Whatever kind oftrouble he is bringing is already on the way and we wouldn't be ableto escape on foot. So we might as well save our energy. But theyaren't getting my handmade, super-charged steamobile!" he added withsudden vehemence, grabbing up the crossbow. "Back both of you, farback. They'll make a slave of me for my talents, but no free samplesgo with it. If they want one of these hot-rod steam wagons, they aregoing to have to pay for it!"
Jason lay down flat at the maximum range of the crossbow and his thirdquarrel hit the boiler. It went up with a most satisfactory bang andsmall pieces of metal and wood rained down all around. In the distancehe heard shouting and the barking of dogs.
* * * * *
When he stood he could see a distant line of men advancing through thetall grass and when they were closer large dogs were also visible,tugging at their leashes. Though they must have come far in a fewhours they approached at a steady trot, experienced runners, in thinleather garments each carrying a short, laminated bow and a fullquiver of arrows. They swooped up in a semicircle, their great houndsslavering to be loosed, and stopped when the three strangers werewithin bow range. They notched their arrows and waited with alertpatience, staying well clear of the smoking ruins of the caroj, untilSnarbi finally staggered up half supported by two other runners.
"You now belong to ... the Hertug Persson ... and are his slaves....What happened to the _caroj_?" He screamed this last when he spottedthe smoking wreck and would have collapsed except for the sustainingarms. Evidently the new slaves decreased in value with the loss of themachine. He stumbled over to it and, when none of the soldiers wouldhelp him, gathered up what he could find of Jason's artifacts andtools. When he had bundled them up, and the foot cavalry had seen thathe suffered no injury from the contact, they reluctantly agreed tocarry them. One of the soldiers, identical in dress with the others,seemed to be in charge, and when he signaled a return they closed inon the three prisoners and nudged them to their feet with drawn bows.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Jason said, gnawing on a bone, "but I'mgoing to finish my breakfast first. I see an endless vista of _krenoj_stretching out before me and intend to enjoy this last meal beforeentering servitude."
The lead soldiers looked confused and turned to their officer fororders. "Who is this?" he asked Snarbi, pointing at the still seatedJason. "Is there any reason why I should not kill him."
"You can't!" Snarbi choked, and turned a dirty shade of white. "He isthe one who built the devil-wagon and knows all of its secrets. HertugPersson will torture him to build another."
Jason wiped his fingers on the grass and reluctantly stood. "All rightgentlemen, let's go. And on the way perhaps someone can tell me justwho Hertug Persson is and what is going to happen next."
"I'll tell you," Snarbi bragged as they started the march. "He isHertug of the Perssonoj. I have fought for the Perssonoj and they knewme and I saw the Hertug himself and he believed me. The Perssonoj arevery powerful in Appsala and have many powerful secrets, but not aspowerful as the Trozelligoj who have the secret of the _caroj_ and the_jetilo_. I knew I could ask any price of the Perssonoj if I broughtthem the secret of the _caroj_. And I will." He trust his face closeto Jason's with a fierce grimace. "You will tell them the secret. Iwill help them torture you until you tell."
Jason put out his toe as they walked and Snarbi tripped over it andwhen the traitor fell he walked the length of his body. None of thesoldiers paid any attention to this exchange and when they had passedSnarbi staggered to his feet and tottered after them shouting curses.Jason did not hear them, he had troubles enough as it was.
XI
Seen from the surrounding hills, Appsala looked like a burning citythat was being slowly washed into the sea. Only when they had comecloser was it clear that the smoke was from the multifold chimneys,both large and small, that studded the buildings, and that the citybegan at the shore and covered a number of islands in what must be ashallow lagoon. Large sea-going ships were tied up at the seaward sideof the city and closer to the mainland smaller craft were being poledthrough the canals. Jason searched anxiously for a spaceport or anysigns of interstellar culture but saw nothing. Then the hillsintervened as the trail cut off to one side and approached the seasome distance from the city.
