by Eando Binder
“Are you sure?” asked King Luth, uncertainly.
“And furthermore, Sire,” said Tal, eagerness in his face, “I have surmised after deep thought that their cavern may be the key to quick conquest of Dorthia.”
King Luth started, no less than Paige and Reena.
Tal went on tersely.
“They speak of their cavern being above both Dorthia and Uldorn. If there is a way down to Dorthia, there must be one to Uldorn. If their story is true, that their cavern is a huge one, it must also lie above other sections of Dorthia. Perhaps other passages lead to Dorthian caverns, or can be quickly blasted out. The Uldornian forces could then attack Dorthia in a totally unexpected quarter.”
Paige gasped.
The whole thing was ridiculous, nonsensical. To carry out any such plan as Tal’s, an army of Uldornians would have to march way across earth, searching all other natural caves like Mammoth for possible entrances to the underworld caverns. Dr. Aronson himself suspected that Carlsbad, Yellowstone, and many natural caves in out-of-way places had access to the underworld, if once they were meticulously searched for.
But it remained that Tal had no conception of the hugeness of the outside world. Obviously, he thought of it simply as a large “cave”, extending perhaps a few dozen miles.
“Is this true, dark man?” demanded King Luth.
“Of course not,” scoffed Paige. “It is true that I came from a world above both Dorthia and Uldorn, but you would never find other passages to attack Dorthia.”
Tal and King Luth exchanged glances.
The King smiled a slow, knowing smile. “So! Now I am sure there must be such a passage, else you would not be so quick to deny it. You are a bad actor, dark man. You refused to help me before, earning death. I give you another chance. Show us the way to your cavern, and to one other passage to Dorthia, and you will be spared.”
Paige laughed aloud.
“I couldn’t if I wanted to,” he retorted. “I could lead an army of yours up there, all right. But it would walk its legs off trying to find another natural cave for a way down. I’d have to walk it from Kentucky to New Mexico, to the Carlsbad Cavern as a possibility. That’s only about two thousand miles—half-way across all the underworld. No, King Luth, I can’t help you in that, even assuming I wanted to.”
Again Tal and the King exchanged glances.
“He seeks to confuse us,” observed Tal. “He is trying to cover up the fact that his cavern is the way to quick conquest of Dorthia.”
“You fools,” snapped Paige, humor leaving him. “When I tell you the truth, you don’t believe it. If you’d only believe my story as it is—but, of course, you won’t, any more than the Kal of Dorthia. What’s more, if your army went up there, it would run smack into the Martian forces and…”
Paige stopped, choking. He staggered mentally. They weren’t the fools—he was. He didn’t speak for a minute his mind churning.
King Luth, watching him, waved a hand. “You still refuse. Therefore, you must die.”
“Wait.” Paige took a deep breath. He was trembling. Sweat beaded his forehead. “I don’t want to die.” There was a whine in his voice.
The king smiled triumphantly at Tal. “He has broken down.” To Paige he said: “Will you show us the way to your cavern world, then?”
Paige nodded, haggardly. But within himself he was singing. By the queerest trick of fate ever known, Paige might yet accomplish his goal and save the upperworld. The crazy irony of it was that they—Tal and King Luth had talked themselves into it. By thinking that the upperworld—or his home “cavern”—could mean a military coup, they were ready to be led by Paige to—the upperworld!
But he had to play the game carefully, pretending he was a “traitor” to Dorthia, wanting only to save his own cowardly hide. And he winced, seeing already what this would cost him…
Reena, who had listened silently all the while, darted him a strange, shocked glance. Her eyes seemed to plead with him, but Paige looked away. Then her lips curled. Deliberately, she shrank away from him, with an expression of loathing.
“Reena,” Paige stammered. “Reena, please. After all, it’s my life. What can I do?”
To himself Paige was saying: “Make this good. Don’t overplay your hand, but make it good.”
Out of the corner of his eyes he watched Tal. Somewhat suspicious of the abrupt breakdown on Paige’s part, Tal now grinned in satisfaction. It pleased him that Reena showed the same contempt for Paige that she had shown for Tal. Paige turned away from the stony-faced girl, hoping he wasn’t making too melodramatic an air out of it, addressing the King.
“Listen then. Here’s how it must be done. My people are numerous, in our cavern above the Fire Zone. We have armed forces too. It will be best for you to send a large force along with me, to reach another cave-entrance to Dorthia.”
King Luth looked perturbed. “You have armed forces? Then perhaps it would gain us little.”
Paige called forth all the histrionic powers at his command. He looked as relieved as he could.
“Yes,” he hastened to assure. “You would have to fight my people first. It might gain you nothing. I speak the truth. I want to save my life. I will take your first offer, to show you our military tactics.”
“Sire,” burst in Tal. “He is trying to dissuade us now from going to his cavern. It must mean he is trying to save his own people. Despite their clever military tactics, they are weakly armed. They use obsolete propulsion-weapons.”
His eyes lighted. “Another thing. His original uniform was a military one. He came down for help, against an enemy. His people are at civil war—divided.”
