carnate existence, to fight those people over a matter of verbalisms
and political propaganda?" Verkan Vall went to the newscast visiplate
and snapped it on. "We'll see if I'm getting results, yet."

The plate lighted, and a handsome young man in a gold-laced green suit
was speaking out of it:

"... where he is heavily guarded by Assassins. However, in an
exclusive interview with representatives of this service, the Assassin
Hirzif, one of the two who seconded the men the Lord Virzal fought,
said that in his opinion all of the three were so outclassed as to
have had no chance whatever, and that he had already refused an offer
of ten thousand System Monetary Units to discarnate the Lord Virzal
for the Statisticalist Party. 'When I want to discarnate,' Hirzif the
Assassin said, 'I'll invite in my friends and do it properly; until I
do, I wouldn't go up against the Lord Virzal of Verkan for ten million
S.M.U.'"

Verkan Vall snapped off the visiplate. "See what I mean?" he asked. "I
fought those politicians just for the advertising. If Dallona and
Dirzed are anywhere near a visiplate, they'll know how to reach me."

"Hirzif shouldn't have talked about refusing that retainer," Klarnood
frowned. "That isn't good Assassin ethics. Why, yes, Lord Virzal; that
was cleverly planned. It ought to get results. But I wish you'd get
the Lady Dallona out of Darsh, and preferably off Terra, as soon as
you can. We've benefited by this, so far, but I shouldn't like to see
things go much further. A real civil war could develop out of this
situation, and I don't want that. Call on me for help; I'll give you a
code word to use at Assassins' Hall."