let me see, thirty years ago."

"You have her present address5"

"No sir. That is too much to ask. I have not even a forwarding
address from thirty years ago . . . But it comes back' Is she not the
mother of Vogel Filschner, the boy slaver5"

"Correct."

"Well then, I can tell you this. When the deed was known, she
packed her belongings and disappeared and no one has heard of
her since."

Jheral Tmzy's old home was a tall octagonal structure of the so-
called Fourth Palladian style, situated halfway up Bailleui Hill. The
address corresponded to one which Gersen had noted in the current
directory; the family had not changed its residence.

A handsome woman of early middle-age answered the door She
wore a gay peasant smock, a flowered scarf around her head. Gersen
appraised the woman before he spoke She returned a gaze so direct
as to be bold. "You're Jheral Tinzy5" Gersen asked tentatively.

"Jheral5" The woman's eyebrows arched high. "No-no in-

THE DEMON PRINCES

deed." She gave a sardonic bark of laughter. "What a strange thing
to ask. Who are you?"

Gersen produced his identification. The woman read, returned
the card. "What makes you think I am Jheral Tinzy?"

"She lived here at one time. She would be about your age."

"I'm her cousin." The woman considered Gersen more care-
fully than ever. "What did you want with Jheral?"

"May I come in? I'll explain."

The woman hesitated. As Gersen came forward she made a
quick motion to restrain him. Then, after a dubious glance over
her shoulder, she moved aside. Gersen entered a hall with a floor
of immaculate white glass tiles. On one hand was the display wall,
characteristic of middle-class European homes; here hung a panel
intricately inlaid with wood, bone and shell: Lenka workmanship
from Nowhere, one of the Concourse planets; a set of perfume
points from Pamtile; a rectangle of polished and perforated obsid-
ian, and one of the so-called "supplication slabs"* from Lupus 2311.

Gersen paused to examine a small tapestry of exquisite design
and workmanship. "This is a beautiful piece. Do you know where
it came from?"

"It's very rich," agreed the woman. "I believe it came from off-
world."

"It looks to me like a Sabra piece," said Gersen.

From the upper floor came a harsh call: "Emma? WTw is
there?"

"Awake already," muttered the woman. She raised her voice.
"A gentleman from Cosmopolis, Aunt."

"We wish no magazines!" cried the voice. "I am explicit!"

"Very well, Aunt. I'll tell him so." Emma signaled Gersen into
a sitting room, jerked her head toward the source of the voice.
"Jheral's mother. She is not well."

"A pity," said Gersen. "Where, incidentally, is Jheral?"

*The nonhuman names uf Peninsula 4-\, Lupus 2 III. devote the greater part ot their lues
to the working of these slabs, which apparcrirlv have a religious significance Twice each
year, at the solstices, two hundred and twenty-four microscopically exact slabs are placed
aboard a ceremonial harge, which is then allowed to drift out upon the ocean I'he Lupus
Salvage Company maintains a ship |ust over the hon/on troin Peninsula 4A As soon as
the raft has drifted h-om sight of land, it is recovered, the slabs are removed, exported and
sold as vhjrT' il'ni-i

THE PAL-ICE OF LOVE

Emma turned her bold glance on Gersen. "WTly do you want
to know?"

"To be candid, I'm trying to locate a certain Vogel Filschner."

Emma laughed soundlessly and without mirth. "You've come
to the wrong place to find Vogel Filschner. What a joke!"

"You knew him?"

"Oh yes. He was in the class under mine at the Lyceum."

"You haven't seen him since the kidnaping?"

"Oh no. Never. Still-it's strange that you should ask." Emma
hesitated, smiling tremulously as if in embarrassment. "It's like a
cloud passing over the sun. Sometimes I look around, sure that I've
glimpsed Vogel Filschner-but he's never there."

"W^Tiat happened to Jheral?"

Emma seated herself, looked far back aown the years. "You
must remember that there was much publicity and outcry. It was
the greatest outrage in memory. Jheral was pointed at; there were
unpleasant scenes. Several of the mothers actually slapped and
abused Jheral; she had snubbed Vogel, driven him to crime, hence,
shared his guilt... I must admit," said Emma reflectively, "that
Jheral was a heartless flirt. She was simply adorable, of course. She
could bring the boys with one little sidelong glance-like this . . ."
Emma demonstrated. "Such a rascal. She even flirted with Vogel.
Pure sadism, because she couldn't bear the sight of him. Ah, the
detestable Vogel! Every day Jheral would come home from school
to tell us another of Vogel's enormities. How he dissected a frog,
and then, after wiping his hands on a paper towel, ate his lunch.
How badly he smelled, as if he never changed his clothes. How he
would boast of his poetic mind, and try to impress her with his
magnificence. It's true! Jheral with her tricks incited Vogel-and
twenty-eight other girls paid the price."

"And then?"

"Great indignation. Everyone turned against Jheral, as perhaps
they had always longed to do. Jheral finally ran away with an older
man. She never returned to Ambeules. Not even her mother knows
where she is."

Into the room rushed a blazing-eyed old woman with a mane
of flying white hair. Gersen Jumped behind a chair to avoid her
charge. "WTiat do you want, asking questions in this house? Be off
with you-hasn't there been trouble enough? I don't trust your

3SS IHF D^MON PRINCES

face, you are like all the rest. Out, never return' Scoundrel' The
audacity, entering this house with your filthy questions . ."

Gersen left the house as expeditiously as he was able. Emma
started to accompany him to the door but her aunt, hobbling for-
ward, shoved her aside.

The door closed, the near-hysterical ranting became muffled.
Gersen heaved a deep breath. A virago' He had been lucky to es-
cape without scratches

At a nearby cafe Gersen drank a flask of wine and watched the
sun sink toward the sea ... An excellent possibility, of course, that
the entire line oi investigation, beginning with the notice in the
Avente newspaper, was a wild goose chase. To date, the only link
between Viole Falushe and Vogel Filschner was the opinion ofKa-
karsis Asm. Emma Tm?y apparently believed that she had seen
Vogel F'llschncr m Ambeules, Viole Falushe might well enjoy the
dangerous pleasure of returning to the scenes of his childhood. If
so, why had he not revealed himself to his old acquaintances? Al-
though it seemed that Vogel Filschner had made precious few
friends or acquaintances in any event. Jheral Tmzy perhaps had
made the wisest of decisions when she took herself away from Am-
beules Vmie Falushe had a notoriously long memory. His one
friend had been Roman Haemgsen, the chess champion. Some-
where also there had been mention of a poet who had incited Vogel
Filschner to excess .. . Gersen called for a directory, and searched
for the name Haemgsen. There it was; the book almost fell open
to the name Gersen copied the address and asked directions from
a waiter It appeared that Roman Haemgsen lived scarcely five
minutes' walk away. Finishing his wine, Gersen set off through the
waning sunlight.

The house of Roman Haemgsen was the most elegant of the
houses he had visited this day a three-story structure of metal and
meltstone panels, with electric windows to go transparent or opaque
at a spoken word.

Haemgsen was only ;ust arriving home when Gersen turned
into the walk. A small brisk man with a large head and prim me-
ticulous features, he peered sharply at Gersen and asked his busi-
ness Candor in this case seemed more useful than indirection.
Gersen said: "I am making inquiries in regard to your old classmate
Vogel Filschner. I understand that you were almost his only friend "

THE PALACE OF LOVE 389

"Hm," said Roman Haenigsen. He thought a moment. "Come,
inside, if you will, and we will talk."

He took Gersen into a study decorated with all manner of chess
memorabilia, portraits, busts, collections of chessmen, photographs.
"Do you play chess?" he asked Gersen.

"I have played on occasion, though not often."

"Like anything else, one must practice to keep in fighting trim.
Chess is an old game." He went to a board, disarranged the chess-
men with affectionate contempt. "Every variation has been ana-
lyzed; there is a recorded game to illuminate the results of any
reasonable move. If one had a sufficiently good memory, he would
not need to think to win his games, he could merely play someone
else's winning game. Luckily, no one owns such a memory but the
robots. Still, you did not come here to talk of chess. Will you take
a glass of liquor?"

"Thank you." Gersen accepted a crystal goblet containing an
inch of spirits.

"Vogel Filschner! Strange to hear that name once more. Is his
whereabouts known?"

"This is what I am attempting to learn."

Roman Haemgsen gave his head a wry shake. "You will learn
nothing from me. I have neither seen him nor heard from him since
1494."

"I had hardly expected that he would return in his old identity.
But it's possible-" Gersen paused as Roman Haemgsen snapped
his fingers.

"Peculiar'" said Haenigsen. "Each Thursday night I play at the
Chess Club. Perhaps a year ago I noticed a man standing under the
clock. I thought, surely that's not Vogel Filschner^ He turned, I
saw his face. It was a man somewhat like Vogel, but far different.
A man of fine appearance and poise, a man who had nothing of
Vogel's hangdog surliness. And yet-since you mention it-there
was something to this man, perhaps his manner of holding his arms
and hands, which reminded me of Vogel "

"You haven't seen this man smce^"

"Not once."

"Did you speak to him?"

"No. In my surprise I must have halted to stare, but then I
hurried on past."

?90 '1 HE DEMON PRINCFS

"Can you think of anyone Vogel might wish to see3 Did he
have friend'i other than yourself^"

Roman Haenigsen pursed his lips wryly. "I was hardly his
friend We shared a laboratory table, I played him an occasional
game of chess, which he often won. Had he applied himself he
might have taken the championship But he cared only for mooning
over girls and writing bad poetry in imitation of a certain Navarth."

"Ah, Navarth. This is the poet whom Vogel Filschner sought
to emulate "

"Unfortunately In my opinion Navarth was a charlatan, a bom-
bast, a man of the most dubious attitudes."

"And what has become of Navarth^"

"I believe he still is about, though hardly the man he was thirty
years ago People have grown wise, studied decadence no longer
shocks as it did when I was a lad Vogel naturally was entranced,
and went through the most ludicrous antics in order to identify
with his idol. Yes indeed. If anyone is to blame for the crimes of
Vogel Filschner, it is the mad poet Navarth'"

Drinking whisky by the peg,
Singing songs of drunken glee,
I thought to swallow half a keg
But Tim R. Mortiss degurgled me.

Not precisely comme il faut
To practice frank polygamy;

I might have practiced, even so,
But Tim R Mortiss disturgled me.

Chorus:

Tim R. Mortiss, Tim R. Mortiss,
He's a loving friend-
He holds my hand while I'm asleep
He guides me on my four-day creep,
He's with me to the end.

To woo a dainty Eskimo

I vowed to swim the Bering Sea.

No sooner had I wet a toe

When Tim R. Mortiss occurgled me.

A threat arcane, a fearful bane

Within an old phylactery.

I turned the rubbish down a dram,

Now Tim R. Mortiss perturgles me

Chorus (with a snapping of fingers and clicking of
heels in mid-air)

THE DKMON PRINCES

392

Tim R. Morriss, Tim R. Mortiss,
He's a loving friend.
He holds my hand while I'm asleep,
He guides me on my four-day creep,
He's with me to the end.

-Navarth

On the following day Gersen paid a second visit to the offices of
the Helion. The dossier on Navarth was enthusiastic and ample,
reporting scandals, improprieties, defiances and outrageous pro-
nouncements across a period of forty years. The initial entry dealt
with an opera, presented by students of the university, with a li-
bretto by Navarth. The first performance was declared an infamy,
and nine students were expelled from the university. Thereafter,
Navarth's career soared and collapsed, resurged, re-collapsed, at last
with finality. For the past ten years he had resided aboard a house-
boat on the Gaas estuary near the Fitlingasse.

Gersen tubed to Station Hedrick on Boulevard Castel Vivence
and surfaced in the commercial and shipping district of Ambeules
beside the Gaas estuary. The district roiled with the activity of
agencies, warehouses, offices, wharves, buffets, restaurants, wine-
shops, fruit hawkers, news kiosks, dispensaries. Barges nosed into
docks to be unloaded by robots; drays rumbled along the boulevard;

from below came the vibration of freight moving by tube. At a
sweetshop Gersen inquired for the Fitlingasse and was directed east
along the boulevard.

Automatic open-sided passenger wagons served the boulevard,
with patrons riding on benches facing the street. Gersen rode a
mile, two miles, with the Gaas on the right hand. The bustle di-
minished; the imposing blocks and masses of the commercial dis-
trict gave way to ancient three- and four-story structures: queer
narrow-windowed buildings of melt-stone or terra-cotta panels
stained a hundred subtle colors by smoke and salt air. Occasionally
the wagon passed vacant areas, where only weeds grow. Through
these gaps could be seen the next street to the north, on a somewhat
higher level than Boulevard Castel Vivence, with tall apartment
buildings pressed tightly against each other.

The Fitlingasse was a narrow gray alley striking off up the hill.
Gersen alighted and almost at once observed a hulking two-storied

THE PALACE OF LOVE

393

houseboat moored to a dilapidated dock. A wisp of smoke drifted
up from the chimney. Someone was aboard.

Gersen took stock of the surroundings. Hazy sunlight played
on the estuary; on the far shore thousands of houses with brown
tile roofs stood in ranks down to the water's edge. Elsewhere were
unused wharves, rotting piles, a warehouse or two, a saloon with
purple and green windows extending over the water. On the dock
a girl of seventeen or eighteen sat tossing pebbles into the water.
She gave Gersen a brief dispassionate stare, then looked away. Ger-
sen turned back to consider the houseboat. If this were Navarth's
residence, he enjoyed a very pleasant prospect-though the wan
sunlight, the brown roofs of Dourrai, the rotting wharves, the lap-
ping water, invested the scene with melancholy. Even the girl
seemed somber beyond her years. She wore a short black skirt, a
brown jacket. Her hair was dark and rumpled, whether from wind
or neglect, it could not be known. Gersen approached and inquired,
"Is Navarth aboard the houseboat?"

She nodded without change of expression, and watched with
the detachment of a naturalist as Gersen descended the ladder to
the landing, then crossed an alarming gangplank to the foredeck of
the houseboat.

Gersen knocked at the door. There was no response. Gersen
knocked again. The door was flung violently open; a sleepy un-
shaven man peered forth. His age was indeterminate; he was thin,
spindle-shanked, with a twisted beak of a nose, rumpled hair of no
particular color, eyes which though perfectly set gave the impres-
sion of looking in two directions at once. His manner was wild and
truculent. "Is there no privacy left in the world? Off the boat, at
once. Whenever I settle for a moment's rest, some sheep-faced
functionary, some importunate peddler of tracts insists on pounding
me out of my couch. Will you not depart? Have I not made myself
clear? I warn you, I have a trick or two up my sleeve .. ."

Gersen tried to speak to no avail. When Navarrh reached
within he hastily retreated to the dock. "A moment of your time!"
he called. "I am no functionary, no salesman. I am named Henry
Lucas, and I wish-"

Navarth shook his skinny fist. "Not now, not tomorrow^ not in
the total scope of the future, nor at any time thereafter, do I wish
to make your acquaintance. Be off with you! You have the face of
a man that brings ill news; a gnashing blacktooth grin. These mat-

THE DEMON PRINCES

394

ters are clear to me: you are fey! I want nothing of you. Go away."
With a leer of evil triumph he swung the gangplank away from the
landing, re-entered the houseboat.

Gersen returned to the dock. The girl sat as before. Gersen
looked back down at the houseboat. He asked in a wondering voice:

"Is he always like that?"

"He is Navarth," said the girl, as if this were all that need be
said.

Gersen went to the saloon, drank a pint of beer. The bartender was
a quiet watchful man of great height with an imposing stomach,
and either knew nothing about Navarth or did not choose to reveal
what he knew. Gersen gleaned no information.

He sat thinking. A half hour passed. Then going to the tele-
phone directory, he looked in the classified section under Salvage.
An advertisement caught his eye:

JOBAN SALVAGE AND TOW
TUGS-CRANE BARGE-DIVING EQUIPMENT

No job too large or too small.

Gersen telephoned and made his needs known. He was assured that
on the morrow the equipment he required would be at his service.

The following morning a heavy ocean-going tug drove up the
estuary, turned, eased into the mooring next to Navarth's house-
boat, with a bare three feet between. The mate bawled orders to
the seamen; lines were flung up to the dock and dropped over bol-
lards. The tug was moored.

Navarth came out on deck, dancing with fury. "Must you moor
so close? Take that great hulk away; do you intend to thrust me
into the dock?"

Leaning on the railing of the tug, Gersen looked down into
Navarth's upturned face. "I believe I spoke a few words to you
yesterday?"

"I recall very well; I requested your departure, and here you
are again, more inconveniently than before."

"I wonder if you would give me the pleasure of a few minutes'
conversation? Perhaps there might be profit in it for you."

"Profit? Bah. I have poured more money out of my shoe than
you have spent. I require only that you take your tug elsewhere."

THE PALACE OF LOl^E

395

"Gertainly. We are here but for a few minutes."

Navarth gave a pettish nod. At the far side of the tug the diver
Gersen had hired was climbing back on board. Gersen turned to
Navarth. "It's very important that I speak to you; if you would be
so good as to-"

"This importance exists from a single point of view. Be off with
you and your mammoth tug!"

"At once," said Gersen. He nodded to the diver, who touched
a button.

Under the houseboat sounded an explosion; the houseboat
shuddered and began to list. Navarth ran back and forth in a frenzy.
From the tug grapples were lowered and hooked to the houseboat's
rub-rail. "Apparently there has been an explosion in your engine
room," Gersen told Navarth.

"How can this be? There has never been an explosion before.
There is not even an engine. I am about to sink!"

"Not so long as you are supported by the lines. But we are
leaving in one minute and I must cast loose the grapples."

"WTiat?" Navarth threw up his arms. "I will go to the bottom,
together with the boat! Is this your desire?"

"If you recall, you yourself ordered me to leave," said Gersen
in a reasonable voice. "Hence-" he turned to the crewmen.
"Throw off the grapples. We depart."

"No, no!" bellowed Navarth. 'Til sink!"

"If you invite me aboard your boat, if you talk to me and help
me compose an article I'm writing, then that's a different matter,"
said Gersen. "I might be disposed to help you through this mis-
fortune, even, perhaps, to the extent of repairing your hull."

"WTly not?" stormed Navarth. "You are responsible for the
explosion."

"Careful, Navarth. That's at the very verge of slander! Remem-
ber, there are witnesses."

"Bah! What you have done is piracy and extortion. Writing an
article, indeed. Well, then-why didn't you say so in the first place?
I too am a writer! Come aboard; we will talk. I am always grateful
for some small diversion; a man without friends is a tree without
leaves."

Gersen jumped down upon the houseboat; Navarth, now all
amiability, arranged chairs where they caught the full play of the
pallid sunlight. He brought forth a bottle of white wine. "Sit then;

I HE DEMON PRINCES

396

make yourself at ease'" He opened the bottle, poured, then leaning
back in his chair drank with pleasure His face was placid and guile-
less, as if all the racial wisdom had passed through leaving no per-
ceptible traces. Like Earth, Navarth was old, irresponsible and
melancholy, full of a dangerous mirth.

"You are a writer then? I may say you do not correspond to
the usual image."

Gersen produced his Cosmopoliv identification. "Mr. Henry Lu-
cas," read Navarth "Special writer Why do you come to me? I am
no longer heeded, my vogue is a memory Discredited, penurious.
Where was my offense^ I sought to express truth in all its vehe-
mence. This is a danger. A meaning must be uttered idly, without
emphasis. The listener is under no compulsion to react, his custom-
ary defenses are not m place, the meaning enters his mind I have
much to say about the world, but every year the compulsion dwin-
dles. Let them live and die, it is all one to me. WTiat is the scope
of your article^"

"Viole Falushe."

Navarth blinked. "An interesting topic, but why come to me?"

"Because you knew him as Vogel Filschner."

"Hm Well, yes. This is a fact not generally known." With
fingers suddenly limp Navarth poured more wine "What specifi-
cally do you wish^"

"Knowledge."

"I suggest," said Navarth suddenly brisk, "that you seek the
information at its source."

Gersen nodded agreement. "Well enough, if I knew where to
look. But what if he is off Beyond^ At his Palace of Love."

"This is not the case; he is here on Earth." As soon as Navarth
spoke he seemed to regret his ingenuousness and frowned in irri-
tation.

Gersen leaned back, his doubts and misgivings dissolved. Vogel
Filschner and Viole Falushe were one; here was a man who knew
him in both identities.

Navarth had become uneasy and resentful. "A thousand topics
more interesting than Viole Falushe "

"How do you know he's on Earth3"

Navarth made a sound of grand scorn. "How do I know any-
thing^ 1 am Navarth'" He pointed to a wisp of smoke on the sky.
"I see that, I know." He pointed to a dead fish, floating belly up-

THE PAL4LF OF LOVE

ward. "I see that, I know " He raised the bottle of wine, held it up
against the sunlight. "I see that, I know "

Gersen reflected a moment m silence. "I am in no position to
criticize your epistemology," he said at last "In the first place, I
don't understand it Have you no more explicit knowledge of Viole
Falushe3"

Navarth attempted to lay his finger slyly alongside his nose, but
miscalculating, prodded his eye. "There is a time for bravado and
another for caution I still do not know the point of your article."

"It is to be a judicious document, without exaggeration or apol-
ogy. I intend that the facts will speak for themselves."

Navarth pursed his lips "A dangerous undertaking. Viole Fa-
lushe is the most sensitive of men. Do you recall the princess who
detected a pea under forty mattresses3 Viole Falushe can smell out
a slur in a blind infant's morning invocation to Kalzibah . . On the
other hand, the world revolves, the carpet of knowledge unrolls.
Viole Falushe has given me no cause for gratitude."

"Your appraisal of his character then is negative?" asked Gersen
cautiously.

Navarth could control himself no longer. He drank wine with
a grandiose gesture. "Negative indeed. Were I to give all orders,
what a retribution I could create'" He slumped back in his chair,
pointed a skinny finger toward the horizon, spoke in a hushed mon-
otone. "A pyre tall as a mountain, and Viole Falushe at the top.
Platforms surrounding for ten thousand musicians. With a single
glance I strike the fire The musicians play while their whisky boils
and their instruments melt Viole Falushe sings soprano .. ." He
poured more wine. "A wistful vision. It can never be I would
be content seeing Viole Falushe drowned or dismembered by
lions-"

"You evidently are well acquainted."

Navarth nodded, his gaze fixed on the past "Vogel Filschner
read my poetry An imaginative youth, but disoriented How he
changed, how he expanded. To his imagination he added control,
he is now a great artist."

"Artist3 What manner of artist5"

Navarth dismissed the question as irrelevant. "Never could he
have arrived at his present stature without art, without style and
proportion. Do not be deceived' Like myself he is a simple man,
with the clearest of goals Now you-you are the most complicated

THE. DEMON PRINCES

398

and opaque of men. I see a corner of your mind, then a black film
shifts. Are you an Earthman? But tell me nothing." Navarth waved
his hands as if to intercept any answer Gersen might feel called
upon to make. "There is too much knowledge already in the world;

we use facts as crutches, to the impoverishment of our senses. Facts
are falsehoods; logic is deceit. I know a single system of commu-
nication: the declaiming of poetry."

"Viole Falushe is also a poet?"

"He has no great art with words," grumbled Navarth, unwilling
to relinquish control of the conversation.

"When Viole Falushe visits Earth, where does he stay? Here
with you?"

Navarth stared at Gersen unbelievingly. "This is a sorry
thought."

"Where then does he stay?"

"Here, there, everywhere. He is as elusive as air."

"How do you seek him out?"

"That I never do. He occasionally visits me."

"And he has done so recently?"

"Yes, yes, yes. Have I not implied as much? Why are you so
interested in Viole Falushe?"

"To answer this would be to inflict a fact upon you," said Ger-
sen with a grin. "But it's no secret. I represent Cosmopolis magazine
and I wish to write an article on his life and activities."

"Hmmf. A popinjay for vanity is Viole Falushe. But why not
put your questions to him directly?"

"I would like to do so. First I must make his acquaintance."

"Nothing is easier," declared Navarth, "provided you pay the
fees."

"W^hy not? I am on a liberal expense account."

Navarth jumped to his feet, suddenly full of enthusiasm. "We
will need a beautiful girl, young, unsullied. She must project a par-
ticular quality of scintillance, a susceptibility, a fervor, an urgency."
He looked vaguely here and there, as if in search of something he
had lost. Up on the dock he spied the girl whom Gersen had seen
the day before. Navarth put fingers to his mouth, produced a shrill
whistle, signaled the girl to approach. "She'll do very well."

"Is this an unsullied young scintillant?" asked Gersen. "She
seems more of a guttersnipe."

"Ha ha," cawed Navarth. "You will see! I am weak and ca-

THE PALACE OF LOVE

399

chectic, but I am Navarth; old as I am, women bloom under my
touch. You will see."

The girl came aboard the houseboat, and listened to Navarth's
program without comment. "We go forth to dine. Expense means
nothing, we shall exalt ourselves with the finest. Prepare yourself
then with silks, with jewels, with your most precious unguents. This
is a wealthy gentleman, the finest of fellows. WTiat is your name
once more?"

"Henry Lucas."

"Henry Lucas. He is impatient to proceed. Go then, prepare
yourself."

The girl shrugged. "I am prepared,"

"You are the best judge of this," declared Navarth. "Inside
then, while I consult my wardrobe." He glanced at the sky. "A
yellow day, a yellow night. I will wear yellow."

He led the way into his saloon, which was furnished with a
wooden table, two chairs of carved oak, shelves stuffed with books
and oddments, a vase containing several stalks of pampas grass. Na-
varth reached into a cabinet for a second flagon of wine, which he
opened and banged upon the table, along with glasses. "Drink."
With this he disappeared into the next room.

Gersen and the girl were left alone. He examined her covertly.
She wore the black skirt of yesterday, with a black short-sleeved
blouse, sandals, no jewelry or skin tone, which on Earth was not
currently fashionable. The girl had good features, though her hair
was a tangle. She was either extremely poised or vastly indifferent.
On impulse Gersen took a comb from Navarth's washstand and
going to the girl, combed her hair. After a single startled glance
she stood, quiet and passive. Gersen wondered what went on in her
mind. Was she as mad as Navarth?

"There," he said at last. "You look somewhat less of a raga-
muffin."

Navarth returned, wearing a maroon jacket, several sizes too
large, a pair of yellow shoes. "You have not tasted the wine." He
filled three glasses brimming. "A merry evening in prospect. Here,
the three of us; three islands in the sea, on each island a castaway
soul. We go forth together, and what shall we find?"

Gersen tasted the wine: a fine heady muscatel; he drank. Na-
varth poured the wine down his throat as if he were emptying a
bucket into the estuary. The girl drank, without a tremor, without

400 THE DEMON PRINCES

any display of emotion. A strange girl, thought Gersen. Somewhere
behind the grave face was flamboyance. What stimulus could bring
it forth? What would cause her to laugh?

"Are we ready then?" Navarth looked inquiringly from the girl
to Gersen, then threw open the door and ushered them graciously
forth. "In search ofViole Falushe!"

From "Viole Falushe," Chapter III of The Demon Princes,
by Carl Carphen (Elucidarian Press, New Wexford, Aloy-
sius, Vega).

Each of the Demon Princes must cope with the prob-
lem of notoriety. Each is sufficiently vain and flamboy-
ant (Attel Malagate is the exception) to wish to flourish
his personality, to impress his style upon as many lives
as possible. Practical considerations, however, make an-
onymity and facelessness important, especially as each
of the Demon Princes relishes his visits to the worlds
of Oikumene. Viole Falushe is no exception. Like Mal-
agate, Kokor Hekkus, Lens Larque and Howard Alan
Treesong, he Jealously guards his identity, and not even
guests at his Palace of Love have seen his face.

In some respects Viole Falushe is the most human
of the Demon Princes: which is to say his vices are on
a scale of human understanding. The unimaginable cru-
elty, reptilian callousness, megalomania, weird mischief
exemplified respectively by Kokor Hekkus, Malagate,
Lens Larque and Howard Alan Treesong are totally
absent. The evil in Viole Falushe can be characterized
as arachnid vindictiveness, infantile sensitivity, mon-
strous self-indulgence.

His vices aside, there is an oddly appealing aspect
to Viole Falushe, a warmth, an idealism: so much is
conceded by the most uncompromising moralists. Lis-

THE DKMON PRINCFS

ten to Viole Falushe himself, as he addresses the stu-
dents of Cervantes University (by recording, naturallv):

"I am an unhappy man. I am haunted by my in-
ability to express the inexpressible, to come to terms
with the unknown. The pursuit of beauty is, of course,
a major psychological drive. In its various guises-
which is to say, the urge to perfection, the yearning to
merge with the eternal, the explorer's restlessness, the
realization of an Absolute created by ourselves, yet
larger than our totality-it is perhaps the most single
important human thrust.

"I am tormented by this thrust; I strive, I build; yet,
paradoxically, I suffer from the conviction that should
I ever achieve my peculiar goals, I might find the results
dissatisfying. In this case, the contest is worth more
than the victory. I will not describe my own struggle,
my griefs, my dark midnights, my heartbreaks. You
might find them incomprehensible, or worse, ludicrous.

<t! am often described as an evil man, and while I
do not dispute the label, I have not taken the stricture
to heart. Evil is a vector quality, operative only in the
direction of the vector, and often the acts which incur
the most censure do singularly small harm, and often
benefit, to the people concerned.

"I am often asked regarding the Palace of Love, but
I do not intend to gratify prurient curiosities in this
connection. Suffice it to say that I espouse the augmen-
tation of awareness, and find no fault with the gratifi-
cation of the senses-though I myself practice an
asceticism which might surprise you. The Palace of
Love extends over a considerable area and is by no
means a single structure, but rather a complex of gar-
dens, pavillions, halls, domes, towers, promenades and
scenic panoramas. The people of the Palace are all
young and beautiful and know no other life; they are
the happiest of mortals."

So speaks Viole Falushe. Rumors are not so kind to
him. He is said to be fascinated with erotic variations
and culminations. One of his favorite games (reputedly)
is to rear a beautiful maiden with great care in an iso-

THE PAIAU-: OF LOVE 403

lated cloister. She is trained to the knowledge that some
day she will meet a miraculous creature who will love
her and then kill her . .. and one day she is liberated
upon a small island where Viole Falushe awaits.

The Hotel Prince Franz Ludwig was the most elegant rendezvous
of Rolingshaven. The main foyer was enormous; it measured two
hundred feet on a side, and a hundred feet to the ceiling. Golden
light exuded from twelve chandeliers; a deep golden-brown carpet
enriched with subtle patterns covered the floor. The walls were
covered with silk of pale blue and yellow; the ceiling depicted scenes
from a medieval court. The furnishings were of an intricate antique
style, solid yet graceful, with cushions of rose or yellow satin, the
woodwork lacquered a muted gold. On marble tables stood eight-
foot urns from which a profusion of flowers overflowed; beside each
table stood a smartly uniformed page boy. Here was a sumptuous
intricacy which could be found nowhere but on old Earth. Never
before had Gersen entered a place so grand.

