Land of the Changing Sun

by Will N. Harben

  Chapter XII.

  The sunlight was fading into gray when the princess turned to leaveThorndyke. Night was drawing near.

  "Have they assigned you a chamber yet?" she paused to ask.

  "No."

  "Then they have overlooked it; I shall remind the king."

  Her beautiful, lithe form was clearly outlined against the red glow ofthe massive swinging lamp as she moved gracefully away, and Thorndyke'sheart bounded with admiration and hope as he thought of her growingregard for him. He resumed his seat among the flowers, listening, as ifin a delightful dream, to the seductive music from bands in differentparts of the palace and the never-ceasing sound in the air which seemedto him to be the concentrated echo of all the sounds in the strangecountry rebounding from the vast cavern roof.

  It grew darker. The gray outside had changed to purple. In the palacethe brilliant electric lights in prismatic globes refused to allow theday to die. He was thinking of returning to the throne-room when a pagein silken attire approached from the direction of the king's quarters.

  "To your chambers, master," he announced, bowing respectfully.

  Thorndyke arose and followed him to an elevator near by. They ascendedto the highest balcony of the great rotunda. Here they alighted andturned to the right, the page leading the way, a key in his hand.Presently the page stopped at a door and unlocked it and precededthe Englishman into the room. As they entered an electric light in achandelier flashed up automatically.

  It was a sumptuous apartment, and adjoining it were several connectingrooms all elegantly furnished. The page crossed the room and opened adoor to a little stairway.

  "It leads to the roof," he said. "The princess told me to call yourattention to it, that you might go out and view the starlight."

  When the page had retired, Thorndyke, feeling lonely, ascended thestairs to the roof. It was perfectly flat save for the great dome whichstood in the centre and the numerous pinnacles and cupolas on everyhand, and was very spacious. The Englishman's loneliness increased, forno matter in what direction he looked, there was not a living soul insight. Far in front of him he saw a stone parapet. He went to this andlooked down on the city. The electric lights were vari-colored, andarranged so that when seen from a distance or from a great height theyassumed artistic designs that were beautiful to behold.

  The regular streets and rows of buildings stretched away till the lightin the farthest distance seemed an ocean of blending colors. Overheadthe vault was black, and only here and there shone a star; but as helooked upward they began to flash into being, and so rapidly that thesky seemed a vast battlefield of electricity.

  "Wonderful! Wonderful!" he ejaculated enthusiastically, when the blackdome was filled with twinkling stars. He leaned for a long time againstthe parapet, listening to the music from the streets below, and watchingthe flying-machines with their vari-colored lights rise from the littleparks at the intersection of the streets and dart away over the roofslike big fireflies. Then he began to feel sleepy, and, going back to hischambers, he retired.

  When he awoke the next morning, the rosy glow of the sun was shiningin at his windows. On rising he was surprised to find a delectablebreakfast spread on a table in his sitting-room.

  "Treating me like a lord, any way," he said drily. "I can't say Idislike the thing as a whole." When he had satisfied his sharp hunger hewent out into a corridor and seeing an elevator he entered it and wentdown to the throne-room. The king was just leaving his throne, butseeing Thorndyke he turned to him with a smile.

  "How did you sleep?" he asked.

  "Well, indeed," replied Thorndyke, with a low bow.

  "I cannot talk to you now. I intended to, but I have promised my peoplea 'War of the Elements' to-day and am busy. You will enjoy it, I trust."

  "I am sure of it, your Majesty."

  "Well, be about the palace, for it is a good point from which to viewthe display."

  With these words he turned away and the Englishman, as if drawn there bythe memory of his last conversation with Bernardino, sought the retreatwhere he had bidden her good-night. He sat down on the seat they hadoccupied, and gave himself over to delightful reveries about her beautyand loveliness of nature. Looking up suddenly he saw a pair of whitehands part the palm leaves in front of him and the subject of histhoughts emerged into view.

  She wore a regal gown and beautiful silken head-dress set with finegems, and gave him a warm glance of friendly greeting.

  "I half hoped to find you here," she said, blushing modestly under hisardent gaze; "that is, I knew you would not know where to go----" Shepaused, her face suffused with blushes.

  "I did not hope to find you here," he said, coming to her aid gallantly,"but it was a delight to sit here where I last saw you."

  She blushed even deeper, and a pleased look flashed into her eyes. "Itwas important that I should see you this morning," she continued, with awomanly desire to disguise her own feeling. "I wanted to tell you whereto meet me when the storm begins."

  "Where?" he asked.

  "On the roof of the palace, near the stairs leading down to yourchambers. At first it will be very dark, and it is then that we must getout of sight of the palace. No other flying-machines will be in theair, and Captain Tradmos thinks, if we are very careful, we can get awaysafely before the display of lightning."

  "If we find my friend what can we do with him?"

  She hesitated a moment, a look of perplexity on her face, then she said:"We can bring him back and keep him hidden in your chambers till somebetter arrangement can be made. We shall think of some expedient beforelong, but at present he must be saved from starvation."

