Night of Light

by Philip José Farmer

  Carmody tried to talk to some of those standing on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. After several attempts, he gave up. They not only did not want to talk to him, they scowled and turned away or muttered under their breaths.

  After standing around the lobby for a while, he went back to his room. He tried without success to get interested in a book on Kareenan history. Noon came, and with a sense of relief he turned on the TV. The announcer made a short and familiar speech. Apparently, despite the advances of science on both Earth and Kareen, technical difficulties could still be encountered. If the viewer would be patient, these would be remedied within a very short time. Meanwhile, here was an important. . .

  A half-hour passed with several more assurances and a brief documentary about the landing of the first Earthman on Kareen. By then, Carmody knew that something must be wrong. He tried to call Tand, but got a busy signal. Another half-hour went by with more assurances and documentaries that had nothing to do with the appearance of Yess. He called Tand three more times, only to get more busy signals. By then, he assumed, the phone system was jammed with calls from people wanting to know what was wrong.

  Suddenly, the announcer said, "People of Kareen, your god!"

  Yess came into view, visible from the waist up. He smiled and said, "My beloved ones, I. . ."

  The screen went blank. Carmody swore. He shot the bolt to the door, ran down the hall, and down the fourteen flights of stairs to the lobby. This was jammed with people talking loudly. Carmody grabbed a bellhop and said, "The station? The TV station? Is it near?"

  "Three blocks, Father. East," the bellhop replied. He seemed dazed.

  Carmody pushed through the mob and ran out the door. There were many in the street now, all with shocked expressions. A large number were speaking incoherently. They also knew that something had happened to their god. And, if they had been resenting or fearing what he was going to say, they had lost that feeling. They were panicky or awestruck, numb or outraged. They did not oppose the passage of the little Earthman who flew by them, but they stared after him.

  Before he was within a block of the TV building, Carmody saw the clouds of smoke boiling out of the windows on the first two floors. A milling crowd impeded the efforts of policemen and ambulance men to enter. Carmody shoved against the backs of those in his way, but he could not move them.

  A hand tapped Carmody's shoulder. He whirled and saw Tand.

  "What happened?" he demanded.

  "Lieftin must have planted explosives so cleverly that the police couldn't find them," Tand said. "Or else they did not want to find them. The broadcast was held up for an hour while a search was made through the station for bombs. Then Yess came on, and. . . You saw the screen go blank. I would have been with him if my car had not collided with another. I wasn't hurt, but my chauffeur was."

  He looked at the building."Do you suppose he could be dead?"

  "I don't know," Carmody said. "What's that?"

  A cry had arisen. Suddenly, as if an invisible engine had moved through them, the crowd parted. Yess, blackened with smoke and bleeding in several places but otherwise unharmed, walked through.

  He signaled to Tand, who came running with Carmody after him.

  "Get a car and get me to Station Fuurdal," Yess said.

  Tand said, "I have a car near here. It's not mine; mine was wrecked. Come."

  He led them down the street while the people stepped back. All were weeping with joy at seeing their god alive; some ran up, fell on their knees, and tried to kiss Yess' hand. He waved them away, smiling, and strode on. Within a minute, the three, Tand driving, were on their way to the TV station.

  "I do not understand how Lieftin, or whoever did this, managed to conceal explosives," Yess said. "The police and the priests went through every piece of equipment, anything that could hide a bomb. Strangely enough, it was Abog who insisted that the broadcast be held up until the building could be examined."

  "He may have wanted to supply the government with an alibi," Carmody said.

  "Probably. He was not in the building when the bomb went off. Everybody around me was killed or badly hurt. The Fathers died. You and Carmody are the only ones alive now."

  Yess wept. Then, without a trace of the emotion he must still be feeling, he said, "Call your best men, Tand. We may need a bodyguard to get back to the Temple."

  Tand picked up the earphone and began to make calls. By the time they stopped in front of their destination, he had made sure that fifty armed men would shortly be available. Moreover, a number of armed priests would follow them.