Navarth selected a couch near an alcove where a quartet of
musicians played a set of capriccios. Navarth summoned a page and
ordered champagne.

"Is this where we seek Viole Falushe?" asked Gersen.

"I have seen him here on several occasions," said Navarth. "We
shall be on the alert."

Sitting in the murmurous golden room they drank champagne.
The girl's black skirt and blouse, her bare brown legs and sandals,
whether through paradox or improbable juxtaposition, seemed nei-
ther tawdry nor unsuitable, and Gersen was somewhat puzzled.
How had she managed the transformation?

Navarth spoke of this and that; the girl said little or nothing.
Gersen was content to let events go at their own pace. Indeed, he
found himself enjoying the outing. The girl had put down consid-
erable wine, but showed no effects. She seemed interested in the
people who moved through the great foyer, but in a spirit of de-
tachment. At last Gersen asked, "What is your name? I don't know
how to speak to you."

The girl did not respond immediately. Navarth said, "Call her
what you like. This is my custom. Tonight she is Zan Zu from
Eridu."

404 THE DEMON PRINCES

The girl smiled, a brief flicker of amusement. Gersen decided
that she was not, after a!l, a lackwit.

"Zan Zu, eh? Is this your name?"

"It's as good as any other."

"The champagne is finished, an excellent vintage. We go to
dine!" Navarth rose to his feet, and gave his arm to the girl.
Crossing the foyer, they descended four broad stairs into the dining
room, which was no less magnificent than the foyer.

Navarth ordered dinner with enthusiasm and finesse; never had
Gersen enjoyed a finer meal-one which made him regret the limits
imposed by the capacity of his stomach. Navarth ate with voracious
enjoyment. Zan Zu of Eridu, as Gersen now thought of the girl,
ate delicately, without interest. Gersen watched her sidelong. Was
she ill? Had she recently undergone some great sorrow or shock?
She seemed composed enough-too composed, considering the
wine she had drunk: muscatel, champagne, the various wines Na-
varth had ordered to accompany the dinner. . . Well, it made no
difference to him, Gersen reflected. His business was with Viole
Falushe. Though here at the Hotel Prince Franz Ludwig, in the
company of Navarth and Zan Zu, Viole Falushe seemed unreal.
With an effort Gersen brought himself back to the business at hand.
How easy to be seduced by richness, elegance, exquisite food, the
golden light of chandeliers. He asked, "If Viole Falushe is not to
be found here, where do you propose to look?"

"I have no set scheme," Navarth explained. "We must move as
the mood takes us. Do not forget that Viole Falushe long ago re-
garded me as an exemplar. Is it not reasonable to suppose that his
program will merge with our own?"

"Reasonable indeed."

"We will test the theory."

They lingered over coffee, trifles of fragrant pastry, quarter-
gills of krystaliek; then Gersen paid the dinner check, well over
SVU 200, and they departed the Hotel Prince Franz Ludwig.

"Now where?" asked Gersen.

Navarth ruminated. "We are somewhat early. Still, atMikmak's
Cabaret there is always amusement of one kind or another, if only
in watching the good burghers at their decorous ease."

From Mikmak's Cabaret, they moved on to Paru's, Der Flie-
gende Hollander and thence to the Blue Pearl. Each new tavern
and cabaret was somewhat less genteel than the previous one, or so

THE PALACE OF LOl^

it seemed. From the Blue Pearl, Navarth led the way to the Sunset
Cafe on the Boulevard Caste! Vivence in Ambeules, thereafter to a
succession ofwaterfront dives, beer cellars and dance halls. At Za-
diel's All-World Rendezvous, Gersen interrupted one of Navarth's
dissertations. "Is it here that we can expect Viole Falushe?"

"Where else but here?" demanded the mad poet, now some-
what drunk. "Where the heart of Earth beats the thickest blood!
Thick, purple, smelling of must, like crocodile blood, the blood of
dead lions. Never fear-you will see your man! What was I dis-
cussing? My youth, my squandered youth! At one time I worked
for Tellur Transit, investigating the contents of lost suitcases. Here,
perhaps, I gained my deepest insight into the structure of the hu-
man soul . . ."

Gersen sat back in his chair. In the present circumstances pas-
sive wariness was the optimum course. To his surprise he found
himself slightly drunk, though he had attempted moderation. The
colored lights, the music, Navarth's wild talk were probably no less
responsible than the alcohol. Zan Zu was as remote as ever; looking
sidelong at her, as he had tended to do all evening, Gersen won-
dered: what goes on in this umbral creature's mind? WTiat does she
hope from life? Does she daydream? Does she yearn for a handsome
lover? Does she ache to travel, to visit the outworlds?

From the ancient cathedral on Flammande Heights came
twelve reverberating strokes of the bass bell. "The hour is mid-
night," croaked Navarth. He rose, swaying, to his feet, looked from
Gersen to Zan Zu from Eridu. "Now we proceed."

"WTiere now?" asked Gersen.

Navarth pointed across the street, to a long low pavilion with
an eccentric roof and festoons of green lights. "I suggest the Ce-
lestial Harmony Cafe, the rendezvous of travelers, spacemen, off-
world wanderers, wayward vagabonds such as ourselves."

To the Celestial Harmony Cafe they walked, Navarth declaim-
ing upon the poor quality of life in present-day Rolingshaven. "We
are stagnant, slowly decaying! WTiere is our vitality? Drained to the
outworlds! We have bled our life away! On Earth remain the sickly,
the depraved, the cryptic thinkers, the sunset wanderers on the mud
flats, the paranoids and involutes, the great epicures, the timid
dreamers, the medievalists."

"You have traveled the Oikumene?" Gersen inquired.

"Never has my foot lost contact with the soil of Earth!"

406 THE DEMON PRINCES

"In which of the categories, then, are you included?"

Navarth waved his arms on high. "Have I not inveighed against
categories? Here is the Celestial Harmony Cafe! We arrive at the
peak of the evening!"

They entered, threaded their way to a table, and Navarth in-
stantly ordered a magnum of champagne. The cafe was crowded;

voices, clatter, and shuffle competed with boisterous jigs played by
an orchestra of fife, concertina, euphonium and banjo while the
clientele danced, cavorted, kicked and pranced after the modes fa-
miliar to them. A long bar on a level somewhat higher than the
main floor ran the width of the building. Men standing at the railing
were silhouetted against the orange and green lights of the bar. At
the tables of the main floor sat men and women of every age, race,
social condition and degree of sobriety. Most wore European gar-
ments, but a few displayed the costumes of other regions and other
worlds. Hostesses formal and self-appointed roved here and there,
soliciting drinks, dispensing ribald repartee, arranging assignations.
The musicians presently took up other instruments: a baritone lute,
viola, flute and tympanet, with which they accompanied a troupe
of tumblers. Navarth drank champagne with indefatigable zest.

Zan Zu from Eridu looked this way and that, whether from
interest, uneasiness, or a sense of suffocation Gersen could not be
sure. Her knuckles were white where she held the goblet. She
turned her head suddenly, met his gaze; her lips quivered in the
faintest possible ghost of a smile-or an embarrassed grimace. She
raised the goblet, and sipped her champagne.

Navarth's gayety was at its height. He sang to the music, tapped
the table with his fingers, reached to embrace the hostesses, who
sidestepped with an air of boredom.

As if struck by a new thought he turned to consider Zan Zu,
then inspected Gersen, as if puzzled why Gersen were not more
enterprising. Gersen could not resist another glance at Zan Zu, and
whether through wine, the colored lights, the ambiance of the eve-
ning, the guttersnipe tossing pebbles from a dock was gone. Gersen
stared at her. The transformation was astonishing. She was magic,
a creature of entrancing intensity.

Navarth was watching, gayety suddenly abandoned. Gersen
turned, Navarth looked quickly away. What am I up to? Gersen
wondered. What is Navarth up to? ... Reluctantly Gersen rejected

THE PALACE OF LOVE

407

the concepts which had surged up in his mind. He settled back in
his chair.

Zan Zu the girl from Eridu looked somberly down at her gob-
let. With relief? Sadness? Boredom? Gersen was at a loss to decide.
The ways of the girl's mind seemed important indeed. What was
he getting into? he asked himself with a pang of bitter anger. He
glared at Navarth, who met his gaze blandly. Zan Zu sipped her
champagne.

Navarth intoned: "The Vine of Life grows a single melon. The
color of the heart is unknown until the rind is split."

Gersen looked out across the tables. Navarth filled his goblet;

Gersen drank. .. Navarth was right. For a gain so wild, so deli-
cious, so magic, there must be an initial abandon, a burning of
bridges. What of Viole Falushe? What of his basic momentum?
And as if in response to these thoughts, Navarth seized his arm.
"He is here."

Gersen roused himself from his brooding. "WTiere?"

'There. At the bar."

Gersen scanned the line of men who stood along the railing.
Their silhouettes were nearly identical, some looked this way, some
that; some held mugs or flasks; others leaned with elbows on the
railing. "W^ich is Viole Falushe?"

"See the man who watches the girl? He can see no one else.
He is fascinated."

Gersen searched along the line of men. None seemed to be
paying any great attention. Navarth whispered in a husky voice:

"She knows! She is even more aware than I!"

Gersen glanced at the girl who seemed uneasy; her fingers fum-
bled with the stem of the goblet. As he watched, she glanced across
the room at one of the dark shapes. How she had divined the at-
tention was beyond Gersen's comprehension.

A waiter approached the girl and spoke into her ear: Gersen
could not hear what was said. Zan Zu looked down at the cham-
pagne goblet, twisting the stem between her fingers . .. She came
to some decision, and putting her hands on the table she rose. Ger-
sen felt a surge of passion. Ignoble to sit quietly, to allow this to
happen. He had been affronted. He was being pillaged of something
which, while it had never belonged to him, nevertheless was his
own. With a spasm of terror he wondered if it were too late. He
lurched forward. He put his arm around the girl's waist, drew her

408 THE DEMON PRINCES

down upon his lap. She gave him an astounded glance, like one
suddenly waking from sleep. "Why did you do that?"

"I don't want you to go."

"Why not?"

Gersen could not bring himself to speak. Zan Zu sat passively,
if somewhat primly. Gersen noticed that there were tears in her
eyes, that her cheeks were wet. Gersen kissed her cheek; Navarth
gave vent to a mad cachinnation. "Never, never does it end!"

Gersen put Zan Zu back on her chair, but held his hand over
hers. "What never will end?" he asked in an even voice.

"I too have loved. But what of that? The time for love is past.
Now there will be trouble, of course. Do you not understand the
sensitivity of Viole Falushe? He is as strange and delicate as a fern
frond. He cannot bear deprivation; it sets his teeth on edge and
makes him ill."

"This did not occur to me."

"You have acted altogether wrongly," scolded Navarth. "His
thoughts were totally for the girl. You need only have followed her,
and there would have been Viole Falushe."

"Yes," muttered Gersen. "True-true. I now understand that."
He glowered at the wine goblet, then back at the line of silhouettes.
Someone was watching; he could sense the attention. There was
trouble on the way. He was not in optimum condition, he had not
trained in weeks. Additionally he was half drunk.

A man walking past seemed to slip. He reeled into the table,
and upset wine into Gersen's lap. He looked into Gersen's face with
eyes the color of bone. "Did you trip me, you sneak? I've a mind
to spank you like a child."

Gersen studied the man. He had a slab-sided face, close-
cropped yellow hair, a short neck as wide as his head. His body was
stocky and muscular, the body of a man who spent much of his life
on one of the heavy planets. "I don't believe I tripped you," said
Gersen. "But sit down. Join us for a glass of wine. Ask your friend
to join us as well."

The white-eyed man paused to consider a moment. He came
to a decision- "I demand an apology!"

"Certainly," said Gersen. "It was on the tip of my tongue. If
in any way I am responsible for causing you inconvenience, I am

»i

sorry.

"This is not enough. I despise foul baboons like yourself who

THE PALACE OF LOVE 409

insult one, then think to smirk themselves free of the conse-
quences."

"This is your privilege," said Gersen. "Despise whom you like.
But why not bring your friend over to join us? We could find much
to talk about. You are from which world?" He raised his glass to
drink.

The white-eyed man struck down the glass. "I insist that you
leave the premises. You have offended me sufficiently."

Gersen looked across the white-eyed man's shoulder. "Your
friend comes, in spite of your asinine braying."

The white-eyed man turned to look, Gersen kicked at his knee,
hacked into the bulwark of a neck. Seizing one of the man's arms,
Gersen heaved and sent him spinning across the dance floor. The
white-eyed man bounced erect without effort, and came back in a
running crouch. Gersen pushed a chair into his face; the white-eyed
man swept it aside, while Gersen struck him in the stomach. This
was ribbed with muscle and hard as oak. The white-eyed man
hunched his shoulders, jumped for Gersen, but four bouncers had
appeared. Two propelled Gersen to the rear entrance and ejected
him; two more escorted the white-eyed man to the front entrance.

Gersen stood disconsolately in the street. The entire evening:

a botchery. What had got into him?

The white-eyed man might well be circling the building to find
him. Gersen stepped back into the shadows. After a moment he
started cautiously around to the front. At the corner waited the
white-eyed man. "Dog's meat. You kicked me, you struck me. It is
my turn."

"Best that you go your way," said Gersen in a mild voice. "I
am a dangerous man."

"WTiat do you think of me?" The white-eyed man approached;

Gersen backed away, in no mood for roughhousing. He carried
weapons, but on Earth killing was not taken lightly. The white-
eyed man sidled forward. Gersen's heel came in contact with a
bucket. He picked it up, slung it into the man's face, and was
quickly around the corner. The white-eyed man came after him.
Gersen held out his hand to display his projac. "See this? I can kill
you."

The white-eyed man stood back, teeth glinting in contempt.

Gersen went to the front entrance of the Celestial Harmony
Cafe, the white-eyed man following at a distance of thirty feet.

410 TIIF DFMON PRINCES

The table was vacant. Navarth and Zan Zu were gone. The
lounging figure at the railing^ Lost among the others.

The white-eyed man waited beside the building. Gersen re-
flected a moment. Then slowly, as if in reverie, he moved off down
the boulevard and turned into a dark side street

He waited. A minute passed. Gersen slid twenty feet farther
along to a more favorable position, all the time watching the gap
where street met boulevard. But no one passed in front, no one
came to investigate.

Gersen waited ten minutes, watching both ways, and presently
craning his neck to peer up, on the chance that his enemy was
coming over the roofs. At last he returned to the boulevard. The
botchery was complete. The white-eyed man, the most immediate
link with Viole Falushe, had not bothered to pursue Gersen's ac-
quaintance

Seething with frustration, Gersen rode out Boulevard Castel
Vivence to the Fitlmgasse. The tug had departed; the houseboat,
once more sound of hull, rode dark and silent on the water. Gersen
alighted from the cab, went out to stand on the dock. Silence
Lights from Dourrai glinted on the estuary.

Gersen shook his head in mournful amusement. What more
could be expected from an evening with a mad poet and a girl from
Eridu^

He returned to the cab and was conveyed to the Rembrandt
Hotel.

The girl I met in Endu
Was kind beyond belief;

The hours that I spent with her
Were hours far too brief.

WTiere willows shade the river bank,
She urged that I recline.
She fed me figs and poured me full
Of pomegranate wine.

I told of force and time and space,
I told of hence and yonder;

I asked if she would come with me
To know my worlds of wonder.

She clasped her knees; her voice was soft:

"It dazes me to ponder

The blazing stars and tintamars,

The whirling ways you wander!

"You are you and I am I,
And best that you return.
And I will stay in Endu
With all this yet to learn."

-Navarth

At ten o^clock the following morning Gersen returned to the
houseboat. All was changed. The sun was yellow and warm. The
sky, shining blue with the blue of Earth, was necked here and there

4!2 THE DF.MON PRINCES

with fair-weather clouds. Navarth sat hunched on his foredeck, sun-
ning himself.

Gersen descended the ladder, walked along the landing. He
stopped by the gangplank. "Ahoy. May I come aboard?"

Navarth slowly turned his head, inspected Gersen with the
hooded yellow eyes of a sick chicken. He shifted his gaze to watch
a string of barges sliding silently along on jets of ionized water. He
spoke in an even voice. "I have no sympathy for persons of weak
liver, who raise their sails only to drift downwind."

Gersen took the remark as implicit permission to board the
boat. "Mv shortcomings aside, what eventuated?"

Navarth querulously brushed away the question. "We have
strayed. The quest, the undertaking-"

"What quest? What undertaking?"

"-leads by a devious route. First there is sunlight. The road
is broad and white, but soon it narrows. At the end is an awesome
tragedy. A thousand mind-splitting colors, possibly the sunset. If I
were young once more, how I would alter events. I have been blown
by winds like a bit of trash. You will find it the same. You failed to
seize the occasion. Each chance comes a single time-"

Gersen found the remarks uninspiring. "All this to the side, did
you speak last night to Viole Falushe?"

Navarth raised a skinny hand in the air, the palm cupped for-
ward. "Tumult, a reel of shapes. Angry faces, flashing eyes, a strug-
gle of passions' I sat with a roaring in my ears."

"What then of the girl?"

"I agree in every respect. Magnificent."

"Where is she? Who is she?"

Navarth's attention became fixed upon an object in the water:

a white and gray seagull. Evidently he planned no meaningful re-
sponses.

Gersen went on patiently: "WTiat of Viole Falushe? How did
vou know he would be at the Celestial Harmony Cafe?"

"Nothing could be simpler. 1 told him that we would be there."

"WTien did you inform him?"

Navarth made a fretful movement. "Your questions are tire-
some. Must I set my watch by yours? Must I wisely consult with
you? Must I~"

"The question seemed simple enough."

THE PALACE OF LOVE 413

"We live by different referents. Transpose, if you like; I can-
not."

Navarth was plainly in a cantankerous mood. Gersen said
soothingly, "Well then, for one reason or another, we missed Viole
Falushe last night. How do you suggest that we find him now?"

"I make no more suggestions ... What is your concern with
Viole Falushe?"

"You forget that I have already explained this to you."

"To be sure .. . Well, as to arranging a meeting, this is no great
problem. We will invite him to a small entertainment. A banquet
perhaps."

Something in Navarth's tone, or perhaps the quick glittering
glance which accompanied the words, put Gersen on his guard.

"You think he would attend?"

"Certainly, if it were a carefully planned affair."

"How can you be sure? How do you know definitely that he is
on Earth?"

Navarth raised a monitory finger. "Have "you ever watched a
cat walk through the grass? At times it halts, with one paw raised,
and calls out. Is there a reason to these sounds?"

Gersen could not trace the linkage of ideas. He said patiently,
"WTiat of this party, or banquet, whatever it is to be?"

"Yes, yes, the party!" Navarth had become interested now. "It
must be exquisitely arranged, and it will cost a great deal. A million
SVU."

"For one party? One banquet? Who is to be invited? The pop-
ulation of Sumatra?"

"No. A small affair of twenty guests. But arrangements must
be made and quickly. I am a source, an inspiration for Viole Fa-
lushe. In sheer majesty he has excelled me. But I will prove that in
a smaller compass I am superior. WTiat is a million SVU? I have
dreamed away more than this in an hour."

"Very well," said Gersen. "You shall have your million." A
day's income, he reflected.

"I will need a week. A week is hardly enough. But we dare delay
no longer."

"Why not?"

"Viole Falushe returns to the Palace of Love."

"How do you know?"

Navarth looked off across the water. "Do you realize that a

THE DEMON PRINCES

414

crook of my finger disturbs the farthest star? That every human
thought disturbs the psychic parasphere?"

"This is the source of your knowledge-psychic perturba-
tions?"

"As good a method as any other. But now as to the party, there
are conditions. Art implies discipline; the more excellent the art,
the more rigorous the discipline. Hence, you must concede to cer-
tain limitations."

"What are they?"

"First the money. Bring me a million SVU immediately!"

"Yes, of course. In a sack?"

Navarth gave an indifferent wave of the hand. "Secondly, I am
in charge of arrangements. You may not interfere."

"Is this all?"

"Thirdly, you must conduct yourself with restraint. Otherwise
you will not be invited!"

"I would not care to miss this party," said Gersen. "But I too
will make conditions. First, Viole Falushe must be present."

"Never fear as to that! Impossible to keep him away."

"Secondly, you must identify him to me."

"No need. He will identify himself."

"Third, I want to know how you plan to invite him."

"How else? I call him by telephone, just as I call my other
guests."

"What is his number code?"

"He can be reached by coding SORA-6152."

Gersen nodded. "Very well. I will bring you your money at
once."

Gersen returned to the Rembrandt Hotel, where he had a reflective
lunch. How mad was Navarth? His spasms of lunacy alternated with
periods of canny practicality, both somehow conducing to Na-
varth's convenience. The call code SORA-6152, now; Navarth had
yielded it with suspicious facility . . . Gersen could no longer re-
strain his curiosity. He went to a nearby booth, banked the lens,
touched the buttons. The presentation appeared: the outline of a
startled human face. A voice spoke: "Who calls?"

Gersen frowned, bent his head forward. The voice spoke again:

"Who calls?" It was Navarth's voice.

Gersen said, "I wish to speak to Viole Falushe."

THE PALACE OF LOVE 415

'Who calls?"

"One who wishes to make his acquaintance."

"Please leave your name and call number; in due course you
may receive a return call." And Gersen thought he heard a poorly
suppressed chuckle.

Thoughtfully he left the booth. Galling to be outwitted by a
mad poet. He went to the Bank of Vega, called for and received a
million SVU in cash. He packed the notes into a case, returned by
cab out Boulevard Castel Vivence to the Fitlmgasse. As he alighted
he saw Zan Zu, the girl from Eridu, emerging from a fishmonger's
shop with a paper cornucopia full of fried smelt. She wore her black
skirt, her hair was a tousle, but some of the magic of two nights
before still hung about her. She went to sit on an old baulk, and
looking out across the estuary munched the fish. Gersen thought
she appeared tired, listless, a trifle haggard. He proceeded to the
houseboat.

Navarth took the money with a noncommittal grunt. "The
party then, seven days hence."

"Have you issued invitations?"

"Not yet. Leave all to me. Viole Falushe will be among the
guests."

"I presume you will call him at SORA-6152?"

"Of course." Navarth nodded three times, with great gravity.
"Where else?"

"And Zan Zu-she is to come?"

"Zan Zu?"

"Zan Zu, the girl from Eridu."

"Oh-that one. It might not be wise."

The man's name was Hollister Hausredel; his position: registrar at
the Philidor Bohus Lyceum. He was a man of early middle-age,
with an almost total lack of distinguishing characteristics. He wore
modest gray and black and lived in one of the Sluicht apartment
towers with his wife and two small children.

Gersen, deciding that his business with Hausredel would go
best at a maximum distance from the school, approached him as he
left the tube escalator a hundred yards from his apartment building.

"Mr. Hausredel?"

"Yes?" Hausredel was somewhat startled.

"I wonder if we might talk for a moment or two." Gersen in-

416 THK DEMON PRINCKS

dicated a nearby coffee bar. "Perhaps you would have a cup of
coffee with me."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"A matter concerning a service vou can do for me, to vour
profit."

The talk went without difficulty; Hausredel was more flexible
than his superior, Dr. Willern Ledinger. On the following day
Hausredel met Gersen at the coffee bar, with a large paper enve-
lope. "Here we are. All went well. You have the money?"

Gersen passed across an envelope. Hausredel opened the flap,
counted, tested one or two of the notes with his fake-meter. "Good.
I hope I have helped you as much as you have helped me." And
shaking Gersen's hand warmly, he departed the coffee bar.

Gersen opened the envelope. He extracted two photographs
copied from those in the school archives. For the first time Gersen
saw the face ofVogel Filschner. It was a sullen face. Black eyebrows
canted down over burning black eyes, the mouth hung in a discon-
tented droop. Voge) had not been a handsome boy. His nose was
long and lumpy, his cheeks were puffy with hahy fat, his black hair
was overlong and even in the photograph seemed unclean. A more
striking contradiction to the popular image of Violc Falushe was
hard to imagine. But of course this was Vogel Filschner at the age
of fifteen, and many changes had undoubtedly taken place.

The other picture was that of Jheral Tin?y-a delightfully
pretty girl; her black hair glossy-her mouth pursed as if she were
restraining a mischievous secret. Gersen studied the picture at
length. It afforded him rather more perplexity than illumination,
inasmuch as the face in the photograph was almost exactly that of
Zan Zu, the girl from Eridu.

Thoughtfully Gersen examined the remaining material in the
envelope; information regarding other members of Vogel Fil-
schner's class with the present whereabouts-when it was known.

Gersen returned to the picture of Jheral Tinzy. The coquetry
was absent in the face of Zan Zu: otherwise one was a replica of
the other. The resemblance could not be accidental.

Gersen rode bv tube to Station Hedrick in Ambeules and took
the now familiar route up Boulevard Castel Vivence.

The time was early evening; sunset color still lingered along
the estuary. The houseboat was dark; no one responded to Gersen's
rapping. He tested the button: the door slid open.

THE PALACE OF LOVE 417

Gersen entered, the lights came aglow. He went to Navarth's
telescreen. The code, as he had expected, was SORA-6152. The
crafty Navarth! To the side was an index. Gersen looked through
the listings, finding nothing of interest. He scrutinized the wall, the
underside of the shelf, the top molding of the telescreen, on the
chance that Navarth might have noted down a number he did not
care to entrust to his index, but he found nothing. From the shelf
Gersen took down an untidy portfolio, containing ballads, odes,
dithyrambs: "A Growl for Gruel"; "The Juices I Have Tramped";

"I Am a Darting Minstrel"; "They Pass!"; "Drusilla's Dream";

"Castles in the Clouds and the Anxieties of Those Who Live Di-
rectly Below by Reason of Falling Objects and Wastes."

Gersen put the poems aside. He inspected the bedrooms. On
the ceiling of the one occupied by Navarth was the photograph of
a naked woman, twice life-size, arms high and outspread, legs ex-
tended and stretched apart, hair afloat, as if she were engaged in a
vigorous leaping calisthenic. Navarth's wardrobe contained a fan-
tastic assortment of costumes of every style and color; on a shelf
were hats, caps, and helmets. Gersen explored the drawers and cab-
inets, finding many unexpected objects, but none which seemed to
bear upon the matter at hand.

There were two other small bedrooms, furnished in a rather
spartan manner. One of these was pervaded with faint sweet per-
fume: violet, or lilac; in the other was a desk, and here, by a window
overlooking the estuary, Navarth evidently created his poetry. The
desk was crammed with notes, names, apostrophes and allusions-
a discouraging volume of material which Gersen did not even trou-
ble to explore.

He returned to the main saloon and pouring himself a glass of
Navarth's fine moscato, dimmed the lights and settled into the most
comfortable chair.

An hour passed. The last traces of afterglow departed the sky;

the lights of Dourrai glistened on the waves. A dark shape became
visible, a hundred yards offshore-a small boat. It approached the
houseboat; there was the rattle of oars being shipped and footsteps
on the deck. The door slid back. Zan Zu entered the half-dark
saloon. She gasped in fear and sprang back.

Gersen caught her arm. "Wait, don't run away. I've been wait-
ing to talk to you."

Zan Zu relaxed and came into the saloon. Gersen turned up

418 11 IF DFV10N PRINCES

the lights Zan Zu sat warily on the edge of a bench 7 onight she
wore black trousers, a dark blue |acket, her hair was tied back with
black ribbon, her face was white and wan

Gersen looked at her a moment "/\re you hungry:"

She nodded

"Come along then "

In a nearby restaurant she ate with an appetite which nullified
Gersen's doubts as to the state of her health "Navarth calls you
Zan Zu, is that your name7"

"No "

"What is your name7"

"I don't know I don't think I have a name "

"What: No name: Everyone has a name "

"I don't"

"Where do you live: With Navarth:"

"Yes For as long as I remember."

"And he has never told you your name7"

"He has called me by many names," said Zan Zu somewhat
ruefully "I rather like not having a name, I am anyone I wish to
be"

"WT-io would you like most to be7"

She flashed Gersen a sardonic glance, gave her shoulders a
shrug Hardly a talkative girl, thought Gersen.

She asked a sudden question "Why are you interested in me:"

"For various reasons, some complicated, some simple To begin
with, you're a pretty girl "

Zan Zu considered the statement a moment "Do you think so
indeed:"

"Hasn't anyone else told \ou as much:"

"No "

Strange, thought Gersen

"1 talk to very few men Or women Navarth tells me there is
danger "

"What kind of danger:"

"Slavers I don't care to be a slave "

"Understandable Aren't you afraid oi me:"

"A little"

Gersen signaled a waiter After consultation he ordered a large
piece of cherry torte floating in whipped cream, which was set be-
fore Zan Zu from Endu

THE PALACE OF LOVE 419

"Well then," said Gersen, "have you been to school:"

"Not a great deal." Gersen learned that Navarth had taken her
here and there to odd corners of the world remote villages and
islands, gray cities of the north, resorts of Smkiang, the Sahara Sea,
the Levant There had been an occasional tutor, seasons at some-
what unusual schools, much reading of Navarth's books "Not a
very orthodox education," Gersen remarked

"It suits me well enough "

"And Navarth-what is his relationship to you:"

"I don^t know He has always been there Sometimes he is-"
she hesitated "Sometimes he is kind, other times he seems to hate
me..  I don't understand, but then I am not particularly inter-
ested Navarth is Navarth "

"He's never mentioned your parents7"

"Never."

"Haven't you asked him:"

"Oh, yes Several times When he is sober he becomes flam-
boyant Aphrodite rose from seafoam Lilith isas the sister of an ancient
god Arremce sprang to life when lightning struck a rose tree And I may
select a source at my own discretion "

Gersen listened, surprised and amused

"WTien Navarth is drunk, or when he is exalted with poetry,
he tells me more, but perhaps it is less-he frightens me He speaks
of the journey I ask 'journey where:' and he won't say But it must
be something terrible  . I don't want to go "

She fell silent The conversation, so Gersen noticed, had not
diminished the gusto with which she attacked the torte "Has he
ever mentioned a man named Viole Falushe:"

"Perhaps I have not listened "

"Vogel Filschner7"

"No   Who are these men7"

"The same man Using different names Do you remember, at
the Celestial Harmony Cafe, the man who stood by the railing:"

Zan Zu looked down into her coffee cup, gave a slow thoughtful
nod.

"Who was he:"

"I don't know Why do you ask:"

"Because you started to go to him "

"Yes I know."

