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successful effort to ignore the close proximity of the Dark King's demons.
The Dark King smiled in amusement, then scowled fiercely. "Do they bother you, my little pets? Hey
there, Arridu, Pitmedden-all the rest of you-stand back a little! Give this, my partner, room to
breathe."
At once the noisome cloud of demons, their looming presence, became, gratefully, less obtrusive.
Amintor raised a not completely steady hand to wipe his forehead. "My thanks," he said sincerely,
"and my apologies for any inconvenience. But such creatures inevitably make me feel a little
sickish." He did not mention the other side of his concern, which was not directly for his own
personal welfare, rather that one of the pets out of sheer exuberant malignity would attempt to
play some prank upon him, and Coinspinner, active at his side, would somehow blot the foul thing
out of existence in a twinkling. Which would not endear the Baron to the Dark King.
Vilkata shrugged, dismissing the subject of his pets and guardians. He stood waiting, evidently
considering something very thoughtfully.
The Baron seized what seemed to be an opportunity. "Your Majesty, I have never been one to hide my
intentions in clouds of rhetoric. With all respect, I propose that you and I form a partnership-
you, of course, to be the senior."
The Dark King did not appear to be at all surprised by the offer. Better, from Amintor's point of
view, he was immediately receptive to the plan, spreading his arms wide in a slow gesture, as if
to say: It is accomplished! Not bothering with any coy pretense of reluctance. He confessed that
he stood in need of relatively trustworthy human assistance.
Not that the Dark King gave the impression of begging for help. Far from it. Vilkata's willingness
to take a partner was surely the confident seizing of an opportunity, not an act of desperation. A
sixth sense warned Amintor that something in the situation remained unexplained. "But, Majesty, if
you have the Mindsword, surely recruiting people to serve you is no problem?"
All human onlookers, prodded by demons, had withdrawn to a distance of a room or two. Vilkata,
taking the Baron by the arm familiarly, began to stroll with him along a marble hallway. Their
boots clopped almost in unison, drawing rich echoes from the stone.
The Dark King said quietly: "Since we are partners now, I'll keep no secrets from you. Alas, I
have it no longer."
"The Mindsword? Ah!" Amintor stopped in his tracks.
"The fact is that no one does." And Vilkata related in a few terse words the basic facts of his
skirmish in the armory-leaving out, of course, the great fact of the abject terror he had
experienced.
He concluded: "At this moment I am in possession of perhaps a thousand enthusiastic human
converts, for a few days more-perhaps for no longer than a few hours, in some cases. You know,
Baron, how these things work."
"Indeed, I have some passing acquaintance with the effects of all the Swords. And your demons? To
what degree, if I may ask, will your control of them be altered?"
The Dark King shrugged, then explained that it was not the fact that his demons would soon be free
of Skulltwister's spells that worried him the most. Vilkata had been dealing with demons almost
all of his long life, and he considered himself magician enough to handle his present crew, even
without the Mindsword in hand to set the ultimate seal on his authority.
But controlling people was in many ways more difficult.
Amintor nodded. Then he asked: "If Skulltwister has been smashed, Your Majesty, then what Sword is
it that you now wear at your side?"
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Vilkata smiled faintly. "Another reason we may hope for ultimate success." And he allowed the
Baron to see the small white hammer on the hilt, and gave some indication of how he had so
recently come into possession of Shieldbreaker.
Now Amintor could understand the confidence.
When some minor details of the partnership had been concluded by mutual agreement, the Dark King-
naturally confirmed in his expectation to be senior partner-now in effect getting his hands on
Coinspinner, began to consider out loud whether it might be better to smash it right away.
When the suggestion was made, Amintor was horrified.
The Dark King yielded the point. He admitted that it seemed preferable, almost essential, at this
stage of affairs, to get all the help the Sword of Chance was capable of giving. For one thing, it
could be an invaluable help in finding the other Swords and eventually getting them all out of
circulation. Not to mention Coinspinner's usefulness for other purposes as well-for example, in
finally disposing of Prince Mark.
The partners quickly agreed that Coinspinner's first assigned task ought to be tracking down
Prince Stephen-or whoever else the lonely warrior in the armory might possibly have been.
Amintor, struck by what he considered inspiration, drew a deep breath and announced that he was
presenting Coinspinner freely to his new senior partner as a gift. With a dramatic gesture he
actually unbuckled the swordbelt and held it out.
Vilkata was immediately wary of such generosity; the hideously smooth, pale face, eyeless but very
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