It was an arrogance that cost them dearly. And yes, it would have made a glorious song. A battle song. A death song that would be remembered long after our bones were dust. Alas.
Each of the Riders was a veteran of countless battles. Old maybe, but deft and clever and ruthless. They laughed as they fought, delighting in the expressions of shock on the faces of much younger men who learned too little and too late that wisdom and experience often trumps youth and vigor. They came at us in that narrow defile and we took them, shouting our ancient songs of war as the blood ran like a brook around our ankles.
But there were one hundred thousand of them. Though they sent not a single man who could stand before the least of us, they had men to spare and no sword arm can fight without fatigue forever.
I saw Kinto Kan fall, his body feathered with arrows but his own quiver empty and the dead heaped around him—two score and six to be his slaves in death. Ben Bendark, known as Thark-killer before the Warlord forged the alliance, swung his war axe, that great cleaver of a hundred tavern songs, and the head of a pirate jed flew from his shoulders. I never saw where it landed. Bendark gave a wild cry of red triumph even as spears pierced his chest and stilled his mighty heart. He fell next to his brother, Gan, who smiled even in death, his mighty hands clenched forever around the shattered throats of the men who killed him.
Hadro Henkin, the sword dancer from Gathol, leapt and turned and cut men from the saddle and slipped between spears and left a path of ruin behind him. He made it nearly to the chariot of the Jeddak himself before a dozen spearmen converged and brought him down. His best friend, Zeth Hondat, screamed like a banth and threw himself at the spearmen, cutting them down one-two-three-four. Seven fell before the Jeddak raised a huge curved sword and cut Zeth nearly in twain.
These things I saw and more. The waves of pirates were as limitless as the dunes of a desert. An ocean of spears and swords, but Dwar Guntha had chosen our spot well and we held the high ground while they were forced into a narrow killing chute. We slaughtered five times our number. Ten times. More. And still they came. As I parried and thrust, cut and slashed, I could not help but compose our song in my head. Despite the melancholy musings of last night, this was a glorious end. This was such an end that perhaps the pirates themselves would write the song. Not a hero’s lament or stirring death song, but a tale of desert demons who it took an army to overthrow. We would be the monsters to frighten children on dark nights, and that would please Dwar Guntha. It was a way to strike once more into the heart of our enemy.
In a moment’s brief reprieve I called to him. Guntha bled from a dozen cuts and leaned heavily on his saddle horn.
“What a song!” I cried.
“Sing it with your blade,” he laughed, and they were on us again.
Then I saw three things occur in close succession, and what a wonder they were to behold.
First, I saw the fresh wave of pirates swarm toward us. These were burly men, not the foot soldiers or light skirmishers; these were the cream of their cavalry on fresh thoats, led by the fierce Jeddak in his war chariot. Dwar Guntha reared up on his thoat, the reins flying free, a spear in one hand and his ancient sword in the other. With a cry so fierce and powerful that it momentarily stilled the war shouts of the pirates, Guntha thrust the spear deep into the roaring mouth of the chariot’s lead thoat, and as the beast fell the chariot tilted forward to offer the Jeddak up to Guntha’s sword. The blade caught red sunlight and then flashed down, cleaving gold circlet and black skull even as the Jeddak thrust his own great blade forward into Dwar Guntha’s chest. Guntha’s blade snapped as he predicted it would, but only on a killing stroke. His last, and a masterful one it was. The pirates could never reckon this day’s victory without counting a terrible cost.
Dwar Guntha fell, and that was the second thing I saw. He fell and as he did so the entire battle seemed to freeze into a shocked moment. The pirates recoiled as if the sight of a hero’s fall and their own champion’s death stole the heart from them.
And then I turned to see the third thing, and I knew then why the entire army of pirates has stalled in this moment.
The sky was full of ships.