  Carmody followed the two into the building, but he did not go into the room from which Yess would make his announcement. He felt that Yess was not safe from further attempts. If anybody came through this room to harm Yess, he would have to deal with Carmody.

  Only seconds after Yess had gone into the caster, gunshots sounded in the hall. A Kareenan burst into the room, a pistol in his hand. Carmody, standing to one side, hit him over the head with a bronze statuette.

  After picking up the weapon dropped by the unconscious man and shoving it in his belt, he went out into the hall. Three dead would-be assassins and two dead and two wounded policemen sprawled on the floor. A station employee was cowering behind a chair. Carmody pulled him out and sent him to call the ambulance. Then he returned to the room to ready himself again.

  Ten minutes later Yess and Tand came out of the caster, both looking grave.

  "It is done," Yess said."Now, what Boonta lets fall must fall."

  On the way back to the Temple, the people in the street stepped back for the armed escort of Yess. Carmody, gazing out at the faces and masks, suddenly cried out, "Stop the car!"

  Yess ordered the chauffeur to stop and turned to ask Carmody what the matter was, but the little Earthman was already off.

  Carmody had seen a masked man whose walk made him sure it was Lieftin. Afraid that Lieftin might get away, he dashed off without telling anybody what he was after. He shouted, "Lieftin! You're under arrest!" not realizing in his excitement that the others had not followed him.

  The man turned and ran. For a second Carmody lost sight of him in the crowd; then he saw him plunge into the entrance of a clothing shop. He followed. It was a large place, one that catered to a wealthy clientele. A single saleswoman was standing with her face pressed against the window, presumably to watch Yess when he came by. Carmody shouted at her, and she jumped. He could see by her startled expression that she had not seen Lieftin enter the shop. Ignoring her questions, he went to the back of the room. There were three doors. He took the first one on the left, went through several rooms and came out in the alley. There was no one there. As he turned to reenter the shop, there was a footstep behind him and pain exploded in his head.

  When he came to, he found himself sprawled on the rough cobblestones of the alley. There was a tender lump over his ear. The streets around him were quiet; the Night had begun.

  He was appalled at what he saw on the streets. Corpses lay in all directions as far as he could see. There were men, women, and children among them, torn by bullets and knives, some cut in half by kaser beams. A truck lay on its side with its kaser tube blown apart by a bomb, probably dropped from a window above. The soldiers who had manned the kaser were dead.

  Blood ran in a shallow stream down the gutters. Carmody picked up a gun, checked its clip, and hurriedly set off down the street. Before he had gone far, he grew dizzy and hot; his sight blurred. Then the flicker of the sun, effective even around the curve of the planet, had passed.

  Several blocks down the street, he found the Kareenan drive-stick equivalent of a motorcycle on its side. It was still operable, even though part of the seat had been blown off, along with its rider. It was a twisting, weaving course he had to take to avoid running over the many corpses, but he managed it. Then, going around a corner, the motorcycle skidded on something slippery, hit the curb, and threw him across the sidewalk. He struck the side of the building hard,
but he was not hurt so badly that he could not get up. The cycle's front wheel was too bent for him to continue on it, so he limped away.

  As he neared the Temple of Boonta, he heard the sound of firing and saw men running. He ducked into an office, crouched down behind the broken window and watched. Ahead of the mob came one man, a thin fellow in the rags of a robe. He was running as fast as his long legs could pump, but he was winded and sobbing for breath.

  Carmody stood up and called to the man. Gunshots drowned out his voice. Lifted and hurled forward by the bullets, the man fell on his face.

  By the still-operating streetlights, Carmody saw that the man was Skelder.

  So, this was for Skelder the end of the Night that had begun so many years ago.

  A bullet crashed through the broken window. Carmody turned and ran through the shadowy interior into the alley.

  Footsteps pounded close behind him. Carmody dropped on all fours. The pursuer fell over him, and Carmody raised his gun to fire.

