diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63960-h.zip | bin | 802972 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63960-h/63960-h.htm | 2696 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63960-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 239874 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63960-h/images/illus1.jpg | bin | 137269 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63960-h/images/illus2.jpg | bin | 99727 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63960-h/images/illusc.jpg | bin | 280497 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63960.txt | 2542 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63960.zip | bin | 45434 -> 0 bytes |
11 files changed, 17 insertions, 5238 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8046b93 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63960 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63960) diff --git a/old/63960-h.zip b/old/63960-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e923803..0000000 --- a/old/63960-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63960-h/63960-h.htm b/old/63960-h/63960-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index c3b0380..0000000 --- a/old/63960-h/63960-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2696 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Rebel of Valkyr, by Alfred Coppel. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -.caption p -{ - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0; - margin: 0.25em 0; -} - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -.poetry .stanza -{ - margin: 1em auto; -} - -.poetry .verse -{ - padding-left: 3em; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.smcap { font-variant:small-caps; } - -.ph1 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; } -.ph1 { font-size: medium; margin: .83em auto; } - -.ph2 { text-align: right; text-indent: 0em; } -.ph2 { font-size: medium; margin: .83em auto; } - - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Rebel of Valkyr, by Alfred Coppel - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Rebel of Valkyr - -Author: Alfred Coppel - -Release Date: December 5, 2020 [EBook #63960] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE REBEL OF VALKYR *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusc.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>The Rebel of Valkyr</h1> - -<h2>By ALFRED COPPEL</h2> - -<p>... <i>From the Dark Ages of Space emerged the Second<br /> -Empire ... ruled by a child, a usurper and a fool!<br /> -The Great Throne of Imperial Earth commanded a<br /> -thousand vassal worlds—bleak, starved worlds that<br /> -sullenly whispered of galactic revolt.... At last,<br /> -like eagles at a distant eyrie, the star-kings<br /> -gathered ... not to whisper, but to strike!</i></p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories Fall 1950.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p><i>Out of the dark ages of the Interregnum emerged the Second Empire. -Once again in the space of a millennium, the banner of Imperial -Earth waved above the decimated lands of the inhabited worlds. Four -generations of conquerors, heirs to the greatness of the Thousand -Emperors, had recreated the Galactic Empire, by force of arms. But -technology, the Great Destroyer, was feared and forbidden. Only -witches, warlocks and sorcerers remembered the old knowledge, and the -mobs, tortured by the racial memories of the awful destruction of -the Civil Wars, stoned these seekers and burned them in the squares -of towns built amid the rubble of the old wars. The ancient, mighty -spaceships—indestructible, eternal—carried men and horses, fire and -sword across the Galaxy at the bidding of the warlords. The Second -Empire—four generations out of isolated savagery—feudal, grim; -a culture held together by bonds forged of blood and iron and the -loyalty of the warrior star-kings</i>....</p> - -<p class="ph2">—Quintus Bland,<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Essays on Galactic History</span>.</p></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">I</p> - -<p>Kieron, Warlord of Valkyr, paced the polished floor angrily. The -flickering lights of the vast mirrored chamber glinted from the -jewels in his ceremonial harness and shimmered down the length of his -silver cape. For a moment, the star-king paused before the tall double -doors of beaten bronze, his strong hands toying with the hilt of his -sword. The towering Janizaries of the Palace Guard stood immobile on -either side of the arching doorway, their great axes resting on the -flagstones. It was as though the dark thoughts that coursed through -Kieron's mind were—to them—unthinkable. The huge warriors from the -heavy planets of the Pleiades were stolid, loyal, unimaginative. And -even a star-king did not dream of assaulting the closed portals of the -Emperor's chambers.</p> - -<p>Kieron's fingers opened and closed spasmodically over the gem-crusted -pommel of his weapon; his dark eyes glittered with unspent fury. -Muttering an oath, he turned away from the silent door and resumed his -pacing. His companion, a brawny man in the plain battle harness of -Valkyr, watched him quietly from under bushy yellow brows. He stood -with his great arms folded over the plaits of grizzled yellow hair that -hung to his waist, his deeply-lined face framed by the loosened lacings -of a winged helmet. A huge sword hugged his naked thigh; a massive -blade with worn and sweat-stained hilt.</p> - -<p>The lord of Valkyr paused in his angry pacing to glare at his aide. -"By the Great Destroyer, Nevitta! How long are we to stand this?"</p> - -<p>"Patience, Kieron, patience." The old warrior spoke with the assurance -of lifelong familiarity. "They try us sorely, but we have waited three -weeks. A little longer can do no harm."</p> - -<p>"Three weeks!" Kieron scowled at Nevitta. "Will they <i>drive</i> us into -rebellion? Is that their intention? I swear I would not have taken this -from Gilmer himself!"</p> - -<p>"The great Emperor would never have dealt with us so. The fighting men -of Valkyr were ever closest to his heart, Kieron. This is a way of -doing that smacks of a woman's hand." He spat on the polished floor. -"May the Seven Hells claim her!"</p> - -<p>Kieron grunted shortly and turned again toward the silent door. Ivane! -Ivane the Fair ... Ivane the schemer. What devil's brew was she mixing -now? Intrigue had always been her weapon—and now that Gilmer was gone -and she stood by the Great Throne....</p> - -<p>Kieron cursed her roundly under his breath. Nevitta spoke the truth. -There was Ivane's hand in this, as surely as the stars made Galaxies!</p> - -<p>Three weeks wasted. Long weeks. Twenty-one full days since their ships -had touched the Imperial City. Days of fighting through the swarms of -dilettantes and favor-seekers that thronged the Imperial Palace. There -had been times when Kieron had wanted to cut a path through the fawning -dandies with his sword!