by C. L. Moore
"Some were," said Quanna. "May I help you, Jamie? Please."
He shrugged and sat down on the flat stone. "All right. Dressings in any of the packs. There's one lying over there."
She went humbly to get it. When she returned Jamie was talking in a tired monotone to the Martian. He submitted to her swabbing and bandaging without notice except for a caught breath now and then.
"They got away, of course," he was saying. "With the Knute. Had it barricaded up the ravine, but not well enough. Depending on the vibrations, I suppose, but the damned fools didn't know about the inert fuse and couldn't step it up beyond the first strength."
"I know," Ghej nodded. "Quanna has just told me—she had the Gilson fuse herself, commander."
Quanna looked up over the bandage she was fastening and met Jamie's startled eyes, an uncertain little smile on her lips.
"I tried to tell you," she reminded him gently. "You see, I really didn't mean to have you killed."
His black scowl at her was mostly bewilderment now. "But you said ... I thought ... I'm sorry, Quanna. But I still don't understand why—"
"Don't try now." She laid a cool hand on his cheek. "No fever yet? Then I think there was no poison. You'll be able to ride on to Port City, Jamie dear. What about me?"
He frowned a little and took the hand in his. "Not yet, Quanna. Before I go I've got one score to settle. I'm going to find Vastari and get back that Knute if it's the last thing I ever do."
Surprisingly, part of the unconscious tension that showed on Ghej's face suddenly relaxed. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "Find Vastari! Commander, I think I can lead you to him."
-
Quanna and Jamie stared at the old Martian incredulously. He had been in the confidence of both enemy camps for so long, and each side had come to trust so thoroughly in his impartial neutrality—After a moment Jamie said:
"Did I understand you, Ghej?"
"I want to lead you to Vastari," reiterated the Martian impatiently. "I think I know where he's gone. Venusians always scatter after a rout and meet again later at the leader's hiding place. Vastari will have gone to an old cave near here where he used to play as a boy. He's used it before for a rallying point. But he should be alone there now for an hour or more. I know the place well—it's quite near here. I'll—"
"But, Ghej," interrupted Jamie, "I'm going to kill him. Don't you understand? I know Vastari's your friend."
"I'll lead you to him," Ghej persisted stubbornly.
"Forgive me," hesitated Jamie, "but I've had too much treachery lately—or thought I had." He flashed a glance at Quanna. "You've never interfered with either side in this business, Ghej. I don't—"
"There'll be no treachery," Ghej promised him. "I swear that, commander. I'll lead you, alone, to Vastari. I promise he'll be alone, too. I promise that no Venusians will interfere on his behalf. I promise all that by the symbol of old Mars"—and he sketched the ancient crook-sign in the air.
Jamie pinched his lip and stared at the old man under black brows. There was something elaborately wrong here. He had been aware of the subtle excitement in Ghej's manner ever since they had met, and he knew the Martian was concealing something important. If Ghej was suddenly forsaking Vastari, there was every reason to expect that he might betray Jamie, too—
And yet to meet Vastari face to face before he left Venus was worth a risk. And he had never known a Martian to lie by the sacred crook-symbol of the old world. Sudden recklessness made him shrug and say:
"I'll risk it, Ghej. Only I'll warn my men first. They'll be after me if I'm not back soon. You must tell me where the cave is, Ghej, so they can follow if I don't come back."
Ghej nodded. "I can trust you in that."
Quanna's eyes had been following the conversation from face to face. All this talk of promises and trust seemed foolhardy, particularly with the stakes involved. She was utterly bewildered by Ghej's sudden about-face after a life of neutrality, but she could see clearly enough that there was some strong motive behind it.
