Lest Darkness Fall and Related Stories

by L. Sprague de Camp;Frederik Pohl;David Drake;S. M. Stirling;Alexei

  Fritharik said hopefully: “Of course there’s the workhorse. He’s a good-looking animal; one might almost mistake him for a heavy cavalry horse.”

  “But I don’t want the boys in the shop to lose a couple of hours’ production just because of some damned piece of face-saving—”

  Padway rode the work-horse. Fritharik rode the remaining bony saddle-horse.

  Padway was shown into a big room whose ornamentation reminded him of the late Victorian gewgaw culture. Through a closed door he could hear Anicius’ voice coming through in rolling pentameters:

  “Rome, the warrior-goddess, her seat had taken,

  With breast uncovered, a mural crown on her head.

  Behind, from under her spacious helmet escaping,

  The hair of her plumed head flowed over her back.

  Modest her mien, but sternness her beauty makes awesome.

  Of purple hue is her robe, with fang-like clasp;

  Under her bosom a jewel her mantle gathers.

  A vast and glowing shield her side supports,

  Whereon, in stout metal cast, the cave of Rhea—”

  The servant had sneaked through the door and whispered. Anicius broke off his declamation and popped out with a book under his arm. He cried: “My dear Martinus! I crave your pardon; I was rehearsing a speech I am to give tomorrow.” He tapped the book under his arm and smiled guiltily. “It will not be a strictly original speech; but you won’t betray me, will you?”

  “Of course not. I heard some of it through the door.”

  “You did? What did you think of it?”

  “I thought your delivery was excellent.” Padway resisted a temptation to add: “But what does it mean?” Such a question about a piece of post-Roman rhetoric would, he realized, be both futile and tactless.

  “You did?” cried Anicius. “Splendid! I am greatly gratified! I shall be as nervous tomorrow as Cadmus when the dragon’s teeth began to sprout, but the approval of one competent critic in advance will fortify me. And now I’ll leave you to Dorothea’s mercy while I finish this. You will not take offense, I hope? Splendid! Oh, daughter!”

  Dorothea appeared and exchanged courtesies. She took Padway out in the garden while Anicius went back to his plagiarism of Sidonius.

  Dorothea said: “You should hear father some time. He takes you back to the time when Rome really was the mistress of the world. If restoring the power of Rome could be done by fine talk, father and his friends would have restored it long ago.”

  It was hot in the garden, with the heat of an Italian June. Bees buzzed.

  Padway said: “What kind of flower do you call that?”

  She told him. He was hot. And he was tired of strain and responsibility and ruthless effort. He wanted to be young and foolish for a change.

  He asked her more questions about flowers—trivial questions about unimportant matters.

  She answered prettily, bending over the flowers to remove a bug now and then. She was hot too. There were little beads of sweat on her upper lip. Her thin dress stuck to her in places. Padway admired the places. She was standing close to him, talking with grave good humor about flowers and about the bugs and blights that beset them. To kiss her, all he had to do was reach and lean forward a bit. He could hear his blood in his ears. The way she smiled up at him might almost be considered an invitation.

  But Padway made no move. While he hesitated his mind clicked off reasons: (a) He didn’t know how she’d take it, and shouldn’t presume on the strength of a mere friendly smile; (b) if she resented it, as she very likely would, there might be repercussions of incalculable scope; (c) if he made love to her, what would she think he was after? He didn’t want a mistress—not that Dorothea Anicius would be willing to become such—and he was not, as far as he knew, in need of a wife; (d) he was in a sense already married…

  So, he thought, you wanted to be young and foolish a few minutes ago, eh, Martin, my boy? You can’t; it’s too late; you’ll always stop to figure things out rationally, as you’ve been doing just now. Might as well resign yourself to being a calculating adult, especially as you can’t do anything about it.

  But it made him a little sad that he would never be one of those impetuous fellows—usually described as tall and handsome—who take one look at a girl, know her to be their destined mate, and sweep her into their arms. He let Dorothea do most of the talking as they wandered back into the house to dinner with Cornelius Anicius and Anicius’ oratory. Padway, watching Dorothea as she preceded him, felt slightly disgusted with himself for having let Julia invade his bed.

