Jack of Swords

Chapter Eleven

It was cupped like a gem in the palm of surrounding hills, small and with a central spire which rose in a delicate cone. A spire which fell to mounds set in an intricate array each as smoothly finished as the shell of an egg. On them and the spire the light of the blue and yellow suns shone with rainbow shimmers so that Dumarest was reminded of a mass of soap bubbles, the light reflected as if from a film of oil.

"It's beautiful!" whispered Pacula. "Beautiful!"

She stood with the others on the summit of a low mound. The ship lay behind them in a clearing of its own making, a hacked path reaching from the mound to where it stood. To either side stretched a sea of vegetation; shoulder-high bushes bearing lacelike fronds, some in flower, others bearing fruit. Underfoot rested a thick carpet of mosslike undergrowth, broken stems oozing a pale-yellow sap.

The air was heavy, filled with a brooding stillness, the silence unbroken aside from their own sounds.

Embira said, "Earl! I'm afraid."

"Be calm, dear." Pacula was soothing. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

An assurance born of ignorance. The vegetation could hold predators, the city enemies, the metallic taint in the air itself a warning of an abrupt, climatic change.

Sniffing at his pomander Jarv Nonach said dryly, "Well, we're here. What next?"

"We must investigate." Sufan Noyoka was impatient. "If anything of value is to be found it will be here. This city is the only artificial structure on the planet."

Or, at least, the only one they had been able to distinguish. An oddity in itself-normal cities did not stand in isolation-yet it was too large to be called a building, too elaborate to be a village. Dumarest narrowed his eyes, studying the spire, the assembled mounds, his vision baffled by the shimmering light.

"It's deserted." Marek lowered his binoculars and handed them to Dumarest. "Empty."

Again an assumption which needn't be true. Dumarest adjusted the lenses and studied what he saw. The spire and mounds were featureless, unbroken by windows or decoration. The entire complex was ringed with a wall a hundred feet high, the ground around it bare for a width of two hundred yards. The soil was a dull gray, devoid of stones or vegetation, smooth aside from ripples which could have been caused by wind. The wall itself was unpierced by any sign of a door.

"Well?" Like Sufan Noyoka the captain was impatient. "Do we stand here and do nothing?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"We make an investigation." Dumarest lowered the binoculars. "Take the women back to the ship, Jarv also, and wait while we make a circuit of the city?"

"Why me?" The navigator was suspicious. "Why not Sufan?"

"The both of you."

"Earl?"

For answer Dumarest lifted his machete and cut at a mass of vegetation. Slashed leaves fell beneath the keen steel to reveal the slender bole. It parted to show a compact mass of fibers.

"Tough," he said flatly. "And neither of you is in good condition. We may have to run for it and you'll hamper us. Timus, Marek, and I will cut a path to the edge of the clearing and make a circuit of the city."

"We could follow you."

"Later, yes, but not now." As the man hesitated Dumarest added sharply, "We can't all go. The ship must be watched and the women protected." He added dryly, "Don't worry. If we find anything you'll know it."

The vegetation thickened a little as they descended the slope and it took an hour to cut a way to the clear area surrounding the wall. Dumarest halted at the rim of the clearing, kneeling to finger the soil, frowning as he looked at the clear line of demarcation. The dirt was gritty and felt faintly warm. The line was cut as if with a scythe, even the mossy undergrowth ending in a neat line.

"Earl?"

"Nothing." Dumarest rose, dusting his hands. As the engineer made to step out into the open he caught the man's arm. "No. We'll move around the edge and stay close to the vegetation."

"Why? The cleared ground will make the going easier."

"And reveal us to any who might be watching."

"There isn't anyone."

"We can't be sure of that."

"No," Timus admitted. "We can't. But if there is they must have seen us land. Curiosity alone would have brought them outside or at least had them standing on the wall. Marek's right, Earl. The place is deserted."

And old. Dumarest could sense it as he led the way along the edge of the clearing. An impression heightened by the utter lack of sound, the intangible aura always associated with things of great antiquity. How long had it lain cupped in the palm of the hills? Given time enough it would vanish, buried beneath rain-borne dust, dirt carried by the winds, the broken leaves of the surrounding vegetation drifting to land, to rot and lift the surface of the terrain.

Thousand of years, millions perhaps, but it would happen.

Were other cities buried beneath the surface of this world?

