Kavin's World (25 page)

Our corpse stalked on, in the lead. He knew only Thuramon’s order, to find the barrack gate, and he went on, blind-eyed. Twice we crossed metal lines laid on the ground, but these seemed to lead into blank walls.

Then, in half darkness, we came to a low archway, barred by an iron door. Here, the dead man stopped, and raised his hand, making a gesture. The gate swung open. The corpse, released, fell in a heap, and we hastily shoved him well out of sight against a wall.

Here, there was a high passage, doors on either side, and metal galleries on a second level overhead. But whoever used these barracks was not at home. Two or three times we heard distant voices, and once the sound of boots; but always far off, echoing in the empty halls. Yet the place was swept and ready, weapons stacked, as if prepared for troops.

Then, another arched door, and beyond it, dark rock halls… and a metal stair, going up into darkness.

There we paused, breathing hard.

We had each of us the same thought. It had all been too easy. It was as if a way had been opened up, step by step; and though I trusted my luck, this was beyond luck. I looked at Thuramon, and at the others, and saw my thought reflected.

“We may walk into a trap,” I said, quietly.

“There’s no way back, in any case,” Caltus said. He glanced at his crossbow, cocked and ready. “I feel it too, Prince. It smells of traps. Still, a rat may bite.”

We went on, up the stairway, into the dark.

There was dust on the metal stair, and on the landing where we finally arrived. These stairs were not often used. Ahead, we found a heavy door, and I pressed gently against it. It moved easily… unlocked.

Inside, there were glowing lights, hung from walls, a long, empty passage, walled with brick, floored with brick, as lifeless as a tomb. More and more, the sense of doom lay on us, and we moved like men carrying a heavy weight, on through passage after passage. All were empty, lighted, and silent.

“We’ve been caught in some sort of maze,” Daron grunted, as we turned once more.

“I don’t think so,” said Thuramon. “There.
Another door.”

It was a solid metal door at the end of the passage, and as we approached it, it swung slowly open. Beyond was a great lighted room; columns of glowing stone along the walls, and strange ornaments, and a great table… but no human in sight.

“Ah. Here at last,” said a strange, deep voice, and a man came from a door at the other end of the room. He stopped, staring at us with a curious look of contempt and rage on his heavy face… but without fear. And I stared back, as we stood, just inside the door.

“Karn.”
I said.

Caltus lifted his crossbow, and fired. The quarrel hummed close by Karn’s head, twisting as it flew, and struck a wall, falling to the floor. He paid it no attention at all.

“No use, Caltus,” I said quietly. “Something protects him.”

“Against an edge, too?”
Daron lifted his sword.

“Against most weapons, I should say,” I told Daron, holding him back. “Look. He carries no weapon. But he knew we were here, and he shows no fear. He has a defense.”

“I like that,” Karn said, his deep-set eyes on me. “Logical. Yes. I cannot be hurt by such weapons as you have. And yes, we have expected… something like this. I speak for both my colleagues, who are preoccupied with more important matters at the moment.”

His eyes swept over us, measuring, still with that look of contempt.

“Barbarian warriors.
And a… a witchdoctor.”

Thuramon’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

Karn sighed. “Always, I must take the small and unpleasant tasks upon me.
Hawi with his… games, and the other, silent in his darkness.
And only myself, to deal with practical matters.
Well… it would seem I must have you all killed.”

I had watched his eyes.

“Yet, for some reason, you have not yet done so,” I said. “When did you first know of us?”

“Oh, for a long time,” he said. He moved to a great chair, and sat down, still watching us.
“A long time.
We knew there were strangers in the mountains days ago. But for a much longer time, we knew… you.
You with the gray in your hair, still a youth.
Tell me, have you a name?”

“I am Kavin of Hostan,” I said.

“Kavin of Hostan.
Well, these others do not matter, of course… and I know this witchmonger, of a certainty. You’ve lived much too long, old man.”

Thuramon held silence. Karn chuckled dryly.

“Not merely a peddler of lies and superstitions, but a thief, eh, Thuramon?
And a coward, too.
You could have died with your own folk, so long ago, but you fled. Then you brought these poor savages here, to work your revenge for you. And die.”