"W^hy: If you don't know him:"

420 THE DEMON PRINCES

The girl twisted the cup back and forth, watching the swirls of
black liquid. "It's hard to explain. I knew he was watching me. He
wanted me to come. Navarth had brought me there. And you were
there. As if everyone wanted me to go to him. As if I were-some-
thing to be sacrificed. I was dizzy. The room was unsteady. Perhaps
I had drunk too much wine. But I wanted to have it all over with.
If this were mv fate, I would know . .. But you wouldn't let me go.
I remember this much. And I-" She stopped, and took her hands
away from the coffee cup. "Anyway, I know you mean me no
harm."

Gersen said nothing. Zan Zu asked tentatively, "Do you?"

"No. Are you finished?"

They returned to the houseboat, which was as they had left it.
"Where is Navarth?" Gersen asked.

"He prepares for his party. He is tremendously excited. Since
you have come all is different."

"And after I left the Celestial Harmony Cafe the other night,
what happened?"

Zan Zu frowned. "There was talk. It seems there were lights
in my eyes, orange and green blurs. The man came to the table,
and stood looking down at me. He spoke to Navarth."

"Did you look at him?"

"No. I don't think so."

"What did he say to Navarth?"

Zan Zu shook her head. "There was a sound in my ears, like
rushing water, or the roar of the wind. I didn't hear. The man
touched my shoulder."

"And after that-what?"

Zan Zu grimaced. "I don't remember ... I can't remember."

"She was drunk!" cried out a voice. Navarth rushed into the
saloon. "Carefully drunk! What are you doing aboard my private
houseboat?"

"I came to learn how you are spending my money."

"All is as before. Now depart at once."

"Come, come," said Cersen patiently. "This is a cavalier tone
to take with the man who repaired your houseboat."

"After first stoving it in? Bah! Has there ever been an act to
equal it?"

"I understand that in your youth you contrived a few outrages
of your own."

THE PALACE OF LOVE 421

"In my youth?" sputtered Navarth. "I have contrived outrages
all my life!"

"What of the party?"

"It is to be a poetic episode, an exercise in experiential art. I
think it best that you do not attend this particular party, as-"

"WTiat? I'm paying for it! If I don't come, give me back my
money."

Navarth flung himself petulantly into a chair. "I expected you
to take this line."

"I'm afraid so. Where is the party to be held?"

"We meet at the village Kussines, twenty miles to the east. The
rendezvous is precisely at the hour of two in the afternoon, in front
of the inn. You must wear harlequinade and a domino."

"Viole Falushe is to come?"

"Indeed, indeed; have I not made all clear?"

"Not altogether. All are to wear dominoes?"

"Naturally."

"How will I recognize Viole Falushe?"

"What a question to ask. How can he hide? Black radiation
hangs about him. He exudes a dread sensation."

"These qualities may be obvious," said Gersen. "Still-how
else may he be identified?"

"You must determine this at the time. At the moment, I do not
know myself."

At ten minutes before the appointed hour, Gersen parked his
rented air car in a meadow on the outskirts of Kussines and
alighted. A cloak concealed the harlequinade; he carried the domino
in his pocket.

The afternoon was soft and sunny, fragrant with the exhalations
of autumn. Navarth could hardly have hoped for a finer day,
thought Gersen. He checked his garments carefully. The harle-
quinade offered little scope for concealment, but Gersen had made
the best of the situation. Inserted horizontally into his belt was a
blade of thin keen glass, the buckle serving as a handle. Under his
left arm hung a projac; in his right sleeve was poison. Thus encum-
bered, Gersen swept his cloak about him and marched into the
village-a collection of ancient black iron and melt-stone structures
on the shore of a small lake. The setting was bucolic and charming,
almost medieval; the inn, perhaps the newest structure of the vil-
lage, was at least four hundred years old. As Gersen approached, a
young man in gray and black stepped forward. "For the afternoon
party, sir?"

Gersen nodded and was led to a dock at the edge of the lake,
where a canopied boat awaited. "Domino, please," said the young
man in uniform. Gersen donned the mask, stepped aboard the boat
and was conveyed to the opposite shore.

It seemed that he was one of the last to arrive. At a semicircular
buffet stood perhaps twenty other guests, all self-conscious in their
costumes. One who could only be Navarth came forward, divested
Gersen of his cloak. "While we wait, taste this vintage; it is supple
and light and will amuse you."

Gersen took the wine and stepped aside. Twenty men and

THE PALACE OF LOVE 423

women: which was Viole Falushe? If he were present, he was not
readily apparent- A slender young woman stood stiffly nearby, hold-
ing her goblet as if it contained vinegar. Navarth had allowed Zan
Zu to the party after all, thought Gersen. Or dragooned her into
coming, to judge by her attitude. He counted. Ten men, eleven
women. If parity of sexes were to be observed, there still remained
at least one man to arrive. Even as Gersen counted the white-
canopied punt drifted into the dock; a man stepped ashore. He was
tall, lean; his manner combined indolent ease with taut wariness.
Gersen inspected him carefully. If this were not Viole Falushe, he
must be considered the most likely candidate. The man slowly ap-
proached the group. Navarth hurried forward with a crouch that
was almost servile and took the cloak which the man tossed to him.
With the cloak hung on its peg, a goblet of wine in the newcomer's
hand, Navarth's ebullience returned. He waved his arms, walked
back and forth with long springing strides- "Friends and guests, all
are now arrived: a chosen group of nymphs and undergods, poets
and philosophers. Notice, as we stand here in the meadow, our
patterns of orange and red, and black and red; we contrive an un-
conscious pavan! We are performers, participants and spectators at
the same time. The frame within which spontaneity is confined-
the theme, so to speak-is that which I have ordained; the varia-
tions, and intricacies, counterplay and development is our mutual
concern. We must be subtle and free, carefully reckless, at all times
consonant; our figures must never leave the chord!" Navarth held
his goblet up to a shaft of sunlight, drank with a grand flourish,
then pointed dramatically through the trees. "Follow me!"

Fifty yards away was a charabanc with a tasselled yellow canopy,
the sides enameled in red, orange and green. Benches cushioned in
bright orange plush ran along the sides. In the center kneeling mar-
ble satyrs supported a marble slab on which were dozens of bottles
of every size, shape and color, all containing the same soft wine.

The guests climbed aboard, the charabanc slid off, silent and
easy on its repulsion skids.

Through a beautiful park drifted the charabanc. Magnificent
vistas opened on all sides. The guests gradually discarded restraint;

there was conversation and laughter, but for the most part all were
content to sip the wine and enjoy the autumn scenery.

Gersen scrutinized each man in turn. The last man to arrive
still seemed the most likely candidate for the identity of Viole Fa-

THE, DI-'.MON PRINCES

424

lushe; Gersen thought of him as Possibility No. 1. But at least four
others were tall, lean, dark and composed-Possibilities No. 2, No.
3, No. 4 and No. 5.

The charabanc halted; the group stepped down into a meadow
sprinkled with purple and white asters. Navarth, hopping and skip-
ping like a young goat, led the group under a grove ot tall trees.
The time was now about three o'clock; afternoon sunlight slanted
through the masses of golden leaves, to play upon a great nig of
tan and golden silk with a border of gray-greens and blues. Beyond
stood a silken pavilion supported by white spiral poles.

Spaced around the rug -were twenty-two tall peacock-tail chairs.
Beside each stood an antique tabouret of ebony inlaid with mother-
of-pearl and cinnabar, with a vermilion bowl of crystallized spice
on each. Working by some mysterious rationale Navarth arranged
his guests in the splendid chairs. Gersen found himself at one end
of the rug with Zan Zu several chairs distant, and the five possi-
bilities at the far side. From somewhere came music, or more ac-
curately near-music: a succession of wry quiet chords, sometimes
so soft as to be unheard, sometimes so complex as to be equivocal
and perplexing, never completing or fulfilling a progression, always
of a haunting sweetness.

Navarth took his own place, and all sat quietly. From the pa-
vilion came ten young girls naked but for golden slippers and yellow
roses over their ears. They bore trays on which were goblets of
heavy green glass, containing the same delicate wine as before.

Navarth remained in his chair; the other guests were content
to do likewise. Sun-drenched yellow leaves floated down to the
golden rug; an aromatic odor hung in the air. Gersen sipped his
wine cautiously; he could not afford to be lulled, soothed. Close at
hand was Viole Falushe, a situation for which he had paid a million
SVU. The sly Navarth had not kept the letter of his promise.
Where was the "aura of black radiation" Navarth had mentioned?
It seemed to hang heaviest around Possibilities No. 1, No. 2 and
No. 3, but in this regard Gersen was disinclined to trust his para-
psychic powers.

A tension, an expectancy began to be felt. Navarth sat crouched
in the chair as if already bemused. The naked girls, dappled by
sunlight and leaf-shadow, poured wine, moving slowly as if walking
under water. Navarth lifted his head, as if hearing a voice or a tar-
off sound. He spoke in an exultant voice, and the vagrant chords

THE PALACE OF LOVE 425

seemed to match themselves to the rhythm of his speech, creating
music. "Some here have known emotion in many phases. No one
can know every emotion, for these are both infinite and fugitive.
Some here are unaware, untouched, unexplored-and know it not.
See me! I am Navarth, called the mad poet! But is not every poet
mad? It is inevitable. His nerves are conductive and transport un-
containable gushes of energy. He fears-how he fears! He feels the
movement of time; between his fingers it is a warm pulsing, as if
he grasped an exposed artery. At a sound-a distant laugh, a ripple
of water, a gust of wind-he becomes sick and faints, because never
in all the extent of time can this sound, this ripple, this gust recur.
Here is the deafening tragedy of the journey which we all under-
take! Would the mad poet want it to be different? Never exulting?
Never desperate? Never clasping life against his bare nerves?" Na-
varth leapt to his feet and danced a jig. "All here are mad poets. If
you would eat, the delicacies of the world await. If you would re-
flect, sit in your chairs and watch the fall of the leaves. Notice how
slow is their motion; here time has slowed on our behalf. If you
would exalt yourself, this magnificent vintage never cloys nor stu-
pefies. If you would explore erotic proximities or middle distances
or indistinct horizons: bowers and dells surround us." His voice
descended an octave; the chords became measured and slow.
"There can be no light without shade, no sound without silence.
Exultation skips along the verge of pain. I am the mad poet, I am
Life! Hence, by the inevitable consequence, Death is here as well.
But where Life cries out its meanings, Death sits quiet. Look then
among the masks!"

And Navarth pointed from one silent harlequin to another
around the circle. "Death is here, Death watches Life. It is not
witless, aimless Death. It is Death with a snuff cap, intent on a
single candle. So do not fear, unless you have cause to fear-"
Navarth turned his head. "Listen!"

From far away came the merry sound of music. It grew louder
and louder still, and into the glade marched four musicians: one
with castanets, one with guitar and two fiddlers-and they played
the most impelling and merry of jigs-enough to set the pulses
racing. Suddenly they stopped short in their music. The castanet
player brought forth a flute, and now the music was of a heart-
breaking melancholy. And playing in this fashion, they moved off
through the trees and presently were lost to hearing. The soft in-

426 TIIF. DEMON PRINCES

decisive chords went on as before, without beginning or end, as
easy and natural as breathing.

Gersen had become uneasy. Circumstances were moving be-
yond his control. In this harlequinade, he felt inept. Was this an-
other ofNavarth's craftv plovs? Were Viole Falushe to stand before
him now and announce himself, Gersen could never act. The au-
tumn air was heavy with haze; the wine had made him maudlin. He
could never spill blood on the magnificent rug of tawny tan and
gold. Nor even on the carpet of golden leaves beyond.

Gersen leaned back in his chair, amused and disgusted with
himself. Very well then, for the moment he would sit and reflect.
Some of the other guests were stirring. Perhaps Navarth's talk of
death had chilled them, for they moved tentatively and carefully.
Gersen wondered to whom Navarth had referred, in his talk of
death . . . The girls moved sedately along the line of chairs, pouring
wine. As one bent near Gersen, he caught the scent of her yellow
rose; straightening, she smiled at him, and passed on to the next
guest.

Gersen drank the wine. He leaned back in the chair. Even if he
had become detached and passionless, he could yet speculate. Cer-
tain of the guests had risen to their feet and leaving their high-
backed chairs, they mingled and talked in soft husky voices.
Possibility No. 1 stood brooding. Possibility No. 2 stared fixedly at
Zan Zu. Possibility No. 3, like Gersen, sprawled in his chair. Pos-
sibilities No. 4 and No. 5 were among those talking.

Gersen looked toward Navarth. What next? Navarth's inten-
tion must extend beyond the instant. What more had he planned?
Gersen called to him. Navarth turned aside reluctantly.

Gersen asked, "Is Viole Falushe here?"

"Tish!" exclaimed Navarth. "You are a monomaniac!"

"I have been told as much before. W^ell, is he here?"

"I invited twenty-one guests. Counting myself, twenty-two are
present. Viole Falushe is here."

"WWiishe?"

"I don't know."

"What? You don't know?" Gersen sat upright, aroused from
his lethargy by Navarth's double-dealing. "We must have no mis-
understanding, Navarth. You accepted a million SVU from me,
agreeing to fulfill certain conditions."

"And I have done so," snapped Navarth. "The simple truth is

THE PAIACV. OF LOVE

427

that I do not know in what semblance Viole Falushe currently
walks. I knew the boy Vogel P'ilschner well. Viole Falushe has al-
tered his face and his manner. He might be one of three or four.
Unless I were to unmask this group, send away those I recognized
until one remained, I could not give you Viole Falushe."

"V^ry well, this we shall do."

Navarth w^uld not submit. "My life might well be slid from
my body by one route or another. I object to this. I am a mad poet,
not a lummox."

"Immaterial. This is how we will act. Be so kind as to summon
your candidates into the pavilion."

"No, no!" croaked Navarth. "It is impossible. There is an easier
way. Watch the girl. He will go to her, and then you will know."

"A half dozen might go to her."

"Then claim her. Only one man would challenge you."

"And if no one challenges?"

Navarth held out his arms. "What can you lose?"

Both turned to look toward the girl. Gersen said, "WTiat can I
lose indeed? What is her relationship to you?"

"She is the daughter of an old friend," declared Navarth
suavely. "She is, in effect, my ward; I have been at pains to nurture
her and bring her nicely to maturity."

"And this now accomplished, you offer her here and there to
passing strangers?"

"The conversation becomes tiresome," said Navarth. "Look. A
man approaches the girl!"

Gersen swung around. Possibility No. 2 had approached Zan
Zu and was talking in a manner unmistakably ardent. Zan Zu lis-
tened politely. As in the Celestial I larmony Cafe, Gersen felt a
surge of emotion: lust? jealousy? protective instinct? Whatever the
nature of the urge, it compelled him to step forward and join the
two.

"You are enjoying the party?" Gersen asked with factitious
good-fellowship. "A wonderful day for such an outing. Navarth is
a magnificent host; still, he has introduced no one to no one. What
is your name?"

Possibility No. 2 answered courteously: "Navarth doubtless has
good reason for the neglect; best that we do not divulge our iden-
tities."

428 THK DEMON PRINCES

"Sensible," said Gersen. He turned to Zan Zu. "Still, what is
your opinion?"

"I have no identity to divulge."

Possibility No. 2 suggested: "Why not approach Navarth and
inquire his thoughts on the subject?"

"I think not. Navarth would become confused. He has pro-
pounded a fallacy. He seems to advocate intimate relationships be-
tween walking costumes. Is this feasible? I doubt it. Certainly not
at the level of intensity Navarth would insist upon."

"Quite so, quite so," said Possibility No. 2. "Be a good fellow
and leave us to ourselves. The young lady and I were enjoying a
private discussion."

"My apologies for interrupting you. But the young lady and I
already had planned to gather flowers from the meadow."

"You are mistaken," said Possibility No. 2. "When all wear
harlequinade, error is easy."

"If there has been an error, it is for the best, as I prefer this
delightful young flower-picker to the last. Be so good as to excuse
us."

Possibility No. 2 was amiability itself. "Really, my good fellow,
your facetiousness has run its course. Surely you must see that you
are intruding?"

"I think not. In a party of this sort, where experience is to be
clasped to the naked nerves, where Death walks, there is wisdom
in flexibility. Notice the woman yonder. She appears loquacious and
prepared to discuss every subject in your repertory. WTly not join
her and chat away to your heart's content?"

"But it is you she admires," said Possibility No. 2 brusquely-
"Be off with you."

Gersen turned to Zan Zu. "Apparently you must make the
choice. Conversation or wildflowers?"

Zan Zu hesitated, looking from one to the other. Possibility
No. 2 fixed her with a gaze of burning intensity. "Choose, if indeed
there is a choice between this lout and myself. Choose-but choose
carefully."

Zan Zu demurely turned to Gersen. "Let us pick flowers."

Possibility No. 2 stared, looked away toward Navarth as if to
call upon him to intercede, then thought better of it and walked
away.

Zan Zu asked, "Are you really anxious to pick wildflowers?"

THE PAf.-SC!': Of- im-'f': 429

"You know who I am?"

"Of course."

"I don't care to pick wildflowers, unless you do."

"Oh . . . What then do you want of me?"

Gersen found the question hard to answer. "I do not know
myself."

Zan Zu took his arm. "Let us go to look for flowers, and per-
haps we will find out."

Gersen looked around the group. Possibility No. 2 watched
from a distance. Possibilities No. 1 and No. 3 appeared to pay them
no heed. They started off through the trees, Zan Zu leaning on his
arm. Gersen put his arm around her waist; she sighed.

Possibility No. 2 gave a quick jerk of the shoulders, and by this
motion seemed to cast off restraint. He came after Gersen with soft
portentous strides; in his hand he carried a small weapon. Behind-
Gersen saw in a near-instantaneous glimpse-stood Navarth, look-
ing after them, his posture a curious superimposition of shame on
glee.

Gersen pushed Zan Zu to the ground, ducked behind a tree.
Possibility No. 2 halted. He turned toward Zan Zu, and to Gersen's
shocked amazement, pointed his weapon. Gersen leapt from behind
the tree and struck the man's arm; the weapon threw a sear of
energy into the ground. The two confronted each other, eyes blaz-
ing with mutual hate ... A shrill blast of whistle. From the forest
came the thud of heavy feet; gendarmes swarmed forth, a dozen or
more, urged by a lieutenant in a golden helmet and a furious old
man in brocaded gray.

Navarth stepped forward haughtily. "What is the meaning of
this intrusion?"

The old man, who was short and overweight, bounded torward
to shake his fist. "What the devil are you up to, trespassing upon
my private property? You are a jackanapes! And these naked girls-
an absolute scandal!"

In a stern voice Navarth demanded of the lieutenant: "WTio is
this old rogue? W^hat right does he have to intrude upon a private
party?"

Now the old man, stepping forward, discerned the rug, and
went pale. "Behold!" he whispered huskily. "My priceless silk Sik-
kim nig! Spread out for these rascals to cavort upon. And my chairs,
oh my precious Bahadurs! W'Tiat else have they stolen?"

430 THE DEMON PRINCFS

"This is balderdash'" stormed Navarth "I have rented these
premises and hired the furniture The owner is Baron Caspar
Heaulmes, who is at a samtonum for his health "

"I am Baron Caspar Heaulmes1" cried the old man. "I do not
know your name, sir, behind that ridiculous mask, but I perceive
you to be a blackguard' Lieutenant, do your duty Take them all
away I insist on the fullest investigation'"

Navarth threw his hands into the air, and argued the case from
a dozen viewpoints, but the lieutenant was inexorable "I fear I must
take all into custody Baron Heaulmes is making a formal com-
plaint "

Gersen, standing to the side, had been watching with great in-
terest, simultaneously noting the movements of Possibilities No 1,
No 2, No. 3. Whichever was Viole Falushe-and it would seem
to be Possibility No 2-he would be sweating heavily at this mo-
ment once he were arrested and taken into court, his identity must
become known

Possibility No 1 stood dour and dismal, Possibility No 2 was
carefully assessing the situation, looking this way and that, Possi-
bility No 3 seemed unconcerned, even amused

The lieutenant by this time had seized Navarth, charging him
with trespass, theft, offenses against public morality and simple as-
sault-the latter arising from his attempt to kick Baron Heaulmes
The remaining gendarmes now commenced to herd the guests to-
ward a pair of carcel-wagons which had descended to the meadow.
Possibility No. 2 loitered at the edge of the group and, taking ad-
vantage of Navarth's obstreperous behavior, slipped behind a tree
Gersen raised up a shout, a pair of gendarmes looked around,
bawled peremptory orders and marched forward to conduct Pos-
sibility No 2 to the carcel-wagons Possibility No 2 jumped back
among the trees, when the gendarmes ran m pursuit, there came a
dire flash of radiation-once, twice, and two men lay dead Possi-
bility No 2 sprinted away through the forest and was lost to view
Gersen gave chase, but halted after a hundred yards, fearing am-
bush

Shedding his mask, he ran to the semicircular buffet beside the
pond, where he found and donned his cloak The punt ferried him
across the lake to the outskirts of Kussmes

Five minutes later he reached his air car and took it aloft He
hovered several minutes, searching the air space If Possibility No

THE PALACE OF LOVL 431

2 had arrived by air car, he must likewise be taking himself aloft.
And also, thought Gersen, patrol craft would be converging on the
scene of the murders One man m harlequinade looked much like
another, the sooner he was gone the better And Gersen flew full
speed back toward Rolingshaven

From the Rolingshaven Mundus:

Kussines, September 30: Two agents of the county
gendarmery this afternoon were murdered by a guest at
a mysterious orgy on the estate of Baron Caspar Heaul-
mes at Kussines. In the confusion attendant upon the
violence, the murderer made good a temporary escape
and is believed to be hiding in the woods. His name
has not yet been made public.

Host and ringleader at the bacchanalian fete was the
notorious poet and free-thinker Navarth, whose esca-
pades have long edified the citizens of Rolingshaven . ..

The article goes on to describe the circumstances of the
murder. The names of the persons taken into custody are
listed.

From the Rolingshaven Mzmdus:

Rolingshaven, October 2: Victim of an inexplicable
attack was lan Kelly, 32, of London, who last night was
waylaid in the Bissgasse and viciously beaten to death.
There is no clue as to the identity of his assailant and
no apparent motive. Ketly figured in the news two days
ago as a guest at the poet Navarth's fantastic party on
the estate of Baron Caspar Heaulmes. Police are work-

THE PALACE OF LOVE

ing on the theory that the two circumstances are con-
nected-
Article for Cosmopolis:

VIOLE FALUSHR

by Navarth

PART I: THE BOY

Notorious as much for his fascinating Palace of Love
as for the ghastly score of his crimes is Viole Falushe, the
Demon Prince. Who is he, what is he? I, perhaps better
than anyone alive, am able to calculate his motives and an-
alyze his acts. I have little knowledge of the man as he is
today. If he were to pass me on the street I would not
recognize him. But I can say this much: judging by Viole
Falushe as a youth, I find the popular concept of Viole Fa-
lushe-which is to say, a man handsome, elegant, gay, ro-
mantic-impossible to credit. The notion is, in fact,
startling and ludicrous.

I first met Viole Falushe when he was fourteen. His
name was then Vogel Filschner. If the man resembles the
boy, his celebrated amours can only have been achieved
through duress or drugs. As all know, I am jealous of my
reputation for dispassionate candor, and to this end inter-
viewed all the women who, as girls, knew Vogel Filschner
well. I withhold their names, for obvious reasons. Repre-
sentative comments:

"a boy preoccupied with every sort of nastiness."

"Vogel was utterly repellent, though there were boys
far uglier than he in our class. Four years I knew him, and
instead of learning to take pains with himself he became
worse."

"I could never bear to sit next to Vogel. He smelled
badly, as if he never changed his socks or his underwear,
I'm sure he never washed his hands and possibly never
bathed."

434 THE DEMON PRINCES

"Vogel Filschner! I suppose it was not all his fault. His
mother must have been a sloven. He had disgusting per-
sonal habits, such as picking his nose and examining the
yield, making queer gulping noises, and above all smelling."

These are representative remarks; indeed, some of the
milder comments. I am a man, above all, fair and judicious;

hence I quote none of the more extravagant anecdotes.

Let me describe Vogel Filschner as I knew him. He was
tall and arachnid, with spindly legs and an unhealthy round
belly. To complete the somewhat spiderlike illusion were
his round cheeks and pink proboscis of a nose. To his credit
he admired my poetry, though I fear that Vogel distorted
my doctrines beyond recognition. I preach augmented ex-
istence; Vogel wanted me to approve his solipsistic ruth-
lessness.

The first occasion I was approached by Vogel Filschner
was at the time of my celebrated contretemps with Dame
Amelie Pallemont-Dalhouse, in connection with my spon-
sorship of her daughter Earline, which of course is a fas-
cinating tale in itself. In any event, Vogel appeared one
morning with some wretched doggerel he had written. It
seems that Vogel's juices were flowing, that he was in love
with a pretty girl who needless to say was far from flattered
by the compliment.. .

The article continued for several pages.

On October 3, Navarth, having paid exemplary damages of SVU
50,000 to Baron Caspar Heaulmes, was discharged from the court,
which likewise dismissed charges against Navarth's guests.

Gersen met Navarth on the mall in front of the Justice Courts.
Navarth at first made as if he would pass without deigning to rec-
ognize Gersen, but Gersen finally was able to divert him to the
table of a nearby cafe.

"Justice, bah!" Navarth made a grimace toward the courts.
"Think of it! Money I must pay that vindictive and sanctimonious
unmentionable. He should have indemnified me! Did he not disrupt
the party? What did he hope to gain, running forth from the forest
like that?" Navarth paused to moisten his throat with the beer Ger-

THE PAIACV. W LOVE 435

sen had ordered. "It is enough to turn a man sour." He set the
mug down with a thump and turned a yellow glance toward Gersen.
"What do you want of me now? Another exercise in bathos? I warn
you, I will not be so malleable a second time."

Gersen displayed the newspaper articles dealing with the event.
Navarth refused to look at them. "A wretched lot of nonsense, sheer
scurrility. You journalists are all alike."

"I notice that yesterday a certain lan Kelly was murdered."

"Yes, poor Kelly. Did you come to the arraignment?"

"No."

"Then you missed your chance, because among the crowd was
Viole Falushe. He is the most sensitive of men and cannot forget
an injury. lan Kelly was unlucky enough to resemble you in size
and manner." Navarth shook his head ruefully. "Ah, that Vogel.
He detests frustration as a bee sting."

"Do the police know the murderer is Viole Falushe?"

"I told them he was a man I met in a bar. What else could I

•' if
sayr

Gersen had no reply to make. He indicated the article once
more. "Twenty names are listed, which refers to Zan Zu?"

Navarth made a contemptuous gesture toward the article. "Se-
lect as you like. One is as accurate as the next."

"One of these names must refer to her," said Gersen.
"Which?"

"How should I know what name she chooses to supply the
police? I believe I will drink more beer. The argument has parched
my throat."

"I see here a 'Drusilla Wavles, age eighteen.' Is this she?"

"Quite possibly, possibly indeed."

"And this is her name?"

"Merciful Kalzibah! Must she own a name? A name is a weight!
A chain to a set of uncontrolled circumstances. To own no name
is to own freedom! Are you so stolid then that you cannot imagine
a person without a name? She is what one chooses to call her."

"Strange," said Gersen. "She exactly resembles the Jheral
Tinzy of thirty years ago."

Navarth jerked back in his chair. "How do you know this?"

"I have not been idle. For example, I have produced this." Ger-
sen produced a dummy CosmopoUs. From the cover looked the face
of young Vogel Filschner superimposed upon the outline of a tall

436 THK DEMON PRINCES

ominous gray figure. Below was the caption: The Young Viole Fa-
lushe, Vogel Filschner As I Knew Him, by Navarth.

Navarth seized the dummy, read the article aghast. He raised
his hands to his head. "He'll kill us all! He'll drown us in dog vomit!
He'll grow trees in our ears!"

"The article seems balanced and judicious," said Gersen. "Cer-
tainly he can take no offense at facts."

Navarth read farther, and went into a new paroxysm of dismay.
"You have signed my name! I never wrote all that!"

"It's all true."

"The more so! When is this to be published?"

"In a week or two."

"Impossible. I forbid it."

"In that case, return me the money I lent you, that you might
finance your party."

"Lent?" Navarth was shocked anew. "That was no loan! You
paid me, you hired me to produce a party, at which Viole Falushe
would be present."

"You did neither. Baron Heaulmes, it is true, truncated your
party, but this is no affair of mine. And where was Viole Falushe?
You can point to the murderer, but this means nothing to me.
Please return the money."

"I cannot, I have spent money like water! And Baron Heaulmes
demanded his pound of flesh."

"Well, return me the nine hundred thousand SVU you have
left."

"WTiat? I have no such sum on hand'"

"Perhaps we can set aside a portion as your payment for this
article, but-"

"No, no! The article must not be published!"

"Best that we have a complete understanding," said Gersen.
"You have not told me all."

"For which I am grateful. You have published the rest." Na-
varth kneaded his forehead, "These have been terrible days. Have
you no pity for poor old Navarth?"

Gersen laughed. "You plotted to get me killed. You knew that
Viole Falushe would attempt to possess Drusilla Wayles, or Zan
Zu, whatever her name. You knew that I would not allow it. lan
Kelly paid his life in my place."

THE PAL/ICE OF l.OVE 437

"No, no, nothing like that. I hoped you would kill Viole Fa-
lushe!"

"You're a devious villain. What of Drusilla, how was she to
fare? Did you consider her?"

"I consider nothing," said Navarth huskily. "I cannot allow my-
self to ponder. If I lifted the partition between my two brains for
so much as an instant-"

"Tell me what you know."

With extreme reluctance Navarth obeyed. "I must go back to
Vogel Filschner once more. When he kidnaped the choral society,
Jheral Tinzy escaped. That you know. But she was the cause of the
crime and the parents of the other girls blamed her. It became very
hard, very rough. There were threats, names called in public . . ."

Navarth had come under similar attack. One day he proposed
to Jheral Tinzv that they run away together. Jheral, bitter and dis-
illusioned, was in a mood for anything. They went to Corfu where
they spent three years, and every day Navarth loved Jheral Tinzy
more ardently than the day previous.

One terrible day Vogel Filschner appeared at the door of their
little villa. He was no longer the old Vogel, though his appearance
was much the same. He stood more erect, but the most striking
change was his new personality. He had become hard, sure, firm;

his eves were bright, his voice assured. Evildoing clearly was good
for him.

Vogel made a great show of amity to Navarth. "Past is past.
Jheral Tinzy? I want nothing from her. She has given herself to
you; she is sullied. I am fastidious in this respect; I take no woman
fresh from another man's use. Be assured, she never will know an
iota of my love . . . She should have waited. Yes. She should have
waited. Because she mi^ht have known I would return . . . But now
my love for Jheral Tinzy is gone."

Navarth was somewhat reassured. He brought out a bottle; they
sat in the garden, ate oranges, drank ouzo. Navarth became very
drunk and fell asleep. WTien he awoke Vogel F'ilschner was gone.
Jheral Tinzy was gone as well.