</p> - -<p>Gilmer of Kaidor lay dead a full year and still the new Court was a -madhouse of simpering sycophants. Petitions were being granted by the -score as the favorites collected their long-delayed largess from the -boy-Emperor Toran. And Kieron knew well enough that whatever favors -were granted came through the ambitious hands of the Consort Ivane. -She might not be allowed to wear the crown of an Empress without the -blood of the Thousand Emperors in her veins, but by now no one at Court -denied that she was the fountainhead of Imperial favor. Yet that wasn't -really enough for her, Kieron knew. Ivane dreamed of better things. And -because of all this hidden by-play, the old favorites of the warrior -Gilmer were snubbed and refused audience. A new inner circle was -building, and Kieron of Valkyr was not—it was plain to see—to be -included. He was prevented even from presenting his just complaints to -the Emperor Toran.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Other matters, he was told again and again, occupied His Imperial -Majesty's attention. Other matters! Kieron could feel the anger hot -and throbbing in his veins. What other matters could there be of more -importance to a sovereign than the loyalty of his finest fighting men? -Or if Toran was a fool as the courtiers privately claimed, then surely -Ivane had more intelligence than to keep a Warlord of the Outer Marches -cooling his heels in antechambers for three weeks! The Lady Ivane, -herself so proud, should know how near to rebellion were the warrior -peoples of the Periphery.</p> - -<p>Under such deliberate provocations it was difficult to loyally ignore -the invitation of Freka of Kalgan to meet with the other star-kings in -grievance council. Rebellion was not alluring to one like Kieron who -had spent his boyhood fighting beside Gilmer, but there was a limit to -human endurance, and he was fast reaching it.</p> - -<p>"Nevitta," Kieron spoke abruptly. "Were you able to find out anything -concerning the Lady Alys?"</p> - -<p>The grizzled warrior shook his head. "Nothing but the common talk. It -is said that she has secluded herself, still mourning for Gilmer. You -know, Kieron, how the little princess loved her father."</p> - -<p>The lord of Valkyr frowned thoughtfully. Yes, it was true enough that -Alys had loved Gilmer. He could remember her at the great Emperor's -side after the battle of Kaidor. Even the conquered interregnal lords -of that world had claimed that Gilmer would have surrendered the planet -if they had been able to capture his daughter. The bond between father -and daughter had been a close one. Possibly Alys <i>had</i> secluded herself -to carry on with her mourning—but Kieron doubted it. That would not -have been Gilmer's way, nor his daughter's.</p> - -<p>"Things would be different here," said Nevitta with feeling, "if the -little princess ruled instead of Toran."</p> - -<p>Very different, thought Kieron. The foolish Toran bid fair to lose what -four generations of loyal fighters had built up out of the rubble of -the dark ages. Alys, the warrior princess, would add to the glory of -the Imperium, not detract from it. But perhaps he was prejudiced in her -favor, reflected Kieron. It was hard not to be.</p> - -<p>He recalled her laughing eyes and her courage. A slim child, direct in -manner and bearing. Embarrassing him before his roaring Valkyrs with -her forthright protestations of love. The armies had worshipped her. A -lovely child—with pride of race written into her patrician face. But -compassionate, too. Gravely comforting the dying and the wounded with a -touch or a word.</p> - -<p>Eight years had passed since bloody Kaidor. The child of twelve -would be a woman now. And, thought Kieron anxiously, a threat to the -ascendant power of the Consort Ivane....</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The tall bronze doors swung open suddenly, and Kieron turned. But it -was not the Emperor who stood there framed in the archway, nor even the -Consort. It was the gem-bedecked figure of Landor, the First Lord of -Space.</p> - -<p>Kieron snorted derisively. First Lord! The shades of the mighty -fighters who had carried that title through a thousand of Imperial -Earth's battles must have been sickened by young Toran's ... or -Ivane's ... choice of the mincing courtier who now stood before him.</p> - -<p>The more cynical courtiers said that Landor had won his honors in -Ivane's bed, and Kieron could well believe it. Out in the vast -emptinesses of the Edge men lived by different standards. Out there -a woman was a woman—a thing to be loved or beaten, cherished or -enjoyed and cast off—but not a touchstone to wealth and power. Kieron -had loathed Landor on sight, and there was reason enough to believe -that the First Lord reciprocated most completely. It was not wise for -anyone, even a Warlord, to openly scorn the Consort's favorites—but -restraint was not one of the lord of Valkyr's virtues, though even -Nevitta warned him to take care. Assassination was a fine art in the -Imperial City, and one amply subsidized by the First Lord of Space.</p> - -<p>"Well, Landor?" Kieron demanded, disdaining to use Landor's title.</p> - -<p>Landor's smoothly handsome features showed no expression. The pale eyes -veiled like a serpent's.</p> - -<p>"I regret," the First Lord of Space said easily, "that His Imperial -Majesty has retired for the night, Valkyr. Under the circumstances...." -He spread his slender hands in a gesture of helplessness.</p> - -<p>The lie was obvious. Through the open doorway of the royal chambers -came the murmuring sound of laughter and the reedy melody of a -minstrel's pipes in the age-old ballad of <i>Lady Greensleeves</i>. Kieron -could hear Toran's uncertain voice singing:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"<i>Greensleeves was all my joy,</i></div> - <div class="verse"><i>Greensleeves was all my joy,</i></div> - <div class="verse"><i>And who but Lady Greensleeves?</i>"</div> -</div></div> - -<p>Kieron could imagine the boy—lolling foolishly before the glittering -Ivane, trying to win with verses what any man could have for a pledge -of loyalty to the Consort.</p> - -<p>The Valkyr glared at Landor. "I'm not to be received, is that it? By -the Seven Hells, why don't you say what you mean?"</p> - -<p>Landor's smile was scornful. "You outworlders! You should learn how to -behave, really. Perhaps later...."</p> - -<p>"Later be damned!" snapped Kieron. "My people are starving <i>now</i>! Your -grubbing tax-gatherers are wringing us dry! How long do you think -they'll stand for it? How long do you imagine <i>I</i> will stand for it?"</p> - -<p>"Threats, Valkyr?" asked the First Lord, his eyes suddenly venomous. -"Threats against your Emperor? Men have been whipped to death for much -less."</p> - -<p>"Not men of Valkyr," retorted Kieron.</p> - -<p>"The men of Valkyr no longer hold the favored position they once did, -Kieron. I counsel you to remember that."