15. Tragic Error

There is nothing more annoying than to commit an egregious error of judgment and have no one but yourself upon whom to blame it. As I was dragged into that room, I was annoyed. I was more than annoyed--I was frightened; for I saw certain death staring me in the face. And not death alone--for I remembered Narvon. I wondered if I would go to pieces, too.

And there was some reason for my apprehension, for besides a company of Zani Guardsmen and officers, there were a number of the great men of Zanism--there were even Mephis and Spehon themselves. And to one side, their wrists manacled, stood Zerka and Mantar. There was an expression almost of anguish in Zerka's eyes as they met mine. Mantar shook his head sadly, as though to say, "You poor fool, why did you stick your head into the noose again?"

"So you came back," rasped Mephis. "Don't you think that was a little unwise, a little stupid?"

"Let us say unfortunate, Mephis," I replied. "Unfortunate for you."

"Why unfortunate for me?" he demanded, almost angrily. I could see that he was nervous. I knew that he was always fearful.

"Unfortunate, because you would like to kill me; but if you do--if you harm me in any way or harm the Toganja Zerka or Mantar--you shall die shortly after dawn."

"You dare threaten me?" he roared. "You stinking mistal! You dare threaten the great Mephis? Off to the Gap kum Rov with him!--with all of them! Let Torko do his worst with them. I want to see them writhe. I want to hear them scream."

"Wait a minute, Mephis," I advised him. "I wasn't threatening you. I was merely stating facts. I know what I'm talking about, for I have given orders that I know will be carried out if I am not safely out of Amlot shortly after dawn."

"You lie!" he almost screamed.

I shrugged. "If I were you, though, I'd give instructions that none of us is to be tortured or harmed in any way until at least the third hour tomorrow--and be sure to have a boat ready that I and my friends can sail away in after you have released us."

"I shall never release you," he said; but nevertheless he gave instructions that we were not to be tortured or harmed until he gave further orders.

And so Zerka and Mantar and I were dragged away to the Gap kum Rov. They didn't abuse us, and they even took the manacles off Zerka and Mantar. They put us all together in a cell on the second floor, which surprised me; as the basement was reserved for Mephis's special hates as well as prisoners concerning whose incarceration he would rather not have too much known.

"Why did you do such a foolish thing as to come back?" asked Zerka, after we had been left alone.

"And right after I risked my life to get you out of here," said Mantar,