“There—damn you!” he croaked. “That’ll settle it!”
He expected a stench of burning wool, the blackening, the oily exudation from the nap; but this blazed with a curious violet flame, and the scent was pungent, bittersweet, like a strange incense. The pattern stood out in fiery relief, then subsided.
Shireen regained her feet. “Fool,” she screamed, and lurched toward him, but he knocked her aside, and she lay there, unable to rise.
Then she laughed, and her face and her bare body became horrible. This was not Shireen, this was Aisha, with snaggled teeth and a shapeless body that seemed patched together of well-worn saddle leather.
“Now you know!” she mocked. “And soon you will know all! I am Shireen, Shireen is me, we are all illusion. And for illusion you have flung yourself into the fire!”
Then Baylor felt the burning of the web. Intolerable pain ate into him. The redness and the fierce glow ended with the crumbling of the ashen skeleton of the web, and it was as though he fell through a chilly blackness. Anything was welcome, as long as it got him out of that accursed cave.
There was a period of non-sensation, and then, strangely, he was approaching the landslide. Marta ran from the car to meet him. This was not quite believable. Ostrom, unruffled and unharmed, came with her.
He hailed Baylor; and Marta took his arm. Her touch was friendly, like a sister’s, rather than possessive.
Ostrom said, “We’ve been damn fools, we three.”
Baylor sighed. “I was talking to a native girl. When she said everything was illusion, I thought she was crazy, but it makes sense, somehow.”
They set out walking. None of them had any thought for the car, or for the distance to Shiraz. Baylor did not quite understand until they met a caravan. The mule drivers apparently did not see the trio, and utterly ignored their presence on the narrow trail, but one shivered, and made a curious sign with his hand. He recited, “I betake me to Allah for refuge from Satan…and from the evils of the night; and from the spells of women who blow on knots; and from the envy of the envier when he envieth…”
The MEGAPACK® Ebook Series
If you enjoyed this ebook, check out more volumes in Wildside Press’s great MEGAPACK® series…more than 300 in all!
THE GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE FICTION
1. Winston K. Marks
2. Mark Clifton
3. Poul Anderson
4. Clifford D. Simak
5. Lester del Rey (vol. 1)
6. Charles L. Fontenay
7. H.B. Fyfe (vol. 1)
8. Milton Lesser (Stephen Marlowe)
9. Dave Dryfoos
10. Carl Jacobi
11. F.L. Wallace
12. David H. Keller, M.D.
13. Lester del Rey (vol. 2)
14. Charles De Vet
15. H.B Fyfe (vol. 2)
16. William C. Gault
17. Alan E. Nourse
18. Jerome Bixby
19. Charles De Vet (Vo. 2)
20. Evelyn E. Smith
21. Edward Wellen
22. Robert Moore Williams
23. Richard Wilson
24. H.B. Fyfe (vol. 3)
25. Raymond Z. Gallun
26. Homer Eon Flint
27. Stanley G. Weinbaum
28. Edward Wellen
29. Katherine MacLean
30. Roger Dee
31. Sam Merwin
32. Frederik Pohl
33. Kris Neville
34. C.M. Kornbluth
35. Keith Laumer
36. George O. Smith
ROMANCE
The Nurse Novel MEGAPACK®
THE NOVELLA SERIES
1. The Adventure Novella MEGAPACK®
2. The Mystery & Suspense Novella MEGAPACK®
THE GOLDEN AGE OF WEIRD FICTION SERIES
1. Henry S. Whitehead
2. George T. Wetzel
3. Emil Petaja
4. Nictzin Dyalhis
5. David H. Keller
6. Clark Ashton Smith
7. Manly Banister
8. Frank Belknap Long (Vol. 1)
9. Frank Belknap Long (Vol. 2)
10. Carl Jacobi
11. E. Hoffmann Price
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