</p> - -<p>"True enough," Kieron replied scornfully. "Under Gilmer, fighting men -were the power of the Empire. Now Toran rules with the hands of -women ... and dancing masters."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The First Lord's face darkened at the insult. He laid a hand on the -hilt of his ornate sword, but the Valkyr's eyes remained insolent. The -huge Nevitta stirred, measuring the Pleiadene Janizaries at the door, -ready for trouble.</p> - -<p>But Landor had no stomach for swordplay—particularly with as young and -supple a fighter as the Warlord of Valkyr. His own ready tongue was a -better weapon than steel. With an effort, he forced himself to smile. -It was a cold smile, pregnant with subtle danger.</p> - -<p>"Harsh words, Valkyr. And unwise. I shall not forget them. I doubt -that you will be able to see His Majesty, since I do not believe the -tribulations of a planet of savages would concern him. You waste your -time here. If you have other business, you had better be about it."</p> - -<p>It was Kieron's turn to feel the hot goad of anger. "Are those Toran's -words or Ivane's dancing master?"</p> - -<p>"The Consort Ivane, of course, agrees. If your people cannot pay their -taxes, let them sell a few of their brats into service," Landor said -smoothly.</p> - -<p>The die was cast, then, thought Kieron furiously. All hope for an -adjustment from Toran was gone and only one course lay open to him now.</p> - -<p>"Nevitta! See that our men and horses are loaded tonight and the ships -made ready for space!"</p> - -<p>Nevitta saluted and turned to go. He paused, looked insolently at the -First Lord, and deliberately spat on the floor. Then he was gone, his -spurs ringing metallically as he disappeared through the high curving -archway.</p> - -<p>"Savage," muttered Landor.</p> - -<p>"Savage enough to be loyal and worthy of any trust," said Kieron; "but -you would know nothing of that."</p> - -<p>Landor ignored the thrust. "Where do you go now, Valkyr?"</p> - -<p>"Off-world."</p> - -<p>"Of course," Landor smiled thinly, his eyebrows arching over pale, -shrewd eyes. "Off-world."</p> - -<p>Kieron felt a stab of suspicion. How much did Landor know? Had his -spies pierced Freka the Unknown's counter-espionage cordon and brought -word of the star-kings gathering on Kalgan?</p> - -<p>"It cannot concern you where I go now, Landor," said Kieron grimly. -"You've won here. But...." Kieron stepped a pace nearer the resplendent -favorite. "Warn your tax-gatherers to go armed when they land on -Valkyr. Well armed, Landor."</p> - -<p>Kieron turned on his heel and strode out of the antechamber, his booted -heels staccato on the flagstones, silver cape flaunting like a proud -banner.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">II</p> - -<p>Past the tall arch of the Emperor's antechamber lay the Hall of the -Thousand Emperors. Kieron strode through it, the flickering flames of -the wall-sconces casting long shadows out behind him—shadows that -danced and whirled on the tapestried walls and touched the composed -faces of the great men of Earth.</p> - -<p>These were brooding men; men who stared down at him out of their -thousand pasts. Men who had stood with a planet for a throne and -watched their Empire passing in ordered glory from horizon to horizon -across the night sky of Earth—men worshipped as gods on outworld -planets, who watched and guided the tide of Empire until it crashed -thundering on the shores of ten thousand worlds beyond Vega and Altair. -Men who sat cloaked in sable robes with diamond stars encrusted and saw -their civilization built out from the Great Throne, tier on shining -tier until at last it reached the Edge and strained across the awful -gulf for the terrible seetee suns of mighty Andromeda itself....</p> - -<p>The last few of the men like gods had watched the First Empire crumble. -They had seen the wave of annihilation sweeping in from the Outer -Marches of the Periphery; had seen their gem-bright civilization -shattered with destructive forces so hideous that the spectre of the -Great Destroyer hung like a mantle of death over the Galaxy, a thing to -be shunned and feared forever. And thus had come the Interregnum.</p> - -<p>Kieron had no eyes for these brooding giants; his world was not the -world they had known. It was in the next chamber that the outworld -warrior paused. It was a vast and empty place. Here there were but -five figures and space for a thousand more. This was the Empire that -Kieron knew. This Empire he had fought for and helped secure; a -savage, darkling thing spawned in the dark ages of the Interregnum, -a Galaxy-spanning fief of star-kings and serfs—of warlocks and -spaceships—of light and shadow. This Empire had been born in the agony -of a Galaxy and tempered in the bitter internecine wars of reconquest.</p> - -<p>Before the image of Gilmer of Kaidor, Kieron stopped. He stood in -silence, looking into the face of his dead liege. The hour was late -and the Hall deserted. Kieron knelt, suddenly filled with sadness. -He was on his way to rebellion against the Empire that he had helped -this stern-faced man to expand and hold—rebellion against the power -of Imperial Earth, personified by the weak-faced boy standing draped -in the sable mantle of sovereignty in the next niche. Kieron looked -from father to son. By its composure and its nearness to the magnetic -features of the great Gilmer, the face of young Toran seemed to draw -character and strength. It was an illusion, Kieron knew.</p> - -<p>The young Valkyr felt driven hard. His people hungered. Military -service was no longer enough for the Imperial Government as it had been -for decades. Money was demanded, and there was no money on Valkyr. So -the people hungered—and Kieron was their lord. He could not stand by -and see the agony on the faces of his warrior maids as their children -weakened, nor could he see his proud warriors selling themselves into -slavery for a handful of coins. The Emperor would not listen. Kieron -had recourse only to the one thing he knew ... the sword.</p> - -<p>He bowed his head and asked the shade of Gilmer for forgiveness.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A slight movement caught his battle-sharpened eye as someone stirred -behind a fluted column. Kieron's sword whispered as it slid from the -scabbard, the gemmed hilt casting shards of light into the dimness of -the colonnade.</p> - -<p>Treading softly, Kieron eased his tall frame into the shadows, weapon -alert. The thought of assassination flashed across his mind and he -smiled grimly. Could it be that Landor had his hirelings after him -already?</p> - -<p>Kieron saw the shadowy shape slip from the colonnade out onto the great -curving terrace that bordered the entire west wing of the Palace. Eyes -narrowed under his black brows, the lord of Valkyr followed.</p> - -<p>The stars gleamed in the moonless night, and far below, Kieron could -see the flickering torchlights of the Imperial City fanning out to the -horizon like the spokes of some fantastic, glittering wheel. The dark -figure ahead had vanished.