A day later Vogel Filchner reappeared. Navarth was in a frenzy.
"W^here is she? WTiat have you done with her?"

"She is well and safe." '

"What of your promise? You told me you had no more love
for her."

438 THE DF MON PRINCES

"This is true The promise shall be kept Jheral will never know
my love, nor the love of any other man Do you underestimate my
emotion, poec^ Love can turn to hate in a flicker of time. Jheral
will ser\e, and serve well She would not gratify my love, but she
will appease my hate."

Navarth threw himself at Vogel Filschner, but Vogel vaulted
over the wall, and Navarth was left alone

Nine years later Vole Falushe made contact with Navarth b^
telescreen, but now his face was blanked. Navarth heard only his
voice Navarth asked for the return of Jheral Tmzy, and Viole Fa-
lushe agreed Two days later a child three years old was brought to
Navarth Viole Falushe called again "I have done as I promised
You have Jheral Tmzy again."

'Ts it her daughter2"

"It is Jheral Tmzy, this is all you need know I put her into
your charge Keep her, nurture her, guard her, see that she remains
undefiled-for one day I will return for her " The screen went
dead Navarth turned to inspect the girl Even now he could see
her resemblance to Jheral   What to do7 Navarth considered the
child with mingled emotion He could regard her neither as a
daughter nor as a manifestation of his former love He felt antag-
onism. There would always be a bittersweet ambiguity in their re-
lationship, for Navarth was unable to love impersonally, the object
of his love must relate to himself.

Navarth exemplified his contradicting impulses in his rearing
of the girl He fed her, provided shelter, both of the most casual
and desultory sort Otherwise the girl was independent She became
moody and uncommunicative, she made no friends and presently
gave up asking questions.

As she matured, her resemblance to Jhera! Tmzy became ever
more striking She was Jheral Tmzy indeed, and her presence tor-
mented Navarth with memories of the past

A dozen years passed, but Viole Falushe had made no appear-
ance Still Navarth never dared hope that Viole Falushe had for-
gotten, indeed he became ever more obsessed with the certainty
that Viole Falushe would presently arrive and take the girl away
He tried from time to time to acquaint the girl with the danger
represented by Viole Falushe, but his approach varied with his
mood, and he was never sure that she understood him. He at-
tempted to seclude her, a task rendered difficult by the girl's un-

THE PALACE OF LOVE 439

predictable habits, and he took her off to remote corners of the
Earth

When the girl was sixteen, they lived in Edmonton, Canada,
the goal of hordes of pilgrims who came to gaze upon the Sacred
Shin Navarth reasoned that here, among the interminable festivals,
processions and sacerdotal rites, they might well live unnoticed.

But Navarth was wrong. Viole Falushe by some means knew
his whereabouts One night the telescreen lit up to show a tall figure
standing against a flashing blue background which obscured his fea-
tures Navarth, nevertheless, recognized Viole Falushe and despon-
dently called out "Show" to the telescreen

"Well, Navarth," said Viole Falushe, "what do you do m the
Holy City^ Have you become a devout Kalziban that you live al-
most in the shadow of the Shin5"

"I study," muttered Navarth "I derive a sense of purpose from
the pervasive zeal "

"And what of the girP I refer to Jheral She is well, I trust5"

"She was in fair condition last evening I haven't seen her

since

Viole Falushe stared fixedly at Navarth, with only the glitter of
his eyes giving dimension to his silhouette "Is she pure5"

"How would I know3" demanded Navarth crossly "I can't
watch her day and night In any event, what affair is it of yours5"

If anything, the intensity of Viole Falushe's glance increased
"It is my affair in all respects, to such a degree that you would

never imagine'

"Your language is extravagant," sniffed Navarth "I can hardly
believe you to be serious "

Viole Falushe laughed softly "Someday you will visit the Palace
of Love, old Navarth, someday you will be my guest "

"Not I'" declared Navarth "I am a new Antaeus, never may I
detach my toe from Earth, if necessary I will fall flat on my face
and cling with both hands'"

"Well then, summon the girl Call Jheral before the screen so
that I may see her." An odd note had entered Viole Falushe's voice
sweetness and tenderness burdened with an almost insupportable
rage

"How can I call her when I don't know her whereabouts2 She
may be prowling the streets, or canoeing on the lake, or lying in
someone's bed-"

440 THE DEMON PRINCES

A hoarse sound interrupted Navarth. But Viole Falushe's voice
was mild. "Never say that, old Navarth. She was given into your
care; I intended that you give her proper instruction. Have you
done so? I suspect not."

"The best instruction is living itself," declared Navarth bluffly.
"I am no pedant, as you well know."

There was a moment's silence. Then Viole Falushe said: "Do
you know why I put the girl in your care?"

"My own motivations confuse me," said Navarth. "How should
I know yours?"

"I will tell you. Because you know me well, you know what I
require without explicit instructions."

Navarth blinked. "I had not considered the matter in this

light."

"Then, old Navarth, you are remiss."

"I have heard this accusation a hundred times."

"But now you know what I expect. I hope you will repair your
neglect."

The screen went dead. Navarth in a fury of frustration and
resentment went striding out along the Great Nave, that avenue
extending from the Plaza of Beatitudes to the Temple of the Shin.
But the press of pilgrims irked him, and he took refuge in a tea-
house, where he drank four cups of strong tea before he was suf-
ficiently composed to think.

Specifically, Navarth wondered, what did Viole Falushe expect?
He had a romantic interest in the girl, he wanted her inculcated,
preconditioned, receptive- Navarth could not restrain a wild cackle
of mirth, which aroused surprised glances from the other patrons
of the teahouse, most of them black-clad pilgrims.

Viole Falushe wanted him to make the girl conscious of the
great honor which awaited her; he wanted her preconditioned, pre-
disposed, already fervent. . . The pilgrims, fresh from ceremonies
at the temple, were regarding him with suspicion. Navarth jumped
to his feet and departed the tearoom. There was no further reason
to remain in Edmonton. As soon as possible he took the girl back
to Rolingshaven.

Once or twice he mentioned Viole Falushe to the girl, in a tone
of dejection, for now he had come to think of the girl as doomed;

to such effect that on one occasion the girl ran away. Fortuitously
the event occurred immediately before one of Viole Falushe's visits

THE PALACE OF LOVE 441

to Earth. When he telephoned Navarth demanding to see the girl,
Navarth was forced to blurt forth the truth. Viole Falushe spoke in
a mild voice: "Best that she be found, Navarth."

But Navarth made no attempt to find the girl until he was sure
Viole Falushe had departed from Earth-here Gersen interposed a
question: "How could you be sure?"

Navarth attempted to evade the question, but finally admitted
that Viole Falushe, during his visits to Earth, could be telephoned
at a particular code number. "Then you could call him now?"

"Yes, yes, of course," snapped Navarth. "If I wanted to do so,
which I do not." He continued his story, but now he became cau-
tious, using many flamboyant gestures, shirting his yellow glance all
around with only an occasional brief flicker for Gersen.

It seemed that when Gersen appeared on the scene, Navarth
sensed that here might be a weapon to be used against Viole Fa-
lushe (an aspect to the account Navarth left unspoken). With the
utmost caution, committing no overt acts, always leaving himself
lines of retreat, Navarth tried to arrange for the discomfiture or
destruction of Viole Falushe. Events however superseded his plans.
"And now," quavered Navarth, pointing a long finger at the Cos-
mopolis dummy, "this!"

"You believe Viole Falushe would react unfavorably to the ar-
ticle?"

"Indeed, indeed! He is the least forgiving of men; it is the key
to his soul!"

"Perhaps then we had best discuss the article with Viole Falushe
himself."

"What benefit can derive from that? He will merely have more
time to generate a suitable response."

Gersen pondered. "Well then, it seems that we had best publish
the article in its present form."

"No, no!" cried Navarth. "Have 1 not made all clear? He would
punish us in equivalence to his annoyance, and he uses a subjective
judgment! This article would offend him to an unprecedented fury;

he hates his childhood, he only comes to Ambeules to gloat and
work mischief on his old enemies. Do you know what happened to
Rudolph Radgo, who jeered at Vogel Filschner's pimples? Rudolph
Radgo's face is a garden of carbuncles, through Sarkovy poison.
There was Maria, who moved her seat because Vogel's rheums and
snivelings upset her. Maria now lacks all trace of a nose. Twice she

442 THE DEMON PRINCES

has had grafts, twice she has suffered the loss of her new member;

she is not to have a nose for all her life. So you see, it is not wise
to offend Viole Falushe . .." Navarth craned his neck. "What are
you writing?"

"This is interesting new material; I am incorporating it into the
article."

Navarth threw his hands up so wildly that his chair almost over-
turned, "Have you no prudence?"

"Perhaps if we discussed the article with Viole Falushe he might
authorize its publication."

"It's you who are mad, not I!"

"We can only try."

"Very well," croaked Navarth. "I have no choice. But I warn
you, I disavow all connection with the article!"

"As you wish. Shall we make our call here, or at the house-
boat?"

"At the houseboat."

They left the plaza, rode the tube to Ambeules, and were con-
veyed to the Fitlingasse by surface wagon.

The houseboat floated, serene and quiet, on the estuary.
"Where is the girl?" asked Gersen. "Zan Zu, Drusilla, whatever
her name?"

Navarth refused to answer. Gersen's question, so he implied,
was like asking the color of the wind. He hopped on down the
ladder, jumped aboard the boat, and with a desperate, tragic ges-
ture, flung wide the door. He stalked to the telescreen, pushed
buttons, and spoke a muffled activating word. The presentation
sprang to life: a single frail lavender flower. Navarth turned to look
at Gersen. "He is available; when off Earth the pattern is blue."

They waited. From the telescreen came a wisp of tender mel-
ody, then after a moment or two a voice: "Ah Navarth, my ancient
companion. With a friend?"

"Yes, an urgent matter. This is Mr. Henry Lucas representing
Cosmopolis magazine."

"A journal with an honored tradition! But have we not met?
There is about you a disturbing familiarity."

"I was on Sarkovy recently," said Gersen. "As I recall, your
name was in the air."

"A miasmic planet, Sarkovy. Nevertheless, one with a certain
macabre beauty."

THE PALACE OF LOVE

Navarth spoke. "I have had a misunderstanding with Mr. Lucas,
and I wish specifically to disavow responsibility for his actions."

"My dear Navarth, you alarm me. Mr. Lucas is surely a man
of courtesy."

"You shall see."

"As Navarth has mentioned I work for Cosmopolis," said Gersen.
"In fact I am a senior official. One of our writers prepared a rather
sensational article. I suspect the writer of over-enthusiasm and
therefore checked with Navarth, who reinforced my doubts. It
seems that the writer came upon Navarth in an exalted mood, and
on the basis of a casual word, he went to enormous lengths of
research and produced the article."

"Ah, yes, the article. You have it with you?"

Gersen displayed the dummy. "It is included here. I insisted on
checking the facts, apparently to good avail. Navarth insists that
our writer took the most extreme liberties. He feels that in all fair-
ness you should be allowed to authenticate the article before pub-
lication."

"Sound notion, Navarth' Well then, allow me to examine this
alarming effusion; I'm sure it can't be all that grim."

Gersen slipped the magazine into the transcription rack. Viole
Falushe read. From time to time he made sudden apparently in-
voluntary noises: hisses between the teeth, small throaty sounds.
"Turn the page, please." His voice was light and mild. Presently
he said: "Yes. I have finished." There was a moment's silence, then
he spoke again, and now the voice, superficially jocular, rang with
a tinny overtone. "Navarth, you have been sing-ularly reckless, even
for an exhilarated poet."

"Bah," muttered Navarth. "Did I not disassociate myself from
this entire farrago?"

"Not completely. I notice matters which are magnified and dis-
torted in a manner possible only to a mad poet. You have been
indiscreet."

Navarth said bravely, "Candor is never indiscreet. Truth, which
is to say, the reflection of life, is beautiful."

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," said Viole Falushe. "I
for one find little beauty in this abusive article. Mr. Lucas is quite
correct in seeking my reaction. The article may not be published."

For some fantastic reason Navarth saw fit to grumble. "What
good is notoriety if your friends are unable to profit from it?"

I HE DEMON PRINCES

444

"Exploitation of notoriety and humiliation of your friends are
not identical," spoke the mild voice "Can you imagine my distress
if this article appeared and exposed me to ridicule? I would be
forced to demand amends for all concerned, which is only simple
)ustice Since by an act ot yours, my feelings are injured, then by
other acts you must atone until my feelings are whole again. It is
not enough to assert that I am oversensitive If you hurt me, then
you must assuage the hurt, no matter how disproportionate the
effort "

"Truth reflects the cosmos," argued the mad poet "To ex-
punge truth, one must destroy the cosmos This is the dispropor-
tionate act "

"Aha'" declared Viole Falushe "But the article is not neces-
sarily truth' It is a point of view, an image or two snatched out of
context. I, the person most intimately concerned, denounce the
point of view as a flagrant distortion "

"I would like to make a suggestion," said Gersen "Why not
allow Cosmopolis to present the real facts, or that is to say, the facts
from your own point of view^ No doubt you have a statement to
make to the folk of the Oikumene, who are fascinated by your
exploits, whether or not they approve of them "

"No, I think not," said Viole Falushe "Such an article would
seem self-inflation or worse, a rather spurious apologia. Basically I
am a modest man "

"But are you not an artist as welP"

"Certainly On the truest and noblest scale Artists before me
have conveyed their assertions by abstract symbology, the spectators
or audience has always been passive I use a more poignant sym-
bology, essentially abstract but palpable, visible and audible-in
short a symbology of events and environments There are no spec-
tators, no audience, no passivity There are only participants They
encounter experience at its keenest No man has dared conceive on
so vast a scope before " Here Viole Falushe gave a slow strange
chuckle "With the exception, perhaps of my megalomaniac con-
temporary Lens Larque, though his concepts are less fluid than my
own But I dare to say it I am perhaps the supreme artist of history
My sub)ect is Life, my medium is Experience, tools are Pleasure,
Passion, Pungence, Pain. I arrange the total environment, in order
to suffuse the total entity f! his of course is the rationale of my
estate, popularly known as the Palace of Love "

THE PALACE OF LOVE

445

Gersen nodded sagely "Precisely what the folk of the Oiku-
mene are anxious to learn' Rather than publish a vulgar expose of
this sort"-Gersen tapped the dummy with the back of his hand-
"'Cosmopohs would like you to explain your thesis We want pho-
tographs, charts, odor swatches, sound impressions, portraits-
above all we want your expert analysis "

"Possible, possible "

"Good. To this end let us meet together Name a time and
place, and I will be there "

"The place7 Where else7 The Palace of Love Each year I wel-
come a group of guests You shall be in the current contingent, and
mad old Navarth as well "

"Not I'" protested Navarth "My feet have never yet lost con-
tact with Earth, I do not care to risk the clarity of my vision "

Gersen also demurred. "The invitation, though tempting, is not
particularly convenient I would prefer to meet you tonight, here
on Earth "

"Impossible On Earth I have enemies, on Earth I am a shadow
No man can point and say, there stands Viole Falushe-not even
my dear friend Navarth, from whom I have learned much of value
A lovely party, that, Navarth' Magnificent, worthy of a mad poet
However, I am disappointed in the girl I gave you to nurture, and
I am disappointed in you. You have exercised neither the tact, the
imagination, nor the creative direction for which I had hoped. Con-
sider the girl in the light of what she is and what she might be' I
had expected a new Jheral Tmzy gay and grave, sweet as honey,
tart as lime, with a brain full of stars, ardent yet innocent What
do I find3 A wanton, a hoyden, a sour-faced ragamuffin, completely
irresponsible and undiscernmg Imagine' In preference to me, she
chose a certain lan Kelly, an insolent, unworthy person, far better
dead I find the situation incomprehensible The girl clearly had
not been well-trained Surely she knows of me and my interest in
her?"

"Yes," said Navarth mulishly. "I have pronounced your name "

"Well, I am not quite satisfied, and I am sending her elsewhere
for corrective training by less gifted but more disciplined tutors I
think it likely that she will join us at the Palace of Love- Ah,
Navarth, you spoke^'

"Yes," said Navarth in a dull voice "I have decided to advan-
tage myself of your invitation I will visit your Palace of Love "

446 THE. DEMON PRINCES

"All very well for you artists," said Gersen hurriedly. "But I am
a busy man. Perhaps a brief conference or two here on Earth-"

"But I have already left Earth/' said Viole Falushe in a voice
of gentle reproach. "I hang here in orbit only until I hear that my
plans for the young minx have been implemented ... So you must
come to the Palace of Love."

The violet flower flashed green, faded and shifted to a delicate
pale blue. The connection had been broken.

Navarth sat sprawled in his chair a long two minutes, head askew,
chin on his chest. Gersen stood looking out the window, sensible
of a sudden new hollowness . -. Navarth lurched to his feet, went
out on the front deck. Gersen followed. The sun was setting into
the estuary; the died roofs of Dourrai glowed bronze; the rotting
black wharves and docks stood forth in queer shapes and angles; all
was invested with an unreal melancholy.

Gersen presently asked, "Do you know how to reach the Palace
of Love?"

"No. He will inform us. He has a mind like a filing cabinet; no
detail evades him." Navarth swung his arms indecisively, then went
inside, to return with a tall, slender, black-green bottle and two
goblets. He broke off the seal, poured. "Drink, Henry Lucas, what-
ever your name, whatever your trade. Within this bottle is the wis-
dom of the ages, tincture of Earth-gold. Nowhere is tipple to equal
this; it is unique to old Earth. Mad old Earth, like mad old Navarth,
yields its best in its serene maturity. Drink of this precious elixir,
Henry Lucas, and count yourself fortunate; normally it is reserved
for mad poets, tragic Pierrots, black angels, heroes about to die .. ."

"Gannot I be counted among these?" muttered Gersen, more
to himself than Navarth.

As was his habit Navarth raised the goblet into the sunlight, of
which only a few smoky orange rays remained. He tossed half a
cupful into his mouth, stared out across the water. "I leave Earth.
The withered leaf is lifted by the wind. Look, look, look!" In sud-
den excitement he pointed to the somber sun-trail along the estu-
ary. "The road ahead, the way we must go!"

Gersen sipped the liquor, which seemed to explode into a spray
of multi-colored lights. "There is no doubt but what he has taken
the girl?"

Navarth's mouth twisted awry. "I have no doubt as to this. He

THE PALACE OF LOVE

447

will punish her, hissing like a serpent. She isJheral Tinzy, and once
again she has rebuffed him ... so once again she will return to her
infancy."

"You are sure she isJheral Tinzy? Not someone who resembles
her closely?"

"She is Jheral Tinzy. There are differences, significant differ-
ences. Jheral was frivolous and a trifle cruel, this one is somber,
pensive, and never thinks of cruelty.... But she is Jheral Tinzy."

They sat, each occupied with his own thoughts. Dusk fell across
the water; lights commenced to shine from the far slopes. A uni-
formed messenger alighted from his air car, and descended the lad-
der. He called from the landing, "A delivery for the poet Navarth."

Navarth lurched to the gangplank. "I am he."

"Thumbprint here, please."

Navarth returned with the delivery: a long blue envelope.
Slowly he opened it, withdrew the enclosure. At the top was the
lavender flower of the screen presentation. The message read:

Go Beyond to Sirneste Cluster, in Aquarius Sector. Deep
within the cluster hangs the yellow sun Miel. The fifth
planet is Sogdian upon which, at the south of the hourglass
continent, you will discern the city Atar. In one month's
time go to Rubdan Ulshaziz at his agency and say: "I am
guest of the Margrave."

10

Excerpt from the televised debate at Avente, Alphanor, on
July 10, 1521, between Gowman Hachien, Counsel for the
Planned Progress League, and Shzor Jesno, Fellow of the
Institute, 98th Degree

Hachien Is it not true then that the Institute orig-
inated as a cabal of assassins3

Jesno To the same degree that the Planned Prog-
ress League originated as a cabal of irresponsible sedi-
tionists, traitors, suicidal hypochrondnacs

Hachien This is not a pertinent response

Jesno The elasticities, the areas of vagueness sur-
rounding the terms ol- your question, do indeed encom-
pass the exact truth of the situation

Hachien What, then, in inelastic terms, is the
truth3

Jesno Approximately fifteen hundred years ago, it
became evident that existing laws and systems of public
safety could not protect the human race from four bland
and insidious dangers First, universal and compulsory
dosage of drugs, tonics, toners, conditioners, stimulants
and prophylactics administered through the public wa-
ter supply Second, the development of genetic sciences,
which allowed and encouraged \anous agencies to alter
the basic character of Man, according to con tern porar).

THE PALACE OF LOVE 449

biological and political theory Third, psychological
control through media of public information. Fourth,
the proliferation of machinery and systems which m the
name of progress and social welfare tended to make
enterprise, imagination, creative toil and the subsequent
satisfactions obsolete if not extinct.

I will not speak of mental myopia, irresponsibility,
masochism, or the efforts of persons nervously groping
for a secure womb to re-enter: this is all irrelevant The
effect, however, was a situation analogous to the growth
of four cancers in a human organism; the Institute came
into being by much the same progress that the body
generates a prophylactic serum

With trepidation dampened by fatalism, Navarth boarded Ger-
sen's Distis Pharaon. Standing in the saloon, looking right and left,
he spoke in a tragic voice. "So at last it has happened' Poor old
Navarth, pried away from his source of strength' See him now-a
huddle, a sack of tired bones Navarth. You failed to discriminate
in your company. You befriended waifs and criminals and )ournal-
ists; for your tolerance you are to be wafted away into space."

"Compose yourself," said Gersen. "It's not all that bad."

As the Pharaon lifted from Earth, Navarth gave a hollow groan,
as if a spike were being driven into his foot.

"Look out the port," suggested Gersen "See old Earth as you
have never seen it before."

Navarth inspected the great blue and white globe and reluc-
tantly agreed that the vista was of majestic dimensions

"Now Earth recedes," said Gersen "We point ourselves toward
Aquarius, we engage the intersplit and suddenly we are insulated
from the universe."

Navarth pulled at his long chin "Strange," he admitted.
"Strange that this shell can convey us so far so fast. Somewhere
there is mystery. It impels one to theosophy to the worship of a
space god, or a god of light "

"Theory dissolves the mystery, though it lays bare a cryptic new
stratum. Quite likely there is an endless set of these layers, mystery
below mystery. Space is foam, matter particles are nodes and con-
densations. The foam fluxes, at varying rates, the average activity
of these minuscule fluxes is Time."

THK DEMON PRINCES

450

Navarth cautiously moved across the ship. "It is all very inter-
esting. Had 1 followed an early bent, I might have been a great
scientist."

The voyage proceeded. Navarth was a rather trying companion,
ebullient one moment, morose the next. At one time he simulta-
neously became afflicted with claustrophobia and agoraphobia, and
lav on a settee with his feet bare and a cloth pulled over his head.
On other occasions he sat by the port watching the stars pass, crow-
ing with amazement and glee. Another time he became interested
in the workings of the intersplit, and Gersen explained it as well as
he could: "Space-foam is whorled into a spindle; the pointed ends
crack and split the foam, which has no inertia; the ship inside the
whorl is insulated from the effects of the universe; the slightest
force propels it at an unthinkable rate. Light curls through the
whorl, we have the illusion of seeing the passing universe."

"Hmm," mused Navarth. "How small can the units be made?"
Gersen could give no definite answer. "Quite compact, I sup-
pose."

"Think! If you carried one on your back you could become
invisible!"

"To drift a million miles with each breath."

"Unless a person anchored himself. Why isn't this done?"

"The intersplit would break the connection; no anchor would

hold."

Navarth argued the point at length, and lamented his previous
ignorance. "Had I known previously of this marvelous device, I
might have contrived a useful new machine!"

"The intersplit has been known for a long time."
"But not to me!" And Navarth went off to brood.
Through the hither stars of Aquarius flew the Pharaon; the
Pale, that invisible barrier theoretically separating order from
chaos, fell behind. Ahead glowed Sirneste Cluster: two hundred
stars like a swarm of bright bees, controlling planets of every size
and description. Gersen located Miel with some difficulty, and pres-
ently the fifth planet Sogdian hung below, of Earth-size and at-
mospheric tvpe, like most of the settled planets. The climate
appeared temperate; the polar ice was of small extent; the equatorial
zone showed expanses of desert and jungle. The hourglass continent
was evident at once, and the macroscope located the city Afar.
Gersen sent down a request for landing clearance, but received

THE PALACE OF LOVE 451

no acknowledgment, which Gersen took as a sign that landing for-
malities were unknown.

He settled toward the planet and Atar spread below: a small
pink and white city surrounding an inlet of the ocean. The space-
port was operated in the manner standard at all the outer worlds:

as soon as Gersen had landed, two port officials approached, exacted
a fee and departed. There were no Deweaselers, a sign that the
world was not a haven for pirates, raiders and slavers-
No public conveyance was available; Gersen and Navarth
walked a half mile to the town. The people of Atar, dark-skinned
folk with hair dyed orange, wearing white pantaloons and wide
complicated white turbans, regarded them with great curiosity.
They spoke an incomprehensible language, but Gersen by dint of
repeating, "Rubdan Ulshaziz? Rubdan Ulshaziz?" presently learned
the whereabouts of the man he sought,

Rubdan Ulshaziz operated an import and export agency near
the ocean. He was a bland dark-skinned man dressed like the others
in loose pantaloons and turban, "Gentlemen, I welcome you. Will
you drink punch?" He poured out tiny cupfuls of thick cold fruit
syrup.

"Thank you," said Gersen. "We are guests of the Margrave,
and were instructed to come to you."

"Of course, of course!" Rubdan Ulshaziz bowed. "You will now
be conveyed to the planet where the Margrave has his little estate."
Rubdan Ulshaziz favored them with a lewd wink. "Excuse me a
little moment; I will instruct the person who is to conduct you."
He disappeared behind a portiere, presently to return with a dour-
seeming man with close-set eyes, who nervously puffed clouds of
smoke from an acrid cheroot. Rubdan Ulshaziz said, "This is Zog,
who will escort you to Rosja."

Zog blinked, coughed, spat a shred of tobacco to the floor.
"He speaks only the language of Atar," continued Rubdan Ul-
shaziz. "He will not be able to offer a description of your destina-
tion. Are you ready?"

"I need equipment from my spaceboat," said Gersen. "And the
spaceboat itself-is it safe?"

"As safe as if it were a tree; I will go bond on this. If you do
not find all correct upon your return, seek out Rubdan Ulshaziz
and demand an accounting. But what do you wish from your ship?
The Margrave furnishes everything, even to new garments."

452 THE DEMON PRINCES

"I need my recorder," said Gersen. "I plan to take photo-
graphs."

Rubdan Ulshaziz made a suave gesture. "The Margrave sup-
plies all equipment of this sort, the most modern combinations. He
wants his guests to arrive unburdened by possessions, though he is
indifferent to their psychic baggage."

"In other words," said Gersen, "we are not to carry any per-
sonal belongings with us?"

"None whatever. The Margrave supplies everything. His hos-
pitality is all-inclusive. You have locked, sealed and coded your
spaceship? Good, then from this moment forward you are a guest
of the Margrave. If you will accompany Fendi Zog-" he signaled
Zog with a peremptory twist of the hand. Zog inclined his head
and Gersen and Navarth followed him to an open area behind the
warehouse. Here was an air car of a design unfamiliar to Gersen,
and, so it seemed, to Zog as well. Sitting at the controls Zog tested
first one operator, then another, squinting at the rather haphazard
arrangement of knobs, grips and voice sensors. Finally, as if tiring
of the uncertainty, he pushed at a cluster of finger-flicks. The air
car jerked aloft, darted across the tree-tops, with Zog crouching
over the controls and Navarth calling out in wrath.

Zog finally took command of the air car; they flew twenty miles
south across the cultivated plots and stock pens surrounding Atar,
to a field on which rested a late-model Baumur Andromeda. Once
again Zog betrayed signs of uncertainty. The air car swooped,
bucked, wallowed and finally sank to rest. Navarth and Gersen
alighted with alacrity. Zog signaled them toward the Andromeda;

they climbed aboard and the port closed behind them. Through a
transparent panel in the partition separating the saloon from the
forward compartment, they saw Zog settling himself at the controls.
Navarth called out an instant protest; Zog squinted back through
the panel, bared yellow teeth in what might have been meant as a
smile of reassurance, and drew a curtain. The magnetic lock clicked
shut on the intervening door. Navarth sank back in dismay. "Life
is never so sweet until it becomes a hazard. What a sour trick for
Vogel to play on his old preceptor!"

Gersen indicated the pleated burlap screen which covered the
ports. "He also wants to preserve his mystery."

Navarth shook his head in bewilderment. "What use is knowl-

THE PALACE OF LOVE 453

edge to minds benumbed by fright? .. . Why do we wait? Does Zog
consult the Operator's Manual?"

The Andromeda lurched and rose at an alarming rate, almost
hurling Gersen and Navarth to the floor; Gersen grinned to hear
Navarth's roar of protest. The sun Miel, as it could be glimpsed
through the burlap, swung right and left, then rolled down and out
of sight below the hull. Off through the cluster flew the Androm-
eda, and it seemed as if Zog changed course several times, whether
from inaccuracy, poor spacemanship, or a desire to confuse his pas-
sengers.

Two hours passed. A yellow-white sun bulked large behind the
screened ports; below hung a planet the configuration of which
could not be discerned by reason of the curtain. With an impatient
ejaculation, Navarth went to pull the curtain aside. A crackle of
blue sparks struck out at his fingertips, and he fell back with a
startled cry. "This is an imposition!" he exclaimed. "Ill usage in-
deed!"

From an unseen diaphragm a recorded voice spoke: "As cher-
ished guests, you will wish to please your host by adhering to certain
standards of courtesy and restraint. It is not necessary to define
these standards; they will be clear to all persons of delicacy. The
stimulus provides a jocular reminder to the insensitive or thought-
less."

Navarth made a surly sound in his throat. "There's a smug dog
for you. WTiat harm in peering forth from the port?"

"Evidently the Margrave hopes to conceal the location of his
headquarters," said Gersen.

"Balderdash. What is to prevent a man's searching the cluster
until he finds the Palace of Love?"

"There are hundreds of planets," Gersen pointed out. "Very
likely other discouragements as well."

"He need fear no intrusion from me," sniffed Navarth.

The Andromeda settled upon a field surrounded by blue-green
gum trees of distinctly terrestrial derivation. Zog immediately un-
sealed the port, a process which Gersen watched first with
amazement, then quizzical amusement. Wary of unseen micro-
phones, he communicated none of his ideas to Navarth.

