nown, the light's changed to amber. If he is
discarnated, his name's removed entirely, unless the circumstances of
his discarnation are such as to constitute an injury to the Society.
In that case, the name's in red light until he's been properly
avenged, or, as we say, till his blood's been mopped up. Well, the
name of Dirzed is up in blue light, with the name of Dallona of Hadron
under it. I found out that the light had been amber for two days after
the disappearance, and then had been changed back to blue. Get it,
Lord Virzal?"
Verkan Vall nodded. "I think so. I'd been considering that as a
possibility from the first. Then what?"
"Then I was about and around for a couple of hours, buying drinks for
people--unattached Assassins, Constabulary detectives, political
workers, newscast people. You owe me fifteen System Monetary Units for
that, Lord Virzal. What I got, when it's all sorted out--I taped it in
detail, as soon as I got back--reduces to this: The Volitionalists are
moving mountains to find out who was the spy at Garnon of Roxor's
discarnation feast, but are doing nothing but nothing at all to find
the Lady Dallona or Dirzed. The Statisticalists are making all sorts
of secret efforts to find out what happened to her. The Constabulary
blame the Statistos for the package-bomb: they're interested in that
because of the discarnation of the three servants by an illegal weapon
of indiscriminate effect. They claim that the disappearance of Dirzed
and the Lady Dallona was a publicity hoax. The Volitionalists are
preparing a line of publicity to deny this."
Verkan Vall nodded. "That ties in with what you learned at Assassins'
Hall," he said. "They're hiding out somewhere. Is there any chance of
reaching Dirzed through the Society of Assassins?"
Olirzon shook his head. "If you're right--and that's the way it looks
to me, too--he's probably just called in and notified the Society that
he's still carnate and so is the Lady Dallona, and called off any
search the Society might be making for him."
"And I've got to find the Lady Dallona as soon as I can. Well, if I
can't reach her, maybe I can get her to send word to me," Verkan Vall
said. "That's going to take some doing, too."
"What did you find out, Lord Virzal?" Olirzon asked. He had a piece of
soft leather, now, and was polishing his blade lovingly.
"The Reincarnation Research people don't know anything," Verkan Vall
replied. "Dr. Harnosh of Hosh thinks she'
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