The Star Kings

9: In the Palace Prison

To Gordon, at first, that thought-message did not make sense. A message from Shorr Kan to him, to Zarth Arn?

Then as the significance of it sank in, he felt a shock of bewilderment and dismay. And his dismay deepened as he encountered the raging eyes of Arn Abbas.

"By Heaven, my own son a traitor to the Empire!" cried the ruler. "My own son intriguing secretly to betray us to the Cloud!"

Gordon found his voice. "This message is a lie! I never made any arrangements with Shorr Kan, nor had any discussions with him!"

"Then why would he send you such a secret message as this!" roared the emperor.

Gordon caught desperately at the only explanation that suggested itself to him.

"Shorr Kan must have sent this message hoping it would be discovered and make trouble! There can be no other reason."

Jhal Arn, whose handsome face was deeply troubled, spoke quickly.

"Father, that sounds possible enough. It's impossible to believe that Zarth could be a traitor."

"Bah, it's too thin!" raged Arn Abbas. "Shorr Kan is too clever to devise such a harebrained plan that would gain him so little. Why, his spy was only detected at all by the mere chance of Corbulo noticing his naval insignia."

His massive face darkened. "Zarth, if you have been secretly plotting with the Cloud, the fact that you're my son won't save you!"

"I swear I haven't!" Gordon cried. "I didn't arrange with those League raiders to come to Earth for me. And why in the world should I betray the Empire?"

"You're my second son," Arn Abbas reminded grimly. "You may have secretly envied Jhal the succession, all the time you pretended to be absorbed in your scientific studies. Such things have happened!"

If his position had seemed nightmare to John Gordon before, it seemed doubly nightmare now.

"This thing is going to be sifted to the bottom!" roared Arn Abbas. "In the meantime, you'll remain locked up in the palace prison!"

Jhal Arn protested. "You can't send Zarth down there!"

Commander Corbulo supported the protest. "At least for appearance's sake, confine Prince Zarth to his own quarters."

Arn Abbas glared at them. "Have you two lost your wits? Don't you realize that if Zarth is a traitor, he represents mortal danger to the Empire?

"He knows the secret of the Disruptor, that only Jhal and I beside him know! Let Shorr Kan get that secret, and the Cloud will strike like lightning! Do you want to take a chance of that?"

"But the wedding tomorrow, the guests-" Jhal began. "Announce that Prince Zarth was suddenly taken ill," snapped the ruler. "Corbulo, you take him down to the prison. And you're responsible for him with your life!"

Gordon's thoughts were whirling wildly. Suppose he told them the truth, the real truth? Suppose he told them that he was only Zarth Arn in physical body and was really John Gordon of the 20th Century? Surely Zarth Arn couldn't blame him for breaking his pledge of secrecy now!

But would they believe if he told? He knew that they wouldn't. No one would believe that incredible story. Zarth Arn had kept his method of mind-exchange secret, and no one even dreamed of its possibility. They'd think he was merely trying a desperate, wild lie to save himself.

Gordon's shoulders sagged. He made no further protest but dully went with Commander Corbulo out of the room.

On the corridor motowalk that bore them downward to the lower levels of the palace, Corbulo spoke to him bluntly.

"Zarth, I don't believe a word of all this talk of treachery on your part. I have to lock you up, but you can depend on me to do everything I can to clear you."

The unexpected support from the veteran officer pulled Gordon a little out of his stunned despair.

"Corbulo, I swear the whole thing is some kind of frame-up! Surely my father can't believe I'd really betray the Empire?"

"You know as well as I what a violent temper Arn Abbas has," said the Commander. "But as soon as he cools off, I'll make him listen to reason."

Deep down beneath the great palace they came to a massive metal door. Corbulo flashed a tiny beam from a heavy ring on his finger, into a needle-hole in the door. It slid aside and revealed a square, bare little metal room.

"This is a cell of your father's secret prison, Zarth. I never thought I'd be locking you in here. But don't worry-we'll do our best to change Arn Abbas' mind."

Gordon gripped his hand gratefully, and entered the room. The massive door slid shut.