</p> - -<p>Kieron sheathed his sword and drew his poniard. It was far too dark for -swordplay, and he did not wish to risk letting the assassin escape. -Melting into the shadows of the colonnade again, he made his way -parallel to the terrace, alert for any sign of movement. Presently, -the figure appeared again beside the balustrade, and the Valkyr moved -swiftly and quietly up behind. With a cat-like movement, he slipped his -free arm about the slight shape, pulling it tight against himself. The -poniard flashed in his upraised hand, the slender blade reflecting the -starlight.</p> - -<p>The weapon did not descend....</p> - -<p>Against his forearm, Kieron felt a yielding softness, and the hair that -brushed his cheek was warm and perfumed.</p> - -<p>He stood transfixed. The girl twisted in his grasp and broke free with -a gasping cry. Instantly, a blade gleamed in her hand and she had -launched herself at the Valkyr furiously. Her voice was tight with rage.</p> - -<p>"Murdering butcher! <i>You dare...!</i>"</p> - -<p>Kieron caught her upraised arm and wrenched the dagger from her grasp. -She clawed at him, kicking, biting, but never once calling aloud for -aid. At last Kieron was able to pin her to a column with his weight, -and he held her there, arms pinioned to her sides.</p> - -<p>"You hellcat!" he muttered against her hair, "Who are you?"</p> - -<p>"You know well enough, you murdering lackey! Why don't you kill me and -go collect your pay, damn you!" gritted the girl furiously. "Must you -manhandle me too?"</p> - -<p>Kieron gasped. "<i>I</i> kill <i>you</i>!" He caught the girl's hair and pulled -her head back so that her features would catch the faint glow of light -from the city below. "Who are you, hellcat?"</p> - -<p>The light outlined his own features and the Arms of Valkyr on the -clasp of his cloak at his throat. The girl's eyes widened. Slowly the -tenseness went out of her and she relaxed against him.</p> - -<p>"Kieron! Kieron of Valkyr!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kieron was still alert for some trick. Landor could have hired a female -assassin just as well as a man.</p> - -<p>"You know me?" he asked cautiously.</p> - -<p>"<i>Know</i> you!" She laughed suddenly, and it was a silvery sound in the -night. "I <i>loved</i> you ... beast!"</p> - -<p>"By the Seven Hells, you speak in riddles! Who are you?" the Valkyr -demanded irritably.</p> - -<p>"And I thought you had come to kill me," mused the girl in -self-reproach. "My own Kieron!"</p> - -<p>"I'm not your Kieron or anyone else's, Lady," said Kieron rather -stiffly, "and you'd better explain why you were watching me in the Hall -of Emperors before I'll let you go."</p> - -<p>"My father warned me that you would forget me. I did not think you -would be so cruel," she taunted.</p> - -<p>"I knew your father?"</p> - -<p>"Well enough, I think."</p> - -<p>"I've had a hundred wenches—and known some of their fathers, too. You -can't expect me to...."</p> - -<p>"Not <i>this</i> wench, Valkyr!" the girl exploded furiously.</p> - -<p>The tone carried such command that Kieron involuntarily stepped back, -but still keeping the girl's hands pinned to her sides.</p> - -<p>"If you had spoken so on Kaidor, I'd have had the skin stripped from -your back, outworld savage!" she cried.</p> - -<p>Kaidor! Kieron felt the blood drain away from his face. This, then, -was ... Alys.</p> - -<p>"Ha! So you remember now! Kaidor you can recall, but you have forgotten -me! Kieron, you always were a beast!"</p> - -<p>Kieron felt a smile spreading across his face. It was good to smile -again. And it was good to know that Alys was ... safe.</p> - -<p>"Highness...."</p> - -<p>"Don't 'Highness' me!"</p> - -<p>"Alys, then. Forgive me. I could not have known you. After all it has -been eight years...."</p> - -<p>"And there have been a hundred wenches ..." mimicked the girl angrily.</p> - -<p>Kieron grinned. "There really haven't been that many. I boasted."</p> - -<p>"Any would be too many!"</p> - -<p>"You haven't changed, Alys, except that you...."</p> - -<p>"Have grown so? Spare me that!" She glared at him, eyes flaming in the -shadows. Then suddenly she was laughing again, a silvery laugh that -hung like a bright thread in the soft tapestry of night sounds. "Oh, -Kieron, it is good to see you again!"</p> - -<p>"I thought to hear from you, Alys, when we reached Earth—but there was -nothing. No word of any kind. I was told you were in seclusion still -mourning Gilmer."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Alys bowed her head. "I will never stop mourning him." She looked up, -her eyes suddenly bright with unshed tears. "Nor will you. I saw you -kneeling inside. I thought then that it might be you. No one kneels -to Gilmer now but the old comrades." She walked to the balustrade and -stood looking out over the lights of the Imperial City. Kieron watched -the play of emotions over her face, caught suddenly by her beauty.</p> - -<p>"I tried to reach you, Kieron—tried hard. But my servants have been -taken from me since I was caught spying on Ivane. And I'm kept under -cover now, permitted out only after dark—and then only on the Palace -grounds. Ivane has convinced Toran that I'm dangerous. The people like -me because I was father's favorite. My poor stupid little brother! How -that woman rules him...!"</p> - -<p>Kieron was aghast. "You spied on Ivane? In heaven's name, why?"</p> - -<p>"That woman is a born plotter, Kieron. She isn't satisfied with a -Consort's coronet. She's brewing something. Emmissaries have come to -her from certain of the star-kings and <i>others</i>...."</p> - -<p>"Others?"</p> - -<p>Alys' voice was hushed. "A warlock, Kieron! He has been seeing Ivane -privately for more than a year. An awful man!"</p> - -<p>Superstition stirred like a quickening devil inside the Valkyr. The -shuddering horror of the dark and bloody tales he had heard all his -life about the warlocks who clung to the knowledge of the Great -Destroyer rose like a wave of blackness within him.</p> - -<p>Alys felt the same dark tide rising in her. She moved closer to Kieron, -her slim body trembling slightly against his. "The people would tear -Ivane to pieces if they knew," she whispered.</p> - -<p>"You <i>saw</i> this warlock?" asked Kieron, sick with dread.</p> - -<p>Alys nodded soundlessly.</p> - -<p>Kieron fought down his fears and wondered uneasily what Ivane's -connection could be with such a pariah. The warlocks and witches were -despised and feared above all other creatures in the Galaxy.</p> - -<p>"His name?" Kieron asked.</p> - -<p>"Geller. Geller of the Marshes. It is said that he is a conjurer of -devils ... <i>and that he can create homunculi</i>! Out of the very filth of -the marshes! Oh, Kieron!" Alys shuddered.</p> - -<p>An awful plan was forming in Kieron's mind. He was thinking that Ivane -must be stripped of the sigils and powers of this devil-man. With such -powers at her command there might be nothing impossible of attainment. -Even the crown of the Imperium itself....