Hundreds of them. Thousands. The great combined host of Helium and the Tharks, together in a fleet such as no man has seen in the skies of Barsoom in fifty thousand years. I do not know how our scout reached the capital in time. Perhaps he found a patrol in their airship and flew like a demon wind to spread the news and sound the alert. I will never know, and do not care. John Carter had come, and that was all that mattered. He had come . . . and with the greatest force of arms this world could yet muster. Here, to this barren place by a forgotten outpost. Here to fight the last battle. Whoever won this war would rule Barsoom forever.
John Carter, Warlord of Warlords, grown wise in his years, knew this and he brought such a force that the pirates howled in fear.
But . . . ah, they did not throw down their weapons.
I will honor them enough to say that, and to say that they made a fight of it that will make songs worth singing.
Yet, my heart was lifted as I looked up and saw a fleet so vast that it darkened the skies.
Or . . . was it my eyes that grew dark?
I felt a burning pain and looked down to see the glittering length of a sword moving through me below my heart.
I laughed my warrior’s laugh and I slew my slayer even as the air erupted with the barrage of ten thousand airships firing all at once.
And the voice of the singer faded, even to his own ears.
4
It was a cold night in Helium. The moons were like chips of ice in the black forever that stretched above the royal palace.
John Carter drew his cloak more tightly around him. He was still a tall man, still strong, though great age had slimmed him. Slender and hard as a sword blade.
He leaned a shoulder against a pillar and looked out over the city. Even this late there was the sound of music and laughter. The sounds of peace. How long had it been thus, he mused. So many nights of so many years without the clang of steel on steel? He sighed, content that his people lived without fear, and yet secretly craving those old days when he and Tars Tarkas rode out to face monsters and madmen and hordes of bloodthirsty enemies.
Those were memories of a different world than this.
He heard a sound behind him and saw Kestos, the singer, gathering up his scrolls after a night of composing songs for a pending festival. When the young man noticed Carter watching, he bowed.
“My prince,” he said nervously, “I did not mean to disturb you. . . . I’m just leaving—”
Carter waved it off. “No. Tarry a moment, Kestos. Tarry and entertain an old man. Sing me a song.”
“Of what would you have me sing, my prince? Of the spring harvest? Of the dance of the moons above—”
“No. Gods, no. Kestos, sing me one of the old songs. Sing me a song of heroes and battle.”
“I . . . know but a few, my prince. I can sing of your victory over the—”
“No. I know my own songs. Sing to me the death song of Dwar Guntha. That’s a good tale for a night like this.”
The young man looked embarrassed. “My prince, I am sorry . . . but I don’t know that song.”
Carter turned and studied him. “Ah . . . you are so young. To not know the great songs is so sad.”
“I . . . I’m sorry . . .”
Carter smiled. “No. Sit, young Kestos and I will sing you the song. Learn it. Remember it, and sing it often. Some songs should never be forgotten.”
And as the moons sailed through the black ocean of the sky, John Carter, Warlord of all Barsoom, sang of the last charge of the great Free Riders.
And such a tale it was. All of the heroes were tall and handsome, all of the enemies were vile and dangerous, and each of the heroes slew a hundred and then died gloriously upon a mountain of their foes.
Or, so it goes in the song.
APPENDIX
A Ba
rsoomian Gazetteer,
or, Who’s Who and What’s What
on Mars
BY RICHARD A. LUPOFF
APT
A six-limbed creature found near the North Pole of Mars. Its white color permits it to blend in with ice or snow. Its most notable feature is its eyes, which are faceted like those of an Earthly house fly. Each facet can be opened or closed independently. Because of its six limbs, the apt is in all likelihood evolutionarily related to both the white apes and the Green Men of Mars.
ASSASSINS GUILD
A professional society of Martian trained killers-for-hire, roughly comparable to the Earthly Mafia or Yakuza.
