Garan the Eternal (14 page)

“A scratch only.”

But by the light of Analia’s radium cell Thran examined it, binding up the slight wound with a strip of silk from his pouch. Then he produced the extra scale suit he had carried and aided me to don it. All this time my eyes were ever upon Thrala, where she stood apart with her handmaiden. And to my growing uneasiness I saw that she was avoiding meeting my gaze.

“So Kepta is gone,” observed Thran as I fumbled with the fastening of my sword belt.

“Aye, the manner of his going was not a pleasant one.” I went on to describe the coming and going of the winged shapes from the gulf.

“Kepta gone,” the Gorlian mused. “Room’s hold broken at last. There remains — Krand.”

I saw Thrala’s head go up. “Aye” — her voice was steady though her hps trembled — “there remains Krand.”

Chapter Nine

Escape

Hastily we retraced our way, for, now that we knew the sum of what lay before us, we were eager to reach the surface. I did not doubt that there was some mode of escape from the coming disaster. Those shapes from the gulf had hinted of such and Thrala declared that Kepta’s preparations for flight were almost complete.

What Kepta had done, we could do, if there remained enough time. So one part of my mind was busy with the thought of escape while yet another portion dwelt upon those moments in the Ways when Thrala and I had snatched joy from the mouth of death. And thinking of her as she was then, I could not understand her constant avoidance of me now. She hurried ahead, keeping Analia ever by her side, while I was forced to answer the questions Thran rained upon me.

His quest down the side branch of the Ways had led him into a strange, deadly swamp-like hollow where weird and awful forms of life lurked amid gigantic fungi. At one time he and his companions had been forced to blast their path clear with their ray rods. But when they had discovered no other clues during the time set, they had returned to take our road and had so arrived at the bridge just in time to see Zacat leap the gap.

Once more we came to the ramp leading up out of this place of alien horrors and moved through the hall where the dancers of Qur had woven their strange patterns. Around us the pleasure palace lay silent and deserted. There were traces of its inhabitants’ hurried flitting in every chamber through which we passed. But nowhere did we see anyone.

Again Analia piloted us through the passages in its walls but this time we took one which led us under the city street level to open in the end upon the fringe of the royal gardens, a passage which had been constructed by Thrala’s
orders when their mad venture in the pleasure palace had first been planned.

It was night when we stepped out into the fresh coolness of the dew-wet sod. And I was glad to again breathe deep the rain-washed air of the upper world. We had no way of determining how long we had been in the Ways.

Quickly we struck across the gardens, for it was Thran’s plan that we show ourselves directly to the Emperor and tell our story. When we reached the bulk of the palace, he avoided the more public halls and walks, following a roundabout route to an inner chamber.

He gave a single peremptory rap upon the door and then pushed it open. We had burst in thus unceremoniously upon a full meeting of the council. And at the sight of Thrala the Emperor arose to his feet with a cry. Then they were all crowding about us, demanding instant answers to their myriad questions.

I listened to Thran’s jerky recital of our tale, but I was watching Thrala and had little attention for him or his listeners. When the Gorlian had come to an end the Emperor drew a deep breath.

“So, that was the way of it. It is well for Kepta that he does not stand before us now. But a vengeance worse than any we could have conceived has been wreaked if you speak true. Koom is no longer a menace. There remains this doom the Master has brought upon us. Let not one word of this matter escape your lips, Krand must not be sent mad. Our life, upon the surface, must be as usual, but in secret we can prepare for the end. How long do we have, daughter?” He turned to Thrala.

“Kepta said three months before the worst of the disturbances begin.”

“So short a time? Then we must bend our backs to mighty labors. Give us ten hours’ time to assemble our forces and then we will meet here again.”

Thus abruptly he dismissed us. Thrala and Analia slipped through the far door without a backward look. Zacat, Ana- tan, and I left as inconspicuously as possible for my headquarters. Thran remained with the Emperor.

Having gained the shelter of my own apartments, I bathed and then flung myself upon my sleeping couch, there to toss open-eyed, my brain awhirl with all the problems which confronted me. At length I drowsed, falling into dream-filled slumber.

At that second extraordinary meeting of the council we met those of the Learned Ones whom the Emperor relied upon and certain members of the other castes considered trustworthy. And there for a good four hours or more the leading astronomer of Krand lectured us concerning our destroyer and our companion worlds.

