Empyrion II: The Siege of Dome by Stephen Lawhead Page B

chance of reaching them.” To Danelka's unspoken question, Tvrdy said, “Yes, it went well. We are allies as of this morning.”
    Danelka grimaced and replied, “I know I should be pleased, Director, but ...”
    “Don't worry. I do not expect anyone to relish our arrangement, although it might be helpful if we learned to mask our true feelings for the Dhogs. Revulsion and resentment cannot help our cause. Besides, I think we will come to value them greatly.”
    Danelka shook his head doubtfully, but said nothing more.
    “Did anyone suspect I was missing?” Tvrdy pulled his hood closer and turned the bhuj in his hands to display the Tanais face.
    “I don't see how,” answered his Subdirector. “I carried the bhuj and remained hooded the whole trip. The boatmen paid no attention to our boarding, and the Saecaraz who met us at the square's entrance merely inquired about the number, but did not count us themselves.”
    Tvrdy grinned suddenly. “Jamrog's laxity will be his undoing yet. He does not have the stamina to rule as he should. He is sloppy, Danelka. Sloppy and lazy.”
    “And dangerous,” added Danelka.
    Just then a blattering of horns sounded. When the blast died away, and with it the commotion of the vast crowd, a single large drum could be heard emanating from within the Threl Chambers. The booming drumbeat grew louder, and a Saecaraz Hage priest appeared between the pillars at the entrance, an enormous drum preceding him. The drum was affixed to long poles which were carried by four underpriests.
    Behind the drumbeating priest came a whole regiment of Hage priests, each with a silver horn shaped like a crescent. As soon as these reached the steps below the pillars, they raised the horns to their lips and blew the long, low ringing note that had commenced the ceremony. Saecaraz Hagemen followed the priests: Jamrog came first, walking alone, wearing a red mourning cloak over his black-and-silver yos; he was followed by row on row of assorted Hage functionaries.
    In the midst of the ranks of Saecaraz came Rohee's bier, borne up on the shoulders of his Hagemen. The red-shrouded coffin seemed to float above the heads of the crowd, making its slow, circuitous way around the square, pausing before each official Hage delegation to allow the Hage Leaders to pay their official respects—which they did by tossing black and silver paper streamers, symbolically representing Sirin Rohee's long life, over the pale, ashen-gray body.
    When the bier stopped before Tanais, Tvrdy flung his streamer over the body too, surreptitiously tearing a short length off one end—privately stating his suspicion that Rohee's life was cut short. No one else saw the gesture, and the severed length of streamer fell to the stone flagging unobserved.
    The procession moved on, and when the last Hage had paid its respects, the priests began the funeral chant, calling on Great Trabant to ease Rohee's passage through the Two Houses, Ekante and Shikroth, and to send sympathetic Seraphic Spheres to guide him. They asked the oversouls to remember Rohee's long life and account his deeds with greatness. On and on the chanting went while the bier circled again and again. Finally, after nearly two hours, the chanting stopped and the casket was placed in the center of the square.
    “What's this?” Tvrdy nudged Danelka. A ramp was being pushed through the crowd to the bier; at the end of the ramp was a red-draped platform. The ramp stopped with the platform directly above the bier. Jamrog appeared at one end of the ramp and moved slowly up to take his place on the platform. The assembly, restless after the long ranting of the priests, fell silent once more as, stone-faced and regal, Jamrog ascended.
    “I heard nothing about anything like this,” whispered Danelka. “Most unusual.”
    Jamrog raised his hands for silence, although the throng was already hushed and every eye was on him. He stared out at the great crowd, assuring himself of their utmost