ATMOSPHERE PLANT
Because the Martian atmosphere has slowly leaked away into space, it is necessary for the Barsoomians to create a constant supply of new, breathable air. They built the great atmosphere plant, a huge, thick-walled building that concentrates the sun’s rays to produce this air supply. The atmosphere plant is fully automated, but when its failure threatens the end of all life on Mars, John Carter must make his way into its interior to repair the damage. However, the atmosphere plant is fitted with extensive, automated defenses designed to protect it from sabotage or direct attack. John Carter must find a way to evade or detect these protective devices before he can perform repairs.
BANTH
Sometimes known as the “Martian lion,” the banth is a large, dangerous carnivore. It is largely hairless except for a thick ruff similar to that of the male terrestrial lion. Banths live and hunt in packs. Their multiple rows of razor-sharp, daggerlike teeth can make quick work of their prey. Some Barsoomians have succeeded in at least partially domesticating banths and use them to torture and even murder prisoners. One thinks of the practice in Imperial Rome of disposing of victims by “throwing them to the lions.”
BLUE BELLY
A soldier of the Union (Northern) army during the American Civil War. Origin uncertain, but the term probably refers to the blue uniforms worn by most Union soldiers; most Southern soldiers wore gray uniforms.
CALOT
A Martian animal roughly comparable to the Earthly dog. Calots are huge, fierce beasts capable of terrible destruction. They have ten short legs and are immensely powerful.
CARTHORIS
The son of John Carter and Dejah Thoris. Within ten years Carthoris has grown to become a courageous explorer. While on an exploration flight to the Valley Dor, Carthoris crash-lands and is captured by the Therns and imprisoned in the City of Omean. There he is reunited with his father, who has first returned to Earth, then again to Barsoom. Eventually Carthoris marries the lovely Thuvia, a princess of the City of Ptarth, where Thuvia’s father, Thuvan Dihn, is Jeddak.
COCHISE
An important chief or “nantan” of the Chiricahua Apaches (1805–1874). Cochise led his people in resisting the encroachment of white soldiers and settlers on their land in the American Southwest. He was especially embittered when his father-in-law, Mangas Coloradas, who had been invited to a supposedly peaceful conference with white military officers, was instead arrested and imprisoned. Cochise then decided that the white Americans had no sense of honor. He was a brilliant military strategist and inspiring leader of his people. In later years he negotiated a treaty with the army, represented by General Oliver Howard. Cochise’s one white friend of many years’ standing was Tom Jeffords, who helped to negotiate the treaty. Edgar Rice Burroughs held Native Americans in high esteem, especially members of the Apache Nation, as shown in his novels The War Chief and Apache Devil. Cochise meets up with John Carter in Chris Claremont’s story “The Ghost That Haunts the Superstition Mountains” in this anthology.
DEJAH THORIS
A beautiful Red Martian Princess, described by John Carter as “incomparable.” She is from the great Martian city of Helium, descended from Jeddaks, the rulers of the Martian tribes. In appearance she is totally human, with a perfect red complexion. However, like all members of her race, she was hatched from an egg and will lay eggs from which her children will be hatched. In time she marries John Carter and they have a son and daughter, and grandchildren. The egg-laying gene inherited from Dejah Thoris seems to be dominant over John Carter’s live-bearing heredity, as all of their descendents are egg-layers, not live-bearers.
DWAR
A military rank, equivalent to a captain. [See Military Titles]
EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
Of course we know of Mr. Burroughs (born 1875, died 1950) as one of the most famous and successful authors of his time. In addition to John Carter and the wonderful Barsoom novels, Burroughs was the creator of the even more famous Tarzan of the Apes, about whom he wrote some two dozen books. Burroughs also wrote other science fiction novels, westerns, detective stories, and realistic fiction. He also put himself into a number of his books as a character. In this form he was born in 1855 and was related to his “Uncle Jack”—John Carter. This fictional Edgar Rice Burroughs lived a very long life and aged slowly. Even so, the last time he met John Carter during one of Carter’s visits to Earth, Burroughs mentions that he is now an old man while John Carter still appears to be thirty years old.