  They sat down—or rather stretched themselves out on the couches, as Anicius insisted on eating in the good old Roman style, to Padway’s acute discomfort. Anicius had a look in his eye that Padway found vaguely familiar.

  Padway learned that the look was that of a man who is writing or is about to write a book. Anicius explained: “Ah, the degenerate times we live in, excellent Martinus! The lyre of Orpheus sounds but faintly; Calliope veils her face; blithe Thalia is mute; the hymns of our Holy Church have drowned Euterpe’s sweet strains. Yet a few of us strive to hold high the torch of poetry while swimming the Hellespont of barbarism and hoeing the garden of culture.”

  “Quite a feat,” said Padway, squirming in a vain effort to find a comfortable position.

  “Yes, we persist despite Herculean discouragements. For instance, you will not consider me forward in submitting to your publisher’s eagle-bright scrutiny a little book of verses.” He produced a sheaf of papyrus. “Some of them are not really bad, though I their unworthy author say so.”

  “I should be very much interested,” said Padway, smiling with effort. “As for publication, however, I should warn you that I’m contracted for three books by your excellent colleagues already. And between the paper and my schoolbook, it will be some weeks before I can print them.”

  “Oh,” said Anicius with a drooping inflection.

  “The Illustrious Trajanus Herodius, the Distinguished John Leontius, and the Respectable Felix Avitus. All epic poems. Because of market conditions these gentlemen have undertaken the financial responsibility of publication.”

  “Meaning—ah?”

  “Meaning that they pay cash in advance, and get the whole price of their books when sold, subject to bookseller’s discounts. Of course, distinguished sir, if the book is really good, the author doesn’t have to worry about getting back his cost of publication.”

  “Yes, yes, excellent Martinus, I see. What chances do you think my little creation would have?”

  “I’d have to see it first.”

  “So you would. I’ll read some of it now, to give you the idea.” Anicius sat up. He held the papyrus in one hand and made noble gestures with the other:

  “Mars with his thunderous trumpet his lord acclaims,

  The youthful Jupiter, new to his throne ascended,

  Above the stars by all-wise Nature placed.

  The lesser deities their sire worship,

  To ancient sovereignty with pomp succeeding—”

  “Father,” interrupted Dorothea, “your food’s getting cold.”

  “What? Oh, so it is, child.”

  “And,” continued Dorothea, “I think you ought to write some good Christian sentiment sometime, instead of all that pagan superstition.”

  Anicius signed. “If you ever have a daughter, Martinus, marry her off early, before she develops the critical faculty.”

  In August Naples fell to General Belisarius. Thiudahad had done nothing to help the town except seize the families of the small Gothic garrison to insure their fidelity. The only vigorous defense of the city was made by the Neapolitan Jews. These, having heard of Justinian’s religious complexes, knew what treatment to expect under Imperial rule.

  Padway heard the news with a sick feeling. There was so much that he could do for them if they’d only let him alone. And it would take such a little accident to snuff him out—one of the normal accidents of warfare, like
that which happened to Archimedes. In this age civilians who got in the way of belligerent armies would be given the good old rough and ruthless treatment to which the military of his own twentieth century, after a brief hundred and fifty years of relatively humane forbearance, had seemed to be returning.

  Fritharik announced that a party of Goths wanted to look Padway’s place over. He added in his sepulchral voice: “Thiudegiskel’s with them. You know, the king’s son. Watch out for him, excellent boss. He makes trouble.”

  There were six of them, all young, and they tramped into the house wearing swords, which was not good manners by the standards of the times. Thiudegiskel was a handsome, blond young man who had inherited his father’s high-pitched voice.

  He stared at Padway, like something in a zoo, and said: “I’ve wanted to see your place ever since I heard you and the old man were mumbling over manuscripts together. I’m a curious chap, you know, active-minded. What the devil are all these silly machines for?”

  Padway did some explaining, while the prince’s companions made remarks about his personal appearance in Gothic, under the mistaken impression that he couldn’t understand them.