  Thorndyke attempted to draw her to a seat beside him, but she heldback. "No," she said resolutely, "it would never do for us to be seentogether. If my father should suspect anything now, all hope would belost."

  Thorndyke reluctantly released her hand.

  "You are right, I beg your pardon," he said humbly. "I shall meet youpromptly. Of course I want to save poor Johnston, but the delight ofbeing with you again, even for a moment, so intoxicates me that I forgeteven my duty to him."

  After she left him he wandered out in the streets along the busythoroughfares, and into the beautiful parks, the flowers and foliagechanging color as each new hour dawned. The fragrance of the flowersdelighted his sense of smell, and the luscious fruits hung from vine andtree in great abundance.

  He was impatient for the time to arrive at which he was to meet theprincess. After awhile he noticed the people closing the shops andbooths, and in holiday dress going to the parks and public squares.He hastened to the palace. The great rotunda and the throne-room wereenergetically astir. Everybody wore rich apparel and was talking ofthe coming fete. The king was on his throne surrounded by his menof science. In a cluster of ladies in court dress, the Englishmanrecognized Bernardino. Catching his eye, she looked startled for aninstant, and, then, with a furtive glance at the king, she swepther eyes back to Thorndyke and raised them significantly toward hischambers. He understood, and his quick movement was his reply. He turnedimmediately to an elevator that was going up, and entered it. Againhe was alone on the palace roof. The color of the sunlight lookedso natural that he studied it closely to see if he could not detectsomething artificial in its appearance, but in vain. He found that itdid not pain his eyes to look at the sun steadily. He took from hispocket a small sunglass, and focussed the rays on his hand, but the heatwas not intensified sufficiently to burn him.

  Just then he heard a loud blast of a trumpet in a tall tower to the leftof the palace. It seemed a momentous signal. The jostling crowds in thestreets below suddenly stood motionless. Every eye was raised to thesky. Not a sound broke the stillness. Following the glances of the crowda few minutes later, Thorndyke noticed a dark cloud rising in the west,and spreading along the horizon. A feeling of awe came over him as itgradually increased in volume, and, in vast black billows, began to rollup toward the sun.

  Suddenly out of the stillness came a
faraway rumble like a fusillade ofcannon, now dying down low, again reaching such a height that it painedthe ears. Belated flying-machines darted across the sky here and there,like storm-frightened birds, but they soon settled to earth. Every eyewas on the cloud which was now gashed with dazzling, vivid, electricflashes. Thorndyke looked over the vast roof. He was alone. He walked tothe western parapet to get a broader view.

  The clouds had increased till almost a third of the heavens wereobscured by the madly whirling blackness. There was a rumble in thecloud, or beyond it, like thunder, and yet it was not, unless thundercan be attuned, for the sound was like the music of a great orchestramagnified a thousand-fold. The grand harmony died down. There wasa blinding flash of electricity in the clouds, and the Englishmaninvoluntarily covered his eyes with his hands. When he looked again theblackness was covering the sun. For a moment its disk showed blood-redthrough the fringe of the cloud and then disappeared. Total darknessfell on everything.

  The silence was profound. The very air seemed stagnant.

  Then the wind overhead, by some unseen force, was lashed into fury, andall the sky was filled with whirlpools of deeper blackness. Suddenlythere was a flash of soft golden light; this was followed by streamsof pink, of blue and of purple till the whole heavens were hung withbanners, flags, and rain-bows of flame. Again darkness fell, and itseemed all the deeper after the gorgeous scene which had preceded it.Thorndyke strained his sight to detect something moving below, butnothing could be seen, and no sound came up from the motionless crowds.

  Behind him he heard a soft footstep on the stone tiling. It drew nearer.A hand was being carefully slid along the parapet. The hand reached himand touched his arm.

  It was the princess. "Ah, I have at last found you," she whispered, "Isaw you in the lightning, but lost you again."

  He put his arm round her and drew her into his embrace. He tried tospeak, but uttered only an inarticulate sound.

  "I could not possibly come earlier," she apologized, nestling againsthim so closely that he could feel the quick and excited beating ofher heart. "My father kept me with him till only a moment ago. CaptainTradmos will be here soon."

  "When do we start?" he asked.

  "That is the trouble," she replied. "We had counted on getting away inthe darkness, before the display of lightning, but there is more dangernow. If our flying-machine were noticed the search-lights would beturned on us and we would be discovered at once."

  "But even if we get safely away in the darkness when could we return?"

  "Oh, that would be easy," she replied. "As soon as the fete is over,commerce will be resumed and the air will be filled with air-ships thathave been delayed in their regular business, and, in the disguises whichI have for us both, we could come back without rousing suspicion. Wecould alight in Winter Park and return home later."

  "What is Winter Park?"

  "You have not seen it? You must do so; it is one of the wonders ofAlpha. It is a vast park enclosed with high walls and covered with aroof of glass. Inside the snow falls, and we have sleighing and coastingand lakes of ice for skating. It was an invention of the king. Thesnowstorms there are beautiful."