They alighted into the morning glare of a yellow-white sun,
much like Miel in color and radiance. The air was pungent with
the odor of gum trees and native vegetation: shrubs with lustrous

454 THE DEMON PRINCES

black stalks, black and scarlet leaf-discs; blue spikes with fluttering
dark blue vanes; puffs of cottony membrane enclosing tomato-red
nodes. There were also clumps of terrestrial bamboo and grass and
a thicket of blackberry bushes.

"Bizarre, bizarre," muttered Navarth, looking about. "There is
fascination to be found on these far worlds!"

"This is almost like Earth," said Gersen. "But other areas may
be dominated by local plants; then you will see the truly bizarre."

"No scope even for a sane poet," grumbled Navarth. "But I
must put aside my individuality, my pitiful small cell of sentience.
I have been snatched from Earth, and no doubt my bones will rot
in this strange soil." He picked up a clod, crushed it between his
fingers, let the fragments fall to the ground. "It looks like soil, it
feels like soil-but it is star-stuff. We are far from Earth . . . What?
And we are to be marooned as well, with neither a crust nor a bottle
of wine." For Zog had returned within the Andromeda and was
sealing the port. Gersen took Navarth's arm and hustled him across
the meadow. "Zog has a reckless temperament; he may take off on
intersplit and carry away ship, meadow, shrubs, grass, and two pas-
sengers if we stand too near. Then you could well sing of bizarre
circumstances."

But Zog raised the ship on its ionic pencils; Gersen and Navarth
watched it dwindle into the bright blue sky. "So here we are, some-
where in Sirneste Cluster," said Navarth. "Either the Palace of
Love is nearby or Viole Falushe has performed another of his gro-
tesque jokes."

Gersen went to the edge of the meadow and looked through
the screen of trees. "Grotesque joke or not, here is a road, and it
must lead somewhere."

They set out along the road, between hedges of tall black rods,
with scarlet leaf-discs clattering and chattering in the wind. The
road wound around a knob of black schist, swung up a steep rise.
Gaining the crest they looked out upon a valley and a small city
only a mile or two distant.

"Is this the Palace of Love?" wondered Navarth. "Hardly what
I expected-far too neat, too precise- And what are those circular
towers?" The towers to which Navarth referred rose at regular
intervals across the city. Gersen could only suggest that they con-
tained offices or apartments, or perhaps served to house civic func-
tionaries.

THE PALACE OF LOVE 455

As they started down the hill, a vehicle approached at a great
rate-a bumping thudding platform supported by rolling air-
cushions. Standing at the controls was a gaunt stern person in a
brown and black uniform, who on closer inspection proved to be a
woman. She halted the car, inspected the two with a skeptical gaze.
"You are the Margrave's guests? Step aboard then."

Navarth took exception to the woman's tone. "Were you sup-
posed to meet the ship? This is inefficiency; we were forced to
walk!"

The woman gave him a scornful half-smile. "Get aboard, unless
you care to walk more."

Gersen and Navarth climbed aboard, Navarth fuming with in-
dignation. Gersen asked the woman, "What city is that?"

"It is City Ten."

"And what is your name for this planet?"

"I call it Fool's World. Other folk may call it what they like."
Her mouth snapped shut like a trap. She swung the vehicle around
and started back down the road, the bladders pounding, Gersen and
Navarth clinging tight to avoid being hurled into the ditch. Navarth
bawled orders and instructions, but the woman drove even more
furiously and did not slow until they entered the city by a curving
tree-shaded avenue; whereupon her pace became extremely sedate.
Gersen and Navarth were exposed to the curious stares of the city's
inhabitants. These were a people without distinctive peculiarity
other than that the heads of the men were shaved clean as an egg-
eyebrows, scalp, and beard; while the women affected an elaborate
coiffure of long varnished spikes, occasionally tipped with flowers
or other ornaments. Both men and women wore garments of ex-
travagant cut and color, and carried themselves with a peculiar mix-
ture of swagger and furtiveness; speaking emphatically in low
voices, laughing in loud brash bays, only to stop short, look in all
directions, then continue with their mirth.

The vehicle passed one of the towers Navarth had noted: a
structure of twenty stories, each apparently consisting of six wedge-
shaped apartments.

Navarth spoke to the woman-"What is the purpose of the
towers which rise so prominently?"

"It is where the taxes are collected," was the reply.

"Aha then, Henry Lucas, you are correct: the towers house civic
functionaries."

THE. DEMON PRINCES

456

The woman gave Navarth a caustic gray glance. "They do, in-
deed. Indeed and indeed."

Navarth paid her no further heed. He pointed to one of the
numerous cafes along the boulevard, patronized principally by men.
"These rascals have much idle time," Navarth noted. "See how
they loll and take their tipple! Viole Falushe is less than harsh with
his subjects, if such they be!"

The vehicle swung into a turn-around, halted before a long
two-story building. On the veranda sat a number of men and
women in various costumes, obviously outworlders. "Off then,
shagheads!" said the woman driver tersely. "Here is the inn; I have
done my stint."

"Incompetently, and in a surly manner," declared Navarth, ris-
ing and preparing to alight. "Your own head, incidentally, would
never be the worse for a few changes. Perhaps a full beard, as a
start."

The woman touched a button; the bed of the vehicle tilted;

Navarth and Gersen were forced to jump to the ground. The ve-
hicle departed, with Navarth making an insulting gesture at the
woman's back.

A footman came forward to meet them. "You are guests of the
Margrave?"

"This is correct," said Navarth. "We have been invited to the
Palace."

"During the wait, you will be housed in the inn."

"Wait? Of what duration?" demanded Navarth. "I assumed
that we would be taken directly to the Palace."

The footman bowed. "The Margrave's guests assemble here;

all go forth together. I presume there are five or six others yet to
come, this being the usual number. May I show you to your
rooms?"

Gersen and Navarth were conducted to cubicles eight feet on
a side, each containing a low narrow bunk, a wardrobe, a lavatory,
ventilated only by the lattice in the door. Navarth was housed next
to Gersen, and his complaints were clearly audible. Gersen smiled
to himself. For reasons know^ best to himself, such was the style
in which Viole F'alushe wished his guests to wait.

Within the wardrobe were Earth-style garments of a light crisp
fabric. Gersen washed, removed his beard with a depilatory,
changed into fresh garments and went out upon the veranda. Na-

THE PALACE OF LOVE 457

varth had preceded him, and already was holding forth to the eight
people, four men and four women, who sat there. Gersen took a
seat to the side and considered the group. Beside him sat a portly
gentleman wearing the black neckband and beige skintone, cur-
rently fashionable on the Mechanics Coast of Lyonesse, one of the
Concourse planets. He was, so Gersen discovered, a manufacturer
of bathroom fixtures named Hygen Grote. His companion Dor-
anie-almost certainly not his wife-was a cool wide-eyed blonde
woman with only an ultrafashionable hint of bronze skin luster.

A pair of serious young women sat quietly to the side; sociology
students at Sea Province University near Avente. Their names were
Tralla Callob and Mornice Whill; they seemed awed, half-alarmed,
and sat close to each other, feet flat on the floor, knees pressed
tightly together. Tralla Callob was not unattractive, though she
seemed unaware of this and took no pains to make the most of
herself. Mornice WTiill was victimized by overlarge features and a
truculent conviction that every man in the group intended assault
upon her chastity.

More relaxed was Margary Liever, a middle-aged woman from
Earth who had won first prize in a television contest: her "heart's
desire." She had chosen a visit to Viole Falushe's Palace of Love.
Viole Falushe had been amused and obliging.

Torrace da Nossa was a musician, a man of sophistication and
elegance, perhaps a trifle soft, more than a trifle vain, and wdth an
effortless ease of manner which made meaningful conversation dif-
ficult. He was visiting the Palace of Love preparatory to composing
an opera entitled The Palace of Love.

Lerand Wible was a marine architect of Earth, who recently
had constructed a sailboat of ultimate design. The fin was osmium,
the sails were tall airfoils of metal-plated foam, self-supporting and
unstayed. Sails and fin extended at opposite diameters of a metal
slip-ring; the hull always floated upright in its most efficient hy-
drodynamic posture. Both hull and fin were coated with a water
repellent, reducing skin friction to a minimum, while ducts expelled
air to minimize turbulence. Wible had met Viole Falushe in con-
nection with his fanciful scheme for a seagoing palace, ring-shaped
to enclose a central lagoon.

Skebou Diffiani was a taciturn man with a head of coarse black
hair, a black tightly curled beard and an expression conveying dis-
dain and suspicion of all the others. He was a native of Quantique,

I HE DFMON PRINCES

which went far to explain his aloof manner. His occupation was day
laborer, his inclusion in the group could be explained only as a
caprice of Viole Falushe.

Margery Lie\er had been the first to arrive, five of the long
local days before. Then Tralla and Mornice had come, then Skebou
Diffiani. Lerand VVible and Torrance da Nossa were next, followed
by Hvgen Grote and Doranie.

Navarth plied all with questions, pacing the veranda, darting
side glances right and left. But no one knew any more than he did;

none knew where lay the Palace of Love or the time of departure.
The uncertainty troubled no one, in spite of the constricted cham-
bers, the hotel was reasonably comfortable, and there was the city
to be explored a pulling, mysterious city, with latencies and un-
dercurrents some or the guests found fascinating, others disturbing.
A gong summoned the group to lunch, which was served on a back
court under black, green and scarlet trees The cuisine was uncom-
plicated pastry wafers, poached fish, fruit, a cool pale-green bev-
erage and cakes of spiced currants During the meal six new guests
arrived and were brought immediately to the court for lunch. They
were Druids of Vale, or Virgo 912 \TI, and apparently consisted
of two families, though such relationships were shrouded in secrecy.
There were two Druids, two Druidesses and two adolescents. All
wore similar garments: black gow^s, black cowls, long-toed black
slippers. Druids Dakaw and Pruitt were tall and saturnine; Druidess
Wust was thin, sinewy, with a hollow-cheeked face, and Druidess
Laidig was portly and imposing. The lad Hule was sixteen or sev-
enteen, extremely handsome, with sallow clear skin and clear dark
eyes He spoke little and smiled never, surveying all with a troubled
gaze. The girl Billika, about the same age, was likewise pale, with
something of the same troubled gaze, as if she constantly strove to
balance sets of irreconcilable relationships.

The Druids sat together, ate hurriedly with cowls drawn for-
ward and only occasional mutters of conversation. After lunch when
the guests returned to the veranda, the Druids came purposefully
forward, introduced themselves with brave cordiality, and took seats
among the others

Navarth came to question them, but their evasiveness was a
match for his curiosity, and he learned nothing. The talk became
general, reverting as it always did to the city7, the name of which
was either City Ten or Kouhha. The sub)ect of the towers arose.

7 HE P4L4CE OF LOVT. 459

What was their function2 Did they contain business offices, as Dor-
anie suggested, or were they residences2 Navarth reported the ex-
planation of the woman in the uniform, that the towers were
tax-gathering agencies, but the rest of the group found the idea
farfetched Diffiani made the somewhat brutal assertion that the
towers were brothels: "Notice: early in the morning girls and young
women arrive, later the men come."

Torrace da Nossa said, "The hypothesis is one which leaps to
mmd, but the women leave when they will; and they seem to in-
clude every stratum of society, which is hardly typical."

Hygen Grote gave a sly wink to Navarth. "There is a simple
way to resolve the question. I suggest that we deputize one of our
number to make direct inquiry."

Druidesses Laidig and Wust snorted and drew their cowls close
around their faces; the girl Billika licked her lips nervously. Druids
Dakaw and Pruitt looked off in different directions. Gersen won-
dered why the Druids, notoriously prim, had ventured on the jour-
ney to the Palace of Love, when their sensibilities could not but
fail to be outraged. Mysteries everywhere . . .

A few minutes later Gersen and Navarth went for a stroll
through the city, examining stalls, stores, workshops and residences
with the untroubled curiosity of tourists. The people watched them
with indifference and perhaps a tinge of envy. They seemed pros-
perous, gentle, easy of disposition; still Gersen sensed a pervading
quality he could not define-nothing so coarse as fear, or discord,
or anxiety . A wide tree-shaded cafe tempted Navarth, Gersen
pointed out that they lacked money.

Navarth brushed the matter aside, and insisted that Gersen )oin
him for a glass of wine. Gersen shrugged and followed Navarth to
a table. Navarth signaled the proprietor "We are guests of the
Margrave V^ole Falushe, we have no coin of the city. We intend to
patronize your cafe and you may send the account to the hotel for
collection."

The proprietor bowed punctiliously. "It shall be as you wish."

"Then we will drink a flask of whatever wine you consider suit-
able for this time of day."

"At once, sir "

The wine was served, a pleasant beverage which Navarth found
somewhat too delicate. They sat watching folk walk past. Directly

THE DEMON PRINCES

460

opposite rose one of the cryptic towers, which now in midafternoon
showed no great activity.

Navarth summoned the proprietor to order another flask of
wine, and, indicating the tower, asked, "What goes on in yonder

tower r

The proprietor seemed puzzled by the question. "It is like all
the rest-where we pay our taxes."

"By why so many towers then? Would not a single tower suf-
fice?"

Now the proprietor was amazed. "WTiat, sir? For so many peo-
ple as live here? Hardly possible!"

With this Navarth was forced to be satisfied.

Returning to the hotel they found that two more guests had
arrived, both men of Earth: Harry Tanzel of London, Gian Mario
of no fixed address. Both were well-favored men-tall, keen-faced,
dark-haired-of ages not immediately apparent. Tanzel was per-
haps the handsomer of the two; Mario was more energetic and vital.

The local day was a long twenty-nine hours; when night finally
arrived the guests retired without protest to their cubicles, only to
be awakened at midnight by a gong and summoned to a midnight
meal, in accordance with local custom.

The following morning saw the arrival of Zuly, a tall languor-
ous dancer from the world Valhalla, Tau Gemini VI. She com-
ported herself with the most exquisite mannerisms, to the suspicion
and perturbation of the Druids, especially young Hule who could
not keep his eyes away from the woman.

Immediately after the morning meal Gersen, Navarth and Ler-
and Wible went walking beside the canal, which ran behind the
hotel. Today appeared to be a holiday: the people of the city wore
garlands; some were drunk; others sang songs in praise of Arodin,
evidently a folk hero or ruler.

"Even on a holiday," said Navarth, "they go to pay their taxes."

"Nonsense," said Wible. "When do men go to pay taxes with
so jaunty a step?" The three paused to watch men going and com-
ing from the tall tower. "Definitely, it is a brothel. It can be nothing

else."

"But so public? So industrious? We may be misled by appear-


ances.'

"Conceivably. Do you wish to enter the place?"

THE PAL1CE OF LOVE

461

"No indeed. If brothel it is, I am unfamiliar with their methods
and might perform some unorthodox act to the discredit of us all."

"You are unusually cautious," remarked Gersen.

"I am on a strange planet," sighed Navarth. "I lack the strength
I derive from the soil of old Earth. But I am curious; we shall
resolve the question once and for all. Come." He led the way to
the pavilion where they had been served the day before, and
scanned the tables. A portly middle-aged gentleman in a wide-
brimmed green hat sat looking off along the boulevard, a small jug
of wine at his elbow.

Navarth approached him. "Your pardon, sir. As you can see,
we are strangers here. One or two of your customs puzzles us, and
we wish to learn how matters stand."

The middle-aged man heaved himself erect, and after a mo-
ment's hesitation pointed to the other chairs. "I will explain as best
I can, though there is small mystery here. We do as best we can
and live according to our lights."

Navarth, Gersen and Wible seated themselves. "First of all,"
Navarth inquired, "what is the function of that tower yonder, where
so many people go in and out?"

"Ah, there. Yes. That is our local agency of tax collection."

"Tax collection?" asked Navarth, with a triumphant glance at
Wible. "And the folk who go in and out pay taxes?"

"Exactly. The city is under the wise sponsorship of Arodin. We
are prosperous because taxes suck away none of our wealth."

At this Lerand Wible made a skeptical sound. "How is this
possible?"

"Is it not the same elsewhere? The money collected is the
money which otherwise would be spent on frivolity. The system is
beneficient to all. Every girl of the region must serve five years,
performing a stipulated number of services per day. Naturally the
more attractive girls fulfill their quota sooner than those who are
plain, and there is consequently a considerable incentive to main-
taining pulchritude."

"Aha!" said Wible. "In effect-a civic brothel."

His informant shrugged. "Call it what you wish. There is no
diminution of resource; the yield is devoted to civic expense; there
is no outcry at the collection of tax, and the tax collectors find their
work not irksome; or if they do, they can make 'in lieu' payments-
which usually happens should the girl wed before her service is

THE DKMON PRINCES

462

complete. Then, of course, we have our obligation to Arodm, which
each of us discharges by the payment of a two-year-old child.
Thereupon, we pay no more taxes, except for an occasional special
assessment."

"No one complains when his child is taken?"

"Usually not. The child is taken to a creche immediately after
birth, so that no bonds of affection are formed. Folk breed children
early to discharge their obligation as rapidly as possible."

Wible exchanged glances with Navarth and Gersen. "And what
happens to the children?"

"They go to the account of Arodin. The unsuitable are sold to
the Mahrab; the satisfactory serve at the great Palace. I gave a child
ten years ago; I now owe tax to no one."

Navarth could contain himself no longer. Leaning forward in
his chair he pointed a knobby finger. "So this is why you sit here
blinking so smugly in the sun? Where is your guilt?"

"Guilt?" The man raised his hands to adjust his wide-brimmed
hat in puzzlement. "There is no guilt. I have performed my duty.
I gave my child; I patronize the civic brothel twice a week. I am a
free man."

"While the child you gave is now a ten-year-old slave. Some-
where he or she toils that you may sit here with your belly on your
lap!"

The man rose to his feet, face pink with fury. "This is incite-
ment, a serious offense! What then do you do here, you plucked,
foolish old fowl? Why do you come to this city if you don't fancy
our ways?"

"I did not select your city as a destination," said Navarth with
dignity. "I am a guest ofViole Falushe, and remain here only pend-
ing his notification."

The man laughed, a harsh throbbing chortle. "This is the out-
world name for Arodin. You come to enjoy the Palace, and you
have not even paid!" He pounded the table once with his fist and
marched out of the cafe. Other patrons who had been listening
pointedly turned their backs. Presently the three returned to the
hotel.

Even as they arrived, the thud of the bladder-buggy sounded at
the end of the boulevard. It rumbled up to the hotel, halted. A man
alighted, and turned to help a young woman who, ignoring the
hand, Jumped to the ground. Navarth gave a raucous cry of surprise.

THE PALACE OF LOVE

463

The young woman, attired in fashionable Alphanor-style garments,
was Navarth's erstwhile ward, known as Zan Zu, Drusilla and oth-
erwise.

Navarth took her aside and pelted her with questions: What
had happened to her? WTiere had she been pent?

Drusilla could tell him little. She had been shoved into an air
car by the white-eyed man, conveyed to a space vessel and placed
in the custody of three grim women. Each of them wore a heavy
gold ring; after the poison sprayed from the rings was demonstrated
upon a dog, no further threats or warnings were necessary.

Drusilla was taken to Avente on Alphanor, lodged at the splen-
did Hotel Tarquin. The women were watchful as hawks, speaking
seldom, never more than two or three feet away, the gold rings a
sinister glitter. They took her to concerts, restaurants, fashion
shows, cinematic displays, museums and galleries. They urged her
to buy clothes, to tone her skin, to make herself chic. All of which
Drusilla resisted from sullen perversity; whereupon the women
bought the clothes, toned her skin and arranged her hair. Drusilla
retaliated by sagging, drooping, contriving to look as uncouth as
possible- Finally the women took her to the spaceport; they boarded
a spaceship which conveyed them to Sirneste Cluster and the planet
Sogdian. They arrived at the agency of Rubdan Ulshaziz at Atar
simultaneously with another guest for the Palace of Love, Milo
Ethuen, who stayed in Drusilla's company the remainder of the
journey. The three women came as far as the Kouliha space field,
then returned to Atar with Zog. Navarth and Gersen looked around
to inspect Ethuen, who now sat on the veranda with the others: a
man not unlike Tanzel and Mario, with a brooding face, dark hair,
long arms and sensitive hands.

The manager of the hotel came forth upon the veranda. "Ladies
and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that your wait is at an
end. The guests of the Margrave are assembled; you must now set
forth on your journey to the Palace of Love. Please follow me; I
will conduct you to your conveyance."

11

Excerpt from the televised debate at Avente, Alphanor, July
10, 1521, between Gowman Hachieri, Counsel for the
Planned Progress League and Slizor Jesno, Fellow of the
Institute, 98th Degree:

Hachieri: You admit that the Institute arranges as-
sassination of persons striving to improve the human
condition?

Jesno: You beg the question.
Hachieri: Do you murder anyone whatever?

Jesno: I don't care to discuss tactical theory. There
are very few such events.

Hachieri: But they occur.

Jesno: Only in the case of absolutely flagrant of-
fenses against the human organism.

Hachieri: Is not your definition ofoffense arbitrary?
Are you not simply opposed to change? Are you not
conservative to the point of stagnation?

Jesno: To all three questions-No. We want nat-
ural organic evolution. The human race, needless to
say, is not without flaws. When elements of the race
attempt to cure these ills-to create an "ideal man" or
an "ideal society," there is the certainty of over-
compensation in one or another direction. The flaws

THE PALACE OF LOVE 465

with the reaction to the flaws creates a distortion factor,
a filter, and the final product is more diseased then the
original. Natural evolution-the slow abrasion of man
against his environment-has slowly but definitely im-
proved the race. The optimum man, the optimum so-
ciety may never eventuate. But there will never be the
nightmare of the artificial man or the artificial "planned
progress" which the League advocates: not so long as
the human race generates that highly active set of an-
tibodies known as the Institute.

Hachieri: This is a resonant speech. It is superfi-
cially persuasive. It is ridden with maudlin fallacies. You
want man to evolve through "abrasion against his en-
vironment." Other human beings are part of the envi-
ronment. The League is part of the environment. We
are natural; we are neither artificial nor sick. The ills
of the Oikumene are by no means obscure or mysteri-
ous; they are susceptible to remedy. We of the League
propose to take action. We do not intend to be dis-
suaded or intimidated. If we are threatened, we shall
take measures to protect ourselves. We are not helpless.
The Institute has tyrannized society long enough. It is
time that new ideas permeated the human community.

Behind the hotel waited a long omnibus with six bladder wheels
and a canopy of rosy-pink silk. Amid banter, laughing and repartee,
the guests-eleven men and ten women-climbed aboard, settled
themselves upon cushions of purple satin. The bus trundled across
the canal and away to the south; Kouliha with its tall towers was
left behind.

For an hour the guests rode past carefully tended farms and
orchards toward a line of wooded hills, and speculation was rife as
to the exact location of the Palace of Love. Hygen Grote went so
far as to push into the forward compartment and make inquiry of
the driver. This was the gaunt woman in the brown and black uni-
form. Hygen Grote was rebuffed, and returned to his seat grinning
ruefully and shaking his head. Up into the hills rolled the bus, under
tall umbrella-shaped trees with glossy black trunks and green-

466 THE DEMON PRINCES

yellow leaf-discs From somewhere in the distance came the me-
lodious hooting of tree-dwelling creatures, enormous white moths
fluttered through the shade, which became ever more dank, ever
more pungent with the reek of lichens and large-leafed shrubs At
the ridge the road broke out into a dramatic blaze of sunlight, ahead
spread a vast blue ocean The bus plunged down a steep straight
road and halted at a dock Here waited a glass-hulled yacht with
blue decks and a white metal superstructure Four stewards in dark
blue and white uniforms assisted the guests from the bus, conducted
them to a building of white coral blocks, where they were asked to
change into new garments white yachting costumes, with rope san-
dals and loose white linen caps The Druids protested vigorously
on doctrinal grounds They flatly refused to part with their cowls;

and so they boarded the yacht-the men attired in white trousers
and )ackets, the women in white skirts and )ackets, with heads en-
cowled in black as before

The time was sunset, the yacht would not get under way until
the morrow The passengers assembled in the saloon, where they
were served Earth-type cocktails, and presently dinner The two
younger Druids, Hule and Billika, wore their cowls rather more
loosely than their parents, thereby incurring reprimands

After dinner the three young men, Mano, Tanzel and Ethuen,
played deck tennis with Tralla and Mornice Drusilla huddled dis-
consolately near Navarth, who conducted the strangest of conver-
sations with Druidess Laidig Gersen sat to the side watching,
propounding speculations, wondering where his responsibilities lay
and to whom From time to time Drusilla wistfully looked across
the saloon toward him Clearly she dreaded the future With good
reason, thought Gersen He could think of no way to reassure her
Zuly the dancer, supple as a white eel, walked around the deck with
da Nossa Skebou Diffiani the Quantique stood by the rail, thinking
the mysterious thoughts of his race, with an occasional contemp-
tuous glance toward da Nossa and Zuly

Billika shyly came up to talk to Drusilla, followed by Hule, who
seemed to find Drusilla attractive Billika, somewhat flushed, had
been tasting wine. She wore her cowl artfully disarranged to show
her curly brown hair a situation which did not evade the notice of
Druidess Laidig, who, however, was unable to detach herself from
Navarth

Margary Liever chatted with Hygen Grote and his companion

THE P-lL-lCEOrLOl-T 467

Dorame, until Doranie became bored and went to saunter along
the deck where, to H\gen Grote's annoyance, she was joined by
Lerand Wible

Ihe Druids were the first to bed, followed by Hygen Grote
and Doranie

Gersen went out on the deck and looked up at the sky where
the stars of Sirneste Cluster blazed To the south and east heaved
the waters of an ocean whose name he did not know Not far distant
Skebou Difham leaned on the rail, looking across the same ocean

Gersen returned within Drusilla had gone to her stateroom
On the sideboard the stewards had arranged a collation of meats,
cheese, fowl, aspic and a selection of wines and liquors

Zuly conversed in low tones with da Nossa Margary Liever
now sat alone, a vague smile on her face, was she not achieving her
heart's desire^ Navarth had become somewhat drunk and was swag-
gering about, spoiling for an opportunity to produce a dramatic
scene But everyone else was relaxed and gave him no scope Na-
varth finally threw up his hands and went off to bed Gersen, after
a last look around, followed

Gersen awoke to the pitch and roll of the yacht The time was
shortly after dawn sunlight slanted into the cabin through the sec-
tion of hull above the waterhne, below dark blue water surged past,
not yet illuminated by the sun

Gersen dressed, went to the saloon, to find himself the earliest
riser Land lay four or five miles off the starboard beam a narrow
beach, a wooded foreshore backed by low hills, with the hint of
purple mountains m the distance

Gersen went to the buffet, helped himself to breakfast As he
ate other guests appeared, and presently the entire complement sat
in the saloon, devouring grills and pastries, drinking hot beverages,
marveling at the scenery and the easy motion of the yacht

After breakfast Gersen went out upon the deck, where he was
joined by Navarth, foppish in his white yachting costume The day
was perfect, sunlight glinted on the blue swells, clouds soared above
the hon/on Navarth spat over the side, contemplated the sun, the
sky, the sea "The )ourney begins It must start like this, innocent
and pure "

Gersen understood Navarth's meaning well enough. He made
no comment

468 I HF DFMON PRINCES

Navarth spoke again, in a voice even more gloomy "No matter
what else you say ofVogel, he knows how to do a thing well "

Gersen inspected the gold buttons on his jacket They seemed
no more than buttons In response to Navarth's puzzled stare he
said mildly, "Such articles have been known to conceal spy-cells "

Navarth laughed hoarsely "Not likely Vogel may well be
aboard, but he won't be eavesdropping He'd be afraid of hearing
something unpleasant It would spoil the trip for him "

"You think he's aboard then7"

"He's aboard, no fear Would he miss an experience like this?
Never' But who2"

Gersen considered "He's not you nor I, nor the Druids He's
not Diffiam "

"He would not be Wible, a different type altogether, too fresh
and fair and round. He would not be da Nossa, though it's barely
possible Barely possible he's one of the Druids But I think not "

"That leaves only three The tall dark men "

"Tanzel, Mano, Ethuen. He could be any of these "

They turned to consider the three men Tanzel stood on the
bow, looking ahead across the ocean Ethuen sat sprawled m a deck
chair, talking to Bilhka, who squirmed in mingled embarrassment
and pleasure Mano, the last to arise, had )ust finished breakfast,
and was stepping out on deck Gersen tried to match each of them
to what he knew ofViole Falushe Each was tense, yet elegant, each
might have been Possibility No 2, the murderer m harlequinade
who had fled on long legs from Navarth's party

"Any could be Viole Falushe," said Navarth

"And what of Zan Zu-Drusilla-whatever her name^"

"She is doomed " Navarth threw his hands up m the air and
stalked away

Gersen looked toward Drusilla, as he had decided to think of
her She stood talking to Hule, the young Druid, who in the fervor
of the moment had let fall his cowl A handsome lad, thought Ger-
sen. earnest, with a look of internal tension which women must
eventually find provocative Indeed Drusilla was examining him
with some small interest Druidess Wust barked a sharp order Hule
guiltily snapped up his cowl and slunk away

Gersen went over to Drusilla She gave him a look of wary
welcome

"Were you surprised to see us at the hotel3" Gersen asked

THE P4LACEOr IOVI 469

She nodded "I had never expected to see you again " After a
moment's hesitation she asked, "What's going to happen to me5
Why am I so important"

Gersen, still in doubt regarding spy-cells, spoke cautiously "I
don't know what will happen I will protect you if I can You're
important because you resemble a girl Viole Falushe once loved
and who scorned him He may be aboard the yacht, he may be one
of the passengers So you must be very careful "

Drusilla turned a fearful look around the deck "Which one3"

"You remember the man at Navarth's party3"

"Yes "

"He will be a man like that "

Drusilla winced "I don't know how to be careful I wish I were
someone else " She looked over her shoulder "Can't you take me
awa\5"

"Not now "

Drusilld bit her lip "Why did it have to be me?"

"I might answer if I knew who you were to begin with Zan
Zu3 Drusiila Wayles2 Jheral Tinzy3"

"I'm none of them," she said in a dolorous voice

"Who are you?"

"I don't know "

"You don't have a name^'

" Fhe man at the dock saloon called me Spooky   That's not
much ofa name I'll be Drusilla Wayles " She looked at him care-
fully "You're not really a journalist, are you^'

"I am Henry Lucas, a monomaniac. And I mustn't talk to you
too much You know why "

Drusilla's face lost its momentary animation. "If you say so "

" Fry to identify Viole Falushe," said Gersen "He will want
you to love him If you don't, he'll hide his anger, but you may
know by a glance, a threat, a look on his face Or while he flirts
with someone else, he will watch to see if you notice "

Drusilla pursed her lips doubtfully "I'm not very discerning "

"Do your best But be careful Don't bring trouble on yourself
Here comes Tanzel "

"Good morning, good morning," said Tanzel breezily He
spoke to Drusilla "You look as if you've lost your last friend That's
not the case, you know, not with Harry Tanzel aboard Cheer up'
We're off to the Palace of Love "

470 THE DEMON PRINCES

Dmsilla nodded. "I know "

"Just the place for a pretty girl. I'll personally show you all the
sights, if I can fight off my competitors "

Gersen laughed "No competition here I can't take time from
my job, much as I'd like to "

"Job5 At the Palace ofLove^ Are you an ascetic?"