All this was unimportant. The heartbreaking thing was that she had failed. She had played her last trick upon Jamie and lost the game. There was no longer any lever she could use to force her way upon the ship that would take him back to Earth, unless—unless—
And then a sudden, blazing idea burst upon her, and she saw how simply and easily she might have gained her one desire by a means so simple it had never occurred to her. For once Vastari knew she had deliberately betrayed him to Jamie, her life would not be safe upon Venus and Jamie would be bound in duty to take her away with him. The simplicity of it was beautiful. Only—there must be witnesses to her treachery, so that the story would spread among Vastari's men. Or else Vastari himself must not die—
"Let me go with you," she asked the two men softly, her mind already spinning with devious plans. They gave her a look of doubtful scrutiny. "I won't interfere," she promised. "I've no love for Vastari, after what he tried to do to me in the valley. Please let me go." Her voice took on the note of irresistible pleading sweetness that Jamie remembered well, and he grinned suddenly. But before he could speak:
"Very well," said Ghej, after a moment of hesitation. "It might be well to have you there." She knew by that he was fitting her into whatever scheme was in his own mind. She lowered her lids demurely and thanked them both.
-
Vastari's hiding place was a narrow cavern high up in the scarred valley wall, its mouth veiled by green vines thickly abloom with purple trumpet flowers. Ghej left his two companions behind an outcropping and went in alone. The two waited in silence for his return, each too deeply immersed in speculation to speak yet about what still had to be said between them.
Jamie was too much exulted by the prospect of meeting Vastari at alst to think as much as he should of Ghej's inexplicable conduct, or of his own weariness or the pain of his wounded arm. He had never performed an execution before, but he felt no scruple now about shotting down an unsuspecting man in cold blood. It would not be a man he killed in the cavern—it would be Venusian anarchy itself. It would mean a little longer peace for the people of Darva and Port City and the other Terrestrial settlements of these mountains. Since he could not leave the cities those weapons which Earth must have, he could at least remove the organized menace which made the weapons necessary.
He was having a daydream. He was thinking that perhaps with Vastari dead, no new leader would rise soon—Perhaps the Terrestrialized cities inside their fortifications would be proof against scattered raids; perhaps in the face of necessity those skilled workmen who had labored under Terrestrial orders might labor of their own volition to reproduce the weapons Earth used to furnish them. Perhaps—
"Commander!" It was Ghej's whisper from beyond their shelter. "He's alone. He has the Knute with him. Follow me, commander."
Belated caution made Jamie hesitate for one last moment. There was still that look of intense, suppressed excitement about the old Martian, and the undernote of sadness in his voice that Jamie had never heard before. He had a sudden memory of that dream of his, and the curious notion which had followed it that Ghej was gray-cloaked Death reaching out its hand for him.
"Hurry!" Ghej was at the cave mouth, beckoning. Jamie shrugged off all his wisdom and shouldered after him through the fragrant, purple-flowered curtain into the cool dimness beyond. Ghej was just ahead of him, Quanna just behind.
The cavern was heavy with the fragrance of trumpet flowers and tremulous with green light filtering through the leaves. A man in a scarlet cloak sat dejectedly upon a ledge opposite them, cradling the folded umbrella of the Knute across his knees.
Vastari looked up, startled, as the three figures blocked light from the cave mouth. He could not quite make out who the other two were against the brightness, and he blinked for a moment, trusting Ghej from long experience and not greatly alarmed.
Jamie slid sidewise to put himself out of silhouette against the light, and his gun hand rose so that green light glitt
ered on the barrel.
"In the name of the Imperial Planet," he said clearly, his voice hollow and echoing between the walls, "I condemn you to death, Vastari."
Ghej, flattened to the wall halfway between them, laughed suddenly and said: "No!" in the hissing Martian syllable of negation. His hand came out from under his cloak with murderous speed, and the gun in it was not for Vastari, but for Jamie.
The commander stared down incredulously.
"Drop your gun, commander!" said Ghej, jerking his own weapon ominously.
Jamie let his fingers loosen. He was too bewildered for a moment even to speak as his gun thudded to the sand. He had been half expecting something like this, but it didn't make sense. Vastari's quick Venusian brain, trained in trickery, leaped to swifter understanding.
"Oh, no you don't!" he cried, and was in midair before the words were finished. His red cloak and fair hair streamed as he sprang straight at Ghej. A bright grin of triumph lighted his face as his ringed hand clawed at the Martian's gun.
Ghej stepped sidewise half a pace and his other hand flashed out from beneath his cloak, moving almost too quickly for the eye to see that a small Venusian blackjack swung in his fist. It struck Vastari an accurately glancing blow.