Paige looked guilty. He nodded reluctantly. But then he said sharply: “But your armed forces are not strong enough to defeat my people, divided though we are. I tell you, you can’t. You will not easily conquer my people.”
“Conquer your people,” interrupted King Luth, taking the bait. “Yes, we will conquer your people. Uldorn will add another part to its great kingdom. Obviously, they are weak, by your hesitation, dark man. We will conquer them quickly and then strike at Dorthia. It is my command.” Paige couldn’t believe his luck. His innuendoes and hesitancies had triggered off the Uldornian warlord’s cupidity, luring him with another “cave system” to conquer. Laughably enough, everything Paige had said was mostly true, but King Luth, and Tal too, had chosen to interpret it all the wrong way and to their advantage.
As rescuers of the upperworld, the undergrounders would not go. But as conquerors they would. Paige could only shake his head at the queer, distorted twist of destiny that had come about.
King Luth had made up his mind, that was certain. He pointed and said: “You, Tal, and this man will lead an expeditionary regiment to the upper cavern. If by some chance they prove too strong, send word and I will rush reinforcements. If the dark man tries treachery, torture him.”
“I have a better suggestion,” Tal grinned evilly. “Let us take the girl along, whom he loves. If the dark man attempts to lead us astray, she will be tortured.”
“Good,” nodded King Luth. “The regiment will start tomorrow.”
* * * *
Again Evan Paige felt that it was all a strange, incredible dream.
It was a week after the fall of the city. Behind him marched a regiment of Uldornian soldiers, powerfully armed. On his left and right were Reena and Tal. The girl was silent, drawn-faced, and had hardly spoken a work to either of them in six days. Her contempt for both was equal. One renegade deserved no better than another.
Tal Rithor strode along eagerly. As commanding officer of the regiment, he stood to gain much in prestige and favor with King Luth, if Paige’s cavern-world were successfully discovered to be ripe for conquest.
The way led upward steadily.
They had passed through the Fire Zone three days before. Again Paige saw why it had placed a natural limit on the expansion of the albino people. It was a hot, tempestuous region of linked caverns, with treacherous lava flows springing out at any unguarded moment. They had lost more than a dozen men, despite caution. And once, by a miracle, the regiment had barely quitted a cavern before a veritable cloudburst of molten, hissing rock dropped down from the ceiling. Had that struck them, the whole regiment would have been wiped out.
But that was all behind them now. Ahead lay fifty miles of earth’s crust to penetrate. And they were constantly struggling against gravity, fighting their slow way up. Thus the region had long been known as the Heavy Region, where the peak of gravity existed. The bulk of albino population lived at least a thousand miles below, where gravity was only three-fourths of surface gravity.
Paige followed Aronson’s arrows, in reverse, leading the way.
Tal looked at him suspiciously at times.
“If you are leading us astray, Evan Paige, you’ll regret it. You wouldn’t like to see Reena…” He had then gone into detail, till Paige had to dig his nails in his palms to keep from leaping at the man.
But within himself, he laughed. For though Tal could not realize it, leading astray was the last thing in the world Paige would do. Sometimes Paige himself became a little confused, and wondered how it would all turn out.
Sweating and toiling their way upward, the army of Uldornian troops were muttering by the tenth day. King Luth had insisted that they take small nuclear cannon along, against any surprising power of the dark-skinned people. At times, where the way led over boulders or up steep defiles, the men had to sling the cannon on ropes and drag them up by sheer labor.
But they were hardy, well-disciplined troops, not easily dismayed by such drawbacks. They were superbly equipped, both in armament and supplies. Where the caverns were dim, lacking both phosphorescent plants and radioactive walls, they lighted the way with portable radium-glow searchlights. Well armed, they would be able to set a defense line anywhere and at the very least hold off against vastly superior forces till reinforcements came, were such needed in the venture ahead.
Paige grinned.
The venture ahead was going to have an amazing climax. Only one thing was certain—that he was at last leading the albino people to the upper world by an amazing quirk of fate.
He thrilled at the thought. He was introducing one world to another, neither aware of the other. He was an underground Columbus.
Though all had gone so far as he planned, one thing bothered Paige and made his sleep troubled. It was the girl, and the open way she despised him for what he had done. Paige longed to talk to her, convince her she was wrong, and one day had his chance. Tal had slipped back a few dozen yards, talking to one of his officers.
Paige called her without moving close to her. It would not do for Tal to know he had spoken to her. She made no answer, staring straight ahead, moving her legs mechanically.
“Reena, listen to me,” he tried again. “Whatever you think of me, it isn’t true. Do you think I’m deliberately showing the Uldornian army the way to conquer Dorthia?”
“Well?” she said witheringly, breaking her silence.
“But I’m not,” Paige returned. “Please trust me. You must believe me. What I’m doing is for the benefit of my people.”
Her voice came back wearily. “I only know that this regiment can bring no good to my people.”
“Reena, you don’t understand…” Paige began, but at that moment Tal returned, and Paige subsided. He stole a glance at the girl, for a sign that she might still trust him, but saw none.