</p> - -<p>"Where," Kieron asked slowly, "can this warlock be found?"</p> - -<p>"On the street of the Black Flame, in the city of Neg ... on Kalgan."</p> - -<p>"<i>Kalgan!</i>" Kieron's heart contracted. Was there a connection? Kalgan! -What had Ivane to do with that lonely planet beyond the dark veil of -the Coalsack? Was it coincidence? Out of all the thousands of worlds in -space ... Kalgan.</p> - -<p>"Is there something wrong, Kieron? You know this man?"</p> - -<p>Kieron shook his head. It had suddenly become more than imperative -that he go to Kalgan. The mystery of the Imperial Consort's connection -with a warlock of Kalgan must be unraveled. And the star-kings were -gathering....</p> - -<p>The Valkyr was suddenly taken with a new and different fear. If Alys -had spied on Ivane, then she must be in danger here. Ivane would never -tolerate interference with her plans from Gilmer's daughter.</p> - -<p>"Alys, are you a prisoner here?"</p> - -<p>"More, I'm afraid," the girl said sadly. "I'm a reminder to Toran of -the days of our father. One that he would like to eliminate, I think."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kieron studied her in the starlight. His eyes sought the thick golden -hair that brushed her shoulders, the glittering metallic skirt that -hung low on her hips, outlining the slim thighs. He watched the -graceful line of her unadorned throat, the bare shoulders and breasts, -the small waist, the flat, firm stomach—all revealed by the studied -nakedness of the fashions of the Inner Marches. This was no child. The -thought of her in danger shook him badly.</p> - -<p>"Toran would not dare harm you, Alys," said Kieron uncertainly. There -had been a time when he could have said such a thing with perfect -assurance, but since the death of Gilmer, the Imperial City was like an -over-civilized jungle—full of beasts of prey.</p> - -<p>"No, Toran wouldn't ... alone," said Alys; "but there are Ivane and -Landor." She laughed, suddenly gay; her eyes, seeking Kieron's, were -shining. "But not now! You are here, Kieron!"</p> - -<p>The Valkyr felt his heart contract. "Alys," he said softly, "I leave -Earth tonight. For Kalgan."</p> - -<p>"For Kalgan, Kieron?" Alys' eyes widened. "To seek that warlock?"</p> - -<p>"For another reason, Alys." Kieron paused uneasily. It was hard to -speak to Gilmer of Kaidor's daughter about rebellion. Yet he could not -lie to her. He temporized.</p> - -<p>"I have business with the lord of Kalgan," he said.</p> - -<p>Alys' face was shadowed and her voice when she spoke was sad. "Do the -star-kings gather, Kieron? Have they had all they can stand of Toran's -foolish rule?"</p> - -<p>Kieron nodded wordlessly.</p> - -<p>The girl flared up with a sudden imperious anger. "That fool! He is -letting the favorites drive the Empire to ruin!" She looked up at -Kieron pleadingly. "Promise me one thing, Kieron."</p> - -<p>"If I can."</p> - -<p>"That you will not commit yourself to any rebellion until we have -spoken again."</p> - -<p>"Alys, I...."</p> - -<p>"Oh, Kieron! Promise me! If there is no other way, then fight the -Imperial House. But give me one chance to save what my father and his -father died for...!"</p> - -<p>"And mine," added Kieron sombrely.</p> - -<p>"You know that if there is no other way, I won't try to dissuade you. -But while you are on Kalgan, I'll speak to Toran. Please, Kieron, -promise me that Valkyr will not rebel until we have tried everything." -Her eyes shone with passion. "Then if it comes to war, I'll ride by -your side!"</p> - -<p>"Done, Alys," said Kieron slowly. "But take care when you speak to -Toran. Remember there is danger here for you." He wondered briefly -what Freka the Unknown would think of his sudden reluctance to commit -the hundred spaceships and five thousand warriors of Valkyr to the -coming rebellion. A thought struck him and quickly he discarded it. -For just an instant he had wondered if Geller of the Marshes and the -mysterious Freka the Unknown might be the same.... Stranger things had -happened. But Alys had described Geller as old, and Freka was known to -be a six-and-one-half foot warrior, the perfect 'type' of the star-king -caste.</p> - -<p>"One thing more, Alys," Kieron said; "I will leave one of my vessels -here for your use. Nevitta and a company will remain, too. Keep them by -you. They will guard you with their lives." He slipped his arm about -her, holding her to him.</p> - -<p>"Nevitta?" Alys said with a slow smile. "Nevitta of the yellow braids -and the great sword? I remember him."</p> - -<p>"The braids are greying, but the sword is as long as ever. He can guard -you for me, and keep you safe."</p> - -<p>The girl's smile deepened at the words 'for me' but Kieron did not -notice. He was deep in planning. "Be very careful, Alys. And watch out -for Landor."</p> - -<p>"Yes, Kieron," the girl breathed meekly. She looked up at the tall -outworld warrior's face, lips parted.</p> - -<p>But Kieron was looking up at the stars of the Empire, and there was -uneasiness in his heart. He tightened his arm about Alys, holding her -closer to him as though to protect her from the hot gaze of those fiery -stars.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">III</p> - -<p>The spaceship was ancient, yet the mysterious force of the Great -Destroyer chained within the sealed coils between the hulls drove it -with unthinkable speed across the star-shot darkness. The interior was -close and smoky, for the only light came from oil lamps turned low to -slow the fouling of the air. Once, there had been light without fire -in the thousand-foot hulls, but the tiny orbs set into the ceilings -had failed for they were not of a kind with the force in the sealed, -eternal coils.</p> - -<p>On the lower decks, the horses of the small party of Valkyr warriors -aboard stomped the steel deck-plates, impatient in their close -confinement; while in the tiny bubble of glass at the very prow of the -ancient vessel, two shamen of the hereditary caste of Navigators drove -the pulsing starship toward the spot beyond the veil of the Coalsack -where their astrolabes and armillary spheres told them that the misty -globe of Kalgan lay.</p> - -<p>Many men—risking indictment as warlocks or sorcerers—had tried to -probe the secrets of the Great Destroyer and compute the speed of -these mighty spacecraft of antiquity. Some had even claimed a speed -of 100,000 miles per hour for them. But since the starships made the -voyage from Earth to the agricultural worlds of Proxima Centauri in -slightly less than twenty-eight hours, such calculations would place -the nearest star-system an astounding <i>two million eight hundred -thousand</i> miles from Earth—a figure that was as absurd to all -Navigators as it was inconceivable to laymen.