XXXVIII
THE VOICE FROM THE VOID
Even while that inexplicable heavenly pageant still burned against theheavens, something else took place, a thing of much greater importanceto Chick. And, it happened right before his eyes.
In the front of the car was a dial, slightly raised above the level ofthe various controlling instruments. And all of a sudden this dial, asmall affair about six inches across, broke into light and life.
First, there was a white blaze that covered the whole disc; then thewhiteness abruptly gave way to a flood of colour, which resolved itselfinto a perfect miniature of the tri-coloured cloverleaf in the skyahead. Chick saw, however that the positions of the red and green werejust the obverse of what glowed in the distance; and then he heard thevoice, strong and distinct, speaking with a slight metallic twang asfrom a microphone hidden in that little, blazing, coloured leaf:
"Listen, ye who have ears to listen!"
It was said in the Thomahlian tongue. The Geos breathed:
"The voice of the Prophet Jarados!"
But the next moment the unseen speaker began in another language--clear,silver, musical--in English, and in a voice that Chick recognised!
"Chick! You have done well, my boy. Your courage and your intuition maylead us out. Follow the prophecy to the letter, Chick; it MUST cometo pass, exactly as it is written! Don't fail to read it, there on thewalls of the Temple of the Bell, when you encounter the Bar Senestro onthe Day of the Prophet!
"I have discovered many things, my boy, but I am not omnipotent. Yourcoming has made possible my last hope that I may return to my own kind,and take with me the secrets of life. You have done right to trust yourinstinct; have no fear, yet remember that if you--if we--make one falsestep we are lost.
"Finally, if you should succeed in your contest with the Senestro, Ishall send for you; but if you fail, I know how to die.
"Return at once to the Mahovisal. Don't cross into the Region of Carbon.Take care how you go back; the Bars are waiting. But you can put fullconfidence in the Rhamdas."
Then the speaker dropped the language of the earth and used theThomahlian tongue again: "It is I who speak--I, the Prophet; the ProphetJarados!"
All in the voice of Dr. Holcomb.
The blazing leaf faded into blackness, and the talking ceased. Chick wasglad of the darkness; the whole thing was like magic, and too goodto believe. The first actual words from the missing professor! Eachsyllable was frozen into Watson's memory.
The Geos was clutching his arm.
"Did you understand, my lord? We heard the voice of the prophet! Whatdid he say?"
"Yes, I understand. He used his own language--my language. And hesaid"--taking the reins firmly into his hands--"he said that we mustreturn to the Thomahlia. And we must beware of the Bars."
There was no thought of questioning him. Without waiting the Geos'command, the Jan Lucar began putting the craft about. Watson glanced atthe sky; the great spectacle was gone; and he demanded of the soldier:
"How can we get back? How do we find our way?"
For there was no visible light save the strange, fitful glow fromthat uncanny sky to guide them; no lights from the inky carpet of theThomahlia, lights such as one would expect for the benefit of fliers.But the soldier touched a button, and instantly another and larger dialwas illumined above the instruments.
It revealed a map or chart of a vast portion of the Thomahlia. On thefarther edge there appeared an area coloured to represent water, andadjoining this area was a square spot labeled "The Mahovisal." And aboutmidway from this point to the near edge of the dial a red dot hung,moving slowly over the chart.
"The red dot, my lord, indicates our position," explained the Jan. "Inthat manner we know at all times where we are located, and which way weare flying. We shall arrive in the Mahovisal shortly."
As he spoke the craft was gaining speed, and soon was travelling atan even greater rate than before. The red dot began to crawl at anastonishing speed. Of course, they had the benefit of the pull ofgravity, now; apparently they would make the journey in a few minutes.But incredible though the speed might be, there was nothing but the reddot to show it.
The Geos felt like talking. "My lord, the sign is conclusive. It is amarvel, such as only the prophet could possibly have produced; with allour science we could not duplicate such splendour. Only once before hasthe Thomahlia seen it."
Already they were near enough to the surface to make out the clustered,blinking lights of the towns on the plain below. Ahead of them queerstreamers of pale rays thrust through the darkness. Watson recognisedthem as the beams of the far-distant searchlights; and then and therehe gave thanks for one thing, at least, in which the Thomahlians hadseemingly progressed no further than the people of the earth.