  "Don't shoot! It's me, Tand!"

  Carmody lowered the gun again, shaking with relief. Tand arose, lobbed something over Carmody toward the rear exit of the office. He pushed Carmody down, and both cowered flat on the pavement of the alley. There was a deafening roar and a blast of air that tore at their clothes.

  Both jumped up and ran on down the alley to the next open door. There, between gasps for breath, they talked.

  "I was hiding in the office when you entered," Tand said. "I didn't know who you were, you were just a silhouette. But when you turned, I saw enough of your profile to recognize you. I ran after you. . ."

  "Strange that the three of us should converge at the same spot," Carmody said. "That was Skelder who died outside the shop."

  Tand made the circular sign. "Well, his last years were happy ones. I was looking for you when the riots broke out, and I had to take refuge. The Temple is surrounded by Algulists, but they're a somewhat disorganized bunch. Every time there's a flicker, fighting breaks out among them."

  "How can we get in?" Carmody said.

  "I know a way. But we have to be very careful not to reveal it. If the Enemy also found it, they could surprise those within the Temple."

  They left the shop, and, hugging the wall, walked only another block. Tand led the priest into a market that had been looted. There were four dead in the aisles or behind counters, one of them a child. Tand grimaced and went into the back offices, where a headless corpse sprawled across a desk. He went through a doorway behind the desk into a large closet. This had been a stockroom, but the papers and pens had been strewn about, typewriters and office equipment smashed.

  Carmody followed the Kareenan behind a pile of large wooden boxes, some of which had been ripped open. Tand stopped, felt over the naked stone blocks of the wall, and pressed. A large block at the bottom of the wall slid inward. He got down on his hands and kiiees and crawled through the opening with the Earthman behind him. The interior was dark except for the light coming in through the opening. Tand stood up and did something; the block moved back to its former position.

  Light flooded the place. Tand removed his hand from a plate set in the wall. They were in a small room at the end of which was a narrow archway.

  "The tunnel is narrow and low," Tand said, "and it dips sharply downward. There are enough eternalights for us to see our way. Follow me, but not too closely. I may stop suddenly, and I don't want you bumping into me and knocking me forward. It could be fatal for both of us."

  As Carmody followed Tand, he looked beyond and ahead of him and saw that there were only very dim footprints in the thick dust. He asked Tand about it.

  "I've never been here myself, but I've studied maps of this tunnel and of others. Only Yess, the Fathers, and the highest priests and priestesses know of it, only those who've passed the Night. Even so. . ."

  Tand stopped and held up his hand. Carmody examined the wall and floor ahead of them but could see nothing unusual.

  "What is it?"

  Tand indicated one of the bulbs on the ceiling. "See that? It has a small black spot on it that looks like dirt. It's a sign. Now, watch me, then do as I do."

  Tand drew a line in the dust before him, then backed up ten steps, crouched and began to run. Just before he came to the line in the dust, he veered and ran on the curving side of the tunnel, his momentum allowing him to do so for several meters. When he had come down off the wall and back onto the floor, he slowed and stopped.

  He turned to Carmody. "All right, come on. Don't slip."

  Carmody sprinted after him. After joining Tand, he said, "What would have happened if we had just walked across the floor at that spot?"

  "Nothing necessarily fatal," Tand replied. "The ceiling above that point, which looks like solid stone, is a trap door. It would open, and a great quantity of sticky jelly would drop and imprison you. At the same time, an alarm would go off in the Temple and a light on a control board, indicating the alarm location, would be illuminated. You'd be held fast until the Temple guards came to dissolve the jelly. You might not be alive; it would depend on whether the jelly happened to cover your nostrils and mouth."

  They continued for fifty meters. After that the tunnel began to slant sharply upward. At its top, they came to an iron door. Tand pulled a key from his beltbag and inserted it, not in the keyhole in the door but in a hole to one side in the wall. The door swung open.

