!"

He nodded to the others. They threw the gamekeeper forward on the
floor, and Sarnax shot him through the head, then tossed the pistol
down beside him. "Any more of these people who violate the decencies
will be treated similarly," he promised.

"Thank you, Sarnax," Dirzed spoke up. "But we lost an Assassin:
discarnating this lackey won't equalize that. We think you should
retire one of your number."

"That at least, Dirzed; wait a moment."

The three Assassins conferred at some length. Then Sarnax hooked
fingers and clapped shoulders with his companions.

"See you in the next reincarnation, brothers," he told them, walking
toward the gun-room door, where Verkan Vall, Dalla and Dirzed stood.
"I'm joining you people. You had two Assassins when the parley began,
you'll have two when the shooting starts."

Verkan Vall looked at Dirzed in some surprise. Hadron Dalla's Assassin
nodded.

"He's entitled to do that, Lord Virzal; the Assassins' code provides
for such changes of allegiance."

"Welcome, Sarnax," Verkan Vall said, hooking fingers with him. "I hope
we'll all be together when this is over."

"We will be," Sarnax assured him cheerfully. "Discarnate. We won't get
out of this in the body, Lord Virzal."

A submachine-gun hammered from above, the bullets lashing the fountain
pool; the water actually steamed, so great was their velocity.

"All right!" a voice called down. "Assassins' Truce is over!"

Another burst of automatic fire smashed out the lights at the bottom
of the ascent tube. Dirzed and Dalla struggled across the room,
pushing a heavy steel cabinet between them; Verkan Vall, who was
holding Olirzon's submachine-gun, moved aside to allow them to drop it
on edge in the open doorway, then wedged the door half-shut against
it. Sarnax came over, bringing rifles, hunting pistols, and
ammunition.

"What's the situation, up there?" Verkan Vall asked him. "What force
have they, and why did they turn against us?"

"Lord Virzal!" Dirzed objected, scandalized. "You have no right to ask
Sarnax to betray confidences!"

Sarnax spat against the door. "In the face of Jirzyn of Starpha!" he
said. "And in the face of his _zortan_ mother, and of his father,
whoever he was! Dirzed, do not talk foolishly; one does not speak of
betraying betrayers." He turned to Verkan Vall. "They have three
menservants of the family of Starpha; your Assassin, Olirzon,
discarnated the other three. There is one of Prince Jirzyn'