“It seems to me,” I said, slowly, “that you wish to slay us with words. Are you sure you can do it at all?”

His eyes flashed, but he laughed.

“Ah. You think I jest. Well, then… that tall fool, there.” He raised his hand, idly, and pointed at Semas. Semas choked, trying to raise his hands… and fell, in a heap.

“He is dead,” Karn said, in a bored voice. “Truly, I could kill you all, in the same way. But… we have a problem here.”

“Shall a… witchdoctor… tell you what that problem is?” Thuramon said, in a hard voice. Karn looked at him.

“Would you wish to die first, then?” he asked.

“You will not slay me if Kavin forbids it,” Thuramon said. I stared at him, wondering if he had gone mad.

Karn’s face was oddly pale, now; suddenly, he seemed old and weary.

“So you know that much,” he said. “Then, if you know, how may such knots be untangled? Untwist it for us, Thuramon, and you may have whatever you desire from us.”

“You cannot bring the dead to life,” Thuramon said. “You cannot unburn a world. You have no price for me, Karn.”

“Revenge again, I see,” Karn said. “But they were only humans. It seems excessive, to raise such a clamor.”

“Thuramon,” I said. “Wait.
And you, Karn.
I see a strange thing here. You’re unable to kill me as you murdered that good knight just now. And I, it seems, could not kill you. But I’m minded to try.”

Suddenly, I found Macha’s hand in mine again, and Karn stood up, his face blackening with fury.

“Thuramon!”
He whirled, glaring at the wizard. “You did this. Is he here, in this room?”

“I did not do it.” Thuramon said calmly. “It is
his own
.”

I went quietly toward the big man, my sword extended, probing. Before the point reached his neck, I felt some strange resistance, as though I pressed against a shield. Carefully, I tested, again and again; but it was impenetrable.

Meanwhile, he roared at Thuramon again, and Thuramon remained calm. The others gripped their weapons, ready to die, as they had seen Semas die.

Then Karn fell back, into his chair, breathing hard.

“Kavin,” he said, less loudly.
“Kavin.
If you hear… listen.
We are forbidden to kill you, but we can slay all those with you, if we like. Preserve their lives. Listen to me.”

I released Macha’s hand, and was visible.

“I’ll listen,” I said. “I’ve no other work today.”

“I do not know what your wizard here has told you, about us three.” Karn said. “But he has cause to hate us. Hear truth. In my own world, evil men conspired against me, and in time, they won… for a while. I found an ally… though I cannot call him a pleasant one. And another ally…”

“A monster out of time,” I said, helpful.

“Take care.” Karn said. “He hears. But it doesn’t matter what allies a man must take. I have a duty, a great task. This is a world of barbarism, ignorance… I bring wisdom, and wealth, civilization. Some day, when this world of yours is one peaceful realm,
under
one king, all here may share the honor, when I return to free my old home from those who stole it.”

I nodded. “All this I have heard already,” I said.
“Though not in quite the same words.
But I need explanations, Karn. What have I to do with all this?”

He seemed to be selecting his words, too carefully.

“Why, we deal with time, here.” he said slowly.
“Time… like a river… with branches, and a stream, that a man may row on it in either direction.
We looked ahead, in time… we found that someone… yourself, we believe… will be most necessary to our work. We cannot read the future, not as a man reads a book… but we can identify influences, forces… you are such a force.”

“Now he lies,” Thuramon said. “Ask him the name of his true master. Ask who
is the fourth king, who rules these three
.”

Karn sweated, now, glaring at Thuramon.

“One thing I could not tell you, Prince,” Thuramon said. “Nor can I tell you now. For that matter, even he cannot tell you the name. But now, since we have come this far, I can tell you the rest of the story.”

He glanced coldly at Karn. “This man lies. Listen. Time is no river; it is a sea, with a hundred thousand islands.
Or a cloud, formless and changing.
The law of time and space is that there is no law, I suppose. Men lead many different lives at once, in a hundred different worlds, and a man may be dying of old age even as he is being born in another place.”

“I don’t understand,” I said. “However…”

“Be careful, wizard,” Karn said in an icy voice.