  “Ah, yes,” said Thiudegiskel, interrupting one of the explanations. “I think that’s all I’m interested in here. Now, let’s see that bookmaking machine.”

  Padway showed him the presses.

  “Oh, yes, I understand. Really a simple thing, isn’t it? I could have invented it myself. All very well for those who like it. Though I can read and write and all that. Better than most people, in fact. But I never cared for it. Dull business, not suited to a healthy man like me.”

  “No doubt, no doubt, my lord,” said Padway. He hoped that the red rage he was feeling didn’t show in his face.

  “Say, Willimer,” said Thiudegiskel, “you remember that tradesman we had fun with last winter? He looked something like this Martinus person. Same big nose.”

  Willimer roared with laughter. “Do I remember it! Guths in himinam! I’ll never forget the way he looked when we told him we were going to baptize him in the Tiber, with rocks tied to him so the angels couldn’t carry him off! But the funniest thing was when some soldiers from the garrison arrested us for assault!”

  Thiudegiskel said to Padway, between guffaws: “You ought to have been there, Martinus. You should have seen old Liuderis’ face when he found out who we were! We made him grovel, I can tell you. I’ve always regretted that I missed the flogging of those soldiers who pinched us. That’s one thing about me; I can appreciate the humor of things like that.”

  “Would you like to see anything more, my lord?” asked Padway, his face wooden.

  “Oh, I don’t know—Say, what are all those packing cases for?”

  “Some stuff just arrived for our machines, my lord, and we haven’t gotten around to burning the cases,” Padway lied.

  Thiudegiskel grinned good-naturedly. “Trying to fool me, huh? I know what you’re up to. You’re going to sneak your stuff out of Rome before Belisarius gets here, aren’t you? That’s one thing about me; I can see through little tricks like that. Well, can’t say I blame you. Though it sounds as though you had inside information on how the war will go.” He examined a new brass telescope on a workbench. “This is an interesting little device. I’ll take it along, if you don’t mind.”

  That was too much even for Padway’s monumental prudence. “No, my lord, I’m sorry, but I need that in my business.”

  Thiudegiskel’s eyes were round with astonishment. “Huh? You mean I can’t have it?”

  “That, my lord, is it.”

  “Well…uh…uh…if you’re going to take that attitude, I’ll pay for it.”

  “It isn’t for sale.”

  Thiudegiskel’s neck turned slowly pink with embarrassment and anger. His five friends moved up behind him, their left hands resting on their sword hilts.

  The one called Willimer said in a low tone: “I think, gentlemen, that our king’s son has been insulted.”

  Thiudegiskel had laid the telescope on the bench. He reached out for it; Padway snatched it up and smacked the end of the tube meaningfully against his left palm. He knew that, even if he got out of this situation in one piece, he’d curse himself for a double-dyed knight-erranting idiot. But at the moment he was too furious to care.

  The uncomfortable silence was broken by the shuffle of feet behind Padway; he saw the Goths’ eyes shift from him. He glanced around. In the doorway was Fritharik, with his sword belt hitched around so the scabbard was in front, and Nerva, holding a three-foot length of bronze bar-stock. Behind them came the other workmen with an assortment of blunt instruments.

  “It seems,” said Thiudegiskel, “that these people have no manners whatever. We should give them a lesson. But I promised my old man to lay off fighting. That’s one thing about me; I always keep my promises. Come along boys.” They went.

  “Whew!” said Padway. “You boys certainly saved my bacon. Thanks.”

  “Oh, it was nothing,” said George Menandrus airily. “I’m rather sorry they didn’t stay to fight it out. I’d have enjoyed smacking their thick skulls.”

  “You? Honh!” snorted Fritharik. “Boss, the first thing I saw when I started to round the men up was this fellow sneaking out the back door. You know how I changed his mind? I said I’d hang him with a rope made of his own guts if he didn’t stick! And the others, I threatened to cut their heads off and stick them on the fence palings in front of the house.” He contemplated infinite calamities for a few seconds, then added: “But it won’t do any good, excellent Martinus. Those fellows will have it in for us, and they’re pretty influential, naturally. They can get away with anything. We’ll all end in nameless graves yet.”