</p> - -<p>The great spaceship bearing the Warlord of Valkyr's blazon solidified -into reality near Kalgan as its great velocity diminished. It circled -the planet to kill speed and nosed down into the damp air of the grey -world. The high cloud cover passed, it slanted down into slightly -clearer air. Kalgan did not rotate: in its slow orbit around the red -giant parent star, the planet turned first one face, and then another -to the slight heat of its sun. Great oceans covered the poles, and the -central land mass was like a craggy girdle of rock and soil around the -bulging equator. Only in the twilight zone was life endurable, and -the city of Neg, stronghold of Freka the Unknown, was the only urban -grouping on the planet.</p> - -<p>Neg lay sullen in the eternal twilight when at last Kieron's spaceship -landed outside the gates and the debarkation of his retinue had begun; -the spaceport, however, was ablaze with flares and torches, and the -lord of Kalgan had sent a corps of drummers—signal honors—to greet -the visiting star-king. The hot, misty night air throbbed with the -beat of the huge kettle-drums, and weapons and jewelled harness flashed -in the yellow light of the flames.</p> - -<p>At last the debarkation was complete, and Kieron and his warriors -were led by a torch-bearing procession of soldiery into the fortified -city of Neg—along ancient cobbled streets—through small crowded -squares—and finally to the Citadel of Neg itself. The residence of -Freka the Unknown, Lord of Kalgan.</p> - -<p>The people they passed were a silent, sullen lot. Dull, brutish faces. -The faces of slaves and serfs held in bondage by fear and force. These -people, Kieron reflected, would go mad in a carnival of destruction if -the heavy hand of their lord should falter.</p> - -<p>He turned his attention from the people of Neg to the massive Citadel. -It was a powerful keep with high walls and turreted outworks. It spoke -of Kalgan's bloody history in every squat, functional line. A history -of endless rebellion and uprising, of coups and upheavals. Warrior -after warrior had set himself up as ruler of this sullen world only -to fall before the assaults of his own vassals. It had ever been the -policy of the Imperial Government never to interfere with these purely -local affairs. It was felt that out of the crucibles of domestic strife -would arise the best fighting men, and they, in turn, could serve the -Imperium. As long as Kalgan produced its levy of fighting men and -spaceships, no one on Earth cared about the local government. So Kalgan -wallowed in blood.</p> - -<p>Out of the last nightmare had come Freka. He had risen rapidly to power -on Kalgan—and <i>stayed</i> in power. Hated by his people, he nevertheless -ruled harshly, for that was his way. Kieron had been told that this -warrior who had sprung out of nowhere was different from other men. The -Imperial courtiers claimed that he cared nothing for wine or women, and -that he loved only battle. It would take such a man, thought Kieron -studying the Citadel, to take and hold a world like Kalgan. It would -take such a man to want it!</p> - -<p>If Freka of Kalgan loved bloodshed, he would be happy when this coming -council of star-kings ended, the Valkyr reflected moodily. He knew -himself how near to rebellion he was, and the other lords of the Outer -Marches, the lords of Auriga, Doorn, Quintain, Helia—all were ready to -strike the Imperial crown from Toran's foolish head.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kieron was escorted with his warriors to a luxurious suite within the -Citadel. Freka, he was informed, regretted his inability to greet him -personally, but intended to meet all the gathered star-kings in the -Great Hall within twelve hours. Meanwhile, there would be entertainment -for the visiting warriors, and the hospitality of Kalgan. Which -hospitality, claimed the hawk-faced steward pridefully, was without -peer in the known Universe!</p> - -<p>An imp of perversity stirred in Kieron. He found that he did -not completely trust Freka of Kalgan. There was a premeditated -cold-bloodedness about this whole business of the star-kings' grievance -council that alerted him to danger. There should have been less -smoothness and efficiency in the way the visitors were handled, Kieron -thought illogically, remembering the troubles he, himself, had gone to -whenever outworld rulers had visited Valkyr. He was suddenly glad that -he had warned Nevitta to use extreme caution should it be necessary to -bring Alys to Kalgan. It was possible he was being over-suspicious, but -he could not forget that Alys herself had seen a warlock from Kalgan -in familiar conversation with the woman really to blame for the danger -that smouldered red among the worlds of the Empire.</p> - -<p>The drums told the Valkyr that the other star-kings were arriving. -Torches flared in the courtyards of the Citadel, and the hissing roar -of spaceships landing told of the eagles gathering.</p> - -<p>Through the long, featureless twilight, the sounds continued. Freka -made no appearances, but the promised entertainment was forthcoming -and lavish. Food and wine in profusion were brought to the apartments -of the Valkyrs. Musicians and minstrels came too, to sing and play the -love songs and warchants of ancient Valkyr while the warriors roared -approval.</p> - -<p>Kieron sat on the high seat reserved for him and watched the dancing -yellow light of the flambeaux light up the stone rooms and play across -the ruddy faces of his warriors as they drank and gamed and quarreled.</p> - -<p>Dancing girls were sent them, and the Valkyrs howled with savage -pleasure as the naked bodies, glistening with scented oils, gyrated in -the barbaric rhythms of the sword dances steel whirring in bright arcs -above the tawny heads. The long, gloomy twilight passed unregretted -in the warm, flame-splashed closeness of the Citadel. Kieron watched -thoughtfully as more women and fiery vintages were brought into the -merrymaking. The finest wines and the best women were passed hand -to hand over the heads of laughing warriors to Kieron's place, and -he drank deeply of both. The wines were heady, the full lips of the -sybaritic houris bittersweet, but Kieron smiled inwardly—if Freka the -Unknown sought to bring him into the gathering of the star-kings drunk -and satiated and amenable to suggestion, the lord of Kalgan knew little -of the capacity of the men of the Edge.</p> - -<p>The hours passed and revelry filled the Citadel of Neg. Life on the -outer worlds was harsh, and the gathering warriors took full measure -of the pleasures placed at their disposal by the lord of Kalgan. The -misty, eternal dusk rang with the drinking songs and battle-cries, the -quarreling and lovemaking of warriors from a dozen outworld planets. -Each star-king, Kieron knew, was being entertained separately, plied -with wine and woman-flesh until the hour for the meeting came.</p> - -<p>The sands had run their course in the glass five times before the -trumpets blared through the Citadel, calling the lords to the meeting. -Kieron left his men to enjoy themselves, and with an attendant in the -harness of Kalgan made his way toward the Great Hall.