Chapter 17

The Caravan master was somewhat reassured when he was shown into a palatial suite, most likely the only kind to be found in the Imperial Palace. Certainly there would be servant's quarters, but most servants wouldn't be ensconced within a suite of rooms, would they? The Caravan master wondered nervously to himself. He was bathed, perfumed, (he had really needed it, too- after being hustled day and night without cease from WhooWhee.) and clad in sumptuous robes. Then he had to await The Emperor's pleasure. A anxiety causing pause, to be certain.

Despite the uncertain circumstances, the Caravan master was able to sleep, and he wasn't called to The Emperor's pleasure until early afternoon of the following day. He knelt before a low dais in an informal audience room, head to the floor. A languid young man whispered in the ear of a bellicose and rotund man who acted as his amplifier.

Whisper whisper. "His royal highness, the Exalted Protector and Father of this Great Empire, Descended from the Holy Loins of the Goddess of the Sun through..."

The man's voice fell silent instantly when the youth raised his hand. It was a much more powerful and natural display of body language informing of importance and prestige than that provided by Wong. The Human Amplifier wanted to object with every fiber of his being to his dismissal, but was simply unable to counter The Emperor's merest gesture indicating his Imperial Will. Another flick of his hand vanquished the man from the room.

The Emperor made a twirling motion with his finger, and all the Imperial Guards in the room did an about face. He motioned for the Caravan master to come closer, and bid him sit on a cushion near the dais. The Caravan master was overwhelmed by the honor, but made haste to obey.

"Tell me about the man John, how you found him, and what occurred then." The Emperor requested. So the Caravan master told the story as he knew it, How the poor nomads wanted to join his caravan, and the test he had set the owner of the Enchanted Bow. The results of that.

The Emperor called for a pause while the Tiger skin was brought. The Caravan master was quick to make a gift of it to The Emperor, declaiming it was too fine to belong to any lesser man. The Emperor examined it closely, finding no wound, and asked as the cause of such unblemished fur. Another pause, and the bloody arrow was fetched.

The Caravan master explained how his men found it within the body of the Tiger, piercing his heart. The Emperor examined the arrow closely, and noted that it did not have the spin causing angle to its fletching. That reduced the range needed to make such a shot, and increased the bravery of the man John by any decrease in his marksmanship. Whatever the equation, the resulting answer was that John was a fine shot and a brave man.

The Caravan master continued his account, submitting how he had one of his largest men, who knew wrestling, enter the ring against John, and how John had beaten him soundly twice, using only a minimum of effort. There was another pause as a ring was built, and two wrestlers were choreographed in their parts while the matches were re-enacted. A few small corrections by the Caravan master, and The Emperor was able to relive an historic event after the fact. He felt like he had almost actually been there. In His mind, he put himself in the role of John, and wondered if he would have had the same presence of mind, the same grace of action.

The Caravan master recounted how John had led the scouts to victory against an ambush, and acquired an amazing sword. The little eating knife was brought, and wise men examined it, and the broken blade from the challenge with the warlord. The sapients exclaimed over the two objects, stating that the sword had not in fact been broken, but sliced in twain. Look at the shiny surface, so different from a break. (They broke the tip from the sword blade to prove their point.) Using the little eating knife, they cut slivers from a brass bowl, they were very excited with their discoveries. The Emperor let them take the knife with them to investigate further, and shooed them out so he could hear more of the story.

The Caravan master recounted John's prowess at the hunt, taking the head of the desert auroch with his sword, (Which The Emperor could believe, seeing as how that same sword had sliced through a stout scimitar.) and bringing in many furs. He described the huge rack of the deer John had brought in, that it was more than twice as wide as he was tall. The Emperor would have liked to have seen it, but alas it was left in the brush beside the trail as useless to anyone, and a burden to transport.

The Caravan master reluctantly recounted the beauty and refinement of Zithrusa, knowing he could not hold back anything from The Emperor, and the Nymph Carvings were fetched out. The servants who carried them laid them down reluctantly and lingeringly, necessitating disapprobationary hisses from their superior. The Emperor asked the Caravan master which of the dozen or more well polished carvings were his favorite, and the crestfallen Caravan master supposed that he would be allowed to only keep one, and the rest would be forfeit to The Emperor.