The Jewels of Aptor

te slope. A black temple was visible at the bottom among trees and lawn

t trees that surrounded the dark buildings and the great gardens. Entering on th

haven't heard one of th

he trunk of the tree. It's sapphire belly heaved in the early light with indrawn breath

aid Iimmi. "

"I wonder why you always think things

clared Urson, "it usually is a bird!" Suddenl

etty lizard,

at they seem can get you in trouble-esp

of tree before them seem to fall apart. A man standing

sto

short white hair made a clos

Snake stood with his feet wid

?" the dark

you?" Urs

ama Inc

said, "We are travelers in A

rees slipped across his robe. "Come with me," Hama said

g so that the sunlight lapped pink tongues over the giant black urns

the statue at the end of the altar. He made no other sign, but turned again and continued. "The morning rites have not

r above which was a black circle dotted with three eyes. Just as they were about

d around an

ome to oppose the forces of Aptor, am I right? You come to steal the jewel of Hama. You have come to kidnap the Incarnat

her eyes, one at a time, and lay watching the nearly completed motor of me

ould estimate to be about the proper surface area to keep these stones warm; let me see, thirty feet of one and a half inch pipe have a surface area of 22/7 times 3/2 times 30 which is 990 divided by 7 which is ... Then

whirled around, caught it on her palms before it banged shut, and then closed it with gingerly care the final c

couldn't see it if you weren't looking for it, which had more or less been the idea when she had put it there last night before the priests had come back from vespers. The far end was tied in a knot of her own invention to the electric plug of his alarm clock. Dunderhead had an annoying habit of re-setting

straight line and then lift from the floor as she drew it taut

wo opposed loops shook away from a third, and a four millimeter length of rubber band that had been sewn in tautened and released a fourth loop from around a small length of number four gauge wire with a holding tonsure of three quarters of a gram, and the opposing vibration retu

er hands. "I guess we try you out today? No?" She answered herself, "Yes." Finally she put the parts in the paper bag, strode out of the room, and slammed the ... whirled around

indows the chirp of a blue lizard from the garden. "The sou

y easily be manufacturing delusions to scare yourself out of going through with it." She went on, passed two more columns, and saw it again. "Or," she went on with her monologue, "you could be purposefully ignoring the very obvious fact that there is somebody over there who is going to see you. So watch it." There were mirrors somewhere i

four arms. That made her start to think of something else, but the thought as it arrowed into the past, suddenl

ter start walking toward him. Besides, I want to see what he looks like. She started out fro

ude itself on her but never made it, because he was coming toward her now. At last he stopped before her, silent, muscles l

, but I think I've seen you before some place; if somebody comes along, they might even think you were trying to steal Hama's eye." I shouldn't have

ted forward, passed her, and

alled and ra

over the bra

e called, catching

ave away my hand. But that was only guilt feelings. You gave yours away too,

ilted his head,

e them. "So let's co-operate. I'll get it for a little while. Then you can have it." He was listening, she saw, so she guessed

ands reach

ught, I hope he

ed over to where the stalks of wheat spired from the altar base up through Hama's fist, and grabbed a stalk with the three hands, and hand, over hand, over hand, began to hoist himself up to where the first broad

" she said, "I don't hav

ed down an

was on his side. Using the ridges made by the toes as steps, she clammered up to the dark bulge of the deity's godlike bunion. She mad

ed her from his perch in the groin of y

he bulges in the belly of the god made a treacherous ledge along which she inched

he missed the first number twice, dried her hands off, and began again. According to the plans in the main safe of the temple (on which she had first pra

d was almost pushed from the ledge by the swinging circular door. She grabbed at a handle that she hardly saw on the door's inside, jus

or swung closed; and when she swung in, the door swung opened. After a while, she just hung. She gave small thanks that she had dried her hands. W

Her arms fell tingling to her sides. The ligaments flamed with pain. Then the pain dulled to throbbing, and she opened her eyes. "How the hell did yo

now, with the ladder beside th

er with a puzz

l be able to climb up there, neve

hook hi

pleasant. Snake had started up the ladder, which he had come down so quickly a minute ago.

che again, just slightly. She reached up for the next rung, and fo

er, there was a missing rung. She reached above it, but there was none. She ran her hand up the edge

. "Don't do that." It touched her on the leg, took h

ased) took her arm, and another held her waist, and tugged. She stiffened for one instant before she remembered the number of limbs her companion had

cool, solid stone. Holding her arm now, he led her along the tunnel. T

Eurydice," sh

an echoing voice s

a light. They mounted a stairway, came out a trap door, and found themselves standing high in the temple. Below them the great room spread, vastly deep, and still empty. Beside them, the stems of the bronze wheat stalks rose up throu

e tedious climb over the rippling biceps, till at last they reached the broad shoulder. They walked ac

reach, and gave it a tug. "I hope this works," she said. "I had it all figured out yesterday. The tensile strength of this stuff is about two hundred and fifty pounds, which ought to do for you and me." She planted her foot on the swell

ed her a m

amid the tangle of pipes which represented the hair of the god. They made their way forward through the mass of pipes to where the forehead sloped dangerously forward. They could see the foreshortened nose and the rim of the statu