  Thorndyke's reply was drowned in a harmonious explosion like that oftuned cannon; this was followed by the chimes of great bells whichseemed to swing back and forth miles overhead.

  "Listen!" whispered Bernardino, "father calls it 'musical thunder,' andhe declares that it is produced in no other country but this."

  "It is not; he is right." And the heart of the Englishman was stirredby deep emotion. He had never dreamed that anything could so completelychain his fancy and elevate his imagination as what he heard. Themusical clangor died down. The strange harmony grew more entrancingas it softened. Then the whole eastern sky began to flush with rosy,shimmering light.

  "My father calls this the 'Ideal Dawn of Day,'" whispered Bernardino."See the faint golden halo near the horizon; that is where the sun issupposed to be."

  "How is it done?" asked the Englishman.

  "Few of our people know. It is a secret held only by the king and half adozen scientists. The whole thing, however, is operated by two men in aroom in the dome of the palace. The musician is a young German who wasbecoming the wonder of the musical world when father induced him to cometo us. I have met him. He says he has been thoroughly happy here. Helives on music. He showed me the instrument he used to play, a littlething he called a violin, and its tones could not reach beyond thelimits of a small room. He laughs at it now and says the instrumentthat father gave him to play on has strings drawn from the centre of theearth to the stars of heaven."

  The rose-light had spread over the horizon and climbed almost to thezenith, and with the dying booming and gentle clangor it began to fadetill all was dark again.

  "Captain Tradmos ought to be here now," continued the princess, glancinguneasily toward the stairway. "We may not have so good an opportunity asthis."

  Ten minutes went by.

  "Surely, something has gone wrong," whispered Bernardino. "I have neverseen the darkness last so long as this; besides, can't you hear themuttering of the people?"

  Thorndyke acknowledged that he did. He was about to add something else,but was prevented by a loud blast from the trumpet in the tower.

  Bernardino shrank from him and fell to trembling.

  "What is the matter?" he asked. "The trumpet!" she gasped, "somethingawful has happened!"

  A moment of profound silence, then the murmuring of the crowd rosesullenly like the moaning of a rising storm; a search-light flashed upin the gloom and swept its uncertain stream from point to point, but itdied out. Another and another shone for an instant in different parts ofthe city, but they all failed.

  "Something awful has happened," repeated Bernardino, as if to herself;"the lights will not burn!"

  "Had we not better go down?" asked Thorndyke anxiously, excited by herunusual perturbation.

  For answer she mutely drew him to the eastern parapet. Far away in theeast there still lingered a faint hint of pink, but all over the wholelandscape darkness rested.

  "See!" she exclaimed, pointing upward, "the clouds are thinning over thesun, and yet there is no light. What can be the matter?"

  At that juncture they heard soft steps on the roof and a voice calling:

  "Bernardino! Princess Bernardino!"

  "It is Tradmos," she ejaculated gladly, then she called out softly:

  "Tradmos! Tradmos!"

  "Here!" the voice said, and a figure loomed up before them. It was thecaptain. He was panting violently, as if he had been running.

  "What is it?" she asked, clasping his arm.

  "The sun has gone out," he announced.

  A groan escaped her lips and she swayed into Thorndyke's arms.

  "The clouds are thinning over the sun, yet there is no light. The kingis excited; he fears a panic!"

  "Has such a thing never happened?" asked Thorndyke.

  "An hundred years ago; then thousands lost their lives. As soon as thepeople suspect the cause of the delay they will go mad with fear."

  "What can we do?" asked the princess, recovering her self-possession.

  "Nothing, wait!" replied Tradmos. "This is as safe a place as you couldfind. Perhaps the trouble may be averted. Look!"

  The disk of the veiled sun was aglow with a faintly trembling light;but it went out. The silence was profound. The populace seemed unableto grasp the situation, but when the light had flickered over the blackface of the sun once more and again expired, a sullen murmur rose andgrew as it passed from lip to lip.

  It became a threatening roar, broken by an occasional cry of pain anda dismal groan of terror. There was a crash as if a mountain had beenburst by explosives.

  "The swinging bridge has been thrown down!" said Tradmos.

  Light after light flashed up in different parts of the city, but theywere so small and so far apart that they seemed to add to the darknessrather than to lessen it.

  "The moon, it will
rise!" cried the princess.

  "It cannot," said Tradmos in his beard, "at least not for severalhours."

  "They will kill my father," she said despondently, "they always hold himresponsible for any accident."

  "They cannot reach him," consoled Tradmos. "He is safe for the presentat least."

  "Is it possible to make the repairs needed?"

  "I don't know. When the accident happened long ago the sun was justrising."

  "Has it stopped?"

  "I think not; it has simply gone out; the electric connection has, insome way, been cut off."

  The tumult seemed to have extended to the very limits of the city, andwas constantly increasing. The smashing of timber and the falling ofheavy stones were heard near by.

  Tradmos leaned far over the parapet. "They are coming toward us!" hesaid; "they intend to destroy the palace; we must try to get down, butwe shall meet danger even there."