</p> - -<p>Through dark passageways that reeked of ancient violence, by walls hung -with tapestries and antique weapons, they went; over flagstones worn -smooth by generations. This keep had been old when the reconquering -heirs to the Thousand Emperors rode their chargers into the Great Hall -and dictated their peace terms to the interregnal lords of Kalgan.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The hall was a vast, vaulted stone room filled with the smoky heat -of torches and many bodies. It teemed with be-jewelled warriors, -star-kings, warlords, aides and attendants. For just a moment the lord -of Valkyr regretted having come into the impressive gathering alone. -Yet it was unimportant. These men were—for the most part—his peers -and friends; the warrior kings of the Edge.</p> - -<p>Odo of Helia was there, filling the room with his great laughter; and -Theron, the Lord of Auriga; Kleph of Quintain; and others. Many others. -Kieron saw the white mane of his father's friend Eric, the Warlord -of Doorn, the great Red Sun beyond the Horsehead Nebula. Here was an -aggregation of might to give even a Galactic Emperor pause. The warlike -worlds of the Edge, gathered on Kalgan to decide the issue of war -against the uneasy crown of Imperial Earth.</p> - -<p>Questions coursed through Kieron's mind as he stood among the -star-kings. Alys—pleading with Toran—what success could she have -against the insidious power of the Consort? Was Alys in danger? And -there was Geller, the mysterious warlock of the Marshes. Kieron felt -he must seek out the man. There were questions that only Geller could -answer. Yet at the thought of a warlock—a familiar of the Great -Destroyer—Kieron's blood ran cold.</p> - -<p>The Valkyr looked about him. That there was power enough here to crush -the forces of Earth, there was no doubt. But what then? When Toran -was stripped of his power, who would wear the crown? The Empire was -a necessity—without it the dark ages of the Interregnum would fall -again. For four generations the mantle of shadows had hovered over the -youngling Second Empire. Not even the most savage wanted a return of -the lost years of isolation. The Empire must live. But the Empire would -need a titular head. If not Toran, the foolish weak boy, then who? -Kieron's suspicions stirred....</p> - -<p>A rumble of tympani announced the entrance of the host. The murmuring -voices grew still. Freka the Unknown had entered the Great Hall.</p> - -<p>Kieron stared. The man was—magnificent! The tall figure was muscled -like a statue from the Dawn Age; sinews rippling under the golden hide -like oiled machinery, grace and power in every movement. A mane of hair -the color of fire framed a face of classic purity—ascetic, almost -inhuman in its perfection. The pale eyes that swept the assemblage -were like drops of molten silver. Hot, but with a cold heat that seared -with an icy touch. Kieron shivered. This man was already half a god....</p> - -<p>Yet there was something in Freka that stirred resentment in the Valkyr. -Some indefinable lack that was sensed rather than seen. Kieron knew he -looked upon a magnificent star-king, but there was no warmth in the man.</p> - -<p>Kieron fought down the unreasonable dislike. It was not his way to -judge men so emotionally. <i>Perhaps</i>, thought the Valkyr, <i>I imagine the -coldness.</i> But it was there!</p> - -<p>Yet when Freka spoke, the feeling vanished, and Kieron felt himself -transported by the timbre and resonant power of the voice.</p> - -<p>"Star-kings of the Empire!" Freka cried, and the sound of his words -rolled out over the gathering like a wave, gaining power even as he -continued: "For more than a hundred years you and your fathers have -fought for the glory and gain of the Great Throne! Under Gilmer of -Kaidor you carried the gonfalon of Imperial Earth to the Edge and -planted it there under the light of Andromeda itself! Your blood was -shed and your treasure spent for the new Emperors! And what is your -reward? <i>The heavy hand of a fool!</i> Your people writhe under the burden -of excessive taxation—your women starve and your children are sold -into slavery! You are in bondage to a foolish boy who squats like a -toad on the Great Throne...."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kieron listened breathlessly as Freka of Kalgan wove a web of -half-truths around the assembled warriors. The compelling power of the -man was astounding.</p> - -<p>"The worlds writhe in the grip of an idiot! Helia, Doorn, Auriga, -Valkyr, Quintain...." He called the roll of the warrior worlds. "Yes, -and Kalgan, too! There is not enough wealth in the Universe to satiate -Toran and the Great Throne! And the Court laughs at our complaints! At -us! The star-kings who are the fists of the Empire! How long will we -endure it? How long will we maintain Toran on a throne that he is too -weak to hold?"</p> - -<p><i>Toran</i>, thought Kieron grimly, always Toran. Never a word of Ivane or -Landor or the favorites who twisted Toran around their fingers.</p> - -<p>Freka's voice dropped low and he leaned out over the first row of -upturned faces. "I call upon you—as you love your people and your -freedom—to join with Kalgan and rid the Empire of this weakling and -his money-grubbing and neglect!"</p> - -<p>In the crowd, someone stirred. All but this one seemed hypnotized. It -was old Eric of Doorn who stepped forward.</p> - -<p>"You speak treason! You brought us here to discuss grievances, and you -preach rebellion and treason, I say!" he shouted angrily.</p> - -<p>Freka turned cold eyes on the old warrior.</p> - -<p>"If this is treason," he said ominously, "it is the Emperor's -treason—not ours."</p> - -<p>Eric of Doorn seemed to wilt under the icy gaze of those inhuman eyes. -Kieron watched him step back into the circle of his followers, fear -in his aging face. There was a power in Freka to quell almost any -insurrection here, thought the Valkyr uneasily. He, himself, was bound -by the promise he had made to Alys, but it was only that that kept him -from casting in his lot with the compelling lord of Kalgan. Such a -feeling was unreason itself, he knew, and he fought against it, drawing -on his reserves of information to strengthen his resolve to obstruct -Freka if he could. Yet it was easy to understand how this strange man -had sprung out of obscurity and made himself master of Kalgan. Freka -was a creature made for leadership.</p> - -<p>Kieron stood away from the crowd and forced himself to speak. All his -earlier suspicions were growing like a suffocating cloud within him. -Someone was being fooled and used, and it was <i>not</i> the lord of Kalgan!</p> - -<p>"You, Freka!" he cried, and the lords turned to listen. "You shout of -getting rid of Toran—but what do you offer in his place?"</p> - -<p>Freka's eyes were like steel now, glinting dully in the light of the -wall-torches.</p> - -<p>"Not myself. Is that what you feared?" The fine mouth curled -scornfully. "I ask no man to lay down his life so that <i>I</i> may take for -myself the Great Throne and the sable mantle of Emperor! I renounce -here and now any claim to the Imperial Crown! When the time is right, I -will make my wishes known."