A fair-sized sailing vessel was tied up at the end of a stone wharf,obviously awaiting them, and the captives were tied hand and foot andtossed into the hold. Jason managed to wriggle around until he couldget his eye to a crack between two badly fitting planks and recited arunning travelogue of the cruise, apparently for the edification ofhis companions, but really for his own benefit since the sound of hisown voice always cheered and encouraged him.
"Our voyage is nearing its close and before us opens up the romanticand ancient city of Appsala, famed for its loathsome customs,murderous natives and archaic sanitation facilities, of which thiswatery channel this ship is now entering seems to be the major cloaca.There are islands on both sides, the smaller ones covered with hovelsso decrepit that in comparison the holes in the ground of the humblestanimals appear to be palaces, while the larger islands appear to beforts, each one walled and barbicaned and presenting a warlike face tothe world. There couldn't be that many forts in a town this size so Iam led to believe that each one is undoubtedly the guarded strongholdof one of the tribes, groups or clans that our friend Judas told usabout. Look on these monuments to ultimate selfishness and beware:this is the end product of the system that begins with slave-holderslike the former Ch'aka with their tribes of _krenoj_ crackers, andbuilds up through familiar hierarchies like the D'zertanoj and reachesits zenith of depravity behind those strong walls. It is stillabsolute power that rules absolutely, each man out for all that he canget and the only way to climb being over the bodies of others, and allphysical discoveries and inventions being treated as private andpersonal secrets to be hidden and used only for personal gain. Neverhave I seen human greed and selfishness carried to such extremes and Iadmire Homo sapiens' capacity to follow through on an idea, no matterhow it hurts."
The ship lost way as it backed its sails and Jason fell from hisprecarious perch into the stinking bilge. "The descent of man," hemuttered and inched his way out.
Piles grated along the sides and with much shouting and cursed ordersthe ship came to a halt. The hatch above was slid back and the threecaptives were rushed to the deck. The ship was tied up to a dock in apool of water surrounded by buildings and high walls. Behind them alarge sea gate was just swinging shut, through which the ship hadentered from the canal. They could see no more because they werepushed into a doorway and through halls and past guards until theyended up in a large central room. It was unfurnished except for thedais at the far end on which stood a large and rusty iron throne. Theman on the throne, undoubtedly the Hertug Persson, sported amagnificent white beard and shoulder length hair, his nose was roundand red, his eyes blue and watery. He nibbled at a _krenoj_ impaleddelicately on a two-tined iron fork.
* * * * *
"Tell me," the Hertug shouted suddenly, "why you should not be killedat once?"
"We are your slaves, Hertug, we are your slaves," everyone in the roomshouted in unison, waving their hands in the air at the same time.Jason missed the first chorus, but came in on the second. Only Mikahdid not join in the chant-and-wave, speaking instead in a solitaryvoice after the pledge of allegiance was completed.
"I am no man's slave."
The commander of the soldiers swung his thick bow in a short arc thatterminated on the top of Mikah's head: he dropped stunned to thefloor.
"You have a new slave, oh Hertug," the commander said.
"Which is the one who knows the secrets of the _caroj_?" the Hertugasked and Snarbi pointed at Jason.
"Him there, oh mightiness. He can make _caroj_ and he can make themonster that burns and moves them, I know because I watched him do it.He also made balls of fire that burned the D'zertanoj and many otherthings. I brought him to be your slave so that he could m
ake _caroj_for the Perssonoj. Here are the pieces of the _caroj_ we traveled in,after it was consumed by its own fire." Snarbi shook the tools andburnt fragments out onto the floor and the Hertug curled his lip atthem.
"What proof is this?" he asked, and turned to Jason. "These thingsmean nothing. How can you prove to me, slave, that you can do thethings he says?"
Jason entertained briefly the idea to deny all knowledge of thematter, which would be a neat revenge against Snarbi who wouldcertainly meet a sticky end for causing all this trouble for nothing,but he discarded the thought as fast as it came. Partly forhumanitarian reasons, Snarbi could not help being what he was, butmostly because he had no particular desire to be put to the question.He knew nothing about
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