Snowclaw asked, "Is it a human city?"
"Possibly, possibly." Gene contemplated the strange scene awhile longer. "Then again, maybe not."
"If it's human, I don't want it."
"Looks very futuristic," Gene said. "Test-tube buildings, tracery connecting them. Nineteen-fifties paperback cover." Snowclaw sniffed air that wafted in from the arid plain. "I don't like it."
Gene sighed, straightening up. "Yeah, you've seen one test-tube city with skywalks, you've seen them all. Let's find another aspect."
Snowclaw shouldered his broadaxe. "I'm getting tired of looking," he complained as he accompanied Gene down the long stone-walled corridor.
Gene yawned.
"You look ready for adventure," Snowclaw said.
"Excuse me. Maybe all I want is some sleep. Get ready for the wedding."
"If you want," Snowclaw said with a shrug.
Another yawn overcame Snowclaw's dark-haired human pal.
"Man, you're raring to go," Snowclaw said sardonically.
"Hell," Gene said. "What's wrong with me? I can't get up enthusiasm for anything these days."
"You were talking about something the other day with Linda. About how humans sometimes feel sad for no good reason?"
"Uh… Oh, you mean depression?"
"Yeah, that's it."
"You think I'm depressed?"
"Looks to me as though you are. Sad, for no good reason. Frankly, I can't understand it. O' course, I'm not human, so don't pay me any mind."
"I'll be darned." Gene stopped walking and considered it. "Snowy, maybe you're right."
Snowclaw's face, usually not capable of registering much emotion, showed surprise. "I am?"
"You just might be," Gene said. "I should see a shrink."
"Shrink?"
"Head doctor."
"Oh."
"Yeah." Gene was thoughtful. "But they cost money. And therapy takes years. And that'd mean I'd have to go back to Earth."
"Don't they have head doctors in the castle?"
"Well, Dr. Mirabilis might know of one out in one aspect or another, but that amounts to the same thing: being away from the castle."
"What does a head doctor do?"
Gene didn't answer for a moment. Then he said, "Hm? Oh, not much. Just talks to you."
"I can do that."
"So you could. But there's another way of curing the blues."
"What's that?"
"Keeping so busy that you don't know you have a problem."
"In that case, you should get busy," Snowclaw recommended.
"Problem is, though, all I want to do is go to my room and hibernate."
"Hey, I didn't know humans hibernated. I'm overdue for my winter sleep."
"I was speaking figuratively."
"What's that mean?"
"Forget it."
They walked on, stopping now and then to peer into a likely-looking world. There seemed no end to them in this particularly long corridor of the castle keep.
Gene seemed preoccupied with his thoughts, paying little attention to what lay beyond the portals. Snowclaw grew more and more irritated.
"Gene, if you really don't want to go out today, just say so. Fine with me."
"Huh? Oh, sorry, Snowy old pal. Yeah, I do want to go out. But… "
Gene unbuckled his swordbelt and threw it, along with his scabbarded broadsword, into an nearby empty alcove. "But without that. I'm tired of violence."
Snowclaw nodded indulgently. "Okay."
"No, really. This constant thirst for adventure has to stop. It's a symptom of something. A neurotic disorder, probably."
Snowelaw kept nodding. "Okay."
"What am I trying to prove? That I'm a he-man, a fearless hero? Why do I have to prove that? And to whom?"
Snowclaw shrugged. "Beats me."
"To no one, that's who!" Gene said. "I'm through with swordplay."
"Yup."
"Right." Gene thrust his hands into nonexistent pockets, then, appearing to feel awkward, folded his arms. "Right! Now, let's see…."
Snowy threw his huge broadaxe into the alcove.
Gene frowned. "Why?"
"Heck, I don't need weapons anyway. I just use 'em because you do."
"Oh. Well, good. Now, let's see- Hey, this place looks interesting."
The aspect in question looked pleasant enough, but there wasn't much to see. A nearby grass-covered hillock was the most prominent feature of the landscape, or that part of it viewed from the angle the portal afforded. A birdcall sounded from a lone tree on the crest of the rise, where two sheep grazed, a female with her lamb.