The First Science Fiction Novel MEGAPACK®
>The Second Science Fiction Novel MEGAPACK®
The First Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The Second Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The Third Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The Fourth Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The Fifth Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The Sixth Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The Seventh Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The Eighth Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The Ninth Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The 10th Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The 11th Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The 12th Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The 13th Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
The A. Merritt MEGAPACK®*
The A.R. Morlan MEGAPACK®
The Alien MEGAPACK®
The Ardath Mayhar MEGAPACK®
The Second Ardath Mayhar MEGAPACK®
The Avram Davidson Science Fiction & Fantasy MEGAPACK®
The King Arthur MEGAPACK®
The Andre Norton MEGAPACK®
The C.J. Henderson MEGAPACK®
The Charles Dickens Christmas MEGAPACK®
The Comic Science Fiction Novel MEGAPACK®
The Darrell Schweitzer MEGAPACK®
The Dragon MEGAPACK®
The E. E. “Doc” Smith MEGAPACK®
The E. Nesbit MEGAPACK®
The Edgar Pangborn MEGAPACK®
The Edmond Hamilton MEGAPACK®
The Edward Bellamy MEGAPACK®
The Phyllis Ann Karr Fanciers & Realizers MEGAPACK®
The First Reginald Bretnor MEGAPACK®
The First Theodore Cogswell MEGAPACK®
The First Kothar the Barbarian MEGAPACK®
>The Second Kothar the Barbarian MEGAPACK®
The Frank Belknap Long Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The Second Frank Belknap Long Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The Third Frank Belknap Long Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
The Frank Belknap Long Science Fiction Novel MEGAPACK®
The Fred M. White Disaster MEGAPACK®
The Fredric Brown MEGAPACK®
>The Second Fredric Brown MEGAPACK®
The Fritz Leiber MEGAPACK®
> The Second Fritz Leiber MEGAPACK®
The Gismo Complete Series MEGAPACK®, by Keo Felker Lazarus
The H. Beam Piper MEGAPACK®
The Jack London Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
The Lawrence Watt-Evans Fantasy MEGAPACK®
The Lloyd Biggle, Jr. MEGAPACK®
The Lost Worlds MEGAPACK®
The Mack Reynolds MEGAPACK®
The Mad Scientist MEGAPACK®
The Martian MEGAPACK®
The Milton A. Rothman Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
The Miss Pickerell MEGAPACK®
The First Murray Leinster MEGAPACK®
>The Second Murray Leinster MEGAPACK®
>The Third Murray Leinster MEGAPACK®
The Olaf Stapledon MEGAPACK®**
The Philip K. Dick MEGAPACK®
>The Second Philip K. Dick MEGAPACK®
The Plague, Pestilence, & Apocalypse MEGAPACK®
The Pulp Fiction MEGAPACK®
The Randall Garrett MEGAPACK®
>The Seco
nd Randall Garrett MEGAPACK®
The R.A. Lafferty Fantastic MEGAPACK®
The Ray Cummings MEGAPACK®
The First Richard Wilson MEGAPACK®
The Robert Sheckley MEGAPACK®
The Robert Silverberg MEGAPACK®
The Robot MEGAPACK®
The Science-Fantasy MEGAPACK®
The Science-Fantasy Novel MEGAPACK®
The Science Fiction Crime MEGAPACK®
The Sydney J. Van Scyoc Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
The Space Opera MEGAPACK®
The Space Patrol MEGAPACK®, by Eando Binder
>The Second Space Patrol MEGAPACK®, by Eando Binder
The Steampunk MEGAPACK®
The Stephen Vincent Benét MEGAPACK®
Thomas A. Easton’s GMO Future MEGAPACK®