Back at the ship Usan Labria said eagerly, "Well, Earl? What did you find?" She frowned as he told her. "Nothing? Just a city with no apparent way to get inside?"

"That's all." Dumarest drew water from a spigot and carried the cup back to the table around which they sat. The salon seemed cramped after the openness outside. "We made a complete circuit and studied the place from all directions. From each it looked the same."

"Balhadorha!" Timus snorted his disgust. "The world of fabulous treasure. The planet on which all questions are answered and all problems solved. So much for the truth of legend. All we have is an enigma."

"Which can be solved!" Sufan Noyoka was sharp. "What did you expect, men coming to greet us, giving us fortunes as a gift? A pit filled with precious metals or trees bearing priceless gems? Legend distorts the truth, but legend need not lie. Within that city could lie items of tremendous value."

If this world was Balhadorha. If the man hadn't followed a wrong lead and discovered a world not even hinted at in legend. A possibility Dumarest didn't mention as he sat, listening to the others.

"We've got to get inside and quickly!" Usan Labria was insistent. The last attack had almost killed her, the next might; she had no time to waste. "Can you lift the ship and set it down beyond that wall?"

"On those mounds? No." The captain was blunt. "We need level ground."

"Climb it, then?" Pacula looked from one to the other. "With ropes and pitons it should be possible."

"A hundred feet of sheer surface?" Timus shrugged. He was not a mountaineer.

"We could cut steps and make holds," she explained. "It shouldn't be hard. On Teralde, as a girl, I climbed higher slopes than that."

"I've a better suggestion," said Jarv Nonach from behind his pomander. "Let's blow a way in. With explosives we could break a hole in the wall."

"If it isn't too thick or too hard," agreed the engineer. Scowling he added, "We should have brought a raft with us. Well, it's too late to wish that now. Earl?"

"I suggest we wait. There is too much we don't know about this world as yet. To rush in might be stupid."

"Wait? For how long?" Usan bit at her lower lip. "And for what purpose? We aren't interested in anything aside from getting what we came to find. Blow the city to hell for all I care. Just let's get inside."

"And out again?" Dumarest set down his empty cup. "That's important, Usan, don't you think? To escape with the wealth we hope to find."

"Of course, but-" She broke off, making a helpless gesture. "You said the place was deserted."

"Marek said that, and I agree it seems that way, but we can't be sure. A delay won't do any harm."

A delay she couldn't afford, and others were equally impatient. A symptom of the danger Sufan had hinted at, the greed which blinded elementary caution.

"I say we blast a way in. Grab what we can and leave before anything can stop us." The navigator was definite. Sneeringly he added, "I'm not afraid of what I can't see if others are."

"I agree," said Acilus. "I didn't come here to start at shadows."

"We have to decide." Sufan Noyoka's eyes darted from one to the other. "Earl could be right to anticipate unknown dangers, but speed could be on our side. In any case we have no choice. How else to get within the city?"

Dumarest said quietly, "You're forgetting Marek Cognez."

"I'm glad someone remembered me." The man sat back in his chair, smiling. "To each his own. You, Captain, brought us here. You, Jarv, and you Sufan, guided us with some help from others. Earl warns us. I solve puzzles. And the city, as you said, Timus, is an enigma. One I find entrancing. Those who built it must have left. How? Did they have wings? The shape of the city is against it-level areas are needed for landing."

"Birds fly," said Pacula. "They don't need flat areas on which to land."

"True, but birds don't build cities. We couldn't spot anything which could have been a perch. And after landing, what then? Men do not walk on rounded surfaces and no creature finds it easy."

"There could be streets."

"True, we saw none but, I admit, they could be there. But think a moment. Imagine a city of mounds, not domes but structures shaped like eggs. Only the central spire shows straight lines. Logic tells us that the streets, if present, would be narrow and winding, overhung and unpleasant to walk on especially for a winged race. And the surrounding clearing, what of that? Earl studied it. Earl?"

"A radioactive compound with a long half-life would have sterilized the soil," he said.

"Yes, but why?" Marek looked from face to face. "A part of the puzzle and a question which should be answered. Given time I will answer it, but I must have time."

"We don't need answers," snapped the navigator. "Smash the wall and go in."

"And if the city isn't empty?"

"Kill those inside."

"If they can be killed. But think a moment. Does a man leave his house unguarded? If the city holds treasure it could be protected. If-"

"There are too many 'ifs.' " Rae Acilus slammed his hand hard on the table. "Marek, you say the city is deserted. Right?"

