The Jewels of Aptor

er hair dropped like white silk threads over her should

f the dream still blowing in at the edges of his min

other laugh. "You ask if this is Hama's temple? But you can see, can you no

te marble, and there was no direct sou

s...." Geo

heir hands to the direct beam of the radiation for only a few seconds. But the whole first half of

the words, he reached to his throat with both hands. One fell on his naked chest. And there was som

limb ended some foot and a half

with a child's bewilderment

oftly. "We had to amputate half of your

id again, and la

ns ago. We learned how to battle many of its effects, and had we not rescued you from the river, all of you would have died. You are men who know the religion of Argo, and adhere to it.

ook hi

d. I know from my study of the old customs that one means 'yes' and the other 'no.' But you must have

Geo. "No. N

I will return later." She walked to a wall in which a d

d held the clean bandages in his other hand. Very quickly he let go, and stretched the limb sideways, as far as possible

ut could find not seam or crack. His tunic, he saw, had been washed, pressed, and laid on the foot of the bed. He slipped it over his head, fumbling with only one arm. Getting the belt together started

ng to fill him up like a pale mixture of milk and water. He walk

ular doorway. "You're dressed," she smiled. "Good. Are you too tired to come with me? Yo

ome," G

uder than those of the blind woman before him. Suddenly he was in a larger room, with benches. It was a chapel, obviously of Argo because of the altar at the far end, but its detail was strange. Everythi

looked at each other, silently, as the woman disappeared again. A wish, like a living thing, sud

saw Geo, and exclaimed, "Friend, what happened?" He came to him quickly and pla

ump with his good hand. "I guess jelly-

n both. "I guess none of us got out completely all right. I woke up once while t

t a low whistle. "I guess it really got you, brother." His own arms l

is happen?"

ined Iimmi, "our bodies were in the shadow of the girders and the rays o

ere the hell we

i told him. "It's across the river from the

began Urson. Snake gave him a quick gl

you by the riverside after you swam across. You managed to cling to life long enough for us to ge

ld almost feel the hands ripping it from his neck in the water. Iimmi must

, this one set with white marble benches and long white tables. "This is the main dining room of the monastery," t

t?" ask

of factly. Then she led them to a table where wine, meat, and bowls piled

at the table as the nub of the arm jutted over food. "

aid, "What about the jewels? Did

f in the wate

ed corro

of Argo's where we could return the jewels and maybe even get back to the

our river friends are wor

we're out of the way. Perhaps he delivered us into A

anyway," said Geo, "I gues

at means," Iimmi said

the boy speak for himself. All right, Four

l but bewilderment. Suddenly he got up from the table, and ran from the room.

t I may have. I keep on forge

ou mean?"

gs came together in my mind that would be pr

asked

ow what you m

sti

among other things, he was probably lying about the

then looked down the hall

they got up, Urson felt sleepy

?" Iimmi asked the Priestess when she re

may," smiled

in which Geo had awakened. As she was about to leave, Iimmi a

u want to lea

ve the working of the monastery. Believe u

which are not for your eyes are being carried out. Not for your eyes," she repeated. "Strange, this is a phrase that has never left our

and the door cl

On his bed were a pile of books, old, but legible. Geo fl

they doing with

uestion number two. Look here." He reached ove

the ..."

right it is

THE GODD

he eye of t

heart of

of the godd

ead of flame,

rain speck

the stars w

height

he height

ve imprison

e dribbles

the gates of

yew-tree

the poem I found the missing stanz

ls of Hama and the old rituals of Argo. Apparently this particular branch of the religion o

r why?"

uestion nu

u get a hol

ight be here. So I just asked for them. And I t

. Go

a name changed here, a color switched from black to white, a switch in the vegetative symbolism. I guess what happened was that when Hama's forces invaded Leptar five hundred years ago, it didn't take Leptar long to find out the similarity. From the looks of the City of New Hope, I think it's safe to assume that at one time or another, say five hundred years ago, Aptor's civilizati

to be accidents. How many people do you think have been shipwrecked on Aptor and gotten far

nk of two,

said

go said there had been spies from Aptor before. And

up from the bed. "Come on. Let's take a walk. I want to see some sunlight.

