"I went up to see how Marnik was making out. As I came out of the
lifter tube, one of the obscenities took a shot at me with a hunting
pistol. He missed me; I didn't miss him. Then a couple more of them
were coming up, with fowling pieces; I shot one of them before they
could fire, and jumped into the descent tube and came down heels over
ears. I don't know what's happened to Marnik." He fired another burst,
and swore. "Missed him!"

"Assassins' Truce! Assassins' Truce!" a voice howled out of the
descent tube. "Hold your fire, we want to parley."

"Who is it?" Dirzed shouted, over Olirzon's shoulder. "You, Sarnax?
Come on out; we won't shoot."

The young Assassin with the mustache and chin beard emerged from the
descent tube, his weapons sheathed and his clasped hands extended in
front of him in a peculiarly ecclesiastical-looking manner. Dirzed and
Olirzon stepped out of the gun room, followed by Verkan Vall and
Hadron Dalla. Olirzon had left his submachine-gun behind. They met the
other Assassin by the rim of the fountain pool.

"Lady Dallona of Hadron," the Starpha Assassin began. "I and my
colleagues, in the employ of the family of Starpha, have received
orders from our clients to withdraw our protection from you, and to
discarnate you, and all with you who undertake to protect or support
you." That much sounded like a recitation of some established formula;
then his voice became more conversational. "I and my colleagues,
Erarno and Kirzol and Harnif, offer our apologies for the barbarity of
the servants of the family of Starpha, in attacking without