"As far as I can determine, yes."

"So we have nothing to worry about from what could be inside. Our only problem is the wall. We can climb it or blow a hole through it."

"Or burn one with lasers," said the engineer. "If it isn't too thick."

"A hundred feet high-it has to be thick. Now…"

Dumarest rose and left them arguing. Outside the blue sun was setting, the one of somber red lifting above the horizon. Here there could be no night or time of darkness-always one or more of the suns would ride in the sky.

Without the sight of stars would those who had lived here have ever guessed at the tremendous majesty of the universe? Had they grown introverted, using their skill and energy to turn one planet into a paradise instead of forming a thousand into living hells? Was that the basis of the legend, the moral truth it held?

But if people had lived here what had happened to them? Where were those who had built and lived in the city?

"Earl?" He turned. Embira had come to join him at the open port. "Is that you, Earl?"

"Yes, couldn't you tell?"

"The metal," she said. "Of the hull and that you wear. They merge-is it you?"

For answer he took her hands. They were cold, trembling, a quiver which grew as suddenly she pressed herself hard against him.

"Earl! Please!"

A woman lost and needing comfort. He held her close, one hand stroking the mane of her hair, the other about her shoulders. Suffused by her femininity it was hard to remember she was blind, that she couldn't see his face, his expression. That she knew him only as an aura distinguished by the metal he wore, the knife he carried.

"Earl!"

"I'm sorry." He eased the grip of his arm, a constriction born of protective tenderness. "Did I hurt you?"

"A little, but it was nice." She spoke with a warm softness. "Nice to feel you close to me, Earl. I feel safe when you are. Less afraid."

"Still afraid, Embira?"

"It's this place, this world. It is so empty and the sky so threatening. Will we be leaving soon?"

"Yes, soon."

"And then, Earl?" She waited for the answer she hoped to hear, one he could not give. "Will you stay with me? Will you?"

"For as long as necessary, Embira."

"I want you to stay with me for always. I never want to be without you. Earl, promise me that you will stay!"

"You should rest, Embira. You must be tired."

"And you?"

Deliberately he mistook her invitation. "I've work to do, Embira. I'm going to examine the area around the ship."

He walked a mile in a direct line from the city, cutting a path when the vegetation grew too dense, pausing often to listen, dropping at times to rest his ear against the ground. The stillness was complete.

A heavy, brooding silence which was unnatural. The vegetation provided good cover for game and there should have been small animals if not larger beasts, but he saw nothing, not even the trails such animals would have made. The air, too, was devoid of birds and he could spot no sign of insects. The bushes must be hybrids, propagating from roots alone, the flowers and fruits an unnecessary byproduct.

He cut one open and sniffed at the succulent mass of orange pulp. As he'd expected, it was seedless. The blooms were the size of his opened hand, waxen petals of a pale amber laced with black. Like the fruits they had no discernible odor.

The result of intensive cultivation, he decided, or a freak mutation which had spread to become dominant. The moss would be a saprophyte, feeding on decaying leaves fallen from the bushes. Dead animals would also provide food, and in the past perhaps, the moss had not waited for the beasts to die.

Back at the ship Dumarest learned a decision had been reached.

"Acilus is going to use explosives." Marek gestured toward the city. "He's taken Timus and Jarv with him and all are loaded with charges."

"The captain overrode my authority." Sufan Noyoka radiated his anger. "The man is a fool. Who knows, what damage he might do? What treasures might be lost? Earl, if we could talk?"

He led Dumarest to one side, out of earshot of Marek and the two women who stood at the open port. Embira, asleep, was in her cabin.

"I am worried about the captain, Earl," said Sufan quickly. "He holds the loyalty of the crew. If he should break into the city he might forget that I command this expedition."

"So?"

"Remember why you are here. The women will obey you-Marek too, perhaps-but if it comes to the need for action strike first and strike hard." The man bared his teeth, his face grown ugly. "I will not be cheated by greedy fools!"

"As yet you haven't been."

"No, but I am aware of the possibility. Go after them, Earl. If they breach the wall make them wait. I must be the first into the city."

As was his right, and Dumarest was content to let another be the target for any unexpected danger. As he strode down the hacked path Marek fell into step behind him.

