Act Two, Part Three

"So how'd it go at the chemist's, Artie?" Jim asked about an hour later.

"The wine was laced with laudanum, Jim. Effective, but hard to trace. It's a fairly common preparation, you know. The chemist estimated that maybe a third or even half the homes here in Lyuko would have a bottle on hand!"

Jim grimaced. "So that's a wash."

"Well, I guess if we get desperate, we could try to track down the source of the laudanum — we'd have to be mighty desperate though! But what about you, Jim? How did it go with the servants?"

Jim shook his head. "Not much. A few people recalled hearing a sound or two during the night, but then when they described the circumstances, someone else would admit — sheepishly — to having made a midnight raid on the kitchen, or a visit to the necessary. Oh, and on top of that, it seems our Dr Rodin wasn't the only one slipping off for a clandestine tryst in the wee hours."

"So no leads left?"

"Not if everyone was telling the truth, no. I was thinking I would…"

"Excuse me, gentlemen."

The agents turned. "Yes, Mr Duzko?"

With a bow, the majordomo said, "Will you please come with me? His Majesty will be making an announcement in the throne room momentarily, and desires the attendance of all those in the palace, both servants and guests." With a second bow, Duzko set off leading the way. Jim and Artie shared a brief glance of puzzled curiosity, then followed.

The throne room was packed when they arrived, but the crowd made way for the majordomo and the Americans in his wake, allowing them to move down front. The three had barely found places to stand near Anje, Dr Rodin, and Catalina when the side door opened to admit the king escorted by an honor guard which included Capt Andreshko.

A hush fell over the room as King Stepanko mounted the dais and turned to face them all. In a low voice that had the people in the back cupping their hands behind their ears the better to hear him, the king spoke no more than two or three sentences in Pterovnian, then left the room again, his guards surrounding him.

A stunned silence followed, to be replaced mere seconds later by a general susurration as everyone in the room leaned closer to his or her neighbor to question the reliability of his or her own auditory perception. In the case of the group of which the Americans were a part, it was Dr Rodin who voiced the question: "Do my ears deceive me? Can he really have said what I believe I just heard?"

"What did he say?" asked Jim.

"Well," Artie responded, "he started out by confirming the obvious, that there won't be any wedding here today. He then added…"

Anje cut in, shaking her head. "But what an order to give! Surely Panko does not expect complete obedience. It is simply human nature to speak of the inexplicable!"

"And the order he gave?" Jim inquired.

Artie thumped at his nose with a forefinger and sighed. "Out of respect for his own privacy and that of Baroness Mireje, the king ordered us all to keep mum about the kidnapping. Not a word to anyone, not even to the invited guests staying elsewhere in the city. The truth of what happened stays here within these walls."

Jim leveled a disbelieving look at Artie. "What does he expect that to accomplish? As Anje just said, people will talk. And if they don't have the real version to talk about, they'll make up their own versions, then keep embellishing on them. Before we know it, the whole city will be certain that Mireje was, oh, whisked off in a flying pie plate by a bunch of green-skinned women from Venus."

"I have no idea what… wait, what?" Artie shot Jim a horrified look before trying to find his derailed train of thought again. "I… well, I've no idea what His Majesty is up to. But I can tell you this: he's already far too late in trying to contain the news. During my brief excursion out to that chemist's shop, Great Scott, but I heard a merry profusion of rumors! And in the current absence of any concrete information, you just know the rumors are going to continue on multiplying like rabbits." Artie held up a hand and starting ticking off the items on his fingers. "Some folks had it that the king had fallen ill. Others thought that it was Mireje who was sick. Still others thought that another kind of falling was involved: that one or the other of them had fallen from a horse, or down a staircase. The king has backed out of the engagement entirely. Or Mireje has. Rumors of drunken hangovers…" Artie gave a cough. "Well, we know about that one, don't we? Oh, and there's even one tale that has it that Stepanko has spurned his fiancée in favor of a serving girl! I tell you, if he thinks he's going to quell folks' curiosity by simply ordering everyone to keep their mouths shut, he'd better wake up and smell the… um…"

Artie broke off as Andreshko appeared suddenly at Jim's elbow. With a faint smile to the instantly silent Mr Gordon, the captain said, "My apologies, gentlemen, but the king requires Mr West's presence immediately."

"Ah?" The agents exchanged a look. "Thank you, Captain," said Jim. "I'll be right there." As the young officer nodded and stepped back, Jim drew his partner aside for a brief and quiet conference. "It's just as well the king sent for me, because I was about to go demand an audience with him. The way he's acting, all I can think is that something new has happened that he hasn't told us of yet," said Jim.

