Blade would also have to make sure the Wizard didn't try to read Serana's thoughts before letting her go. He obviously hadn't done so before, otherwise he would have known that she wasn't mad. Suppose he did so now? There would be hell to pay, for he would be almost certain to learn not only that Serana was quite sane but that Blade had told her all his secrets. Blade suspected the best thing to do in that case would be kill the Wizard and then try to get clear with Serana in the resulting uproar and confusion. It would be a very poor «best.»

Blade mentally kept his fingers crossed, and as the days turned into weeks, he began to think his plan might work. Serana stayed as wild-eyed and incoherent as before, but slowly she put on flesh. The Wizard listened politely to Blade's proposal, seemed to suspect nothing, and said he would give his answer in a week or two. Blade could only hope he would make up his mind before the computer reached out to haul one or both of them back to Home Dimension. If the Wizard did decide to let Serana go, and did not probe her mind, everything should be simple.

Then all at once nothing was simple, because of the Wizard's latest idea.

Blade and the Wizard were sitting up late in the Wizard's private dining room. Blade reached for the silver wine jug on the low table between them. Then the Wizard spoke and Blade froze with his hand in midair.

«I think it will not be necessary to return Serana Zotair to Morina. In fact, it will not even be possible. In another few weeks there will be no Morina.»

Blade forced himself not to sit up with a jerk, and leaned back in his chair. «Oh? What is going to happen to it?»

«Happen to it, Blade? I am going to happen to it. My Wolves and I. It will be destroyed, so that when I am gone from Rentoro the people will come to where Morina stood and remember me. It will be destroyed, its houses and even its walls cast down, and its people slain to the last graybeard and squalling infant.»

«Certainly the Rentorans will not forget you, if that is your farewell to them,» said Blade. «But isn't it a rather large task?»

«Not for all my Wolves striking together, with surprise and terror on their side. It will be a most unusual sort of terror, for it will be mine.»

«Yours?» Blade was having trouble understanding the Wizard's cryptic references. He was having even more trouble keeping his face expressionless.

«Yes, mine. I shall cross the sky-bridge with my Wolves for the first time, and I shall send terror into the minds of all the people of Morina. They will be an interesting sight, when they find my terror destroying their minds and my Wolves destroying their bodies.»

Blade nodded politely, although «interesting» was not precisely the word he would have used. «Forgive me for raising this possibility again,» he said. «What if we do not return to England and it is your fate to remain here to the end of your life?»

«That will be a long time,» said the Wizard. He shrugged. «If it is my fate to remain in Rentoro, the destruction of Morina will still do me no harm. The people will think that what I have done once, I can do again. They will be even more obedient than they have been, for they will be even more fearful than they have been. I will lose nothing, not even wealth, by destroying Morina. And if it is fate that we both remain here in Rentoro-«He broke off and looked at Blade, who tried even harder to seem perfectly calm. Then, «Richard, do you have sons-sons of your own loins?»

«Yes. I have left several behind me, during my travels.»

The Wizard relaxed visibly. «That is good news-the very best news I could imagine.» His voice was level as he continued. «You see, I have no children, neither sons nor daughters. I had none in Milan, and I have none here in Rentoro. I greatly fear there is no power in my loins to beget children. So I can have no heirs of my body, and I fear that all I have built in Rentoro will fall when I die. I would not have that happen. Too much of my life in Milan was wasted. I would not have it so here in Rentoro as well.»

The Wizard smiled. «You wonder what I am trying to say, Blade? Well, I shall tell you in plain words. If it is our fate to both remain here in Rentoro, you shall be my heir. You shall be the next Wizard, and your sons shall come after you.»

Once again, only the fact that he was getting used to surprises in this Dimension kept Blade from gaping. He returned the Wizard's smile. «I am vastly honored, and believe me when I say that I am grateful beyond words. But-I do not have your mental powers. Could I hope to rule Rentoro without them?»

«You do not have those powers,» said the Wizard, in a gently chiding tone. «But you know those powers can be taught. How else would my assistants be able to control the viewballs and the sky-bridges? I have only given my assistants some of the powers, but to you I would be prepared to give all of them. We would have many years, and you have a powerful mind. I would be very surprised if you could not learn to do everything I can do, and teach your sons in their turn.»

«We may not have many years,» said Blade. «Remember, it is also possible that I may return to England while you stay here in Rentoro.»

«I know that,» said the Wizard impatiently. «I admit that would not make me happy. Still, something can be done about this. The most intelligent of the castle's women will be sent to your bed, and I shall teach the children you get on them. The best shall become my heir. And if we are fortunate, and do have years-«

«Yes?» Blade could not quite control his impatience. He wanted to learn the rest of the Wizard's plans, and then get out of here before he did anything to make the man suspicious. His self-control would not be enough to deceive a telepath much longer.

«If we have years, I shall pick out all the finest young women from Rentoro. I shall examine both the body and the mind of each one. The ten best shall all be sent to the castle, and all ten of them will become yours. You will get children on them, children strong in mind and body like their father and mothers. Then there will be heirs for both me and you, and the rule of the Wizards of Rentoro will never end!»

«You are an ambitious man, Bernardo.»

«If I was not ambitious, would I be where I am today?»

There was no possible reply to that. Blade frowned in a pretense of concentration. «What about Serana Zotair? Do you plan to make her one of my harem?»

The Wizard shook his head. «Her mind is not strong enough to make her a worthy mother for your heirs. I have other plans for her.» The Wizard smiled, but it was a smile Blade knew too well meant bad news.

«I shall have to examine her mind before I send the Wolves against Morina. If she is not helplessly mad, I shall take her with me when the city falls. It will be interesting to enter her mind and read her thoughts as she watches her city and her people die.»

Blade's face was a mask and his voice was very level. «And if she is too mad to know what she is seeing?»

The Wizard shrugged. «Then there would be no pleasure for me in reading her thoughts. I will turn her over to the Wolves and they can do as they please with her.»

«So I suppose I shall have to take as much pleasure as I can from her, these next few days?» said Blade, trying to smile.

«Yes,» said the Wizard. «Unless you have a taste for corpses?» He laughed coarsely.

«Not I,» said Blade. «Live ones only-the livelier the better.»

«Shall we drink to that?» said the Wizard. He filled both cups and raised his. «To lively women!»

Blade drank and after that there was no more discussion of the fate of Morina. He found it easy to keep his face under control and after a few minutes was able to find an excuse for leaving.