"There're birds on the hill," Snowy said.
"But I never heard them singing," Gene said.
"No?" Snowy asked, amazed.
"I never heard them at all, till there was ewe," Gene said, pointing to the sheep.
Snowy cast a longing glance back toward the alcove. Gene stepped out and took a good sniff of the local air. "Hey, this is a nice place. Fresh air, not a cloud in the sky, trees, grass. This is great. Just what I need, maybe."
"Yeah," was Snowy's mordant comment as he strode out.
"No, really. Maybe what I need is simply some rest. Some peace and quiet."
Snowclaw halted and looked about warily. "What's the matter, Snowy?"
"It pays to be cautious."
"Nonsense. That's just the wild in you. This isn't a wilderness. Does this look like nature red in tooth and claw?"
"I don't like to take chances."
Gene laughed. "You can take the beast out of the wild, but you can't wildebeest."
"Huh?"
Gene chuckled. "C'mon, let's see what's over this hill."
"I'm with you." Snowy followed, still alternately checking both flanks, with an occasional glance toward the rear. In that direction lay a bush-studded plain bordered by a distant line of ridges.
"Wish Linda were here," Gene said. "We could have us a nice picnic."
"Yeah," Snowclaw said noncommittally.
Gene stopped about three-quarters of the way up the hill. The sheep regarded him placidly. Gene held his arms out in an expansive gesture.
"You see? Nothing to fear. Very few aspects are dangerous. You can get along practically anywhere with the proper attitude."
"Yeah," Snowclaw said as he climbed to where Gene was standing. He took another look around, then sprawled out on the grass. "It's too hot here." He yawned.
Gene yawned, too. "Jeez, don't do that."
"I'm sleepy."
"Me, too." Gene lay down, resting his head on Snowclaw's abdomen. He yawned again. "Sheesh."
"Sure is peaceful," Snowy murmured.
"Yeah. Sure is. Only goes to show you, no need for weapons, or fighting, or… any of that… stuff… " Snowclaw emitted a loud snore.
Gene chuckled faintly. "Peace," he intoned.
A bird answered him with a lilting melody. A bee buzzed by his ear.
"Ain't it the truth," Gene said, eyes closed. The ground began to rumble.
Gene opened one eye. "Eh?"
The sound increased. The earth shook. Gene sat up. Then Snowclaw did, too. They looked at each other.
"Uh-oh," both said in unison.
They came over the hill, a thousand men on horseback streaming over the crest like a wave, foaming like surf, a surge of horseflesh, leather, and metal, a sea of hard faces under spiked helmets, bodies wrapped tight in chainmail and embossed cuirasses, a tide of thumping hooves and rattling sabers, clods of earth flying, dust billowing. The entire phenomenon flowed down the hill in a noisy flood.
Gene was transfixed, looking up the hill. Snowy sprang to his feet, ready for action but bewildered by the sudden change of circumstances.
Pitiful bleating drew Gene's attention to the side of the hill. The sheep were being mercilessly trampled. Aghast, he watched helplessly.
Snowy's roar tore his gaze away.
A mounted barbarian was headed straight for them, charging full til
t down the hill. In his right hand he held a curved sword, a sabre, raised and ready to strike. His face was painted in red and purple stripes. He seemed a mean sort of bloke.
Gene rose and stepped away from Snowy. The attacker would have to choose his target. His sword arm was on Gene's side, leaving himself vulnerable to Snowy's white, razor claws on the left. If Snowy could dismount him, they'd have a horse and could possibly get away. It was worth a try. Now, Gene's only task was to duck the horseman's mighty stroke. He went up on the balls of his feet, ready for the requisite sudden leap….
The crack of doom sounded as sudden sharp pain assailed the back of Gene's head.
The world grew dark. Blackness.
Nothingness….
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
In the next village he found two days' work sweeping out a cobbler's shop. The cobbler gave him some scrap leather to sell, which brought enough to consult a philosopher. Rance needed all the philosophical help he could get.