  They stepped into a small room, bare of furniture and with thick dust on the floor. Another door, opened with the same wall key, permitted access to yet another small room. A third door, swinging on pivots as the hotel doors did, gave them entrance to a hall the floor of which was dusty. Again, the key unlocked another door, and they were in the anteroom in which Carmody had been before. It was the one with the elevator cage that had taken him up to meet Yess.

  The door swung shut behind them and seemed to be one piece with the wall.

  "Get in," Tand said. The cage rose. At the top of the shaft, they left the cage and walked down a broad corridor for at least half a kilometer. There were many doors on both sides, all shut. At the end of the passageway, they came to another elevator. It took them back down to the ground floor. Two more rooms had to be crossed, and then they were in the great room where, so many years ago, Carmody had murdered the old Yess.

  The new Yess was there. He stopped talking to the Fathers and priests and priestesses gathered around him to greet the two newcomers. "I had not yet given up hope that you were alive and could get here. But I was beginning to have doubts."

  "What's the situation?" Tand said.

  "Rilg and his Algulists are besieging us. They have some heavy artillery and kasers, but they haven't used them against the Temple, and I doubt that they will. Their war is with me; they would not dare to do too much damage to the house of the Great Mother Herself. But they are preventing anybody from entering or leaving. I think they plan to attack later in the Night."

  Yess placed his hand on the priest's shoulder and said, "Come to my rooms, Father. I have something I want to show you."

  Tand shouted, "Look out!" He was pointing upward.

  Lieftin was standing in the gallery above. He was against the railing and had a bazooka on his shoulder aimed at Yess.

  Carmody drew his gun and fired.

  Only later was he able to reconstruct what had happened. A blast of fire and smoke covered Lieftin. The roaring air knocked Carmody and all those around him, except Yess, off their feet. Carmody arose, stunned, still unable to perceive that Lieftin was somehow gone. But his senses cleared, and he could see that the gallery was essentially the same as before Lieftin had appeared, except for a big red spot, like the shadow of a ragged octopus, covering some carved stone benches.

  He walked up the flight of steps that led to the gallery and examined the benches. The twisted bazooka, one end ripped off, lay under a bench. A few scraps of skin, blood, and smashed bones were all that remained of Lieftin.

  Tand, who had followed him, said, "
I think your bullet struck the missile just as it came out of the tube. It exploded, and -- well, you see the result."

  "I was aiming at him, not the tube," Carmody said. "It was a lucky shot, just plain dumb luck."

  "Are you sure?" Tand said. "I'm not."

  "You mean that someone -- Yess or Boonta? -- guided my aim?"

  Tand shrugged and said, "Not the Mother." He made the circular sign. "She would not take sides. But Yess. . . who knows? He will not say."

  "It was chance."

  "As you will. There's no way of proving or disproving it."

  Tand went up to the top row of benches and out through an archway. Carmody, going after him, found him looking into a doorway cut in the stone of the wall.

  "Lieftin, or those who hired him, found another one of our secret entrances," Tand said. "It was to be expected. I wonder how long they've known about it?"

  "Won't they be using it again when they find Lieftin has failed?"

  "I doubt they'll try it. They banked on one man getting through, which was wise of them, for a number might have tripped off the alarms. And they know we'll not allow them to use the same tunnels again. I'm going to make sure they're all closed."

  Tand strode off. Carmody returned to Yess, who repeated his invitation to go to his rooms. When they arrived, Yess pulled a dicspool from a drawer of his desk.

  "I dictated this an hour ago. It's the last chapter of the Book of Light. I do not know myself what it says, for I was in the presence of the Mother. She talked, and I was Her voice."

  He handed the spool to Carmody. "Take it with you; run it off. When the Night is ended, see if what I have said has not come true."

  "You predicted the course of events to come?"

  "In full detail."

  "How do you know this if you can't remember what you said?"

  Yess smiled, "I know."