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Again Hoddan obeyed, racing across the open ground. Howls of fury followed him. It was evidently the opinion of the castle that the Lady Fani was to be abducted in the place of the seven returned spearmen. Hoddan, breathing hard, reached the spaceboat. He put Fani down and said anxiously: "You're all right? I'm very much in your debt! I was in a spot!" Then he nodded toward the castle.
Hoddan had arrived here when Ghek was inside with Fani as his prisoner, when there were only a dozen men without and at least a hundred inside to defend the walls. And the castle was considered impregnable. In half an hour Hoddan's followers had taken the castle, rescued Fani, looted it superficially, gotten fresh horses for themselves and spare ones for their plunder, and were headed away again.
Hoddan could guess that Ghek would have prepared something elaborate in the way of a trousseau for the bride he was to carry screaming from her home. Somehow it was the sort of thing a Darthian would do. Now Fani would enjoyably attire herself in the best of it while "Thal," said Hoddan, "help me get this character into a closet somewhere. He's not to be killed.
There was a disturbing air which was shared by all the members of Hoddan's crew, on the way to Walden. It was not exactly reluctance, because there was self-evident enthusiasm over the idea of making a pirate voyage under him. So far as past enterprises were concerned, Hoddan as a leader was the answer to a Darthian gentleman's prayer.
Anything more you can do in that line will be really a kindness, and as such will positively not be appreciated, but it'll be well worth doing.... I say this because I like the way you plan things. And any time I can be of service " "Thanks," said Hoddan, "but I'd better get going for the spaceport." He'd write Nedda from Darth. "I'll get set for it." He rose. The ambassador stood up too.
From any one spot they seemed at once to swagger and to slink, swaying as they moved on and vanished into obscurity. The small wild things in the night paused affrightedly in their scurryings until they had gone far away. Fani said in a soft voice: "This is nice!" "What's nice about it?" demanded Hoddan.
And of all unnecessary things, they wore flat-brimmed hats in a spaceship! Hoddan opened the boat door and said politely: "Good morning. I'm Bron Hoddan. You were talking to me just now." The oldest and most fiercely bearded of the men said harshly: "I am the leader here. We are the people of Colin." He frowned when Hoddan's expression remained unchanged.
He went curiously into the building and into the hearing room. His guards, there, surrendered him to courtroom guards and went away with almost hysterical haste. Nobody wanted to be near him. Hoddan stared about. The courtroom was highly informal. The justice sat at an ordinary desk. There were comfortable chairs. The air was clean.
"Sir, the facts are conceded as stated." "Then," said the justice to Hoddan, "do you choose to answer these charges at this time?" "Why not?" asked Hoddan. "Of course!" "Proceed," said the justice. Hoddan drew a deep breath. He didn't understand why a man's death, charged to him, was not mentioned. He didn't like the scared way everybody looked at him. But
Then figures appeared through a door leading to some other part of this ship. Hoddan nodded to himself. The costume was odd. It was awkward. It was even primitive, but not in the fashion of the soiled but gaudily colored garments of Darth. These men wore unrelieved black, with gray shirts. There was no touch of color about them. Even the younger ones wore beards.
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