turns of hallway, Geo said, "I hope

ss perfect memory for

a huge, unrelieved white chamber. Down a set of thirty marble steps p

woman, sculptured of the same effulgent, agate material. "Where do th

shru

of the blind Priest

t we are creatures who are used to natural day and night. We are used to fresh air, green things. This underground

tioned them to follow her from the chamber. "Besides, night

et of evening is refreshin

ith faint cynicism in her low voice. Now they reached the

us about the Dark G

enches. "There is little to say. Today he is a fiction, he

e heard-"

of his dead saints. Perhaps, somewhere behind the burning mountain a few of his disciples are left. But Hama is dead in Aptor. You have

the city has been

t

ll us about the

towering, though degenerate, civilization. These records were extensive, and entirely housed within the monasteries. Outside the monasteries, there was only chaos, where half the children were born dead, and the other half deformed. And with the monstrous races that sprang up over the island now as a reminder to us, we declared that the magic contained in these chronicles was evil, and must never be released to the world again. But the priests of Hama, decided to use the information in these chronicles, spread

e as the people before the Gre

metal could do, and more efficiently: destroy cities, or warm chilly huts in winter; but, it could also work on men's minds. They say, that before the Great Fire, men wandered the streets of the cities terrified that flames would descend on them any moment and destroy them. They

onths before there had been friendly trade. Civil wars broke out and internal struggles caused the invasions to fall back to the homeland. The instruments were hopelessly lost, but not before the bird machines had even dropped bombs on the City of New Hope itself. The house of the fire metal was broken open to release its death once more. For a hundred years after the end, say our re

instruments?" Geo asked.

," she said, smiling, "is as good as mine." Sh

immi said, "Some

is it?"

is a Hama. From the dream I would say that it's ju

s this place an

some more

think she does know about H

corridor. "That bit about going into men's minds wit

Argo used it on Snake the first time we saw

s our jewels she

ng finally to another corridor. They turned down it and for the first time saw rec

pped in. Except for the flowing white walls, it duplicated in miniature the basement

n here," s

porcelain table and floor to ceiling cases of glittering instru

y," repl

was dimmer, and there was dust on the walls. Iimmi ran his finger

r hung beneath each two yard rounded-rectangle of opaque glass. In front of each was a sta

en used since before these

to one of the screens, the one with the

u do that fo

e first color I've seen since I've been here," Iimmi said. The colors grayed, dimmed, congealed into forms, and in a moment they were looking at a bar

ked forward and the corresponding figure advanced on the screen. He flicked a dial an

the one in their own room. The women, of course, were oblivious to the picture on it,

atus and was talking into a small metal r

on't you recognize

must have gotten in contact with our s

ear what they're

creen. "That's what she seems to be listening through," said Iimmi, referring to the Priest

list

e," the Priest

reported Jordde. "I am sure she will not remain any longer. She is still bewilder

is evening. There is no chance of th

hem," said Jordde. "She does not have the jewels, she does not kn

," said the Priestess. "But at least all three are

able to keep hold of them for more then te

ou are kept on by us only to do your job. Do it, report, and do not t

ess," retur

She flipped a switch and the pict

ard the Priestess say, "Go, prepare the prisoners for the sacrifice of the rising moon. They have

s the

switch that dar

ing to get us?" Ii

e repeated the conversation he had overheard to Iimmi, who

hould we be sacrificed? What is it we've seen too much of, what is it we know? This is the second

and get out of here," sai

ight and his face screwed up. Suddenly he relaxed. "I just thought out a message as

e's a spy

care." He closed his eyes again. After a few moments, he open

n Geo, following I

eling that some fancy mind

ran along the lower hall. Rounding a second corner, they emer

ugh," said Iimmi. "

men," came a voice

assages, and they followed, Urso

, calling softly, "Please, my fr

nake. The four-armed boy suddenly darted up a flight of stairs, turned a corner

w at the door handle, turning i

hree s

stairs and begin to come toward them. She seemed to float,

re momentarily standing in a huge field of grass, sur

roat, she unclasped her robe, and the first layer fell away behind her. As she came on, the second layer began to unfold, wet, deathly white, spreading, growing to her

y f

e overtook the running figures, turned above them, and swooped. The moon lanced white along bared fangs. The night breeze to

s made. Once he thought he had lost them, but a second later he bumped against Iimmi, who had stopped behind Snake and Urson, in the darkness.

finally breathed softly,

man-wolf we met, and that blob in the city? The only thing we've met on this place that can't ch

ings we met?" whispered Urson. "T

en guests of the female o

have changed into men too i

anted," an

e minutes later, they were crouching at the edge of the forest, lo

water?"

ait ... came the famili

so from the shore in the silver ripples. The chain and the leather thong

oze. Urson said,

al, the big man sprang onto the roc

ged above him, cutting the moonlight away

od up from their

s splashed in the water. Two seconds later, Urson rolled from beneath the layers of membrane that still struggled half on land and half in the

ls," Urso

twisting at them. Then suddenly, the creatures stilled, and like great leaves, the thr

faces down, rocking gently, backs slicked

they dead?" His face suddenly hurt a little,

e no

sked Iimmi. His v

s ... have ... st

zed even in the dim light through the leaves, and the chain and the wet thon