"Simply a journalist What I see and hear will show up in Cos-
mopohs "

"Keep my name out of it'" warned Tanzel facetiously. "Some-
day I'll be a married man, I'd never live down that kind of fame "

"I'll be discreet "

"Good Come along now " Tanzel took Drusilla's arm "I'll
help you with your morning constitutional Fifty times around the
deck"'

They walked off, Drusilla with a last forlorn glance over her
shoulder at Gersen

Navarth sidled up "There's one of them Is he the man3"

"I don't know He's starting strong."

Three days the yacht plied the sunny seas, for Gersen three pleasant
days, though the hospitality came from a man he intended to kill.
There was an effortless quality to the hours, a dreamlike isolation,
and each person's characteristic style was intensified, becoming a
thing larger than life. Attitudes and rigidities relaxed: Hule allowed
his cowl to hang loose and finally discarded it altogether, Billika,
more tentatively, did the same, whereupon Zuly in a spirit of cool
mischief offered to arrange her hair. Billika hesitated, then, with a
sigh of hedonistic abandon, assented So Zuly shaped and clipped,
to accentuate Billika's pale, wide-eyed delicacy, to the amazement
of all the men aboard. Druidess Laidig cried out in anger, Druidess
Wust clicked her tongue, the two Druids were startled, but all the
others begged them not to browbeat the girl Such was the atmo-
sphere of ease and gayety that Druidess Laidig at last fell to laugh-
ing at Navarth, and Billika managed to slip away quietly Not long
after, Druidess Laidig allowed her own cowl to hang loose, as pres-
ently did Druid Dakaw Druid Pruitt and Druidess Wust held to
the full rigor of their habit, but tolerated the delinquency of the
others with no more than an occasional disparaging glance or mut-
tered sarcasm

Tralla, Mornice and Dorame, noting the attention paid to the

THE P'4 LACE OF LOVE 471

younger girls, became extremely enthusiastic and gay clearly none
planned to rebuff any attempted gallantry

Each afternoon the yacht halted to drift on the ocean All who
chose plunged into the clear water, while others went below to
watch through the glass hull These latter included the older Dru-
ids, Diffiam (who participated in no activity except eating and
drinking), Margar^ Liever, who professed a fear of deep water, and
Hygen Grote, who could not swim The others, even Navarth,
donned the swim suits provided by the yacht and splashed m the
warm ocean

At dusk of the second evening, Gersen took Drusilla to the bow,
refraining from any intimacy of contact which might infuriate Viole
Falushe, should he be watching Drusilla seemed to feel no such
constraint, and Gersen became aware, with a bittersweet pang, that
the girl was in some degree infatuated with him Gersen-as sus-
ceptible as anyone else-fought back his inclinations Even if he
succeeded in destroying Viole Falushe, what then5 There was no
place for Drusilla in the harsh future he had laid out for himself
Still, the temptation remained Drusilla, with her somber moods,
her sudden flashes of joy, was fascinating   But circumstances
were as they were, and Gersen kept his conversation to the business
at hand. Drusilla had noticed nothing Mano, Ethuen, Tanzel-all
plied her with attention As Gersen had instructed, she showed fa-
voritism to none Even as they stood m the bow watching the sun-
set, Mano came to join them After a moment or two Gersen
excused himself and returned to the promenade If Mano were Vi-
ole Falushe, it would not do to antagonize him If he were not, then
Viole Falushe, watching hatefully from elsewhere, would be reas-
sured that Drusilla preferred no single person

The morning of the fourth day found the yacht cruising among
small islands lush with vegetation At noon the yacht approached
the mainland and drifted up to a dock. The voyage was over The
passengers disembarked regretfully, with many a backward glance,
Margary Liever frankly wept

In a structure beside the dock the guests were issued new gar-
ments For the men there were loose velvet blouses in the softest
and richest of colors-moss-green, cobalt-blue, dark maroon-with
loose black velvet trousers fastened below the knees with scarlet
ribbons The women received the same style blouses m paler

472 THE DEMON PRINCES

shades, with striped matching skirts All were issued soft velvet be-
rets, square, loose, with an intriguing tassel.

When all had reassembled, they were served lunch, then ush-
ered to a great wooden wagon with six green and gold wheels and
a dark green canopy supported by spiral posts of a beautiful dark
wood.

The wagon set off along a coastal road. Late in the afternoon
the track veered inland over rolling grassy hills spangled with flow-
ers, and the ocean was lost to sight.

Soon there were trees, tall and solitary, much like Earth trees,
but conceivably indigenous, then clumps and groves. At dusk the
wagon halted beside one such grove. The guests were conducted
to a hostel built high in the tree-tops, led along swaying walkways
to small wicker tree houses.

Supper was served on the ground to the light of a great cackling
fire. The wine seemed stronger than usual, or perhaps all were in
a mood to drink. Everyone seemed larger than life; the twenty-one
were the only people alive in the universe Toasts were drunk, in-
cluding several to "our unseen host " The name Viole Falushe was
never mentioned.

A troupe of musicians appeared with fiddles, guitars and pipes,
they played wild wailing tunes, which set the heart pounding and
the head swaying. Zuly leapt to her feet and improvised a dance as
wild and abandoned as the music.

Gersen forced himself to sobriety at times like this it was most
important to watch. He saw Lerand Wible whisper to Billika; a
moment later she sidled away and off into the shadows, he too was
gone. The Druids and Druidesses were rapt with the dancing, sit-
ting with heads back, eyes half-closed. Only Hule noticed. He
looked thoughtfully after the two, then crept quietly up to Drusilla
and whispered in her ear.

Drusilla smiled. She turned a flicker of a glance toward Gersen,
and said something in a soft voice. Hule nodded without enthusi-
asm, seated himself close beside her and presently put his arm
around her waist.

A half hour passed. With only Gersen seeming to notice, Wible
and Bitlika were once more among the group, Billika with eyes
bright and mouth soft. It seemed that only a moment later Druidess
Laidig bethought herself of Billika and sought around to locate her.
There sat Billika. Something was amiss, something was new and

THE PALACE OF LOVE 473

different- Druidess Laidig could sense this much, but there was
nothing else to see Her suspicion lulled, she returned to her en-
joyment of the music.

Gersen watched Mano, Ethuen, and Tanzel They sat with
Tralla and Mormce, but it seemed as if their eyes wandered toward
Drusilla. Gersen chewed his lip Viole Falushe-if indeed he were
among the guests-did not seem disposed to yield his identity . . .

Wine, music, firelight-Gersen leaned back, aware of giddiness.
Who among the group was watchful, who attentive5 That person
would be Viole Falushe! Gersen saw no one who seemed other than
relaxed. Druid Dakaw was asleep. Druidess Laidig was nowhere to
be seen. Skebou Diffiani also had disappeared. Gersen chuckled and
leaned toward Navarth to share the joke, then thought better of it.
The fire became embers, the musicians wandered away like figures
in a dream. The guests roused themselves and went by swaying
walkways to their wicker cabins If other assignations had been
made, if other trysts were kept, Gersen had no knowledge of them.

In the morning the guests assembled for breakfast to find that
the wagon was gone, and there was speculation as to what mode of
transport next would be offered them. After breakfast a steward
pointed out a path "There we will go, I have been requested to
guide If all are ready, I suggest that we set off, for there is far to
go before evening "

Hygen Grote spoke in an astonished voice. "You mean to say,
we •walk?'''

"Exactly this. Lord Grote There is no other way to our des-
tination "

"I never expected all this backing and filling," complained
Grote. "I thought that when we were invited to the Palace of Love,
an air car simply took us there."

"I am only a servant, Lord Grote, I can offer no explanation."

Grote turned away, not completely pleased But he had no
choice. Presently his spirits rose and he was the first to start singing
an old walking song of his fraternity at Lublinken College

Over low hills, through glades and groves went the path. They
walked over a wide meadow, startling a number of white birds into
flight, they descended a valley to a lake, where lunch awaited them

The steward would not allow an overlong rest. "There is still
far to go, and we cannot walk fast for fear of tiring the ladies."

474 THK DEMON PRINCES

"I'm already tired," snapped the Druidess Wust. "I don't intend
to move another step."

"Anyone who wishes may return," said the steward. "The path
is plain, and there is staff to assist you along the way. But now it is
time for the rest of us to go on. It is afternoon, and a wind is rising."

Indeed a breeze with a hint of coolness blew small wavelets
across the lake, and the western sky was paved with herringbone
clouds.

Druidess Wust elected to continue with the group, and all set
off along the shore of the lake. Presently the path turned aside,
mounted a slope and struck off across a park of tall trees and long
grass. On and on trudged the party, with the wind at their backs.
With the sun declining behind a range of mountains, they halted
for pastries and tea. Then off once more with the wind sighing
through the branches.

As the sun sank behind the mountains the party entered dank
heavy woods, which seemed all the darker for the going of the sun.

The pace was slow; the older women were tired, though only
Druidess Wust complained. Druidess Laidig wore a grim expres-
sion while Margary Liever strolled along with her customary small
smile. Hygen Grote had lapsed into sulky silence, except for an
occasional terse word to Doranie.

The woods seemed endless; the wind, now distinctly cool,
roared through the upper branches. Dusk fell over the mountains;

at last the party stumbled into a clearing to find a rambling old
forest lodge of timber and stone. The windows glowed with yellow
lights, smoke drifted from a chimney; within must be found warmth
and food and good cheer.

And so it was. The tired travelers, climbing stone steps to the
porch, entered a vast beamed parlor, with bright rugs on the floor
and a roaring blaze in the fireplace. Some of the group sank grate-
fully into deep chairs, others chose to go to their rooms to refresh
themselves. Once again new clothing was issued: for the men black
trousers and short jackets with a dark brown cummerbund; for the
ladies long trailing black gowns with white and brown flowers for
the hair.

Those who had bathed and dressed returned to the parlor, to
the envy of those who still sat tired and dirty; presently all had
bathed and changed into the new dark garments.

Mulled wine was served, and presently a hearty forest dinner-

THE PALACE OF LOl-T. 475

goulash, bread and cheese, red wine-and all the toil of the day
was forgotten.

After dinner the guests gathered around the fireplace to sip
liquors, and now the talk was loud and brave, everyone speculating
as to where lay the Palace of Love. Navarth struck a dramatic pose
in front of the fire. "It is plain!" he cried in a great brassy voice.
"Or is it not? Does not everyone understand, or is it left to old
Navarth the poet to illuminate?"

"Speak, Navarth!" called Ethuen. "Reveal to all vour insight.
Why cherish them for your private pleasures?"

"I have never had that intention; all will know what I know,
and all will feet what I feel. We are midway along in the journey.
Here is where the carelessness, the amplitude, the calm ease depart.
The winds arose at our back and hurried us through the woods.
Our refuse is medievalism!"

"Come now, old man," chaffed Tanxel. "Speak so we can un-
derstand you."

"Those who understand me will do so; those who cannot will
never do so. But all is clear. He knows, he knows!"

Druidess Laidig, impatient with hyperbole, spoke crossly. "He
knows what? Who knows what?"

"What are we all but perambulatory nerves? The artist knows
the linkage of nerve with nerve!"

"Speak for yourself," muttered Diffiani.

Navarth performed one of his extravagant gesticulations. "He
is a poet like myself. Did I not teach him? Every pang of the soul,
even7 wry ache of the mind, every whisper of blood-"

"Navarth! Navarth1" groaned Wible. "Enough! Or at any rate,
something different. Here we are, in this strange old lodge; a per-
fect refuge for ghosts and wipwarks."

Druid Pruitt spoke sententiously, "This is our lore: each man
and each woman is a living seed. When his planting time comes,
he is delved and covered, and finally comes forth as a tree; and each
soul is distinct. There are birches and oaks and lavengars and black
paneys..."

The talk proceeded. The younger and more energetic folk ex-
plored the ancient structure and played hide-and-seek in the long
hall among the billowing amber curtains.

Druidess Laidig became uneasy, and craned her neck to find
Billika. At last she hoisted herself to her feet and went off, looking

476 FUE DEMON PRINCES

here and there, presently to return with a downcast Bilhka. Dru-
idess Laidig muttered something to the Druidess Wust, who
lumped up and went off down the hall. There were loud echoing
voices in the hall, then silence, and a moment later Druidess Wust
returned with Hule, who seemed sullen.

Three minutes later Drusilla came back to the saloon. Her face
was flushed, her eyes alive with something between mirth and mis-
chief. The dark gown suited her beautifully, she had never looked
more beautiful. She crossed the room and slipped into the seat
beside Gersen.

"What happened3" he asked.

"We played a game in the hall. I hid with Hule, and watched,
as you told me, to see who would be most angered."

"And who was?"

"I don't know. Mano says he loves me. Tanzel was laughing,
but he was annoyed. Ethuen said nothing and would not look at

me.

"WTiat were you doing, that they should be angry7 Don't for-
get, it's dangerous to thwart people."

Drusilla's mouth drooped. "Yes I forgot-I should feel fright-
ened .. I do feel frightened when I think about it. But you will take
care of me, won't you?"

"I will if I can."

"You can. I know you can."

"I hope I can . . Well, what was going on to annoy Mano,
Tanzel and Ethuen5"

"Nothing very much. Hule and I sat in an old couch that was
turned backwards. Hule wanted to kiss me, and I let him. The
Druidess found us and embarrassed Hule dreadfully. She called me
names-'Harlot!' 'Lilith'' 'Nymph'' " Drusilla imitated Wust's pe-
culiar grating voice to an exactitude

"And all heard5"

"Yes All heard."

"WTio seemed the most upset2"

Drusilla shrugged. "Sometimes I think one, then the other.
Mano seems the softest. Ethuen has the least humor. Tanzel is
sometimes sarcastic."

Ob\iously, thought Gersen, there had been much which he had
missed "Best that you do not hide with anyone, not even Hule. Be
pleasant to each of the three, but prefer none."

THE PALACE OF LOVE 477

Drusilla's face became bleak and drawn. "I am frightened, re-
ally. When I was with the three women, 1 thought I might run
away. But 1 feared the poison in their rings Do you think they
would have killed me?"

"I don't know. But for now, go to bed and sleep. And open
your door to no one."

Drusilla rose to her feet. W^ith a final cryptic glance at Gersen,
she went to the stairs, ascended to the balcony and entered her
chamber.

One by one the group dwindled, and at last Gersen sat alone
gazing into the dying fire, waiting for he knew not what. . . The
balcony lights were dim, a balustrade obscured his vision. A shape
drifted up to the door of one of the chambers; it quickly opened
and closed.

Gersen waited another hour, while the fire became embers and
the wind blew spatters of rain against the dark windows There was
no further activity. Gersen went to his own bed.

The chamber which had received the visitor, so Gersen noted
the next morning, was that ofTralla Callob, the sociology student.
He watched to see upon whom her eyes rested, but could be sure
of nothing.

This morning all wore similar costumes: gray suede trousers, a
black blouse, a brown jacket, an intricate black hat which was almost
a helmet, with ear flaps flaring rakishly outward

Breakfast, like the meal of the night before, was simple and
substantial, as they ate, the pilgrims cast appraising glances at the
sky. Ragged patches of mist blew over the mountain Directly over-
head was a thin overcast, breaking at the east into tattered clots of
nimbus-a not too cheerful outlook.

After breakfast the steward marshaled the pilgrims, evading
questions put to him.

"How far must we walk today5"-this from Hygen Grote.

"I really don't know, sir. I have never heard the distance men-
tioned. But the sooner we start, the sooner we arrive."

Hygen Grote gave a despondent snort. "This certainly wasn't
what I expected- Well, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

The path led south from the clearing; all turned to take a final
look at the somber old lodge before it passed from sight.

For several hours the trail wound through the woods. The sky
remained overcast; the gray-mauve light which penetrated the trees

47S I HE DEMON PRINCES

invested with moss, the ferns and the occasional pale flowers with
a peculiarly rich color. Rock)7 outcrops covered with black and red
lichen began to appear; everywhere were fragile little growths not
dissimilar to the fungus of Earth, but taller and many-tiered, ex-
haling a bitter old-age smell when crushed.

The path began to rise, the woods fell below. The pilgrims
found themselves on a rock-strewn slope, with mountains looming
to the west. At a stream they paused to drink and catch their breath,
and the steward distributed sweet biscuits.

To the east spread the forest, gloomy and dark; above loomed
the mountain. Hygen Grote again deprecated the difficulty of the
way, to which the guide made the blandest of replies: "There is
much in what you say, Lord Grote. But as you know, I am only a
servant, with orders to make the journey as convenient and inter-
esting as possible."

"How can trudging these weary miles be interesting or con-
venient" grumbled Grote, to be answered by Margary Liever:

"Come now, Hygen. The scenery is delightful. Look at the view.
And did you not en)oy the romantic old lodge? I did."

"I am sure that this is the hope of the Margrave," said the
steward. "And now, Lords and Ladies, best that we continue."

The trail slanted up the mountain slope- soon Druidess Laidig
and Dorame were falling behind, and the steward courteously
slowed the pace. The path entered a stony gulch, and the ascent
became less steep.

Lunch was brief and austere, consisting of soup, biscuits and
sausage, then once again the pilgrims set off along the trail. Wind
began to strike down the mountainside, a few cold gusts at a time;

overhead dark gray clouds raced to the east. Up the bleak moun-
tainside plodded the pilgrims, and the city Kouhila, the glass-hulled
yacht, the green and gold wagon were only remote memories.
Margary Liever remained cheerful, and Navarth swung along grin-
ning, as if at some malicious |oke. Hygen Grote gave up complain-
ing, saving his breath for the exertion of moving uphill

Halfway through the afternoon a rain squall drove the party to
shelter under a )ut of rock. The sky was dark; an unreal gray light
washed the landscape. The pilgrims in their costumes of black and
umber were as if derived from the same stone and soil as the moun-
tain itself

The trail entered a stony gorge. The pilgrims plodded forward

THE PAL-iCE OF LOVE 479

in silence, the badinage and gentilities of the first few days put aside.
There was another brief shower which the steward ignored, for the
light was waning The gorge widened, but the way ahead was
blocked by a massive stone wall, topped by a row of iron spikes.
The steward went to a black iron postern, raised a knocker and let
it fall. After a long minute, the portal creaked back to reveal a
crooked old man in black garments.

The steward addressed the pilgrims. "Here is where I leave you.
The path lies beyond; you need only follow. Make the best haste
possible, because darkness is not far away."

One by one the group passed through the gap; the portal
clanged shut behind them. For a moment they milled uncertainly,
looking this way and that. The steward and the old man had gone;

there was none to direct them.

Diffiam pointed: "There, the path. It leads up toward the
height "

Painfully the pilgrims proceeded. The path traversed a stonv bar-
ren, crossed a river, once more slanted up through the blowing
wind. P'mally, just as the light failed, the path came out on the ridge
Diffiani, in the lead, pointed ahead. "Lights. A hospice of some
sort."

The group straggled forward, bending to the wind-gusts, turn-
ing faces away from driven drips of ram. A long low stone structure
bulked against the sky7; one or two of the windows showed a wan
yellow illumination. Diffiam found a door, pounded on it with his
fist.

It creaked open and a woman peered forth. "Who are you7
WTry do you come so late7"

"We are travelers, guests tor the Palace of Love," bawled Hy-
gen Grote. "Is this the way7"

"Yes, this is the way Fnter then. Were you expected7"
"Of course we were expected! Is there lodging for us here7"
"Yes, yes," quavered the old woman. "I can give you beds, but
this is the old castle. You should have gone by the other path. Fnter
then. I must look about. You have supped, I trust7"
"No," said Grote despondently, "we have not."
"Perhaps I can find gruel. What a shame the castle is so cold'"
The pilgrims passed into a bleak courtyard, lit by a pair of
feeble lamps. The old woman conducted them one at a time to tall-

480 THE Dt MON PRICES

ceihnged chambers in various quarters of the castle. These were
austere, gloomy, decorated to the precepts of some long-forgotten
tradition Gersen's chamber contained a cot, a single lamp of red
and blue glass. Three walls were black iron, relieved by patterns of
rust. In one of the walls was a door. The fourth wall was paneled
in dark waxed wood and carved with enormous grotesque masks
There was neither tire nor heating, the room was chill.

The old lady, breathless and anxious, told Gersen, "When food
is ready you'll be summoned." She pointed to the door. "Yonder
is the hath, with precious little warm water. One must make do."
And she hurried away. Gersen went into the bathroom, tested the
shower, the water ran hot. He stripped off his clothes, bathed, then
rather than dressing in sodden clothes, he stretched out on the cot
and covered himself with a quilt. Tune passed; Gersen heard a
distant gong strike nine times. There might be supper, again there
might not.  The warmth of the shower had made him drowsy;

and he fell asleep. Vaguely he heard the gong strike ten times, then
eleven. Evidently there was to be no supper . . Gersen turned over
and went back to sleep.

Twelve strokes of the gong. Into the room came a slender
maiden with silky blonde hair. She wore a skintight garment of blue
velvet and blue leather slippers with rolled toes.

Gersen sat up in bed. The maiden spoke, "We have now pre-
pared a meal; all are aroused, all are summoned to eat." She rolled
a wardrobe cart into the room. "I lere are garments; do you require
assistance2" Without waiting for a response, she brought under-
linen to Gersen Presently he was clothed in beautiful fabric after
a style quaint, ornate and complicated. The maiden dressed his hair,
applied gallantry discs to his cheeks, sprayed him with scent. "My
Lord is magnificent," she murmured "And now-a mask, which
tonight is of necessity."

The mask consisted of a black velvet casque fitting down to the
ears, v\ ith a black visor, a nose-cup and a chin-guard; only Gersen's
cheeks, mouth and eves were bare. "Mv Lord is now mysterious as
well," said the maiden in the softest of voices. "I will lead you, tor
the way is by the old corridors."

She took him down a draughty staircase, along a dank, echoing
corridor, with only the feeblest of lamps to light the way. The walls,
once splendid in patterns of magenta, silver and gold, were faded
and blotched, the tiles of the floor were loose . . . The maiden

THE PALALE OF LOVE 4S1

halted by a heavy red pornere. She looked sidelong at Gersen and
put her finger to her lips, with the dim light glowing on her blue
velvet garment, and glinting in her hair, she seemed dreamstuff-
a creature too exquisite to be real. "Lord," she said, "within is our
banquet. I must urge you to mystery, for this is the game all must
play and you may not speak your name." She pulled aside the por-
tiere, Gersen stepped through into a vast hall. From a ceiling so
high as to be unseen hung a single chandelier, casting an island of
light around a great table laid with linen, silver and crystal

Here sat a dozen people in the most elaborate of costumes,
wearing masks. Gersen examined them, but recogni/ed none. Were
they his fellows along the journey'" He could not be sure. Others
entered the room. Now they came by twos and threes, all masked
and all moving with an air of wonder.

Gersen recognized Navarth, whose swaggering gait was unmis-
takable. The girl, was she Drusilla5 He could not be certain.

Forty people had entered the room, converging slowly upon
the table. F'ootmen in silver and blue livery assisted all to seats;

poured wine in the goblets, serving from silver trays

Gersen ate and drank, aware of a peculiar confusion, almost
bewilderment. Where and what w^s reality^ The rigors of the )our-
ney seemed as remote as childhood. Gersen drank somewhat more
wine than he might have under different circumstances.  The
chandelier exploded in a dazzling burst of green light, then went
out. Gersen's eyes pro|ected orange afterimages into the dark, from
around the table came whispers and hisses of surprise.

The chandelier slowly returned to normal A tall man stood on
a chair. He wore black garments and a black mask; he held a goblet
of wine in his hand. "Guests." he said, "I make you welcome. I am
Viole Falushe. You have attained the Palace of Love "

12

Avis rara, black mascara
Will you stay to dine with me?
Amanita botulina
Underneath my upas tree.

This dainty tray of cloisonne
Contains my finest patchouli.
Aha, my dear! What have we here?
A dead mouse in the potpourri.

With mayonnaise the canapes,
Ravished from a sturgeon^ womb;

With silver prong we guide along
The squeaking oyster to his doom.

A samovar of hangdog tea:

A cup, or are you able?
Antimony, macaroni
On my hemlock table.

-Navarth

"There are many varieties of love/' said Viole Falushe in a pleas-
ant husky voice. "The range is wide, and all have contributed to
the creation of the palace. Not all of my guests discover this, and
not every phase is yielded to them. For some the palace will seem
little more than a holiday resort. Others will be haunted by what
has been described as unnatural beauty. This is everywhere: in every
detail, every view. Others will revel in ardor, and here I must offer
information."

THE PALACE OF LOVE 483

Gersen studied Viole Falushe with a rapt intensity. The tall
masked figure stood spare, straight, arms at sides; Gersen turned
his head this way and that, trying to identify the figure, but the
chandelier hanging directly above the man distorted his contours.

"The people at the Palace of Love are amiable, gay and beau-
tiful, they fall into two categories," said Viole Falushe. "The first
are servants. They are pleased to obey every wish of my guests,
every whim or caprice. The second class, the happy people who
inhabit the palace, are as independent in their friendships as I my-
self. They are to be identified by their garments, which are white.
Hence, your choice is wide."

Gersen sought around the table, trying to find Tanzel, or Mario
or Ethuen and thus eliminate them from suspicion. In this effort
he was unsuccessful. Among the forty were a dozen persons who
might be any of the three. He turned back to listen to Viole Fa-
lushe.

"Are there restrictions? A person who went mad and began to
kill would naturally be restrained. Then again, all of us here cherish
our privacy, one of our most delightful prerogatives. Only the most
thoughtless person would intrude where he was not wanted. My
personal apartments are sufficiently secluded; you need not appre-
hend an accidental intrusion; this is almost impossible." Viole Fa-
lushe turned his head slowly, looked around the room. No one
spoke; the room was heavy with expectancy.

Viole Falushe continued speaking. "So now-the Palace of
Love! At times in the past I have arranged small dramas of which
the participants were never aware. I have contrived moods in artful
sequence. I have employed tragic contrasts to heighten the delec-
tation. On this occasion there will be no such program. You will
be free to do as you like, to create your own drama. I advise re-
straint. The rare jewels are the most precious. The degree of aus-
terity I myself practice would astound you. My great pleasure is
creation-of this I never tire. Some of my guests have complained
of a gentle melancholy which hangs in the air; I agree that the mood
exists. The explanation, I believe, arises from the fugacity of beauty,
the tragic pavane to which all of us step. Ignore this mood; why
brood, when there is so much love and beauty here? Take what is
offered; have no regrets. A thousand years from now it will be all
the same. Satiety is a problem, but it is your own. I cannot protect
you. The servants are to serve; command them. The residents who

484 I HF UFMON PRINCES

wear white are to woo-to beguile. I pray that you do not become
infatuated either with the palace or its people; such a situation pre-
sents difficulties. You will not see me, though spiritually I am always
in your midst There are no spy devices, no sound transmitters, no
vision cells. Upbraid me if you choose, revile me, praise me-I
cannot hear. My only reward is the act of creation and the effect it
produces. Do you wish to look forth on the Palace of Love? Turn
then in your seats'"

The far wall slid away; daylight poured into the hall. Before the
guests spread a landscape of mmd-wrenching beauty: wide lawns,
feathery green-bower trees, tall black cypress, twinkling birch;

ponds, pools, marble urns, pavilions, terraces, rotundas; constructed
to an airy delicate architecture that seemed almost to float.

Gersen, like the others, had been startled by the sudden open-
ing of the wall. Recovering he )umped to his feet, but the man in
black had disappeared.

Gersen sought out Navarth. "Who was it? Mano2 Tanzel?
Ethuen?"

Navarth shook his head. "I did not notice. I have been looking
for the girl. Where is she?"

With a sudden sinking feeling Gersen swung around. None of
the people in the room was Drusilla. "When did you see her last?"

"When we arrived, when we came into the courtyard."

Already the )ourney seemed remote. Gersen muttered. "I hoped
to protect her. I told her so. She trusted me."

Navarth made an impatient motion. "You could have done
nothing."

Gersen went to the window, looked across the panorama. To
the left was the sea, a group of distant islands. To the right moun-
tains reared ever higher and harsher, with cliffs falling to the valley
floor. Below was the Palace, a loose grouping of terraces, halls and
pleasances. A door slid aside to reveal a descending staircase. One
by one the guests descended to the valley.

The precincts of the Palace occupied a roughly hexagonal area per-
haps a mile on a side. The base was the north cliff, with the Palace
at its midpoint. The second side, clockwise, was demarcated by a
line of rocky crags, the gaps between which were choked by rank
thorny thickets. The third side was white beach and warm blue sea.
The fourth and fifth sides were less distinct, and merged into the

THE PALACE OF LOVE 485

natural landscape. The sixth side, angling back to the cliff, was de-
marcated by a line of carefully cultivated flower beds and fruit trees
arranged against a rude stone wall. Within the area were three vil-
lages, innumerable glades, gardens, waterways. The guests wan-
dered where they chose, spent the long days in whatever fashion
seemed most pleasurable. Bright mornings, golden afternoons, eve-
nings and nights: one by one they drifted away.

The servants, as Viole Falushe had implied, were acquiescent
and possessed of great physical charm. The folk in white, even more
beautiful than the underservants, were innocent and willful as chil-
dren. Some were cordial, some were perverse and impudent, all
were unpredictable. It seemed as if their sole ambition was to evoke
love, to tantalize, to fill the mind with longing, and they became
depressed only when guests found the underservants preferable to
themselves. They showed no awareness of the worlds of the uni-
verse, and only small curiosity, though their minds were active and
their moods mercurial. They thought only of love, and the various
aspects of fulfillment. As Viole Falushe had hinted, infatuation too
intense might lead to tragedy; of this danger the people in white
were gravely aware, but made small effort to avoid the danger.

The mystery of the Druids' presence resolved itself. On the first
day after arrival Dakaw, Pruitt, Laidig and Wust, with Hule and
Billika in careful convoy, explored the precincts, and fixed upon a
delightful little glade for their center of operations. To the back
rose a line of black cypress, to right and left were lower trees and
flowering shrubs, at the center was a great spraddle-rooted oak. In
front of the glade a pair of shelters was erected: low domes of pale
brown fiber. Here the group took up residence, and thereafter, each
morning and afternoon held evangelical meetings, expounding the
nature of their religion to all who came past. With great fervor they
urged rigor, harshness, restraint and ritual upon the folk of the
garden, who listened politely enough, but after the meetings enticed
the Druids to relaxation and pleasure. Gersen decided that the
whole affair was one of Viole Falushe's wry )okes: a game he had
chosen to play with the Druids. The other guests arrived at the
same conclusion, and attended the meetings to judge whose doc-
trines would triumph.