Thomas A. Easton’s Love Songs and UFOs MEGAPACK®
The Time Travel MEGAPACK®
>The Second Time Travel MEGAPACK®
>The Third Time Travel MEGAPACK®
>The Fourth Time Travel MEGAPACK®
Thomas A. Easton’s GMO Future MEGAPACK®
Thomas A. Easton’s Love Songs and UFOs MEGAPACK®
The Utopia MEGAPACK®
The Willam P. McGivern Fantasy MEGAPACK®
The First Willam P. McGivern Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
>The Second Willam P. McGivern Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
The William Hope Hodgson MEGAPACK®
The Wizard of Oz MEGAPACK®
The Zanthodon MEGAPACK®, by Lin Carter
WESTERN
The Andy Adams Western MEGAPACK®
The B.M. Bower MEGAPACK®
The Max Brand MEGAPACK®
The Buffalo Bill MEGAPACK®
The Burt Arthur Western MEGAPACK®
The Charles Alden Seltzer MEGAPACK®
The Cowboy MEGAPACK®
E. Hoffmann Price’s Western & War Action MEGAPACK®
The Edgar Rice Burroughs Western MEGAPACK®*
The George W. Ogden Western MEGAPACK®
The Leslie Ernenwein Western MEGAPACK®
The Lon Williams Weird Western MEGAPACK® The Western MEGAPACK®
> The Second Western MEGAPACK®
> The Third Western MEGAPACK®
The Western Novel MEGAPACK®
> The 2nd Western Novel MEGAPACK®
> The 3rd Western Novel MEGAPACK®
> The 4th Western Novel MEGAPACK®
> The 5th Western Novel MEGAPACK®
> The 6th Western Novel MEGAPACK®
> The 7th Western Novel MEGAPACK®
> The 8th Western Novel MEGAPACK®
> The 9th Western Novel MEGAPACK®
> The 10th Western Novel MEGAPACK®
The Western Romance MEGAPACK®
The Zane Grey MEGAPACK®
YOUNG ADULT
The Biff Norris MEGAPACK®
The Bobbsey Twins MEGAPACK®
The Boy Scouts MEGAPACK®
The Boy Detectives MEGAPACK®
The Boys’ Adventure MEGAPACK®
The Bryce Walton Boys’ Adventure MEGAPACK®
The Dan Carter, Cub Scout MEGAPACK®
The Dare Boys MEGAPACK®
The Dave Dawson War Adventure MEGAPACK®
The Doll Story MEGAPACK®
E. Hoffman Price’s Fables of Ismeddin MEGAPACK®
The G.A. Henty MEGAPACK®
The Girl Detectives MEGAPACK®
>The Second Girl Detectives MEGAPACK®
>The Third Girl Detectives MEGAPACK®
The Gismo Complete Series MEGAPACK®, by Keo Felker Lazarus
The Horatio Alger MEGAPACK®
The Miss Pickerell MEGAPACK®
The E. Nesbit MEGAPACK®
The Penny Parker MEGAPACK®
The Pinocchio MEGAPACK®
The Rover Boys MEGAPACK®
The Sandy Steele MEGAPACK®
The Carolyn Wells MEGAPACK®
> The Second Carolyn Wells MEGAPACK®
The Sky Detectives MEGAPACK®
The Space Patrol MEGAPACK®
>The Second Space Patrol MEGAPACK®
The Tahara, Boy Adventurer MEGAPACK ®
The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet MEGAPACK®
The Tom Swift MEGAPACK®
The Wizard of Oz MEGAPACK®
The Young Adult Award-Winners MEGAPACK®
The Young Adult Mystery MEGAPACK®
SINGLE-AUTHOR
The A. Merritt MEGAPACK®*
The A.R. Morlan MEGAPACK®
The Achmed Abdullah MEGAPACK®
The Algernon Blackwood MEGAPACK®
>The Second Algernon Blackwood MEGAPACK®
The Anatole France MEGAPACK®
The Andre Norton MEGAPACK®
The Anna Katharine Green MEGAPACK®
The Ardath Mayhar MEGAPACK®
The Arthur Conan Doyle MEGAPACK®: Beyond Sherlock Holmes
The Arthur Conan Doyle Early Novels MEGAPACK®
The Arthur Leo Zagat Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
The Arthur Machen MEGAPACK®**
The Arthur Morrison Mystery MEGAPACK®
The Avram Davidson Science Fiction & Fantasy MEGAPACK®
The B.M. Bower MEGAPACK®
The Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson MEGAPACK®
The Bram Stoker MEGAPACK®
The Burt Arthur Western MEGAPACK®
The C.J. Henderson MEGAPACK®
The Charles Alden Seltzer MEGAPACK®
The Charles Dickens Christmas MEGAPACK®
The Darrell Schweitzer MEGAPACK®