"We tested the wall, Earl," he said. "While you were away. It is adamantine. Acilus hopes to penetrate it with shaped charges but I doubt if the ship carries enough to do the job." Pausing, he added, "They are armed."

With the weapons carried in the hold-the captain would have thought of that. Guns to kill anything in the city-or anyone who tried to stop him. Dumarest halted at the edge of the wide clearing. Against the wall Acilus was setting packages, Timus at his rear, the navigator to one side. Their voices carried through the still air.

"Set another just above the first. Not there, Jarv, you fool, there!"

"A heavy charge, Captain."

"We could need it. The detonators?"

"Here." Small in the distance Timus held them out, watched as Acilus thrust them home.

"The fuse," he rapped. "Quickly."

There was no obvious need for speed, but Dumarest guessed the loom of the blank wall must have unnerved him, the impression of watching eyes. He saw flame spring from the captain's hand, more flame sparkle from the length of black fuse.

"That's it. Now run!"

Dumarest joined them as they reached the trail, following as they ran to the mound, dropping behind its shelter. Marek dropped beside him. The engineer, panting for breath, said, "Fifty seconds. I've been counting. In less than a minute it will blow."

"Why didn't you use an electronic detonator?"

"We tried, Earl, it didn't work. Don't ask me why. I wanted to rig a launcher but the captain was impatient." Timus glanced to where Acilus crouched like an animal on the ground. "When he gets that way you can't argue with him. Thirty seconds."

A time unnecessarily short but one which dragged. Jarv Nonach wheezed, sniffed at his pomander, stared up at the sky.

"Five seconds." He frowned as they passed. "Minus three if I've counted right."

A navigator was accustomed to check the passage of time as a runner was of distance. His frown increased as still the charges didn't blow.

"Thirty seconds, Captain. You sure you set the detonators correctly?"

"Shut your mouth!" Acilus's tone revealed his doubt. "We'll give it a while longer."

Another three minutes during which his patience became exhausted.

"Give me another fuse and some more detonators," he snapped. "I'll fix this."

"No!" Dumarest rose to catch his arm. "Don't be a fool, man! Give it more time. What are you using, impact charges?"

"Safety plastic," said the engineer. "You could shoot a gun at it and it still wouldn't explode."

"Not if you hit a detonator?" Dumarest snatched the weapon from where it hung on the man's shoulder. "At least it's worth a try."

The gun was cheap, a rapid-fire light machine gun meant to be cradled in the arms, used to lay a rain of bullets without regard to accuracy. A short-range weapon good for street fighting but very little else. Dumarest lay on the summit of the mound, checked the sights, and fired a burst at the charges. He might as well have fired into empty air.

"You're wasting time," said Acilus. "'You could shoot all day and never hit a thing. The fuse must have burned out. We'll have to fix another."

Dumarest fired again with no better result. As the magazine emptied he said, "Give me another."

"No!" The captain knocked aside the gun Jarv held upward. "We'll do it my way."

"Why bother?" Marek was bland. "There's a lot of wall," he reminded. "Why not move along it and try somewhere else?"

"No need. The charges are set If the fuse hadn't burned out-"

"You can't be sure it did."

"To hell with you. I'm sure. Timus, Jarv, let's get at it!" Acilus sucked in his breath as neither moved. "Get on your feet, damn you! That's an order!"

Timus said, "We're not in space now, Captain. You want to risk your neck, that's your business."

"Jarv?" His eyes were murderous as the navigator shook his head. "So that's it. Cowards, the pair of you. I'll remember that."

Dumarest said, "Be sensible. Do as Marek suggests."

The final straw which broke the captain's hesitancy. "You!" he said. "By God, you overrode me once, you won't do it again. In space or on land I give the orders. Refuse to obey and it's mutiny. Remember that when we're back in space!"

A crime for which eviction was the penalty, a revenge Acilus would take later if he could. Dumarest watched as the man ran down the trail toward the edge of the clearing. Dust rose beneath his feet as he headed for the wall and the massed charges set and waiting. He reached them, busied himself with the fuse, and then, without warning, they blew.

A gush of flame blasted from the wall, dimming the suns, shaking the air with the roaring thunder of released destruction. Dumarest dropped, blinking to clear his eyes from retinal images, but there was no shower of debris.

When he looked again he could see nothing but a drifting plume of dust, a hole gouged in the ground, a wreath of smoke.

Acilus had vanished, blasted to atoms, and the wall reared as before, untouched, pristine.