“I know my danger,” Thuramon said. “I dared not tell him more than I did, but what I said was truth, as he can see. He has seen the slaves and the filth, and the death you bring always with you.”

“One thing he has not seen.” Karn said. He stood up.
“That I shall show him.”

“No!”

A high, petulant voice, coming from nowhere; Karn’s mouth set in a hard line.

“Hawi!”

“Give him to me.” the voice said. “I’ll teach him so much, about pleasure, and pain… he will not die,
I
promise you.”

“You fool,” Karn said to the empty air. “Did you not learn, the last time? You will kill him, sooner or later, and it will be all to do over again. We should have to wait, again, and it might be that we would be beaten back, while we waited. I’m taking him to the room. He will see for himself.”

“I won’t let you,” said the voice. “I want him.”

“Ess shall judge!” Karn shouted.

“Ess sleeps,” the voice said, jeeringly. “I knew the day would come when we’d see who was strongest. Are you ready, great Karn?”

The face of Karn grew hard as iron; he turned, slowly, and cried out a single word. There was a sound like the tearing of a great sail… and he vanished.

All of us stood frozen, for a moment. Then, we heard the struggle begin.

But perhaps “heard” is not the right word. There were no sounds to the ear, but waves of something more than sound seemed to pass through that room, an echoing crash of forces that shook us with terror. The room itself seemed to shift and move, the lamps swayed.

“Kavin.”
It was Hawi’s voice, again.

“Kavin.
Look at the wall.” The voice was almost a woman’s but not quite; it was sweet, but somehow foul.

The wall shimmered, and images floated there. I saw Isa, in a hundred shapes; her face, mingled with the faces of others, and a thousand other images I cannot describe. They were the images of feeling, not of solid things; and there are no words. Yet I stared, shuddering. And somewhere, the thunder of that other combat rolled on.

“She is of my own people.” the voice of Hawi said. “I am like her; in my world, we knew more of the mysteries of love than you. You knew me, in her, and you were drawn…”

And at that, I laughed aloud, coarsely.

“Oh, come now!” I said. “You sound like a sailor’s wench. Go back to your play, Hawi. I intend to see the mystery of this thing for myself.”

The voice shrieked in rage. Somewhere, the psychic struggle exploded again, and now we heard audible sounds; a crackling, and a strange whistling note. Then, suddenly, silence.

After several minutes, I spoke.

“A long wait to be killed,” I said. “Thuramon, I’ll have a guess. Do you think they’ve slain each other?”

He seemed to like the thought.

“Well, then, the mystery,” I said. “A room, that king said. I feel, somehow, that we should find it.”

Thuramon looked at me. “That room would be in the place where… Ess sleeps. It would be the safest place, they would think.”

“And we have an appointment with Ess, too, do we not?” I said. I looked about the great room.
“Thuramon.
I feel… strange. Do I seem as if… as if a new spell is on me?”

He shook his head. “There’s no such magic here.”

“Still…” I brushed my hand across my forehead. “I know this place. I know what halls lead to the place where Ess sleeps. Why? How can I know this?”

“Ask not why,” Caltus said, sharply. “We still live. Let’s go on.”

“On,” I said, in an odd voice.
“Always on.
I’m tired, do you know that? I’d like to sit down. But I can’t, so…”

Thuramon stared at me oddly, but said nothing.

I went through the door, and they followed. Like so many sheep, I thought. Why, I should have led an army here, not such a little band of fumblers.

The way was clearer still, now. I knew that the halls of Karn lay behind us, and we now passed through the domain of Hawi; here, the lights shifted strangely in color, and strange perfumes moved through the air.

“How is that we have seen no servants, no guards?” Caltus wondered aloud.

“We…” I stopped, and began again. “They needed none. All here is the work of wisdom: machines and art. To be served by human hands is to be betrayed.”

“You seem to know much about this place, Lord Prince.” Caltus said.

“I…” I stopped, and stared at him. “I am your king.
Prince?”

“Lord Kavin…” Daron said. “Are you…”

“I lead fools, it seems,” I said. “And here’s another fool, gained his reward.”

We had entered another highroofed passage; and in its midst, a man lay on his back, blood pooling under him. It was Karn. But not quite dead, it seemed; as I leaned over him, his eyes opened.