  Padway struggled mightily to get the movable parts of his equipment packed for shipment to Florence. As far as he could remember his Procopius, Florence had not been besieged or sacked in Justinian’s Gothic War, at least in the early part.

  But the job was not half done when eight soldiers from the garrison descended on him and told him he was under arrest. He was getting rather used to arrest by now, so he calmly gave his foremen and editor orders about getting the equipment moved and set up, and about seeing Thomasus and trying to get in touch with him. Then he went along.

  On the way he offered to stand the Goths drinks. They accepted quickly. In the wineshop he got the commander aside to suggest a little bribe to let him go. The Goth seemed to accept, and pocketed a solidus. Then when Padway, his mind full of plans for shaving his beard, getting a horse, and galloping off to Florence, broached the subject of his release, the Goth looked at him with an air of pained surprise.

  “Why, most distinguished Martinus, I couldn’t think of letting you go! Our commander-in-chief, the noble Liuderis, is a man of stern and rigid principles. If my men talked, he’d hear about it, and he’d break me sure. Of course I appreciate your little gift, and I’ll try to put in a good word for you.”

  Padway said nothing, but he made a resolve that it would be a long day before he put in a good word for this officer.

  CHAPTER VIII

  Liuderis blew out his snowy whiskers and explained: “I am sorry you deceived me, Martinus. I never thought a true Arian would stoop to…ah…conniving with these pro-Greek Italians to let a swarm of Orthodox fanatics into Italy.”

  “Who says so?” asked Padway, more annoyed than apprehensive.

  “No less a person than the…ah…noble Thiudegiskel. He told how when he visited your house, you not only insulted and reviled him, but boasted of your connections with the Imperialists. His companions corroborated him. They said you had inside information about a plan for betraying Rome, and that you were planning to move your effects elsewhere to escape any disturbances. When my men arrested you, they found that you were in fact about to move.”

  “My dear sir!” said Padway in exasperation. “Don’t you think I have any brains? If I were in on some plot of some sort, do you think I would go around telling the
world about it?”

  Liuderis shrugged. “I would not know. I am only doing my duty, which is to hold you for questioning about this secret plan. Take him away, Sigifrith.”

  Padway hid a shudder at the word “questioning.” If this honest blockhead got set on an idea, he’d have a swell chance of talking him out of it.

  The Goths had set up a prison camp at the north end of the city, between the Flaminian Way and the Tiber. Two sides of the camp were formed by a hastily erected fence, and the remaining two by the Wall of Aurelian. Padway found that two Roman patricians had preceded him in custody; both said they had been arrested on suspicion of complicity in an Imperialist plot. Several more Romans arrived within a few hours.

  The camp was no escape-proof masterpiece, but the Goths made the best of it. They kept a heavy guard around the fence and along the wall. They even had a squad camped across the Tiber, in case a prisoner got over the wall and tried to swim the river.

  For three days Padway rusticated. He walked from one end of the camp to the other, and back, and forward, and back. When he got tired of walking he sat. When he got tired of sitting he walked. He talked a little with his fellow prisoners, but in a moody and abstracted manner.

  He’d been a fool—well, at least he’d been badly mistaken—in supposing that he could carry out his plans with as little difficulty as in Chicago. This was a harsh, convulsive world; you had to take it into account, or you’d get caught in the gears sooner or later. Even the experts at political intrigue and uniformed banditry often came to a bad end. What chance would such a hopelessly unwarlike and unpolitical alien as himself have?

  Well, what chance did he have anyway? He’d kept out of public affairs as much as possible, and here he was in a horrifying predicament as a result of a petty squabble over a brass telescope. He might just as well have gone adventuring up to the hilt. If he ever got out, he would go adventuring. He’d show ’em!

  The fourth day failed to settle Padway’s gnawing anxiety about his interrogation. The guards seemed excited about something. Padway tried to question them, but they rebuffed him. Listening to their muttering talk, he caught the word folkmote. That meant that the great meeting was about to be held near Terracina, at which the Goths would consider what to do about the loss of Naples.