The Druids worked with great intensity, and built a fane of
stones and twigs. Standing at the front one or the other would cry
out: "Must you all then die to become dead^ The mode to the

4S6 THE DEMON PRINCES

Eternal is through minglement with a Vitality more enduring than
your own. The source of all is the Triad Mag-Rag-Dag-Air, Earth
and Water. This is the Holy Immanence, which combines to pro-
duce the Tree of Life! The Tree is the wise, the vital, the enduring!
Look at lesser things: insects, flowers, fish, man. See how they grow,
bloom, lapse, while the Tree in its placid wisdom lives on. Yea, you
titillate your flesh, you Łror^e your stomach, you flood your brain
with vapor- What then? How soon you die, while the noble Tree,
with roots in Earth, holds innumerable leaves to the glory of the
sky. Forever! And when vour flesh sags and withers, when your
nerves no longer leap, when your belly is sour, when your nose
drips from the liquor you have misused-then is no time to worship
the Tree! No, no, no! For the Tree will have none of your corrup-
tion. All must be fresh and good. So worship. Give over the sterile
cavortings, the animal gratifications! Worship the Tree!"

The palace folk listened with respect and awe. It was impossible
to judge how deeply the Druid doctrine touched them. Meanwhile
Dakaw and Pruitt began to dig a great hole under the oak, burrow-
ing down between the sprawled roots. Hule and Billika were not
allowed to dig and showed no disposition to do so; indeed they
watched the process with horrified fascination.

The palace folk, in their turn, insisted that the Druids partici-
pate in their festivities, arguing: "You wish us to learn your ways,
but in all fairness you must know the way we live too, so that you
may judge our lives and see if after all we are corrupt!" Grudgingly
the Druids acquiesced, sitting in a huddled group and maintaining
the closest possible strictures upon Hule and Billika.

The other guests watched with varied reactions. Skebou Diffi-
ani attended the meetings with regularity and presently, to the
astonishment of all, announced his intent to become a Druid.
Thereafter he donned black robe and cowl and joined the others at
their rituals. Torrace da Nossa spoke of the Druids with pitying
contempt. Lerand Wible, who along the way had displayed an in-
terest in Billika, threw up his arms in disgust and stayed away.
Mario, Ethuen and Tanzel went their own ways and were seen but
seldom. Navarth had become obsessed. He roved the garden, mo-
rose, dissatisfied, looking this way and that. He took no joy in the
beauty of the garden and went so far as to sneer at Viole Falushe's
arrangements. "There is no novelty here; the pleasures are banal.
There are no exhilarations, no staggering insights, no sublime

THE PALACE OF LOVE 487

sweep of mind. All is either gross or maudlin-the gratification of
gut and gland."

"This may be true," Gersen admitted. "The pleasures of the
place are simple and undramatic. But what is wrong with this?"

"Nothing. But it is not poetry."

"It is all very beautiful. To do Viole Falushe credit, he has
avoided the macabre, the sadistic spectacles, which occur elsewhere,
and he allows his servants a certain degree of integrity."

Navarth made a sour grumbling sound. "You are an innocent.
The more exotic pleasures he reserves for himself. W^ho knows
what goes on beyond the walls? He is a man who halts at nothing.
And integrity in these people? Bathos! They are dolls, toys, con-
fections. No doubt many are the little children extorted from Kou-
hila-those he did not sell to the Mahrab. And when they lose their
youth, what then? Where do they go?"

Gersen only shook his head. "I don't know."

"And where isJheral Tinzy?" Navarth went on. "Where is the
girl? What does he do with her? He has had her at his mercy."

Gersen gave a grim nod. "I know."

"You know," jeered Navarth, "but only after I reminded you.
You are not only innocent, you are futile and foolish-no less than
myself. She trusted you to protect her, and what have you done?
Swilled and trolloped with the others, and this is the extent of vour
effort."

Gersen thought the outburst exaggerated but made a mild re-
ply. "If I could contrive some feasible course of action, I would do

so.

"And in the meantime?"

"In the meantime, I am learning."

"Learning what?"

"I find that none of the people here know Viole Falushe by
sight. His offices seem to be somewhere back in the mountains; I
can find them nowhere in the valley. I dare not try to cross the
stone wall to the west, nor the thorn barrier to the east; I would
certainly be apprehended and, journalist or not, dealt with harshly.
Since I have no weapons I can demand nothing. I must be patient.
If I do not speak to him here at the Palace of Love, I will no doubt
find opportunity elsewhere."

"All for your magazine, eh?"

"WTiy else?" asked Gersen.

488 THE DEMON PRINCES

They had come to the glade of the Druids. Dakaw and Pruitt
were delving as usual below the great oak, where they had excavated
a chamber tall enough for a man to stand erect.

Navarth approached, peered down into the sweating dust-
streaked faces. "WTiat do you do down there, you burrowing Dru-
ids? Are you not pleased with the vista above ground that you seek
a new viewpoint below?"

"You are facetious," said Pruitt coldly. "Be on your way; this
is holy soil."

"How can you be so sure? It looks like ordinary dirt."

Neither Pruitt nor Dakaw made response.

Navarth barked down, "What sort of mischief are you up to?
This is no ordinary pastime. Speak now."

"Go aw^y, old poet," said Pruitt. "Your breath is a pollution
and saddens the Tree."

Navarth moved back and watched the digging from a little dis-
tance. "I do not like holes in the ground," he told Gersen. "They
are unpleasant. Look at Wible yonder. He stands as if he were
overseer to the project!" Navarth pointed toward the entrance to
the glade, where Wible stood, legs apart, hands clasped behind his
back, whistling between his teeth. Navarth joined him. "The work
of the Druids enthralls you?"

"Not at all," said Lerand Wible. "They dig a grave."

"As I suspected. For whom?"

"That I can't be sure. Perhaps you-perhaps me."

"I doubt ifthev will inter me," said Navarth. "You may be more
pliable."

"I doubt if they will inter anyone," said W^ble, whistling once
more through his teeth.

"Indeed? How can you be so sure?"

"Come to the consecration and see for yourself."

"When does this rite occur?"

"Tomorrow night, so I have been informed."

Little music was to be heard on the grounds of the palace; the quiet
of the garden was as crystalline and clear as a dewdrop. But on the
following morning the folk in white brought forth stringed instru-
ments and for an hour played a wistful music rich with plangent
overtones. A sudden shower sent all hurrying to the shelter of a
nearby rotunda, where they stood chattering like birds and peering

THE PALACE OF LOVE 489

up at the sky. Gersen, contemplating their faces, thought how frail
and tenuous was the connection between them and the guests. Did
they know anything except frivolity and love? And there was the
question raised by Navarth: What happened when they aged? Few
in the garden were past the first bloom of their maturity.

The sun came forth; the garden glinted with freshness. Gersen,
drawn by curiosity went to the Druids' glade. Within one of the
shelters he glimpsed Billika's pale face. Then Wust came to stare
at him from the doorway.

The long afternoon passed. Today a portent hung in the air,
and uneasiness seemed to infect everyone. Evening arrived; the sun
sank in a great tumult of clouds; gold, orange and red flamed over-
head and far into the east. With the coming of dusk, folk of the
garden went to the Druids' glade. To each side of the oak tree were
fires, tended bv Druidess Laidig and Dmidess Wust.

Druid Pruitt emerged from his shelter. He went to the fane and
began his address. His voice was heavy and resonant; he paused
frequently, as if to hear the echoes of his words.

Lerand Wible approached Gersen. "I am speaking to everyone
in our group. Whatever happens-do not interfere. Do you agree
to this?"

"Naturally not."

"I didn't think you would. Well then-" Wible whispered a
few words; Gersen grunted. Wible moved off to speak to Navarth,
who tonight was carrying a staff. After Wible spoke, Navarth threw
down his staff.

"-On each world a hallowed Tree. How does it become so?
By the afflatus, by the concentration of Life. Oh worshipful Druids,
who share the life of the First Germ, bring forth your awe, your
most poignant dedication! WTiat say we? Two are here, two have
lived for this consecration. Come forth, Druids, go to the Tree!"
From one shelter staggered Hule, from the other Billika. Baffled,
dull-eyed as if bewildered or drugged, they stared this way and that,
then saw the fires. Fascinated they approached, step by slow step.
Silence was heavy in the glade. The two approached the tree,
looked at the fires, then descended into the hole below the tree.

"Behold!" called Pruitt. "They enter the life of the Tree-oh
blessed pair-which now becomes the Soul of the W^orld. Exalted
children, lucky two! Forever and ever stand in sun, in rain, by day,
by night; and help us to truth!" Druids Dakaw, Pruitt and Diffiani

490 11 II DIMON PRINCES

began to spade earth into the hole. They worked \uth gusto. In
half an hour the hole was fall, the soil banked around the roots
The Druids marched around the tree, holding brands from the rire.
Each called forth an invocation, and the ceremony ended with a
chant.

The Druids customarily breakfasted at the refectory of the near
village. The morning after the consecration they marched across
the meadows, entered the refectory. Behind them came Hule and
Bilhka. The Druids took their usual places, as did Hule and Billika.

Wust was the first to notice. She pointed a trembling finger.
Laidig screamed. Pruitt leapt away, then turned and ran from the
refectory. Dakaw fell back like a half-filled sack; Skcbou Diffiam,
sitting bolt upright, stared in puzzlement. Hule and Billika ignored
the consternation they had caused.

Laidig, sobbing and gasping, reeled from the room, followed
by Wust. Diffiam was the least disturbed He spoke to Hule. "How
did you get out^'

"By a tunnel," said Hule. "Wible caused a tunnel to be dug."

Wible came forward. "The servants are here to be used. I used
them. We dug a tunnel."

Diffiani nodded slowly. He reached up, took off his cowl, in-
spected it and tossed it into a corner.

Dakaw, roaring, rose to his feet. He struck once at Hule, knock-
ing him to the floor; then aimed a tremendous blow at Wible, who
stepped back, grinning. "Go back to your tree, Dakaw. Dig another
hole and bury yourself."

Dakaw marched from the inn.

Wust and Laidig were finally discovered, crouching in a bower.
Pruitt had run south, bevond the precincts of the garden and was
seen no more.

In some fashion the episode with the Druids had broken a web.
The guests, looking at each other, knew that the end of their visit
was approaching, that soon they would be departing the Palace of
Love.

Gersen stood looking up at the mountains Patience was well
and good, but he might never be so close to Viole Falushe again

He pondered the small clues he had gleaned. It seemed reason-
able to suppose that the banquet hall communicated with Viole

THE IMl^LE OF LOl-V 491

Falushe's apartments. Gersen went to examine the portal at the foot
of the stairs. It showed a blank featureless face. The mountainside
above was not climbable.

To the east, where crags reared over the sea, Viole Falushe had
set a thorn palisade. To the west the way was barred by a stone
wall. Gersen turned to look south. If he made a long journey, cir-
cling the periphery of the garden, he would then be able to climb
into the mountains to approach the area from above .. This was
the sort of purposeless activity Gersen detested. He would be mov-
ing without knowledge, without plan. There must be some better
method, but he could think of none. Very well, then-activity. He
looked at the sun; six hours of daylight remained He must go far
afield and trust to luck. If he were apprehended, he was Henry
Lucas, journalist, in search of information: a statement of sufficient
force, unless Viole Falushe undertook to use a truth-extracting de-
vice . . . Gersen's flesh crawled. The sensation annoyed him. He had
become soft, diffident, overwary. Reproaching himself first for cow-
ardice, then for willful recklessness, he set forth, walking south,
away from the mountains.

13

From Worlds I Have Knoii'n, by L G Dusenyi

The municipal Temple at Astropolis is a splendid
edifice of red porphyry with a noteworthy altar of solid
silver The Astropolitans are divided into thirteen cults,
each dedicated to a distinct Supreme Deity To deter-
mine which image sits on high, the Astropolitans each
seven years conduct a Tournament of the Gods, with
trials to measure Paramount Power, Inaccessible Loft-
iness and Ineffable Mystery

At the first trial wooden god-images are mounted
upon onagers, each hitched to a heavy log The onagers
then are urged around a track, and the winning god is
credited with Paramount Power

At the second trial the images are thrust into a glass
cauldron which is then sealed and inverted The god
which floats on high is credited with Inaccessible Loft-
mess

The images are then concealed behind booths
Candidates for sacrifice are brought forward, and each
attempts to guess the god behind each booth The can-
didate with the lowest score receives unction and the
blade, while the god who most efficiently conceals his
identity is )udged Ineffably Mysterious

Over the past twenty-eight years the god Kalzibah
has proved himself so consistently and the god Syarasis
has so often failed that the Syaratics are gradually de-
serting the cult to become ardent Kal/ibahans

THE PALACE OF I OVT 493

The garden ended at a grove of indigenous trees, of a type Gersen
had not seen before tall, gaunt organisms with pulpy black leaves,
from which dripped a musty unpleasant sap Fearing poison, Gersen
breathed as shallowly as possible, and was relieved to reach open
ground with no other sensation than dizziness To the east toward
the ocean were orchards and cultivated soil, to the west a dozen
long sheds were visible Barns^ Warehouses^ Dormitories2 Keeping
to the shadow of the trees Gersen walked west, and presently came
upon a road leading from the sheds toward the mountains

No living creature was in sight The sheds seemed deserted.
Gersen decided not to explore them, they certainly were not the
headquarters of Viole Falushe

Across the road was a wild area overgrown with thorny scrub.
Gersen looked dubiously down the road Best to travel by the bar-
rens, there would be less chance of discovery. He ducked across the
road and struck off toward the mountains The afternoon sun shone
brightly, the scrub was host to swarms of small red mites, which
set up an impatient whirring sound when disturbed. Stepping
around a hummock-a hive or a nest of some sort-Gersen came
upon a bloated serpenthke creature with a face uncannily human
The creature saw Gersen with an expression of comical alarm, then,
rearing back, it displayed a proboscis from which it evidently in-
tended to e]ect a fluid Gersen beat a quick retreat, and thereafter
walked more wanly

The road veered west away from the garden Gersen crossed
once more and took shelter under a cluster of yellow bladder-plants
He considered the mountain, tracing a route which would bring
him to the ridge Unfortunately, while climbing, he would be ex-
posed to the gaze of anyone who happened by   No help for it
He took a last look around, and seeing nothing to dissuade him,
set forth

The mountainside was steep, at times precipitous, Gersen made
discouragmgly slow progress The sun swung across the sky Below
spread the Palace of Love and the garden Gersen's chest pounded,
and his throat felt numb, as if it had been anesthetized .  The
influence of the noxious black-leaved forest? Ever higher he
climbed, the panorama below grew even wider

For a space the way became easier, and Gersen angled toward
the east, where presumably Viole Falushe maintained his head-
quarters Motion Gersen stopped short From the corner of his

494 THE DEMON PRINCES

eyes he had seen-what? He could not be sure. The flicker had
come from below and to his right. He scrutinized the face of the
mountain, and presently saw what otherwise might have evaded his
attention-a deep cleft or fissure with a bridge between two arched
apertures, the whole camouflaged by a stone wall.

Clutching and straining, Gersen angled down toward the cleft,
finally reaching a point thirty feet above the walkway. There was
no means to descend. He could go neither forward nor up nor
down. His fingers were tiring, his legs were cramped. Thirty feet-
too far to jump; he would break his legs. Out upon the bridge came
a pale stoop-shouldered man with a large moist head, a clipped
shock of black-gray hair. He wore a white jacket and black trousers.
It was the white jacket, Gersen now realized, which had originally
drawn his attention. If the man should look up, if a dislodged pebble
should strike the bridge, Gersen was lost.. . The man moved into
the opposite aperture and out of sight. Gersen gave a fantastic grav-
ity-defying leap, to throw himself into the angle of the cleft. He
thrust out his legs, doubled his knees, pressing between the walls.
Inch by inch he let himself down, gratefully jumping the final six
feet. He stretched, massaged sore muscles, then limped over to the
western doorway into which the man had disappeared. A white-
tiled hall led back fifty yards, broken by areas of glass and occasional
doorways. Beside one of these glass areas stood the stoop-
shouldered man, peering at something which had attracted his at-
tention. He raised his hand, and signaled. From somewhere beyond
Gersen's range of vision came a heavy-shouldered man with a thick
neck, narrow head, a coarse yellow brush of hair and white eyes.
The two looked through the glass, and the white-eyed man seemed
to be amused.

Gersen drew back. Crossing the walkway, he looked up the
passage to the east, to see a single doorway at the far end. The walls
and floor were white tile; ornate lamps scattered rays and planes of
various colors.

With long stealthy strides Gersen went to the far door. He
touched the open button. No response. He sought for code points
or a lock hole, without success. The opening-mechanism was con-
trolled from the other side. In one sense this was encouraging-
the stoop-shouldered man had come this way, and it could only be
to confer with whomever sat or stood or worked beyond the door.

It would not do to attract attention. Yet, Gersen must do some-

THE PALACE OF LOVE 495

thing and quickly. At any moment one of the two men might ap-
proach, and he had nowhere to hide. He scrutinized the door with
great care. The latch was magnetic; retraction was accomplished by
an electro-muscle. The escutcheon plate was fixed to the panel with
adhesive. Gersen searched his pockets but found nothing of utility.
Loping back down the hall, he reached up to the first lighting fix-
ture and twisted loose a decorative metal cusp with a sharp point.
Returning to the door he pried at the escutcheon plate, presently
snapped it free, to reveal the mechanism of the open button. Gersen
traced the circuit, and with the point of his metal cusp shorted
across the relay contacts. He touched the button. The door slid
aside, silent as a whisper.

Gersen passed through the opening into an unoccupied foyer.
He replaced the escutcheon plate and let the door slide shut.

There was much to see. The far end of the room was ripple
glass. To the left an archway opened upon a flight of stairs. To the
right were five cinematic panels, each displaying Jheral Tinzy in
various guises at different stages of existence.-Or were they five
different girls? One, wearing a short black skirt, was Drusilla Way-
les. Gersen recognized the expression on her face, the droop to her
mouth, the restless habit of tossing her head to the side. Another,
this a delightful imp in clown's regalia, cavorted on a stage. AJheral
Tinzy of thirteen or fourteen in the translucent white gown of a
sleepwalker moved slowly across an eerie setting of stone, black
shadow and sand. A fourth Jheral Tinzy, a year or two younger
than Drusilla, wore only a barbaric skirt of leather and bronze. She
stood on a stone-flagged terrace and seemed to be performing a
religious ritual. A fifth Jheral Tinzy, a year or two older than Dru-
silla, walked briskly along a city street. . .

Gersen glimpsed all this in the space of two seconds. The effect
was fascinating, but he could not spare time to look. For beyond
the ripple-glass wall was the distorted image of a tall spare man.

Gersen crossed the foyer on four silken strides. His hand went
to the open button of the door; he tensed, touched the button. The
door failed to open. Gersen exhaled: a long slow sigh of frustration.
The man turned his head sharply; all Gersen could see was distor-
tion and blur. "Retz? Back once more?" he jerked his head suddenly
forward; the glass was evidently permeable to his vision. "It's Lu-
cas-Henry Lucas the journalist!" His voice took on a harsh edge.
"There is a need for much explanation. What are you doing here?"

THE DEMON PRINCES

496

"The answer is obvious," said Gersen. "I came here to inter-
view you. There seemed no other way."

"How did you find my office?"

"I climbed the mountain, jumped down where the walkway
crosses the notch. Then I came along the passageway."

"Indeed, indeed. Are you a human fly to traverse the cliff?"

"It was not so difficult," said Gersen. "There would be no other
opportunity."

"This is a serious annoyance," said Viole Falushe. "Do you
recall my comments on the subject of privacy? I am rigid on this

score.

"Your comments were addressed to your guests," said Gersen.
"I am here as a man with a job to do."

"Your occupation gives you no license to break laws," Viole
Falushe stated in a gentle voice. "You are aware of my wishes,
which here, as elsewhere in the cluster, are law. I find your trespass
not only insolent but inexcusable. In fact, it goes far beyond the
brashness ordinarily tolerated in a journalist. It almost seems-"

Gersen interrupted. "Please, do not let your imagination dom-
inate your sense of proportion. I am interested in the photographs
in the foyer. They seem to be the likeness of the young lady who
accompanied us on our Journey; Navarth's ward."

"This is the case," said Viole Falushe. "I have a strong interest
in the young w-oman. I entrusted her upbringing to Navarth with
unhappy results; she is a wanton."

"Where is she now? I have not seen her since we arrived at the
Palace."

"She is enjoying her visit in circumstances somewhat different
from yours," said Viole Falushe. "But why your interest? She is
nothing to you."

"Except that I befriended her and tried to clarity certain issues
which she found confusing."

"And these issues were?"

"You will allow me to use candor?"

"Why not? You can hardly provoke me more than you already
have."

"The girl was fearful of what might happen to her. She wanted
to live a normal life, but did not care to risk retaliation for actions
she could not avoid."

THE PAl^CE OF LOVT.

497

Viole Falushe's voice trembled. "Is this how she spoke of me?
Only in terms of fear and retaliation?"

"She had no reason to speak otherwise."

"You are a bold man, Mr. Lucas. Surely you know my repu-
tation. I subscribe to a doctrine of general equity-that he who
commits a grievance must repair the effects of his act."

"What ofJheral Tinzy?" Gersen inquired, hoping to divert Vi-
ole Falushe.

"Jheral Tinzy." Viole Falushe breathed the name. "DearJheral:

as wilful and promiscuous as the unfortunate girl whom you be-
friended. Jheral could never quite repay the damage she wrought
upon me. Oh, those wasted years!" Viole Falushe's voice quavered;

grief lay near the surface. "Never could she requite her wrongs,
though she did her best."

"She is alive?"

"No." Viole Falushe^s mood changed once more. "Why do you
ask?"

"I am a journalist. You know why I am here. I want a photo-
graph ofJheral Tinzy for our article."

"This is a matter I do not care to publicize."

"I am puzzled by the resemblance between Jheral Tinzy and
the girl Drusilla. Can you explain this?"

"I could," said Viole Falushe. "But I do not choose to do so.
And there still remains your intrusion, which has shocked me, to
such an extent that I demand retribution." And Viole Falushe
leaned negligently back against an article of furniture.

Gersen reflected a moment. Flight was futile. Attack was im-
possible. Viole Falushe certainly carried a weapon; Gersen had
none. Galling though the situation might be he must persuade Vi-
ole Falushe to change his mind. He tried a reasonable approach.
"Conceivably I violated the letter of your regulations, but what avail
is an article on the Palace of Love without the comments of its
creator? There is no communicating with you, since you choose to
keep yourself aloof from your guests."

Viole Falushe seemed surprised. "Navarth knows my call-code
well. A servant would have brought you a telephone unit; you might
have called me at any time."

"This did not occur to me," said Gersen thoughtfully. "No, I
had not considered the telephone. You say Navarth knows the
code?"

rm DI'VIO\ PRINCFS

49S

"Certainly. It is the same as that which I use on Earth."

"The fact remains," said Gersen, "I am here. You have seen
Part One of the pro)ected article, Parts Two and Three are even
more highly colored. If we want to present your point of view, it
is important that we speak together. So open the door and we will
discuss the matter."

"No," said Viole Falushe. "It is my whim to remain anony-
mous, since I enjoy mingling with my guests . . . Well, then," he
grumbled, "I suppose I must swallow my outrage. It is not )ust that
you should evade your debt to me. Perhaps you will not in any
event. For the moment, you may regard yourself as reprieved " He
spoke a soft word that Gersen did not hear; a door opened m the
foyer. "Go within; this is my library. I will speak with you there."

Gersen passed into a long room carpeted in dark green. A heavy
table at the center supported a pair of antique lamps and a selection
of current periodicals. One wall was lined with ancient books, the
shelves sliding up or down through floor and ceiling to magazines
above and below. There was a standard microreference system, a
number of soft chairs.

Gersen looked around with a trace of envy; the atmosphere was
quiet, civilized, rational, remote from the hedonistic life of the Pal-
ace. A screen glowed to reveal Viole Falushe sprawling in a chair.
A light threw his form into silhouette; he was no more identifiable
now than before.

"Very well then," said Viole Falushe, "so here we are. You have
been making your photographic records, I believe2"

"I have several hundred pictures. More than necessary to cover
the superficial aspects of the Palace-that which you display to your
guests."

Viole Falushe seemed amused. "And you are curious as to what
else occurs2"

"From a journalistic standpoint."

"Hm. What do you think of the Palace then2"

"It is remarkably pleasant "

"You have a reservation?"

"Something is lacking. Perhaps the flaw lies in your servants.
They lack depth, they do not seem real."

"I recognize this," said Viole Falushe. "They ha\e no
traditions. The only remedy is time."

"They are also without responsibility. After all, they are slaves."

THE PALACE OF IA)VE 499

"Not quite, for they do not realize it. They consider themselves
the Fortunate Folk, and such they are. It is precisely this unreality,
this sense of faerie, that I have been at pains to develop."

"And when they age, what then2 WTiat becomes of the Fortu-
nate Folk2"

"Some work the farms surrounding the gardens Some are sent
elsewhere."

"To the real world3 They are sold as slaves3"

"All of us are slaves in some wise."

"How are you a slave2"

"I am victim to a terrible obsession. I was a sensitive boy, cru-
elly thwarted; I daresay Navarth has provided the details. Rather
than submit, I was forced, by my sense of justice, to seek compen-
sation-which I am still seeking. I am a man much maligned. The
public considers me a voluptuous sybarite, an erotic glutton. The
reverse is true. I am-why mince matters3-absolutely ascetic. I
must remain so until my obsession is relieved. I am a man cursed.
But you are not interested in my personal problems, since naturally
they are not for publication "

"Nevertheless, I am interested. Jheral Tmzy is the source of
your obsession2"

"Precisely." Viole Falushe spoke in a measured voice. "She had
blighted my life. She must expunge this blight. Is this not justice2
To date she has proved unwilling, incapable."

"How could she remove the obsession2"

Viole Falushe stirred fretfully in his chair "Are you so un-
imaginative2 We have explored the matter far enough."

"So Jheral Tinzy is yet alive?"

"Yes indeed."

"But I understood you to say that she was dead."

"Life, death-these are imprecise terms."

"Who then is Drusilla, the girl you left with Navarth2 Is she
Jheral Tmzy2"

"She is who she is. She made a dreadful mistake. She failed and
Navarth failed, for Navarth should have schooled her. She is friv-
olous and wanton; she trafficked with other men, and she must serve
as Jheral Tmzy served. Thus it shall be, forever and ever, until
finally there is expiation, until I can feel soothed and whole. By this
time there is a terrible score to pay. Thirty years' Think of it!"

500 THE DFMON PRINCFS

Viole Falushe's voice vibrated and cracked "Thirty years sur-
rounded by beauty, and incapable ofen)oymg it' Thirty long years'"

"I would not presume to give you advice," said Gersen, some-
what dryly

"I need no advice, and naturally, what I tell you is in confidence
You would be ungracious to publish it I would be grieved and
forced to demand satisfaction "

"What then may I publish3"

"Whatever you like, so long as I am not m|ured."

"WTiat of the other events here^ WTiat goes on at the other
end of the hall?"

Viole Falushe considered him a moment Gersen could sense
but not see the smoulder in his eyes But he spoke in a light voice
"This is the Palace of Love I am interested m the subject, even
fascinated, through the mechanism of sublimation I have an elab-
orate program of research under way I explore the emotion in
artificial and arbitrary circumstances I do not choose to discuss the
matter any further at this time Perhaps five years from now, or
ten, I will publish a resume of my findings. They will provide fas-
cinating insights "

"In regard to the photographs m the foyer-"

Viole Falushe jumped to his feet "No more' We have talked
too much, I find myself uneasy. You have provoked this, hence I
have arranged a similar uneasiness for you, which will go far to
soothe me Thereafter, caution, discretion' Make the most of your
time, because shortly you must return to Reality "

"WTiat of you3 You remain here31'

"No 1 shall also leave the Palace My work here is accom-
plished, and I have an important mission on Alphanor, which well
may change all   Be so good as to step into the hall My friend
Helaunce awaits you "

Helaunce, thought Gersen This would be the white-eyed man
Slowly, with Viole Falushe watching him from the screen, Gersen
turned and went to the door The white-eyed man waited in the
hall He carried an ob)ect something like a flail, a rod terminating
m a set of cords He appeared to carry no other weapon

"Remove your clothes," said Helaunce "You are to be chas-
tised "

"Best that you confine your chastisement to words," said Ger-

THE PAL4CF OF LOVE 501

sen "Revile me all you like, in the meantime let us return to the
garden "

Helaunce smiled "I have m\ orders Be as difficult as you like,
the orders must and will be carried out "

"Not by you," said Gersen "You are too thick and too slow "

Helaunce flourished the flail, the cords made a sinister crackling
sound "Quick, or you will make us impatient, and the punishment
will be commensurate."

Helaunce was hard and tough, Gersen noted, obviously a
trained fighter-perhaps as well-trained as himself. Helaunce was
also thirty pounds heavier If he had a weakness, it was not apparent
Gersen suddenly sat down in the hall, put his hands to his face and
began to sob

IIelaunce stared in puzzlement "Off with your clothes' Do not
sit there " He came forward, nudged Gersen with his foot "Up'"

Gersen |umped up with Helaunce's foot clamped to his chest.
Helaunce hopped backward, Gersen gave the foot a cruel twist,
applying torque to )omts where muscles could interpose no protec-
tion Helaunce cried out in agony, then fell flat Gersen wrested
loose the flail, struck him across the shoulder The cords hissed,
crackled, Helaunce muttered

"If you can walk," said Gersen, "be good enough to show me
the way "

There was a step behind him Gersen turned to glimpse a tall
shape m black garments Something splashed purple-white light
into his brain, Gersen toppled, dazed

There was half an hour of nightmare Gersen slowly regained con-
trol of his faculties He lay naked in the garden, beside the white
palace wall His clothes were stacked neatly beside him

So much for that, thought Gersen The project had failed. Not
in disaster, for he still had his life Gersen dressed himself, smiling
grimly There had been an attempt to humiliate him It had not
succeeded He had paid, but pain, like pleasure, has no duration.
Pride was an entity more persistent.

Gersen leaned against the wall until his brain cleared His
nerves still throbbed to the terrible flail There were no bruises, no
lacerations, no more than a few red welts Gersen was hungry And
here was humiliation indeed he must eat Viole Falushe's food, walk
through the pleasant garden that Viole P'alushe's brain had con-

502 THE DEMON PR1NOS

ceived . . . Gersen smiled again, even more wolfishly than before.
He had known that his life might not be altogether graceful and
easy.