It had been proven in the past that life as we knew it could not exist on either of the two other planets which shared our sun. But other solar systems lay open to us. One such, lying some hundreds of light-years away, boasted nine planets, one of which was newly-born. That raw new world was to be our goal.

When this had been provisionally decided upon they turned to me for advice about spaceships. I laid before them what little I knew.

“The acceleration needed to break the grip of Krand’s gravity upon a spaceship would kill the voyagers before it had torn through our layers of atmosphere. It must be a ship radically different in design from any we have ever conceived and one with more power than any now existing.”

Thran nodded. “But we can furnish power in abundance now,” he said grimly.

“You mean?”

“Kepta’s source lies open to our use. Solar power.”

The others drew a little away from him. “Would you break the ancient oath again?” asked the Emperor quietly.

Thran looked around at us. “We must face plainly what lies before us. For Krand and most of her people there is no future. For a handful, a handful who will carry on our race and build anew better than we have done — for them there is hope. A single ship such as Lord Garan has spoken of, a ship endowed with inexhaustible solar power may win free. The question which lies before us now is will we throw ourselves and our world into a period of agonizing labor that a minute portion of our number may win across the void to safety. Dare we say that we are worthy of such sacrifice upon the part of our fellows?”

The Emperor turned toward a white-robed figure on his right, the High Priest of the Temple of Knowledge. He smoothed his robe with his wrinkled palms and his old, old eyes seemed to stare into the future.

“On has disclosed to us this way; are we too fearful to walk in a path He has pointed out to us?” he asked slowly. “If those who go are worthy, then we have accomplished
the task set before us. But this I say, men of Krand, the day of the Learned Ones is past. It was our sin that has brought this upon our world and therefore there must be, during these last few days still left to us, no Learned Ones and commoners, only brothers striving shoulder to shoulder for the common good.”

A faint murmur followed his speech and my heart stirred. Barrier so banished, then Thrala was surely mine, come what may. I was free to claim publicly what she had given when death was upon us in the Ways.

“Lord Garan” — with an effort I recalled my wandering thoughts and looked to the Emperor — “more than any of us you know the secrets of air construction. Our experts are under your command. What have you to offer us?”

“There is a man, a certain Hay-leen of Campt, who has been experimenting in interplanetary ships for the past two years. He has been successful in landing a rocket upon our neighbor, Soyu. But it will be necessary to take him wholly into our confidence.”

“Do you trust him?”

I hesitated. “I know very little of Hay-leen except as I have made contact with him during his work. He has reported to me the progress of his experiments once each month during the past year. But I know nothing of him personally. However, he is the only man on Krand today who has the ability to solve our problem.”

“Ha” The Emperor caressed the line of his jaw with his fingers. “Lord Zacat, what of your Ruian mines? Can you increase their output, double it perhaps during the next month?”

“Give me a free hand and I will try,” said the officer with grim caution, but his reply seemed to please the Emperor.

“Then it remains to select some waste place, proper for laying the keel of our ship, and there setting to work. At a time I shall appoint, Lord Garan, relieve your engineer of duty and order him to report to me. Lord Zacat will receive new shipping orders for Ru. And, please On, we shall keep our council until the last. Are we agreed, my Lords?”

One by one they gave their assent and so it was decided.

The next month was a period of nightmare, undersurface activity for us all. At the same time the unrest Kepta had so skillfully sowed flourished and grew, so that there were constant threats of rebellion and riot to make my office no easy
one. Had it not been for Anatan, whom I came to rely upon more and more with each day of trouble, I could never have kept my corps in order.

The young Holian seemed to have aged years and stood ready at my call at any hour. Next to my desire for his help and my liking for him I had another motive in keeping him by me, for only through him did I hear of Thrala. Analia, his sister, continued as Thrala’s first lady-in-waiting and she was in constant attendance upon the Princess. And in all that time I had not met Thrala face to face.

I was sitting alone one evening in my chamber, studying the reports from Ru containing Zacat’s personal comments upon the situation there, when Anatan entered. He dropped a small metal message case on the table before me. The roll of silk within bore but a single line:

“The grotto at moonrise.”

There was no signature and I smoothed it out perplexedly.

“Where did you get this?”

“From Analia,” he answered shortly.