The Dashiell Hammett MEGAPACK®
The E. Hoffmann Price Spicy Story MEGAPACK®
The E. Nesbit MEGAPACK®
The E.F. Benson MEGAPACK®
>The Second E.F. Benson MEGAPACK®
E. Hoffmann Price’s Exotic Adventures MEGAPACK®
E. Hoffman Price’s Fables of Ismeddin MEGAPACK®
E. Hoffmann Price’s Pierre d’Artois: Occult Detective & Associates MEGAPACK®
E. Hoffmann Price’s Spicy Adventure MEGAPACK®
E. Hoffman Price’s Two-Fisted Detective MEGAPACK®
E. Hoffmann Price’s Western & War Action MEGAPACK®
The Edmond Hamilton MEGAPACK®
The Edgar Pangborn MEGAPACK®
The Edward Bellamy MEGAPACK®
The Erckmann-Chatrian MEGAPACK®
The F. Scott Fitzgerald MEGAPACK®
The First R. Austin Freeman MEGAPACK®
The First Reginald Bretnor MEGAPACK®
The First William P. McGivern Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
The Fred M. White Disaster MEGAPACK®
The Frederick Douglass MEGAPACK®
The Fredric Brown MEGAPACK®
>The Second Fredric Brown MEGAPACK®
The George Barr McCutcheon MEGAPACK®
The Guy de Maupassant MEGAPACK®
The H. Beam Piper MEGAPACK®
The H. Bedford-Jones Pulp Fiction MEGAPACK®
The Harold Lamb MEGAPACK®
The Henri Bergson MEGAPACK®
The Jacques Futrelle MEGAPACK®
The James Michael Ullman Crime Novel MEGAPACK®
The Jane Austen MEGAPACK®
The John Maclay MEGAPACK®
The Johnston McCulley Mystery MEGAPACK®
The Jonas Lie MEGAPACK®
The Katherine Mansfield MEGAPACK®
The Kenneth Grahame MEGAPACK®
The Lloyd Biggle, Jr. MEGAPACK®
The Lon Williams Weird Western MEGAPACK®
The M.R. James MEGAPACK®
The Mack Reynolds MEGAPACK®
The Mary Fortune Mystery & Suspense MEGAPACK®
The Max Brand MEGAPACK®
The Murray Leinster MEGAPACK®
>The Second Murray Leinster MEGAPACK®
>The Third Murray Leinster MEGAPACK®
The Philip K. Dick MEGAPACK®
> The Second Philip K. Dick MEGAPACK®
The Rafael Sabatini MEGAPACK®
The Randall Garrett MEGAPACK®
> The Second Randall Garrett MEGAPACK®
The Ray Cummings MEGAPACK®
The R. Austin Freeman MEGAPACK®*
> The Second R. Austin Freeman MEGAPACK®*
> The Third R. Austin Freeman MEGAPACK®*
The Reginald Bretnor MEGAPACK®
> The Second Reginald Bretnor MEGAPACK®
The Robert Sheckley MEGAPACK®
The Robert Silverberg MEGAPACK®
The Saki MEGAPACK®
The Selma Lagerlof MEGAPACK®
The Sydney J. Van Scyoc Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
The Stephen Crane MEGAPACK®
The Stephen Vincent Benét MEGAPACK®
The Talbot Mundy MEGAPACK®
The Third R. Austin Freeman MEGAPACK®*
The Virginia Woolf MEGAPACK®
The Walt Whitman MEGAPACK®
The Wilkie Collins MEGAPACK®
The Willa Cather MEGAPACK®
The William Hope Hodgson MEGAPACK®
The William P. McGivern Fantasy MEGAPACK®
The William P. McGivern Science Fiction MEGAPACK®
The Zane Grey MEGAPACK®
HORROR
The 2014 Halloween Horrors MEGAPACK®
The 2015 Halloween Horrors MEGAPACK®
The Horror MEGAPACK®
> The Second Horror MEGAPACK®
The Achmed Abdullah MEGAPACK®
> The Second Achmed Abdullah MEGAPACK®
The E.F. Benson MEGAPACK®
The Algernon Blackwood MEGAPACK®
> The Second Algernon Blackwood MEGAPACK®
The Cthulhu Mythos MEGAPACK®
> The Second Cthulhu Mythos MEGAPACK®
The Devils & Demons MEGAPACK®
E. Hoffmann Price’s Pierre d’Artois: Occult Detective & Associates MEGAPACK®
The Elliott O’Donnell Supernatural MEGAPACK®
The Erckmann-Chatrian MEGAPACK®
The Ghost Story MEGAPACK®
> The Second Ghost Story MEGAPACK®
> The Third Ghost Story MEGAPACK®
> The Fourth Ghost Story MEGAPACK®
> The Fifth Ghost Story MEGAPACK®
> The Sixth Ghost Story MEGAPACK®
> The 7th Ghost Story MEGAPACK®
The Gothic Terror MEGAPACK®
The 11th Golden Age of Weird Fiction Page 36