EIGHTH AND NINTH RAYS
Much Barsoomian science and technology is based on the study of natural rays emanating from the sun. Two vitally important solar rays, unknown to terrestrial science but understood and utilized on Barsoom, are the Eighth and Ninth Rays. The Eighth Ray provides propulsion for Martian fliers. It can be accumulated and held in tanks rather as electrical energy is held in storage batteries on Earth. Edgar Rice Burroughs’s father owned a factory where storage batteries were built. The Ninth Ray is even more important, as it is the primary power source of the Barsoomian atmosphere plant.
ERSITE
A kind of stone found on Barsoom.
FLIERS
A major form of transportation and of combat on Mars is the flier. These aircraft come in many sizes and models, ranging from one-person transports to great cargo craft and aerial battleships. They are powered either by radium engines or by the magnetic field of the planet itself. They are also fitted with propellers to help them move through the air. A similar device, fitted with gigantic wheels, is sometimes used for ground transportation but the aerial models are dominant.
GAHAN OF GATHOL
The Jed of Gathol, Gahan met Tara, daughter of John Carter and Dejah Thoris, at a palace party in Helium. So smitten was he with Tara’s beauty that he tried to make love to her, following which she leaves angrily in her personal flier. The flier is caught in a Martian windstorm (an event that in recent years has been proven actually to occur on Mars). Gahan pursues Tara to the city of Bantoom where they encounter Ghek the Kaldane and Luud, the King of the Kaldanes. Another flight ensues, and Gahan engages in a deadly game of Jetan in the city of Manator, finally winning the freedom—and the love—of Tara. After they marry they have a daughter, Llana of Gathol.
GREEN MEN (GREEN MARTIANS)
Unlike many other Martians [See Races of Barsoom], the Green Martians are a completely different species. They grow as tall as fifteen feet, are hairless, have huge tusks rising from the corners of their mouths, and have six limbs. When they wish to run as fast as possible they use four limbs as legs, rather in the fashion of Earthly centaurs. At other times they stand upright on their two hindmost legs and use four limbs as arms. The Green Men rule the dead sea-beds of Barsoom. When John Carter first arrives on Barsoom he is imprisoned by a horde of Green Men, eventually befriending several of their leaders. There are many tribes or “hordes” of these beings, the most important being the Tharks and Warhoons. Some historians of science fiction have suggested that the famous “little green men” of pulp fiction were inspired by Edgar Rice Burroughs’s description of the Green Men of Barsoom. However, Burroughs’s Green Men are hardly little—they can stand as tall as fifteen feet.
HAAD
[See Units of Measurement]
HASTOR
One of the lesser cities of the Heliumite Em
pire.
HELIUM
Actually two cities located some seventy-five miles apart, Helium is the center and pinnacle of Martian civilization. Each of the two cities is surmounted by a great tower a mile high. The Heliumites are a cultured, technologically advanced people. Helium is ruled by a jeddak, Tardos Mors, grandfather of Dejah Thoris.
HORMAD
A genetically engineered synthetic body, into which brains are transplanted. [See Ras Thavas]
HORZ
A very ancient Martian city, once a great center of technology, learning, and culture. It now stands mostly in ruins, but is still occupied by white Orovars. The Orovars live in the supposedly impregnable Citadel of Horz. They are extremely hostile to outsiders, and kill anyone who wanders into their city.
ISSUS
The alleged Goddess of Death and of Life Eternal, Issus is an amazingly old woman even by the lengthy Barsoomian life-span. Barsoomians often reach the age of 1,000 but Issus is 5,000 years old! She ruled as Queen of the First Born [See Races of Barsoom], exploiting credulous Martians for her own power and enrichment. She was served by a constantly replenished supply of beautiful female slaves. She would typically use her slaves for a year, then have them thrown to the white apes to be killed. She was eventually overthrown by an invading force of Tharks and killed by her own disappointed followers.
Under the Moons of Mars Page 28