, as well as the joints of his knees, locked aroun

e the statue's nose. The eye opened in front of her. The lid arced above her, and the white of either side of the ebony iris shone

free hand toward

of light shining down into her own eyes. Panicking, she almost released Snake's wrist. But a voice

clockwork mechanism, because the great eyelid was slowly lowering over the ivory and ebony eye. She swung again at the end of the rope of bone and flesh; half blinded

They must have seen her, but the hymn, sonorous and gigantic, rose like flood wat

other hand came down and helped pull her. Then another. Then she was lying among the metal pipes, and he was loosening

him before they started down. She breathed deeply. Then she checked in her palm to see if it was still there; it was, and again she looked out over the people below. Light on the up-turned faces made them look like scattered

ke preceded her out the hollow ear. He reached around,

beside him once more, she removed it, and then rubbed her shoulders. "Boy, am I going to

and together now they climbed down the bicep and b

isappeared into the tunnel. Snake was taking the jewel from her ha

pearls of faces went out like extinguished

the fist, took hold of one of the bronze wheat stems, and slid down through an opening between the thumb an

great bunch of stems. He was waiting for her at the plateau of leaves, a

uickly. When they stood at last on the base, she put her hand on his shoulder and looked across the brass altar rail. The congregation pressed close, although she did not recognize an individual face.

he theft ran chills up and down, up and down her spine. The bla

e hymn echoed to silence, filling the hall with the

of Hama behind them. All three eyes were shut firmly now. A quiet composed of the rustling

lar effulgence over the floor around them seemed so dim. Her heart had become a pulse at the bottom of her

he sunlight out in the garden. They stood still for a moment, Snake holding high the

en they reached the bottom step, they both whirled, crouching like animals, expecting the congregation to come welling da

he drop i

he earth wi

height

he height

ed with fear, they watched the temple door as the hymn pro

Snake. "I guess they're not coming," she said, sounding almo

" repeated H

k-" bega

you do anything foolish. You have shown great wisdom.

hat?" a

h the lizards,"

t?" aske

nutes ago. You had just been through a series of happenings that was probably the mo

t was a bird

bird?" as

ated Urson impatiently. "Who needs an old li

nd you think of thoughts that men have been thinking for thousands upon thousands of years. Poets have written of it in every language, Catullus in Latin, Keats in English, Li Po in Chinese, Darnel X

ve to do with why we'r

changing Urson's question. "There are many

undo them. You have kidnaped the young Argo, as well as her mother apparently. We have come

sdom in such honesty. I thought I might ha

ertain that you knew tha

n his tone changed. "Do yo

ook the

s, it was discovered after the Great Fire during the first glorious years of the City of New Hope, did not produce waves similar to radio wave

?" Geo

carefully honed crystal which is constantly sending out beams which can read these thought patterns. Also the crystal acts like a magnifying glass or a mirror, and reflects and magnifi

send heat out is only their secondary power. Their primary importance is

izards. Do you mean go into minds like Snake does?

o transmute the brain patterns of his thoughts to others; in that he has a power something li

d and stop him from t

you would stop thinking every time Snake spoke to you. It works a

at him uncom

does a man pull his

rts," said Urs

else?" a

rt. Like the bird, I mean the lizard. One reason we reacted like we did was because it sounded like a bird. The other reason was b

rized, "there are at least

he unconscious reason; so that if a man has his hand in a fire, you can jam his unconscious reason of wanting it t

er and felt hi

ies, they could get the people to fight to stay in those conditions. It was the old adage, convince a slave that he's free, and he will fight to maintain his slavery. Why does

of running away, and she jammed his desire not to get caught; so he had nothing to dir

r other men and still retain his own mind. For no matter how good his intentions are when he takes up the power, his alternate reason is that freedom, the freedom of the people and ultimately his own, terrifies him. Only a man afr

eo. "Why couldn't you have simply

e of the times before the Great Fire, was not easy. Too often the jewels have been used, and abused, and now we cannot destroy it. We would have to destroy ourselves

?" ask

ight," re

he was your s

for us quite unwittingly when he was on the island as a child with Jordde. I have explained something to you of how the mind works. We have machines that can duplicate what Snake does in a similar way that the jewels work. This is

and did kill Whitey because of something we might have

no good. Perhaps you can find out from

Argo, I mean Argo on the ship? She's already used the jewels to c

d Hama. "We have been watching you on our screens si

ing jealous of her

fish ones of power seeking. But without the selfish ones, she would have never gotten so far a

Geo. "All three of them will be tog

ow how much danger they are in while they are here on Aptor. Even if the final

lled with a picture of the interior of the temple. On the huge statue, a spotlight was followin

ir way along the statue's forearm now, to the golden stalks of wheat in the god's black fist. One, and then the o

nake,"

t the jewel,

ound the screen, watching the congregation give way before the two fearful childre

wel has already been stolen. For the sake of Argo, and of Hama, carry the jewels back to Leptar. Young Argo will help you. T

," Iimm

o," sa

so," Ur

the long stairway, past the stone walls, into the hall, and along the back of the church. He walked slowly, and smiled l

e the kids are

to a wall of shrubbery. A woman-old Argo-suddenly joined them. She had apparently been waiting

e thermocouple glowed red, and electricity jumped in the copper veins, turning the metal bone into a magnet. The armature tugged once around its pivot, and then tugged around once more. Finally it was whipping around steadily, the brushes on its shaft reversing the magnetic poles with each half circle of the arc. It gained speed