2 - Blades of Mars (18 page)

 
          
 
Would I be in time?

The Truth
At
Last!

 
          
 
There they were! I could not have left it any
later!

 
          
 
The two armies - the large one of Mishim Tep
and the smaller one of Kamala - were camped opposite one another on the Crimson
Plain. It was a strange place to fight a battle, but doubtless the army of
Mishim Tep had not expected to meet the Kamala at all - and the Kamala had
simply marched until they encountered the Mishim Tep.

 
          
 
I could see their battle lines drawn up ready
for the charge.

 
          
 
I could even see Camak seated on his great
dahara, with Damad beside him, at the head of his men.

 
          
 
And there was the Bradhi of Mishim Tep,
stem-faced, less glassy-eyed from what I could see - evidently Horguhl's
hypnotising powers did not last indefinitely - at the head of his large army.

 
          
 
As my airship began to descend they all looked
up -recognising it at once. A few spears were flung at it from the ranks of
Mishim Tep, but the Bradhi raised his hand to stop his men. He seemed curious.

 
          
 
I took my makeshift megaphone from its locker
and shouted down to the Bradhi.

 
          
 
'Bradhi, I bring you proof that Horguhl lied -
that you are about to engage in a senseless war entirely because of the lies of
one evil woman!'

 
          
 
He passed a hand across his face. Then he
frowned and shook his head as if to clear it.

 
          
 
'Will you allow me to descend and prove this
to you?' I asked.

 
          
 
After a pause, he nodded wordlessly.

 
          
 
I lowered the ship until the cabin was bumping
the tops of the crimson fems. Then, unceremoniously, I threw out the bundle
that was Horguhl and, clutching the covered mirror in my hands, leapt after
her. Swiftly I moored the ship and then dragged both the bound, gagged and
blind-folded girl and my mirror over until I was standing in front of the ranks
of Mishim Tep.

 
          
 
First I uncovered Horguhl and was rewarded by
a gasp and a murmur. The Bradhi cleared his throat as if to speak but then
changed his mind. Grim-lipped, he nodded at me again.

 
          
 
I took off the girl's gag, forcing her to
stand upright

 
          
 
'Will you believe the truth from Horguhl's own
lips, Bradhi?' I asked.

 
          
 
Again he cleared his throat.

 
          
 
‘Y-yes,' he said. Already his eyes were
brightening visibly.

 
          
 
I pointed at the wrapped mirror. 'I have here
the legendary Mirror of Trudi which the Sheev invented millennia ago. You have
all heard of its magical properties. I shall demonstrate one of them now!'

 
          
 
With my back towards the men of Mishim Tep, I
lifted the mirror-shield by its handle and pulled away the covering. Then I
reached out and removed Horguhl's blindfold.

 
          
 
At once the mirror drew her eyes and she stood
again slack-mouthed.

 
          
 
‘You see?' I said. ‘It works.’

 
          
 
They began to crowd closer to see that I spoke
the truth. ‘Do not look directly into the mirror,' I warned them, 'or you will
suffer the same effects. Are you ready to see if Horguhl told truth or lies to
the Bradhi and seduced you all into launching this needless war against your
age-old allies?'

 
          
 
‘We are,' said the Bradhi's voice from behind
me, surprisingly deep and firm now.

 
          
 
'Horguhl,' I said slowly and clearly, 'did you
lie to the Bradhi?'

 
          
 
The low, now spiritless, mindless voice said: ‘I
did.'

 
          
 
‘How did you convince him?'

 
          
 
'By my powers - the powers
in my eyes and my head.’

 
          
 
A gasp and a murmer at this.
Again I heard the Bradhi clear his throat.

 
          
 
'And what lies did you tell him?’

 
          
 
'That Michael Kane and Shizala planned to kill
and disgrace his son.'

 
          
 
'And who was really responsible for this?'

 
          
 
'I was!'

 
          
 
A roar went up then and the men began to move
forward. I was sure many of them - none had really wished to fight this battle
against their ancient allies - were ready to tear her to pieces. But the Bradhi
stayed them.

 
          
 
Then the old man spoke. 'It has been proved to
me that I was prey to this woman's evil powers. At first I believed that my son
was a traitor - but then, when she came to me with another story, I would
rather believe that one. It was a lie. I believed her first lie. I believed all
her other lies. Michael Kane was right - she is evil - she almost brought utter
ruin to the South.’

 
          
 
Then Camak and Damad cantered forward and
Camak and Bolog Fas Ogdai laid hands on each other's shoulders and spoke
quietly to one another in terms of friendship. There were tears in the eyes of
both men.

 
          
 
Horguhl was tied, gagged and bound again and
placed in a supply wagon in which she would eventually be taken back to the
Jewelled
City
, to be tried there for her crimes.

 
          
 
The Bolog Fas Ogdai and a few of his nobles
returned with us in our airship to Vamal - and Shizala.

 
          
 
There is little more to tell you save that the
Bradhi of Mishim Tep was an honoured guest at the wedding of Shizala and
myself. We spent a blissful honeymoon as guests of the Bradhi and later
returned to Varnal, where I began supervising the building of more airships.

 
          
 
In order to get supplies of helium gas we
organised an expedition to Mendishar and the desert beyond. In Mendi-shar a
rule of great happiness had begun, with Hool Haji on the throne.

 
          
 
What a welcome I received from him! He had
become convinced I was dead.

 
          
 
When we arrived at the Yaksha city we found
the fountain blocked and the last of the ghouls lying dead near it. They had
not the sense to clear it!

 
          
 
It was on our third expedition to Mendishar's
desert - this time with a full fleet of airships! -
that
I decided to try a more complicated experiment, using the machines I had found in
the forgotten city of the Yaksha.

 
          
 
You will remember that the work on my matter
transmitter was connected with earlier work on laser rays. By investigating the
construction of the Yaksha laser I was able to devise a method of building a
matter transmitter that would send me back to Earth at almost the same instant
I left.

 
          
 
That is how I am able to tell you my story
..

 
          
 
‘So that is the explanation!' I gasped,
looking at Michael Kane. 'You can travel at will now between Earth of our age
and the Mars of yours!’

 
          
 
'Yes,' he replied with a smile. ‘And,
moreover, I have sophisticated the whole technique. There is no need to shift
the transmitter around - it can be kept in your wine cellar!'

 
          
 
'In that case, I shall have to find a new
place to keep the wine,' I said.

 
          
 
'And what do you intend to do on Mars now?' I
asked him.

 
          
 
'Well, I am a Bradhinak now, you know.' He
half smiled. 'I am a Prince of the Kamala - a Prince of Mars. I have
responsibilities. Kamala is still weak. Since it will take time to build up her
man-power, I am concentrating on building up her new a/r-power!'

 
          
 
'And is the excitement all over - will there
be no more adventures?'

 
          
 
Kane's lips quirked.
‘Oh,
I am not so sure. I think there will be many more adventures - and I promise
that if I survive them I will pay you more visits and tell you of them.'

 
          
 
'And I will publish them,' I said. 'People
will regard them as fantasies - but let them. You and I know the truth.'

 
          
 
'Perhaps the others, too, will realise it some
day.' he said.

 
          
 
Very soon after that he left, but I could not
forget almost his last words to me.

 
          
 
‘There will be many more adventures!’ he had
said.

 
          
 
I looked forward to hearing them.

THE END