The scarlet figure plunged past Ghej and sprawled upon the sandy floor. Across it Ghej's gun rose to fix Jamie with a black-muzzled stare.
With one lifted hand Jamie sketched the old crook-symbol of Mars in the air. He said bitterly: "Remember? But I might have known—"
"I mean it," Ghej declared, his voice strained and shaking a little. "Wait."
Vastari was sitting up, spitting out sand and vivid Venusian curses.
"Get up," ordered Ghej. "Quanna, help him. Go back to the ledge, you two. Commander, Vastari—I have something to say to you both."
Vastari spat a series of highly colored oaths at him.
"I've gone to great trouble to save your life, my boy," Ghej reminded him mildly. "I shall expect something more from you than curses."
Jamie's brows rose. He was beginning to understand at least a little. Vastari's attack upon his rescuer was clear now—no Venusian willingly allows himself to be so obligated if he can avoid it, particularly by a trick as flagrant as Ghej's had been.
"You owe me a promise now, Vastari," Ghej went on. "Part of it is this—listen in peace to what I have to tell you. Commander, this concerns you, too. I followed you from Darva the day after you left. I rode very fast. Certain news had arrived which you must know before you leave Venus. Vastari, you must hear, too." He hesitated a moment. Then he drew a deep breath and said quietly: "The barbarians have come."
-
There was a long moment of silence in the cave. This time it was Jamie whose mind moved quicker. Vastari said: "Barbarians? But what—" Jamie's monosyllable interrupted. "Where?"
"At Yvaca. You know it, the walled valley? They landed secretly a week ago and took the city. Word had just come over the mountains when I left."
"Who are they?"
"The worst of the lot, commander. Mixed breeds from half a dozen worlds. The vanguard of no one knows how many other shiploads."
"The first plague spot," said Jamie. There was silence a moment more. Then Vastari's voice, slurred a little as if he were still bewildered from the blow:
"But what is it, Ghej? I—"
"I've tricked you both," Ghej told them, still holding his gun to meet any sudden impulse on the part of either man. "You've been enemies for a long while, but you have a common enemy now and you must listen to me.
"Vastari, the barbarians have come. Venus is being attacked by outworld raiders for the first time in three hundred years."
"We'll drive them out," said Vastari simply.
"These same barbarians are attacking Earth," Ghej reminded him. "If the Imperial Planet can't keep them off, what can Venus do?"
"Fight," said Vastari, his eyes on Ghej's gun.
"Not alone. These aren't Terrestrials bent on conquest, my boy. They're bloodthirsty degenerates of a hundred races with nothing but destruction and loot in their minds. And they have weapons that even Earth can't improve on, because it was Earth who gave them away, long ago. No, there's no hope for Venus at all now, unless—" He looked appealingly at Jamie. "Commander—"
Jamie shrugged. "They need me at home, Ghej."
"They need you here. I saw all this happen to Mars, commander. I know the signs. We've never spoken of this before, although the thought has been between us whenever we met. This is the twilight for you and me and Imperial Earth. Do you honestly think civilization can survive what's happening on Earth now? There's no germ of it in the decadent barbarians who are conquering there. Their future is far in the past. Earth gave them a brief new grip on the tools of conquest, and they're using them to destroy Earth, but when it's done they'll go on decaying. They don't understand anything but destruction.
"My world died of an ill like this, commander. Your world is dying of it. But perhaps we can save Venus. If we can't, then this is the twilight of civilized man and he will not rise again."
"Venus?" echoed Jamie scornfully. "It's twilight for Venus, too. What does Venus know about civilization?"
Vastari stared uncomprehendingly from one to the other, waiting his chance to spring at Ghej's gun. Ghej said heatedly:
"Do you remember what I said when we parted at Darva, commander? This is the one peril that might be strong enough to draw all Venusians together against a common enemy—teach them the value of unity and civilization. It's as if the gods were giving us one last chance. But the barbarians won't wait, commander. Venus isn't ready. If you could only stay, just for a little while—just long enough to teach them how to fight—"
"Teach us how to fight!" roared Vastari, springing to his feet. "Why, you dried shell of an outworlder, we were born fighting! This is some trick of the Earthmen to lure my men into the open. Why should we join with them just as we're winning our freedom? We'll—"
"Freedom!" Jamie derided him. "Freedom to loot and kill! What do you know about freedom?"