HIDES TANNED
CROCKERY MENDED
WE BUY AND SELL ITEMS OF UNUSUAL INTEREST
NATURAL PHILOSOPHER
— FORTUNES READ-
SPELLS CAST
BENARUS, PROP.
Thus the sign read.
The place was stuffed with old furniture and curios. Rance picked his way to the rear and rang a small silver bell. Nothing happened for a long moment.
Then a white-haired, hook-nosed man of middle age came out from behind a tattered curtain and took a seat behind the counter.
"Something I can put over on you?"
"I have a problem."
The man-Benarus, presumably-took off his spectacles and wiped them with a dirty white cloth. "Most people do. Of what sort is yours?"
"I have a curse on me."
The little man's dark eyes widened. "Curse, is it? What sort of curse, and how did you come by it?"
"The bad-luck sort, good for a lifetime. I came by it in the valley of the Zinites."
Benarus nodded. "Ah, I've heard of those. Good luck to you."
Rance grimaced. "Is that all you have to offer?"
Benarus's eyes narrowed. "Are you of noble birth?"
"I am."
Benarus looked him over. "So the curse works all too well."
"Well enough."
The philosopher.got up. "Let's see what the stars portend for you. Perhaps we can see a way clear to abrogating the curse. But I warn you, it will cost."
"I have very little."
Benarus stroked his beard. "Your estate?"
"It soon will be in receivership."
Benarus shrugged. "Then, I am afraid…"
Rance laid three silver pieces on the worn wooden counter. "Are these worth a sidereal analysis of my plight?"
Benarus scooped them up. "They will have to do, for the moment. If the curse comes off and your fortunes take an upturn, more will be expected. Much more."
"In that case, more will be forthcoming," Rance said.
"That's what they all say. Come back."
Benarus led the way through the curtain and into a small room. Star charts lined the walls. Sundry odd instruments occupied a table to the rear. A larger table stood in the middle of the room. On it lay maps, charts, books, and other scholarly apparatus.
"It is strange," Rance said as he took a seat, "that all depends on the heavens."
"All power derives from the universe at large," Benarus said.
"But the natural philosophy in use down here-"
"Is but a transform of universal forces. Be quiet and let me get started."
After asking Rance his birth date and questioning him about the circumstances of his upbringing, Benarus busied himself among books, maps, and charts. Rance looked around the room. Scholarly things put him off. He had been bred to regard such activity as beneath men of quality. At the same time he secretly held learned men in high regard, even envy.
Benarus worked in silence. Rance became bored and studied patterns in the carpet.
"Wait just a damned minute here." Benarus wiped off his glasses, put them on, and reapplied a compass to a set of coordinates on a chart.
"Gods. It can't be." Benarus jumped to his feet.
Alarmed, Rance rose. "What is it?"
"Run!"
"Why?"
"Get out of my way!" Benarus pushed past him and fled through the curtain.
Rance followed him outside. He was not a second too early.
It appeared in the sky first as a star, then as a bright moving comet, then as a ball of flame. When it hit Benarus's house it demolished it, scattering the flinders all over town.
Benarus got up and brushed himself off. He put his hands on his hips and stared at the flaming ruins of his business and his abode. He cursed vilely, colorfully, and well. Then, turning on Rance, he said, "Of all the philosophers in all the towns in Merydion, you have pick my shop to walk into!"
"What was it?"
"I'll show you."
Benarus led him through the smoking wreckage of his shop and home. Rance put out a hand to ward off the heat.
Benarus pointed to a pit, newly formed, at the center of which lay a twisted mass of red-hot metal. "There. See? A metal-bearing sky-stone. When the air burns the stone, iron is yielded." He turned on Rance. "I hope you're satisfied!"
"I am not satisfied," Rance said.
"As to your damnable curse," said Benarus, "the only way you will get away from it is to leave the Earth! Do you hear me? Leave the Earth-forever!''
"Do you have a spell that could do that?"
Benarus said, "Eh?"
"A spell that could transport me to another world. Perhaps one where the sky-stone came from. Are there not other worlds than ours? On some far star, perhaps?"
Benarus scratched his head. "Perhaps. No telling, really. But as to sending you there… Gods damn it, you caused my house and home to be destroyed! You're cursed! Get away from me!"