The room had only a cot with a thin pad for furniture. There were two taps in the wall, one for water and the other for nutritional fluid. Walls, floor and ceiling were of solid metal.

Gordon sat down heavily. At first, he felt a little cheered by Corbulo's assurance of support. But then his hope faded. Even if Corbulo and Jhal believed in him, how could they prove his innocence?

And, the thought forced into his mind, what if he really was guilty of treachery? What if Zarth Arn, the real Zarth Arn, had in the past been intriguing with Shorr Kan?

Gordon shook his head. "No, I can't believe that! Zarth Arn was a scientific enthusiast, not a schemer. And if he'd been plotting with the Cloud, he'd not have exchanged minds with me."

But if Zarth Arn had been innocent of intrigue, why had Shorr Kan sent him that message referring to their past discussions?

Gordon gave it up. "I'm just out of my depth. I should have known that my ignorance would get me into some disaster if I tried to play Zarth's part!"

He thought miserably of Lianna. They'd have to tell her what had happened, even if they kept it concealed from everyone else.

Would she too think him a traitor? That possibility stung Gordon to despair.

He was for a time in a fever of self-torment, but finally a despairing apathy succeeded it. After hours, he slept.

Gordon estimated it was evening of the next day when he awoke. The door opening had aroused him. He stood up, and then stared incredulously at the two figures entering.

One was Corbulo's stocky form. But the other, the slimmer figure in dark jacket and slacks-

"Lianna!" Gordon exclaimed. "What are you doing down here?"

She came toward him, her face pale but her gray eyes alight as she put her small hands on his shoulders. Her words came in a rush.

"Zarth, they told me all about your father's accusation. Arn Abbas must be mad!"

His eyes hungrily searched her face. "You don't believe I'm a traitor, Lianna?"

"I know you are not!" she exclaimed_. "I told Arn Abbas so, but he was too angry to listen to me."

Gordon felt a wave of sharp emotion. "Lianna, I think it was what you might believe that tortured me most!"

Corbulo came forward, his grizzled face grave. "You must talk quickly, princess! We must be out of here with Zarth Arn in twenty minutes, to keep my schedule."

"Out of here with me!" Gordon repeated. "You mean you're going to let me leave here?"

Corbulo nodded curtly. "Yes, Zarth, I made up my mind and told the princess this evening. I'm going to help you escape from Throon."

Gordon warmed to this hard-faced Commander. "Corbulo, I appreciate your faith in me. But it would look like running away."

"Zarth, you have to go!" Corbulo told him earnestly. "I thought I could bring your father around. But unfortunately, in your apartments were discovered other incriminating messages to you from Shorr Kan!"

Gordon was stupefied. "Then they're fakes, planted there on purpose to incriminate me!"

"I believe that, but they've deepened your father's raging belief in your guilt," Corbulo declared. "I fear that in his present anger, he may order you executed as a traitor!"

The Commander added, "I'm not going to let him do that and then regret it later when you're proved innocent. So you must get away from Throon until I can prove your innocence!"

Lianna added eagerly, "We have it all planned, Zarth. Corbulo has a light naval cruiser with trusted officers waiting at the spaceport. That ship will take us up to my Fomalhaut Kingdom. Well be safe there until Corbulo and your brother can prove you're not guilty."

Gordon was more deeply astonished. "You say-we? Lianna, you'd go with me, a fugitive? Why?"

For answer, firm, warm arms went around his neck and soft lips pressed his in quivering, sweet contact.

Her voice was a husky whisper. "That is why, Zarth."

Gordon's mind whirled. "You mean that you love me? Lianna, is it true?"

"I have, since the night of the Feast of Moons when you kissed me," she whispered. "Until then, I had liked you but that was all. But since then, you've been somehow different."

Gordon's arms tightened around her, "Then it's the different Zarth Arn, the new Zarth Arn, you love?"

She looked up at him steadily. "I have just told you so."

There deep in the secret prison beneath the great palace of Throon, Gordon felt a wild, soaring joy that blotted from his mind all consciousness of the deadly web of peril and intrigue in which he was caught.

It was he himself, even though in a stranger's physical body, who had won Lianna's love! Though she might never know it, it was not Zarth Arn she loved but John Gordon!