Within himself, Paige alternately cursed her and forgave her. He could see her viewpoint, knowing no more of the outer world than the others.
Chapter 15
Two weeks after they had left their base, Paige drew a deep breath.
He was leading the way now across a cavern decorated by the ages with familiar stalactites and stalagmites. It was the cavern directly in back of Mammoth Cave proper. Another few miles…
When they reached the narrow tunnel through which Paige and Sparky, and Aronson before them, had scarcely squeezed through, Paige called a halt.
“This narrow tunnel,” he informed Tal, “is the only entrance to my cavern in this vicinity. It would take too long for each man to wiggle through. Have a cannon blast a larger passage.”
Tal complied, after sending a man through the tunnel and back. The albino cannoneers, past masters in the art of fashioning rock-bound tunnels, expertly hollowed out a large corridor. Their cannon’s atomic blasts peeled the walls down rapidly. Within the smooth fissure down which Paige and Sparky had slid, they blasted a wide sloping path through to the cave floor. And the regiment marched up into the back portions of Mammoth Cave…
“This is your cavern?” Tal queried.
“The beginning of it,” Paige nodded. “Further on, there is a wide portal, leading into the main part of my cavern-world. Come on.”
Tal was cautious. “I will send a man ahead first. Your forces might be lurking to trap us.”
A scout was sent, following the arrows, and came back reporting he had seen the portal, but no sign of enemy forces. He had a sort of shocked look in his eyes, and was shivering.
“I looked out of the portal,” he said. “It was strange. There were many little pinpoints of light in the roof of the cave beyond. Also a cold wind blew in.”
And as they marched to the mouth of Mammoth Cave, after a sleeping period, Evan Paige grew to wonder what reaction the full sight of his world would have on these buried people.
From now on, he told himself, anything might happen. He had played with fate. How would fate now play with him?
* * * *
They reached the cave-mouth when it was again night in the outside world. Paige strained forward eagerly, for the last hundred yards, though Tal’s gruff voice warned him not to attempt to escape.
Finally he stood looking out into the night sky, his first glimpse of open air for many long weeks. He stood drinking in the fresh night breezes. It was July and the summer stars beamed down like fiery beacons. He felt much as if he had been resurrected from a grave.
He turned, wonderingly.
What was the effect on the albino people, who had never in all their lives seen the sky, or stars? They were looking out in puzzled astonishment. They were all shivering from the breeze, knowing little of circulating air in their protected world.
“What a strange cavern,” muttered Tal, his face slowly turning to take in the night view. “It must be truly huge. The roof appears very high. But what are all those flashing lights?”
“Stars,” murmured Paige in his own language, since they had no such word. “Blessed stars. And that roof is a little higher than you think.”
A gasp came suddenly from Reena. She pointed a trembling hand. “Look! That great light—it is moving up. What can that be?”
All the albino people watched in shocked amazement, as the full moon slowly bulked over the horizon. Its light, though pale and soft, was almost as bright as the radium-glow lamps the albino people used.
“That is unique,” commented Tal. “Your people are rather clever, Evan Paige. They move a huge radium-glow lamp across the roof. But on second thought, it’s rather ridiculous. If this is the end of the sleeping period, why don’t they fix that lamp overhead and simply turn it on?”
“We have our reasons,” said Paige, the corners of his lips twitching. He went on curiously. “How far away does that light look to you, Tal?”
“Well, perhaps ten lengths,” Tal estimated. A length was the measure of a certain cavern used as a standard in the underworld, approximately a mile. He shook his head. “No, I must admit this is a huge cavern. Twenty lengths.” He said it reluctantly, a
s though he had betrayed his people’s pride.
Some of the albino men in back gasped, at that bold and stupendous estimate. Paige laughed silently. The moon was twenty miles away. He realized something now. The albino people’s eyes, never focusing on distances more than a few miles in their restricted world, had no mental equipment with which to judge distances beyond a few miles. To them, the “roof’ actually was twenty miles away, and no more.
Paige watched Reena’s face mostly. A strange succession of emotions had flitted across her alabaster-white features. First amazement, wonder, even a little fear, but finally something softer.
“It’s beautiful, in a way,” she murmured. “It’s almost like something I’ve dreamed at times, and it’s beautiful.”
She was swallowing, her eyes misting slightly.
And from that Paige knew that though the albino race had not known the surface world for an age, their primary memory still loved it. The ancestors common to both races had known these things for longer ages before. Life did not forget, though the individual might. Racial memory survived.
He pitied the albino people at that moment. They had been withheld from their birth-right.
* * * *
The regiment pitched camp at the mouth of the cave, for its regular sleep period.
At dawn, Paige was up. He wanted to see the sunrise. As the first rose rays stole into the air, the sentries began to be nervous. They watched in growing wonder as the light became stronger and stronger. When they caught a glimpse of the sun, behind a bank of thick clouds, they shouted in alarm.
The army woke to pandemonium. Albino men jumped up, rubbed sleepy eyes, and then shielded them from the light pouring in from outside. Light that was dozens of times stronger than their brightest radium-glow lamps.