"It's the right to live as we choose!" declared Vastari fiercely. "The same right your people fought for. Not to have tyrants making our laws, policing our towns, collecting our taxes! We don't want you back, Earthman! We'll take our chances against invaders—if that isn't another trick of Ghej's."
"Trick?" Ghej echoed sadly. "My boy, will you have to lose your freedom before you really know the meaning of the word? You must earn freedom before you can control it. You'd destroy yourself if you had what you call freedom now. Wait until the barbarians come with their weapons. The barbarians are destruction itself—wait until that overtakes you, my boy, and then remember what you had under the Earthmen!"
"Lies!" shouted Vastari. "Why should we trust you or anyone in league with the tyrant Terrestrials? We can fight for ourselves!"
-
All this, to Quanna, was wasted breath. The Venusian mind wanders when talk turns to the abstracts, and Quanna had an urgent problem of her own to solve. Under her velvet robe she was clutching the Gilson fuse that would turn the Knute on the ledge into a deadly weapon. She thought she had found the way now to coerce Jamie—that was all her mind had room for.
She was going to turn the killing force of the vibrator upon Vastari. It would take a moment or two before the violence of the vibrations shook his brain cells apart; in that time he would realize that she was a traitor and her life thereafter would be forfeit upon Venus, for Jamie's sake. He would have to take her back with him.
True, Vastari might die. She did not much care if he did. After all, he had been equally ruthless when she stood in his way in the valley among the Earthmen. If he died, then she would shout what she had done to the echoing peaks around the cave, where she knew Vastari's men were hiding. Some of them would hear. It would amount to a burning of bridges that would leave Jamie no choice but to take her.
Imperceptibly she had been edging the folded Knute onto her knee as Vastari shouted his
defiance and hatred of Earthmen and the Solar Empire. Ghej and Jamie were absorbed, too. In the green gloom of the cavern her green robe made her a shadow on the wall. If Ghej saw her slip past, he did not heed her. He was too deep in his hopeless argument with Vastari. And Jamie's back was turned.
The Knute was heavy. She slid along the wall and passed the curtain of flowering vines, breathing a little swiftly now. She was putting all hope in this last, desperate cast.
The Knute was not too difficult to set up. She had watched the Darva men do it any times. Here, beyond the cave mouth, across a stretch of sand, was a parapet behind which she could shelter long enough to do what she must without interruption. She had the glass Gilson fuse ready to slip into place. And now—now—
A long shudder swept the purple flower trumpets before the cave. The the rainbow shimmer of the Knute settled down and all that stretch of wall and vine and cave became unreal, a figment of dream dancing unsteadily before the eyes. She knew that confused terror was invading the minds of the three men inside. She called clearly, yet softly:
"Ghej, send out Vastari. I am going to kill him."
There was stunned silence for a moment from inside the cave. Then Ghej's voice, quavering with the mind-shaking effect of the vibration:
"Quanna ... Quanna, have you gone mad?"
"I mean it!" she called fiercely. "Send him out or I'll kill you all. I've got the Gilson fuse, you know!" And she smiled secretly. Jamie would not die, even if the full force of the Knute were turned into the cave. For Jamie still wore his helmet, and it would resist the killing vibrations for the few moments it took the others to die. She would be sorry to kill Ghej, but—
There was silence in the unreal cavern, shimmering behind its shimmering vines. Too long a silence. They were planning something.
"Send him out!" she called. "Send him now! I'm putting in the Gilson fuse, Ghej! Commander! Do you want to die with him?"
Still silence.
Quanna found the socket for the little glass pencil of the fuse. She fumbled a bit, putting it in. It stuck the first time. Then there was a small click and she felt a subtle change in the vibration of the Knute. Deeper, heavier. The purple trumpets of the vine began to wilt, folding softly upon their stems. The leaves crumpled. Death was pouring into the cave.