The time was about dusk. The garden had never seemed more
beautiful. Fireflies moved in the |asmine bushes, marble urns
glowed against dark foliage as if exuding wan light of their own. A
troupe of girls from one of the villages came capering past. Tonight
they wore loose white pantaloons and carried yellow lanterns. See-
ing Gersen, they circled around him singing a gay song, the words
of which Gersen could not comprehend. One approached, held her
lantern to Gersen's face. "Why so strange, guest-man3 Why so
gray? Come frolic, come ]oin us!"

"Thank you," said Gersen. "I fear tonight I would frolic very
poorly indeed."

"Kiss me," coaxed the girl. "Am I not beautiful3 WTiy are you
so sad? Because you must leave forever and ever the Palace of Love?
And we will remain, and always be young and carry our lanterns
through the night. Is this why you grieve3"

Gersen smiled. "Yes, I must return to a far world. And I am
forlorn at the thought. But do not let me interfere with your |oy."

The girl kissed his cheek. "Tonight is your last night, your last
night at the Palace of Love. Tonight you must do all you have
neglected so far, never will there be another time!" The girls con-
tinued on their way, with Gersen looking after them. "Do all I have
neglected3 I wish I could . . ." He went to a sunken terrace where
guests sat dining. Navarth crouched over a bowl of goulash; Gersen
joined him. An attendant wheeled forth a cart; Gersen, who had
not eaten since morning, served himself.

Navarth finally spoke: "What's happened? You appear well-
used."

"I spent an afternoon with our host."

"Indeed. You spoke to him face to face3"

"Almost so."

"And you know then his identity? Mano? Ethuen3 Tanzel3"

"I can't be sure."

Navarth grunted, and bent once more to the goulash.

"Tonight is the last night," Gersen said presently.

"So they tell me. I will be glad to go. There is no poetry here.
It is as I have always set forth: |oy comes of its own free will, it
cannot be belabored. Look-a great palace, a magnificent garden

THE PALACE OF LOl-T

with live nymphs and heroes. But where is the dreaming, the myth3
Only simple-minded folk find )oy here."

"Your friend Viole Falushe would be sorry to hear you say
this."

"I cannot say less." Navarth turned Gersen a sudden sharp look.
"Did you ask for the girl?"

"I did. I learned nothing."

Navarth closed his eyes. "I have become an old man, I am
ineffectual. Henry Lucas, whatever your name, cannot you act3"

"Today I tried," said Gersen. "I was not made welcome."

The two sat m silence. Then Gersen asked, "When do we
leave3"

"I know no more than you."

"We will do what we can."

14

From The Avatar's Apprentice in Scroll From The Ninth
Dimension:

Struggling to the hill's crest, Marmaduke searched
for the blasted cypress which marked the hut of the
symbologist. There stood the tree, haggard and deso-
late, and a hut nearby.

The symbologist gave him welcome. "A hundred
leagues I have come," said Marmaduke, "to put a single
question: Do the colors have souls?"

"Did anyone aver otherwise?" asked the perplexed
symbologist. He caused to shine an orange light, then,
lifting the swing of his gown, he cavorted with great
zest. Marmaduke watched with pleasure, amused to see
an old man so spry!

The symbologist brought forth green light.
Crouching under the bench he thrust his head between
his ankles and turned his gown outside to in, while Mar-
maduke clapped his hands for wonder.

The symbologist evoked red light, and leaping upon
Marmaduke, playfully wrestled him to the floor and
threw the gown over his head. "My dear fellow,"
gasped Marmaduke, winning free, "but you are brisk in
your demonstration!"

"What is worth doing is worth doing well," the
symbologist replied. "Now to expatiate. The colors ad-
mit of dual import. The orange is icterine humor as
well as the mirth of a dying heron.

THE PALACE OF LOVE

"Green is the essence of second-thoughts, likewise
the mode of the north wind. Red, as we have seen, ac-
companies rustic exuberance."

"And a second import of the red?" Marmaduke
asked.

The symbologist made a cryptic sign. "That re-
mains to be seen, as the cat said who voided into the
sugar bowl."

Amused and edified, Marmaduke took his leave, and
he was quite halfway down the mountain before he dis-
covered the loss of his wallet.

The last night at the Palace of Love was celebrated by a fete.
There was music, intoxicating fumes, a whirl of dancers from the
villages. Those who had formed attachments made woeful conver-
sation or indulged in a final frenzy of passion. Others sat quietly,
each in his private mood, and so passed the night. One by one the
colored lights blinked and dimmed; the folk in "white slipped away
through the garden gloom; one by one the guests took themselves
to their couches, alone or in the company that pleased them most.

The garden was quiet; dew began to form on the grass. To
each of the guests went a servant: "The time has come to leave."

To grumblings and protests the servants made but one reply:

"These are our orders. The air car waits; those who are not on
hand must walk their way back to Kouhila."

The guests once more were provided new clothing: an austere
costume of blue, black and dark green. They were then guided to
an area somewhat south of the Palace where a large air car waited.
Gersen counted: all here except Pruitt and Drusilla. Ethuen, Mario
and Tanzel stood nearby. If one were Viole Falushe, it seemed that
now he planned to return to the Oikumene with the others.

Gersen went forward, glanced into the pilot's compartment.
Here sat Helaunce. The guests were filing into the air car. Gersen
took Navarth aside. "Wait."

"Why?"

"No matter." Tanzel and Ethuen were aboard; now Mario
climbed the ladder. Gersen spoke hurriedly. "Go aboard. Make a
disturbance. Pound on the bulkhead. Shout. There is an emergency
lock between the saloon and the pilot's compartment. Pull this

\W DFMON PRINCFS

open. Distract the pilot, try not to incite either Mano, Ethuen or
Tan/el They must not be encouraged to interfere."

Navarth looked at him blankly. "What is the use of this'""

"No matter. Do as I say. Where is Drusilla^ Where is Jheral
Tinzv^ WTrv are they not aboard3"

"Yes .. . Why are they not aboard^ I am truly outraged." Na-
varth jumped up the ladder, thrusting aside the Druidess Laidig.
"W^it'" he called. "We are not all present. WTiere is Zan Zu from
Endu? We cannot leave without her. I refuse to leave; nothing will
remove me "

"Quiet, old fool," growled Torrance da Nossa "You do no
good "

Navarth raged back and forth, lie struck on the forward bulk-
head, pulled on the handle of the communicating door. Finally He-
launce opened the door and went aft to enforce order. "Old man,
sit quietly. It is by order that we now leave. Unless you care to walk
the long road alone, sit quiet."

"Come then, Navarth," said Lerand Wible. "You achieve noth-
ing. Sit quietly."

"Very well," said Navarth. "I have protested; I have done all I
can, I can do no more."

Helaunce returned forward. He backed into the pilot's com-
partment, closed the door. Gersen, waiting to the side, struck him
over the head with a stone. Helaunce staggered, spun around, he
saw Gersen through eyes blinded by blood and gave an inarticulate
cry. Gersen struck again; Helaunce fell aside.

Gersen settled himself at the controls. Up rose the air car, up
into the light of the rising sun. Gersen searched Helaunce and
found two pro)acs, which he tucked into his own pocket. Slackening
speed until the air car only drifted, he slid open the door and rolled
Helaunce out and away.

In the saloon, thought Gersen, Viole Falushe must be wonder-
ing as to the peculiar course Helaunce was steering. Gersen sought
around the ocean and presently spied a small island some twenty
miles from the shore. He circled it, and seeing no sign of habitation
landed the air car.

He jumped to the ground. Going to the saloon port, he pulled
it open and )umped inside. "Everybody out. Quick " And he ges-
tured with the projacs.

Wible stuttered, "WTiat does this mean^"

THL PALALEOFLOVE

"It means everybody out."

Navarth )umped to his teet. "Gome along," he bawled. "F\-
erybody out."

Uncertainly the guests filed outside. Mano came to the door.
Gersen halted him. "You must remain. Be very careful and do not
move, or I will kill you."

Tanzel came by, and Ethuen, both were intercepted, ordered
to sit. Finally the saloon was empty but for Gersen, Mano, Tanzel
and Ethuen. Outside Navarth excitedly harangued the group.
"Make no interference, you will regret it' This is IPCC business. I
know it for a fact'"

"Navarth'" Gersen called from the saloon. "Your assistance,
please."

Navarth climbed back into the saloon. He searched Mano,
Tanzel and Ethuen, while Gersen stood vigilantly by. Neither
weapons nor clues to the identity of Viole Falushe were discovered.
To Gersen's direction, Navarth tied the three men to chairs, using
various oddments of cord, strips of fabric and thongs. Meanwhile
the three excoriated Gersen and demanded the basis for his per-
secution. Tanzel was the most verbose; Ethuen the most acrimo-
nious, and Mano the most enraged. All glared and cursed with
equal vigor. Gersen accepted the remarks with equanimity. "I will
apologize to two of you later. Those two, aware of their innocence,
will cooperate with me. P'rom the third man I expect trouble. I am
prepared for it."

Tanzel asked, "In Jehu's name, then. what do you \vish of us^
Name your third man and have done'"

"Vogel Filschner is his name," said Gersen. "Otherwise known
as Viole Falushe."

"Why pick on us^ Go seek him at the Palace'"

Gersen grinned. "Not a bad idea " He tested the bonds of the
three men, tightened here, reknotted there. "Navarth, you sit here,
to the side. W^atch these three carefully. One of them took Jheral
Tinzy from you."

"Tell me which one."

"Vogel Filschner. You don't recognize him^"

"I wish I could." He pointed to Mano. "This one has his shifty
eye " He indicated TanzePs hands "This one has a mannerism I
remember in Vogel " He turned to inspect Ethuen. "And this one
has a store of spite and clearly is unhappy "

niE l^MON PRINCES

508

"Certainly I'm unhappy'" snapped Ethuen "Why should I re-
pice3"

"Watch them well," said Gersen "We return to the Palace "
Ignoring the outcries of the marooned guests, he took the air
car aloft So far so good-but what next2 Conceivably his reasoning
was awry, conceivably neither Tanzel, nor Mano, nor Fthuen was
Viole Falushe Thinking back over the circumstances of the )ourney
to the Palace, he discarded the notion

The best method of ingress to the apartments of Viole Falushe
was from above, Gersen had no stomach for another climb around
the cliff He landed the air car beside the stone castle, and went
back into the saloon All was as before Navarth sat glaring at the
three captives, who regarded him with loathing.

Gersen gave Navarth one of the projacs "If there is difficulty
kill all three I go to look for Drusilla and Jheral Tinzy You must
guard them with care'"

Navarth laughed wildly "WTio can trick a mad poet3 I know
him this instant I intend to keep the weapon at his throat "

Gersen could not restrain a sense of misgiving Navarth was
not the most stable of guardians "Remember-if he escapes, we
are lost He may want a glass of water, let him thirst His bonds
may be too tight He must suffer' Show no mercy if there is inter-
ference from outside Shoot all three "
"With pleasure "

"Very well Keep your madness in check till I return'"
Gersen went to the door through which three weeks previously
the sodden band of pilgrims had entered The door was locked, he
blasted awav the hardware and entered.

There was no sound The dank rooms were empty Gersen
went down the hall, descended by the way the girl in blue velvet
had taken him, and finally found the banquet room, now dim,
smelling faintly of perfume and wine

Gersen moved more cautiously. From the banquet room a way
led down to the garden Another must lead to Viole Falushe's apart-
ments

Gersen checked the walls, and finally behind a hanging he
found a narrow door of heavy wood barred with metal. Once again
he burnt his way through.

A spiral staircase led down into the chamber to the back of the
circular foyer

THEP4L4(EOI I (WE

509

Gersen searched the room He found a black leather notebook
containing exhaustive notes upon the psychology of Jheral Tinzy,
and the various methods by which Viole Falushe hoped to win her.
It seemed that Viole Falushe wanted more than love he wanted
submission, ab)ect quivering abasement derived from a mingling of
love and fear

So far, reflected Gersen, Viole Falushe had fallen short in his
goal He tossed the portfolio aside On the wall was a telescreen.
Gersen turned a knob Drusilla Wayles wearing a white robe sat
on a bed She was pale, thin, but apparently unharmed

Gersen turned the knob He looked out upon a gloomy area of
sand among tall rock pinnacles To the back were five dark deodors
and a little cabin hardly larger than a doll house Sitting on a bench
was a girl about fourteen years old, a girl almost identical to Dru-
silla She wore a transparent white gown, her face had a peculiarly
sweet, peculiarly pensive expression, as if she had only just awak-
ened from a pleasant dream From the side came a tall non-human
creature, walking on thin black-furred legs It stopped beside the
girl, spoke in a thin high-pitched voice The girl responded without
interest

Gersen turned the knob again, to bring into view a terrace in
front of what appeared to be a temple Inside could be glimpsed
the statue of a divinity. On the steps stood another Drusilla, this
one sixteen years old, wearing only a kirtle, and a copper fillet to
confine her hair Elsewhere were other men and women, similarly
dressed To the side was the suggestion of a shore, with water be-
yond

Gersen turned the knob again and again and again He looked
into various environments, various types of rooms and cages They
contained an assortment of boys, girls, youths, maidens, young men
and women, sometimes separate, sometimes together. Here were
Viole Falushe's experiments, from which he evidently extracted a
voyeur's pleasure   Gersen saw no more versions of Drusilla

Urgency prickled at his nerves, stemming from his lack of faith
in Navarth He set otf along the hall, and crossing the bridge he
entered the laboratory section to the west Here was the locale of
the experiments-in cages and chambers behind one-way mirrors.

Gersen found Retz, the stoop-shouldered technician, sitting in
a small office He looked up, startled at the sight of Gersen. "What
do you do here3 Are you a guest3 The master will be displeased'"

1HF DFMON PRINCES

510

"I am master now " Gersen displayed the projac "Where is the
girl who resembles Jheral Tinzy7"

Retz blinked, half-defiant, hair-doubtful "I can tell you noth-
ing "

Gersen struck him with the gun "Quick The girl who came

here three weeks ago "

Retz began to whine. "What can I tell you7 Viole Falushe will
punish me "

"Viole Falushe is a prisoner " Gersen leveled the gun "Take
me to the girl, or I will kill you "

Retz made a despairing sound "He will do terrible things to

me"

"No longer "

Retz waved his arms, walked down the corridor Suddenly he
stopped, turned around "You say he is your prisoner7"

"He is "

"What do you plan to do with him7"

"Kill him."

"And what of the Palace2"

"We shall see Take me to the girl "

"Will you leave me here, in charge of the Palace3"

"I will kill you unless you make haste."

Disconsolately Retz moved on Gersen spoke to him. "What
has Viole Falushe done to her5"

"Nothing yet "

"What did he plan5"

"An autofertihzation- a virgin birth, so to speak In due course
she would bear a female child precisely like herself"

"Jheral Tmzy gave birth to her in this way3"

"Exactly "

"And how many others7"

"Six others Then she killed herself"

"Where are the Other five7"

"Ah' As to that, I can't say "

Retz was lying, but Gersen allowed the statement to go un-
challenged

Retz paused by a door, looked craftily over his shoulder. "The
girl is within Whatever she reports, you must remember that I am
only an underling here, I only obey orders "

"Then you'll obey mine Open the door " Retz hesitated a final

THE PALACE OF LOVE

51

instant, with a glance over Gersen's shoulder down the hall, as if
hoping against hope for succor He sighed, slid back the door

Drusilla, sitting on the bed, looked up with alarm She saw
Gersen, her expression changed from astonishment to )oy She
jumped up from the bed, ran to Gersen, sobbed in relief "I hoped
you'd come They've done such dreadful things to me'"

Retz thought to take advantage of Gersen's distraction and
started to slink away Gersen called him back "Not so fast I have
use for you " He spoke to Drusilla "Has Viole Falushe shown him-
self to you7 Will you recognize him7"

"He came to stand in the doorway with the light at his back.
He did not want me to see him He was savage, he hated me He
said I had been faithless 1 asked how this was possible since I had
promised him nothing He became absolutely cold He said that it
had been my duty to wait, to maintain my ideals, until he had come
And even then, he said, I had played him false, at Navarth's party
and also on the journey "

Gersen said, "One thing is certain then he is Tanzel or Ethuen
or Mano Which did you like the least7"

"Tanzel "

"Tanzel, eh7 Well, Retz here will show us certainly which is
Viole Falushe, will you not, Retz?"

"How can I7 He has never shown himself to me, except behind
the glass of his office "

Unlikely, thought Gersen, still, not impossible "Where are the
other daughters of Jheral Tmzy7"

"Six there were," muttered Retz "Viole Falushe killed the two
oldest. There is one on Alphanor, this one"-he indicated Dru-
silla-"was sent to Earth The youngest is to the east of the Palace,
where the mountains meet the sea The next is priestess to the god
Arodm, on the large island directly to the east "

"Retz," said Gersen, "I hold Viole Falushe a captive I am your
new master Do you understand this7"

Retz nodded sulkily "If this is how it must be "

"Can you identify Viole Falushe7"

"He is a tall man, he has dark hair; he can be harsh or soft,
cruel or easy Beyond that I do not know "

"These are my orders to you Liberate these poor captives "

"Impossible'" fluted Retz. "They know no other life than their

THE DEMON PRINCKS

512

peculiar environments. The open air, the sun, the sky-they would
go mad!"

"This is your task then. As gently and easily as possible, bring
them forth. I will return shortly and see how well you have done
your job. Further, make known to the folk in the garden that they
are no longer slaves, that they are free to go or to stay. Mind you,
I will pen you in, closet and punish you for your crimes if you do
not obey me."

"I will obey," muttered Retz. "I am accustomed to obedience;

I know nothing else."

Gersen took Drusilla's arm. "I worry about Navarth. We dare
not be gone too long."

But when they returned up through the castle and out to the
air car, circumstances were as before. The three captives were se-
cure and Navanh held the weapon unblinkingly at their heads. His
eyes glowed at the sight of Drusilla. "What ofJheral Tinzy?"

"She is dead. But she had daughters. There are others. What
has transpired while I was gone?"

"Talk. Blandishments. Persuasion. Threats."

"Of course. Who was most insistent?"

"Tanzel."

Gersen turned Tanzel a cool inspection. Tanzel shrugged. "Do
you think I enjoy sitting here trussed like a chicken?"

"One of you is Viole Falushe," said Gersen. "Which? I won-
der- Well, we must undo more of the dreadful mischief performed
in the name of love."

He took the air car aloft, cruised slowly east over the moun-
tains. At the ocean's edge, where the crags submerged into the
water, a gloomy defile opened upon a narrow gray beach. Behind
was a sandy open area perhaps an acre in extent. Gersen lowered
the air car into the shadows and landed. He jumped out.

Drusilla IV, the youngest of the group, came slowly forward.
From a fissure to the back, two non-human nursemaids made angry
chattering sounds. The girl asked, "Are you The Man? The Man
who is coming to love me?"

Gersen grinned. "I am a man, true enough, but who is The
Man?"

Drusilla IV looked vaguely toward the fissure. "They have told
me of The Man. There is one of me, and one of him, and when I
see him I must love him. This is what I have learned."

THE PALACE OF L(W

513

"But you have never seen this man?"

"No. You are the first man I have ever seen. The first person
like myself. You are wonderful!"

"There are many men in the world," said Gersen. "They told
you a falsehood. Come aboard, I will show you other men, and a
girl like yourself."

Drusilla IV looked around the dreary defile in alarm and be-
wilderment. "Will you take me from here? I am frightened."

"You need not be," said Gersen. "Come aboard now."

"Of course." She took his hand trustingly and entered the sa-
loon. At the sight of the passengers she halted in astonishment. "I
never knew so many people existed!" She examined Mano, Ethuen
and Tanzel critically. "I don't like them. They have foolish wicked
faces." She turned to Gersen. "I like you. You are the first man I
have ever seen. You must be The Man, and I will stay with you
forever."

Gersen watched the faces of Mario, Ethuen and Tanzel. This
must make poor hearing for Viole Falushe. All sat stony-faced, glar-
ing at Gersen with equal degrees of detestation-except at the cor-
ner ofTanzel's mouth, a tiny muscle twitched.

Gersen took the air car aloft and flew out toward the largest of
the islands. Almost immediately he spied the temple looming above
a village of cane and frond. Gersen landed the air car in the square,
while villagers watched in amazement and alarm.

From the temple sauntered Drusilla III, a girl confident and
self-possessed, exactly identical to the other Drusillas, vet in some
sense different, as the other two were different.

Once more Gersen alighted from the air car. Drusilla III in-
spected him with candid interest. "WTio are you?"

"I come from the mainland," said Gersen. "I come to speak to
you."

"You want a rite performed? Go elsewhere. Arodin is impotent.
I have beseeched him to send me elsewhere, among other boons.
There is no response."

Gersen looked into the temple. "That is his likeness within?"

"Yes. 1 am priestess to the cult."

"Let us go to look at the image."

"There is nothing to see-a statue sitting on a throne."

Gersen went into the temple. At the far end sat a figure twice
as large as life. The head w^s rudely defaced: nose, ears, chin broken

THF DEMON PRINOS

114

away. Gersen turned to Drusilla III in wonder. "Who damaged the
statue^"

"I did."

"Why"^"

"I did not like his face. According to the Rote, Arodin must
come in the flesh to take me for his bride. I am enjoined to pray
to the statue for the earliest nuptials possible. I broke the face to
delay the process. I do not like being a priestess but I am allowed
to be nothing else. I hoped that after I denied the image another
priestess might be appointed. This has not occurred. Will you take

me away?"

"Yes. Arodin is no god, he is a man." Gersen took Drusilla III
into the saloon, pointed out Mano, Ethuen, Tanzel. "Observe the
three men. Does one of them resemble the statue of Arodin, before
you defaced it?"

One of the men blinked.

"Yes," said Drusilla III. "Yes, indeed. There is the face of Aro-
din." She pointed to Tanzel, the man who had blinked.

Tanzel cried out, "Here, here' What's going on? What are you
trying to do3"

"I want to identify Viole Falushe," said Gersen.

"Why pick on me? I'm not Arodin, nor Viole Falushe, nor yet
Beelzebub, for that matter. I'm good old Harry Tanzel of London,
no more no less, and I'll thank you to take these ropes from my

arms."

"In due course," said Gersen. "In due course." He turned to
Drusilla III. "You're sure that he is Arodin?"

"Of course. Why is he tied?"

"I suspect him of being a criminal."

Drusilla III laughed, a clear merry sound. "WTiat a dreadful
)oke! A man like that putting up a statue to himself and calling
himself a god' What did he hope to gain?"

"You."

"Me^ All this effort for me^"

"He wanted you to love him, to worship him."

Again Drusilla Ill's laughter ran through the ship. "A great deal
of wasted effort."

And Gersen, watching closely, thought he saw a pink flush seep
across Tanzel's face. "You are ready to leave here?"

"Yes . .. Who are these other girls who so resemble me?"

THE PALACE OF LOVE 515

"Your sisters."

"How strange."

"Yes. Viole Falushe-or Arodin, if you prefer-is a strange

man

Gersen took the air car aloft, set it to cruising slowly on the
automatic pilot while he cogitated. Still no absolute proof to the
identity of V^ole Falushe. A twitch of the mouth, a seep of color, a
defaced countenance; interesting but hardly incontrovertible evi-
dence . . . Essentially he was no closer to the identity' of Viole Fa-
lushe than when he set out on the )ourney. He looked back into
the saloon. Navarth had become bored with his duties and was
watching the girls with a half-expectant, half-forlorn expression-
perhaps by some miracle they would merge to become his own
Jheral Tinzy.

Gersen sifted his courses of action. They were few. If he had
access to one or another of the truth drugs, Viole Falushe's identity
would emerge swiftly enough . . . There \vas no one at the Palace
of Love who could recognize Viole Falushe, probably no one at
Atar or Kouhila. On Earth, Navarth knew Viola Falushe's call-code
.. . Gersen rubbed his chin. "Navarth1"

Navarth came into the pilot's compartment Gersen indicated
the communication system and gave instructions. Navarth grinned
from ear to ear.

Gersen went back to the saloon, seated himself near Tanzel.
He looked through into the pilot's compartment, nodded to Na-
varth.

Navarth tapped Viole Falushe's call-code. Gersen bent forward.
At the lobe of TanzeFs ear sounded a faint whir-an almost im-
perceptible vibration. Tanzel )erked, strained at his bonds.

Navarth spoke softly into the forward microphone. "Viole Fa-
lushe. Can you hear me7 Viole Falushe'"

Tanzel jerked around to meet Gersen's appraising stare. There
could be no more dissembling, Viole Falushe was unmasked. A look
of desperation came over his face, he writhed against his bonds.

"Viole Falushe," said Gersen. "The tune has come "

"Who are you^" gasped Viole Falushe. "IPCC^"

Gersen made no answer. Navarth came back.

"So this is he. I knew it all the time. He inflicted me with chill.
Where is Jheral Tinzy, VogeP"

Viole Falushe licked his lips. "You two have plotted to kill me."

S16 THF DEMON PRINCF'S

Gersen and Navarth carried him forward, into the pilot's com-
partment, closed the door communicating with the saloon.

"Why3" cried Viole Falushe. "Why must you do this to me3"

Navarth turned to Gersen. "Do you need me7"

"No."

"Good-bye, Vogel," said Navarth. "You have lived a remark-
able life." He went back into the saloon.

Gersen slowed the air car to a hover. He opened the port. Ten
thousand feet below spread the ocean.

"Why3 Why3 Why3" cried Viole Falushe. "Why do you do
this to me3"

Gersen spoke in a dry voice. "You are a monomaniac. I am the
same. W^en I was a child, the five Demon Princes brought their
ships to Mount Pleasant. Do you recall3"

"Long ago, oh so long ago'"

"They destroyed, they killed, they enslaved. Everything I loved:

family, friends, all destroyed. The Demon Princes are my obsession.
I have killed two of them. You will be the third. I am not Henry
Lucas the journalist. I am Kirth Gersen, and all my life is aimed
toward-this." He stepped toward Viole Ealushe, who made a ter-
rible wrenching exertion. His bonds snapped; he lurched, flung out
his arms and toppled back and out the port. Gersen watched the
long figure drifting down toward the ocean, until it passed from
sight. Then he closed the port and returned to the saloon. Navarth
had already released Mano and Ethuen.

"My apologies to you," said Gersen. "I hope you have not been
seriously m)ured."

Ethuen gave him a look of unspeakable dislike; Mano made a
muttering sound in his throat.

"Well, then," said Navarth cheerfully. "WTiat now3"

"We will pick up our friends," said Gersen. "No doubt they
are wondering what is to become of them."

"Then what3" growled Ethuen. "How are we to find our way
back to Sogdian3 We have no spaceship."

Gersen laughed. "Were you deceived3 This is Sogdian. That is
the sun Miel. How could you not notice?"

"Why should I3 A lunatic pilot careened through the cluster
for hours."

"A subterfuge. Zog was no lunatic. But he was careless, he per-
formed no acclimati7ation routine; when he flung open the port

7 HE PALACE OF L()\-T 517

there was no difference in pressure or composition. The light was
the same intensity; the gravity was the same, the sky was the same
color, the clouds were of the same shape, the flora of the same
type."

"I noticed nothing," said Navarth. "But I am no space traveler.
I i-eel no shame. If I ever return to Farth, I shall never depart
again."

"P'lrst: a stop at the city of Kouhila. The folk wilt be pleased
to learn that they need pay no further taxes."

At Afar, Gersen found the Distis Pharaon as he had left it. Mano,
W^ible and da Nossa had spaceboats of their own; the other guests
were conveyed back to the Oikumene by the ship which Viole Fa-
lushe had ordered for their use. Navarth and the three Drusillas
came aboard the Pharaon. Gersen flew them to New Wexford and
put them aboard the packet for Earth. "I will send you money," he
told Navarth. "It will be for the girls. You must make sure that
they are raised properly."

"I have done my best with Zan Zu," said Navarth gruffly. "She
is raised. WTiat is amiss with her3 The others will need more care."

"Exactly. And when I am next on Earth I will see you."

"Good. We will sit on the deck of my houseboat and drink my
fine wine " Navarth turned away. Gersen took a deep breath, went
to say good-bye to Drusilla Wayles She came close to him, took
his hands. "WTry can't I come with you3 Wherever you go."

"I can't explain to you. But-no. Not now. I tried it once, to
no avail."

"I would be different."

"1 know you are. But there might be worse problems. I might
not be able to part with you."

"Will I ever see you again3"

"I don't think so "

Drusilla turned away "Good-bye," she said listlessly.

Gersen took a step after her, halted, then swung around and
went his way

Gersen chartered a freight earner and took it to the Palace of Love.
The gardens seemed wild and less well tended An indefinable
gloom had come over the airy structures

118 IHF Dt-MON PRINCFS

Retz greeted him with cautious cordiality. "I have been doing
your bidding. Slowly, easily, not to disturb or alarm."

He took Gersen on a tour of the special environments, he de-
scribed the weird and intricate thought-patterns Viole Falushe had
imposed upon his young victims. One by one the victims were
emerging into the upper air; some astonished; some delighted, some
dazzled and frightened, and whimpering to return.

The villages in the garden had changed. Many of the Fortunate
Folk had departed; others had returned from the backlands with
their children. In time the Palace of Love would become a remote
farm community.

Gersen could not leave Viole Falushe's books to moulder. He
loaded them aboard the freighter and consigned them to the care
ofJehan Addels at New Wexford. With a final admonition for Retz,
Gersen himself departed, and flew off through the stars of Sirneste
Cluster, back toward the Oikumene.

Months later, sitting on the Esplanade at Avente, on Alphanor,
Gersen saw a young woman approaching. She wore fashionable gar-
ments in the best of taste, she obviously had been raised in an
atmosphere of gentility and good manners.

On a sudden impulse Gersen stepped forward. "Please excuse
me/' he said, "but you resemble someone I know on Earth. Are
your parents Earth-folk3"

The girl listened without embarrassment. She shook her head.
"This may seem strange, but I do not know my parents. I may be
an orphan, or"-she made a rueful little grimace-"something else.
My guardians receive money to provide a home for me. Do you
know my parents5 Tell me, please!"

Gersen thought, what in the world am I up to5 Why disturb
the girl with the details of her background, or worse, the nightmare
she had so narrowly avoided3 For here, certainly, was Viole Falu-
she's urgent business on Alphanor.

Gersen pretended doubt. "I'm mistaken-I think. The resem-
blance must be a coincidence. You could not possibly be the person
I thought you to be."

"I don't believe you," said Drusilla I. "You know, but you won't
tell. I wonder why not?"

Gersen grinned. The girl was immensely appealing, with a
thousand charms and graces. "Sit here on the bench a moment. I'll

THE PALACE OF LOVE 519

read you a ballad or two from the works of the mad poet Navarth.
When he wrote them he might have been thinking of you."

Drusilla I seated herself. "An unconventional way to start an
acquaintance. But I'm an unconventional person. . . . Well, then,
read the poetry."