Kynon sat perfectly still, except that, very slowly, he put his own goblet down. Nobody else moved.
Stark's voice sounded loud in the stillness.
"Furthermore," he said, "that demonstration in the square was a lie from beginning to end."
IV
Stark's words had the effect of an electric shock on the listeners. Delgaun's black brows went up, and the woman came forward a little to stare at the Earthman with profound interest.
Kynon asked a question, of nobody in particular. "Who," he demanded, "is this great black ape?"
Delgaun told him.
"Ah, yes," said Kynon. "Eric John Stark, the wild man from Mercury." He scowled threateningly. "Very well—explain how I lied in the square!"
"Certainly. First of all, the Earth boy was a prisoner. He was told what he had to do to save his neck, and then was carefully coached in his part. Secondly, the crystal rod and the crowns are a fake. You used a simple Purcell unit in the rod to produce an electronic brush discharge. That made the blue light. Thirdly, you gave the old man poison, probably by means of a sharp point on the crown. I saw him wince when you put it on him."