Coming a little nearer, Chick made out a number of bright, glittering,insect-like objects, revealed by these searchlights. The Jan Lucar said:
"The Bars, my lord. They are waiting; and they will head us off if theycan."
"The work of Senestro, I suppose. I thought he claimed to some honour."
"It is not the prince's work, my lord," replied the soldier. "HisD'Hartian and Kospian followers, some of them, have no scruples as tohow they might slay the 'false one', as they think you."
"Suppose," hazarded Watson, "suppose I WERE the false one?"
Both the Geos and the Jan smiled. But the Rhamda's voice was very sureas he replied:
"If you were false, my lord, I would slay you myself."
They were very near the Mahovisal now. Below was the unmistakableopalescence, somehow produced by powerful illumination, as intense assunlight itself. The red dot was almost above the black square on thelighted chart. And directly ahead, the air was becoming alive with thebeam-revealed aircraft. How could they get by in safety?
But Chick did not know the Jan Lucar. The soldier said:
"My lord is not uneasy?"
"Of course not," with unconcern. "Why?"
"Because I propose something daring. I am free to admit, my lord, thatwere the Geos and I alone, I should not attempt it. But not even theBars," with magnificent confidence, "can stand before us now! We havehad the proof of the Jarados, and we know that no matter what the odds,he will carry us through."
"What are you going to do?"
"I propose to shoot it, my lord." And without explaining the Jan askedthe Geos: "Are you agreeable? The June Bug will hold; the prophet willprotect us."
"Surely," returned the Rhamda. "There is nothing to fear, now, for thosewho are in the company of the chosen."
Watson wondering watched the Jan as he tilted the nose of the June Bugand began to climb at an all but perpendicular angle straight into theheavens. Mile after mile, in less than as many minutes, they hurtledtowards the zenith, so that the lights of the city dimmed until onlythe searching shafts could be seen. Chick began to guess what theywere going to do; that the Jan Lucar was nearly as reckless as he washandsome.
At last the soldier brought the craft to a level. They soared alonghorizontally for a while; the Jan kept his eye fixed on the red dot. Andwhen it was directly above the black square he stated:
"It is considered a perilous feat, my lord. We are going to drop. If wemake it from this height, not only will we break all records, but willhave proved the June Bug the superior in this respect, as she is inspeed. It is our only chance in any circumstances, but with the Jaradosat our side, we need not fear that the craft will stand the strain. Weshall go through them like stone; before they know it we shall be in thedrome--in less than a minute."
"From this height?" Chick concealed a shudder behind a fair show ofscepticism. "A minute is not much time."
"Does my lord fear the drop?"
"Why should I? I have in mind the June Bug; she might be set afirethrough friction, in dropping so quickly through the air." Watson had avivid picture of a blazing meteorite, containing the charred bodies ofthree men, dropping out of--
"My lord need not be concerned
with that," the Jan assured him. "Theshell of the car is provided with a number of tiny pores, throughwhich a heat-resisting fluid will be pumped during the manoeuvre. Thetemperature may be raised a little, but no more.
"You see this plug," touching a hitherto unused knob among theinstruments. "By pulling that out, the mechanism of the craft isautomatically adjusted to care for every phase of the descent. Nothingelse remains to be done, after removing that plug, save to watch the reddot and prepare to step out upon the floor of our starting-place."
"Has the thing ever been done before?" Watson was sparring for timewhile he gathered his nerve.
"I myself have seen it, my lord. The June Bug has been sent up manytimes, weighted with ballast; the plug was abstracted by clockwork; andin fifty-eight seconds she returned through the open end of the drone,without a hitch. It was beautiful. I have always envied her that plunge.And now I shall have the chance, with the hand of the Jarados as myguide and protector!"
Chick had just time to reflect that, if by any chance he got throughwith this, he ought to be able to pass any test conceivable. He oughtto be able to get away with anything. He started to murmur a prayer; butbefore he could finish, the Jan Lucar leaned over the dial-map for thelast time, saw that the red dot was now exactly central over the squarethat represented the city, and unhesitatingly jerked out the plug.
Of what happened next Watson remembered but little. The bottom seemed tohave dropped out of the universe. He was conscious of a crushing blurof immensity, of a silent thundering within him--then mental chaos and astunned oblivion.
The Blind Spot Page 40