"Mm," Artie responded. "And maybe when you speak to him just now, you'll get to find out what."

Jim gave a tight smile. "Oh, I'm not leaving again until I know what's going on, believe me!" He turned now to follow Andreshko towards the side door.

Just at that moment at the main throne room door there arose a commotion. Both Americans and the young captain as well whirled to see what was happening. The majordomo Duzko was already ahead of them, hurrying across the room and through the crowds who were trying to exit to reach a pretty young woman who was doing her best to force her way into the room, against the tide.

Artie glanced at her, then at Jim. Sure enough, though not a word passed between them, the look in Jim's eyes and the nod of his head directed Artie to go find out what this latest occurrence was about. And with that matter in his partner's capable hands, Jim followed Capt Andreshko to the king's office.

Artie closed in quickly upon Duzko and the lovely young woman who was so determined to enter the throne room. "Teshnante dje, Zernkje muje," Artie heard the majordomo saying, "My apologies, my Lady, but your presence is not required here at this time. Please return to your embassy and await further instructions there."

"Re-return to the embassy! But, Duzko, you know that I am to be here to attend on Baroness Mireje for the wedding! Granted, I am a bit early, but still…" She was looking rapidly about the room; for whom she might have been searching Artie wasn't sure, but the fact that she found someone was readily apparent. Her eyes and mouth made three perfect O's of surprise. "But… that man! Who is he? That man there, the one in blue, going out the…" She was pointing, but then sagged. "Going out the door," she repeated glumly. "And now he is gone."

"Excuse me, Merinko Duzko. I'll see to this, if you don't mind," said Artemus as he smoothly steered the majordomo off to one side. Then with one of his patented lopsided smiles, Artie bowed to the young woman. And what a beauty she was too, regally attired in silks and laces, with strands of pearls adorning her dark blonde hair!

"May I help you?" asked Artie winsomely.

"Oh! I…" Distractedly, she gazed for a moment at the door that was now firmly closed. "Forgive me. I thought I saw someone I once… But perhaps I am mistaken. I thought the man who left just now looked very familiar to me."

"Ah, I see," Artie responded, wondering if she could have meant Jim, since the door through which Jim had just departed was the only one on the far side of the room. And in addition to that, Jim certainly was dressed in blue just now.

At this point Duzko caught Artie's arm and hissed into his ear, "Tell her to leave! The king demands it!"

The man started to rush away again, but Artie caught him by his arm in turn. "You just spoke to the king?"

"I do not need to! You heard the instructions he gave to all of us just now. She does not need to know anything of this business. Tell her to go!"

"But…" Artie began. Ruvenko Duzko, however, eluded Artie's staying hand this time and hurried officiously across the room to shoo some stragglers out the main throne room door.

Hmm. Never one to bow out of anything still puzzled, Artie crooked his elbow and offered it to the young lovely. "Tell you what, my dear, let's go somewhere the majordomo won't be constantly interrupting us, and you can tell me all about what's brought you here to the palace today and why the man who went through that door is familiar to you."

After a moment's hesitation, she accepted the offer. "Very well then, sir. But we go through that door there! After all, the man I recognized may well be just on the other side."

"Fair enough," said Artie. He knew Jim wouldn't be just on the other side, but the girl was a mystery, and a pretty one to boot. He patted her hand and led the way.

…

"Mr West is here to see you, Your Highness."

"Ah, excellent. Admit him, Dreshko, then keep the door."

The young captain ushered James West inside, then stepped back out and closed the door behind him, leaving the king alone with his American guest.

"I am glad you have come so promptly, my friend. Please, sit, sit! And will you have something to drink?" Stepanko crossed to a well-stocked liquor cabinet and reached for a bottle.

Standing in the at-ease posture by the desk, Jim replied, "No, thank you, sir. This is a time for keeping one's wits sharp and clear, not for drowning them in drink."

Stepanko's hand shook, and he set the bottle of brandy back in its place unpoured. "You are right, of course, my friend. Too many wits have been dulled by drink lately, far too many. Tell me, then: what do you make of this?" The king came to his desk, took up an envelope, and passed it to Jim.

The envelope was familiar, very similar to the one they had seen earlier in Mireje's suite, and on the back, Jim saw, were the remnants of a broken seal of wax, also similar to the earlier one. "The Gorachko family crest again?" he asked.

"Yes, yes, yes. But never mind about that. Read the letter! This is what I found upon my desk awaiting me when I… ah, well, when I bolted from my beloved's suite earlier. Read it!"