Rance edged closer to him, menacingly. "I'll stick like dung to your shoe."
Cringing, the philosopher backed away. "What? Get lost, you walking catastrophe!"
"Walk? That I shall certainly do. I'll dog your every step until you help me."
"Why me?" Benarus wailed. "What in the name of the gods can I do?"
"You're a natural philosopher, a wizard. You can figure something out to counteract this curse."
"But it's hopeless! The Zinites were powerful magicians. You should have heeded the warnings, practiced safe grave-robbing, whatever."
"I'll make camp right over there," Rance said, pointing to an empty field across the road. "You can't do anything about it. And there I'll stay. Next it might be an earthquake."
Benarus sneered. "Heaven forfend, I'd hate to have my rubble bounced."
"Or a plague."
Benarus sobered. "Plague?"
"Or locusts. Or any other disaster. The only thing you can do is abrogate this curse!"
"But it's impossible. I-"
"Is that a boil on your forearm?"
Benarus looked. "What? Oh, that, I hadn't noticed… ye gods."
"Yes, looks like a case of the creeping flux."
"Damn! Here's another one." Benarus lifted the edge of his tunic. "My legs!"
"Bad luck."
Benarus scowled at him. "I have a question. Why does this curse never seem to bring bad luck to you personally?"
"The dead can have no luck, good or bad."
"I see. Not only is this curse cruel, it's manifestly unjust! Only the innocent suffer."
"Life's a bother, is it not?"
"And then you get married. All right! You have me by the short hairs. I will do my best to rid you of your curse and me of your miserable company."
Benarus suddenly looked thoughtful. Rance asked, "Something?"
"That sky-stone could be the answer. Celestial magic is powerful. Too bad the Earth sets up interference."
Rance suddenly had a thought. "Could sky magic be worked in a place that was partially shi
elded from the Earth's influence?"
"Yes, I suppose. But where would one find such a place?"
Rance surveyed the ruins. "Your barn has survived almost intact. Have you a cart and an animal to pull it?"
Benarus nodded, then eyed his tormentor suspiciously. "What exactly is going through that strange mind of yours?"
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"I still say we should try to escape."
Thaxton put a finger to his lips as the door to the library opened. In walked the butler, bearing a tray. He was tall, thin, and white-haired.
"Pardon me, gentlemen…"
Thaxton said, "Quite all right, Blackpool."
"Would you take some sherry, gentlemen?"
"Capital."
Blackpool served the sherry and left. Thaxton sipped, then asked, "You were saying?"
Dalton crossed his legs, scowling. "I suppose you're determined to see this thing through."
"See what through? You mean try to solve the murder? That's a job for the police, old boy. No, we were witnesses-"
"We didn't see a thing."
"We heard shots, and that makes us witnesses."
"Maybe. We've given our testimony. Let's bugger off."
"Now that would raise a bit of suspicion, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose, but we'll be back in the castle and beyond the reach of the law and anybody else."
"We should stay to see if Inspector Motherwell has any further need for us. Besides…" Thaxton sipped again. "These seem rather good people."
"One of whom is a murderer," Dalton said sardonically.
"Oh, well, that sort of thing can happen anywhere."
The library door opened again, and in walked Inspector Motherwell, whose jurisdiction was based in the nearby hamlet of Festleton-upon-Clyde. After him came Colonel Petheridge.
"You gentlemen look quite comfortable," Motherwell said with an edge of irony in his voice. "After a murder."
"Haven't had time to get upset," Dalton said. "Isn't that right, Lord Peter?"
Motherwell's snide grin faded. "Lord…?"
"Haven't had time to think, what with all the huggermugger," Thaxton said. "You were saying, Inspector?"
Motherwell's manner changed considerably. He was a large man with wispy red-orange hair and a ruddy complexion. "I was going to say that you gentlemen are free to go. Certainly you aren't suspects, seeing as how you were with Colonel Petheridge when the shooting occurred. Thank you for your testimony, Lord Peter. And you… Mister-?" Motherwell hastily paged through his notebook.
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