Knowing then from whose hand it must have come, I thrust it hurriedly into my belt pouch. But Anatan lingered by my side, irresolution written plain upon his face.

“Well?”

He spread out his hands in a helpless gesture. “It is unfair!” The cry seemed torn from his lips and then he turned and ran from me as if I had been a demon of the night.

Wondering greatly at the cause of his outbreak, I wandered to my windows. It was not far from moonrise and, my heart pounding wildly within me, I caught up a long dark cloak which would adequately conceal my uniform. With this about me I hurried out.

My private flier touched the palace landing stage and I hurried down the ramp, murmuring the password to the sentries as I went. The garden winds were cool and never had doomed Krand seemed so fair in my eyes as on that night when I passed through the Emperor’s glades in search of that grotto where we had lingered once before.

I was early. There was no one awaiting me among the trees. Burning with impatience, I paced back and forth across the shadow-filled dell. But I did not have long to wait. Through the dusk came a white figure I knew well.

“Thrala!”

My arms closed about her yielding body, my lips caught
the freshness of her flesh. But she struggled free and, with her hands to her mouth, shrank from me.

“What have I done, beloved? Frightened you?”

She shook her head and then in a bar of moonshine I saw the silent tears slipping down her white cheeks.

“It is I who am at fault, Garan —”

“You are tired, perhaps?” I broke in eagerly. “Indeed, I would not trouble you, sweet.”

“No, no!” Her voice arose to a sharp cry. “How can I say it!”

Her thin fingers twisted together and still the tears dropped to wet the bosom of her robe. Then she seemed to gain some measure of self-control.

“You have done nothing — nothing, Garan, that was not right and beautiful and good always. You and I will have that to remember when — when — “ Her voice failed.

And now I was trembling and a chill struck at my very bones for I knew somehow that happiness was denied to me.

“What is it that you have to say to me, Thrala?” I asked as gently as I might. “Do not be afraid of me, beloved.”

“I am not free to live and love, Garan. Not free to choose joy in life. The decree has gone forth, for the good of Krand I am Thran’s. And know now the depths of my sin. For I was Thran’s when I stood in the Ways and called out the love you bore me. I have been Thran’s since my return from the Temple of Light. Turn from me now, Garan, as you have the right. I have betrayed our love, being weak.”

Now I felt the chill which had come upon me creep into my heart. “You are Thran’s mate?” I asked between stiffened lips.

She raised her head high. “No, nor did I ever think I would be. When I first faced you in the control cabin of my father’s ship, when our eyes met and looked deep into each other’s secret heart, then I knew that no other might I ever honestly take to mate. For you are mine, Garan, and I am yours, though worlds swing between us. So have we been before and so shall we be again! When they urged Thran upon me I delayed and set aside, dallying ever, hoping that fate might some day prove kind. And when we stood close in the Ways, I thought that death had come to solve our desperate riddle, so I spoke. But we won through and now the end has come to all my scheming. This day Thran was chosen to lead the flight from Krand and I go
with him. My duty has been made cruelly plain. I must set aside love. Aside, Garan —”

Her voice grew weak and at length faded away. She sank down upon the bench, staring wide-eyed out through the trees which masked our retreat. I laughed harshly and the bitterness of that sound was sharp even in my own ears.

“So the soldier must stand aside. You have decided that, you Learned Ones. Well, what if the soldier will not, Thrala? What if I claim what you tell me is rightfully mine?”

“Garan.” There was a new force within her. “Garan, cruelly have I wrought, but do not force me always to remember this hour with more than sorrow. I have tarnished our love, but you would break it.”

“I am sorry. I rebel no longer, Royal Lady. Garan shall go back to his place that Krand may profit.” And with those words I turned and left her, not heeding the cry which followed me. For red rage gripped me and I saw all the world about me through a crimson mist.

When I stood once more within my own locked chamber I stared at the walls with dull, unseeing eyes. All night I paced the floor. But when morning came I had conquered my inner tumult. Through those bitter hours something within me, perhaps the ghost of my starved and defrauded youth, died forever.

I went through the days which remained to me calmly enough, doing mechanically the tasks which were mine to do. My experts labored in the wilds of Cor where the spaceship slowly took shape in its cradle. Zacat performed wonders in Ru from whence came tales of his ruthless rule. Anatan hovered ever about me, watching with sorrowful eyes. But I went my way alone.