</p> - -<p>The crowd of star-kings murmured approvingly. Freka had won them.</p> - -<p>"A vote!" someone cried. "Those who are with Freka and against Toran! A -vote!"</p> - -<p>Swords leaped from scabbards and glittered in the torchlight while the -chamber rang to a savage cheer. Here was war and loot to satisfy the -savage heart! The sack of Imperial Earth herself! Even old Eric of -Doorn's sword was reluctantly raised. Kieron alone remained silent, -sword sheathed.</p> - -<p>Freka looked down at him coldly.</p> - -<p>"Well, Valkyr? Do you ride with us?"</p> - -<p>"I need more time to consider," said Kieron carefully.</p> - -<p>Freka's laughter was like a lash. "Time! Time to worry about risking -his skin! Valkyr needs time!"</p> - -<p>Kieron felt his quick anger surging. The blood pounded in his temples, -throbbing, pulsing, goading him to fight. His hand closed on the hilt -of his sword and it slipped half out of the sheath. But Kieron caught -himself. There was something sinister in this deliberate attempt to -ruin him—to brand him a coward before his peers. A man faced two -choices here, apparently; follow Freka into rebellion, or be branded -craven. Kieron glared into the cold eyes of the Kalgan lord. The -temptation to challenge him was strong—as strong as Kieron's whole -background and training in the harsh warrior-code of the Edge. But -he could not. Not yet. There were too many irons in the fire to be -watched. There was Alys and her plea to Toran. There was the plight of -his people. He could not risk the danger to himself of driving a blade -through Freka's throat, no matter how his blood boiled with rage.</p> - -<p>He turned on his heel and strode from the Great Hall, the laughter of -Freka and the star-kings ringing mockingly in his ears.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">IV</p> - -<p>Kieron awoke in darkness. Of the fire on the hearth, only embers -remained and the stone rooms were silent but for the sound of sleeping -men. The single Valkyr sentry was at his elbow, whispering him into -wakefulness. Kieron threw back the fur coverlets and swung his feet -over the edge of the low couch.</p> - -<p>"What is it?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Nevitta, sir."</p> - -<p>"Nevitta! Here?" Kieron sprang to his feet, fully awake now. "Is there -a woman with him?"</p> - -<p>"A slave-girl, sir. They wait in the outer chamber."</p> - -<p>Kieron reached for his harness and weapons, threading his way through -his sleeping men. In the dimly lit antechamber, Nevitta stood near the -muffled figure of Alys. Kieron went immediately to the girl, and she -threw back her hood, baring her golden head to the torchlight. Her eyes -were bright with the pleasure of seeing Kieron again, but there was -anger in them, too. The lord of Valkyr knew at once that she had not -succeeded with Toran.</p> - -<p>"What happened, Nevitta?"</p> - -<p>"An attempt was made on the little princess' life, sir."</p> - -<p>"<i>What?</i>" Kieron felt the blood drain from his face.</p> - -<p>"As I say, Kieron." The old Valkyr's face was grim. "We had to fight -our way out of the Palace."</p> - -<p>"I never had a chance to speak to Toran," the girl said sombrely. "It -was all that could be done to reach the spaceship. Even the Janizaries -tried to stop us. Two of your men died for me, Kieron."</p> - -<p>"Who did this thing?" asked Kieron ominously.</p> - -<p>"The men who attacked the princess' quarters," said Nevitta -deliberately, "wore the harness of Kalgan."</p> - -<p>That hit Kieron like a physical blow ... hard. "<i>Kalgan!</i> And you -brought her <i>here</i>? You fool, Nevitta!"</p> - -<p>The old Valkyr nodded agreement. "Yes, Kieron. Fool is the proper -word...."</p> - -<p>"No!" Alys spoke up imperiously. "It was my command that brought us -here. I insisted."</p> - -<p>"By the Seven Hells! Why?" demanded Kieron. "Why here? You could have -been safe on Valkyr! I know it was my order to bring you here, but -after what happened...."</p> - -<p>"The princess would not hear of seeking safety, Kieron," said Nevitta. -"When Kalgan proved its treachery by trying to assassinate her, she -could think only of your danger here ... unwarned. She would risk her -life to bring you this news, Kieron."</p> - -<p>Kieron turned to face the girl. She looked up at him, eyes bright, lips -parted.</p> - -<p>"What could make a princess risk her life ..." Kieron began numbly.</p> - -<p>"Kieron...." The girl breathed his name softly. "I was so afraid for -you."</p> - -<p>The Valkyr reached slowly for the clasp of her cloak and unfastened -it. The heavy mantle dropped unnoticed to the flagstones. Alys stood, -swaying slightly, parted lips inviting. Kieron watched the throbbing -pulse in her white throat and felt his own pounding. He took a step -toward her, his arms closing about her yielding suppleness. His mouth -sought her lips.</p> - -<p>Unnoticed, Nevitta slipped from the antechamber and silently closed the -door after him....</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kieron stook before the arched window, staring out into the eternal, -misty dusk of Kalgan, his heart heavy. Behind him, Alys lay on the low -couch. Her bright hair lay in tumbled profusion about her face as she -watched her lover at the window. Kieron turned to look at her, feeling -the impact of her warm beauty. He began to pace the floor, wracking his -brains for a lead to his next move in the subtle war of treachery and -intrigue that had taken shape around him.</p> - -<p>He had ordered his men ready for attack, but for the moment there -was little need for that kind of vigilance. What was needed was more -information. Carefully, he marshalled what few facts he had at his -disposal.</p> - -<p>The connection between Freka and the plotters in the Imperial City that -he had suspected was proved at last by the attempt on Alys' life by men -of Kalgan. The star-kings were being used to fight a battle not their -own. But whose? Freka's ... or Ivane's? No matter which, they were -being tricked into striking the Imperial Crown from Toran's head, and -the gain to them and their people would be—more oppression.</p> - -<p>The treatment he, himself, had received in the Imperial Court made -sense now. Landor sought to drive him into the arms of Freka's revolt. -Only Alys had spared him.</p> - -<p>Now, the star-kings must be warned. But by the code of the Edge, Kieron -must prove to them that he was not the craven coward that Freka's -laughter had branded him. And he needed <i>proof</i>. Proof of the monstrous -structure of treachery and intrigue that had sprung up out of a woman's -cupidity and an unknown star-king's cold inhumanity.</p> - -<p>Kieron stared moodily down into the damp courtyard beneath the open -window. In the early dawn it was deserted. Then, quite suddenly, -there was activity in the walled-in square. An officer of the Citadel -guard escorted a heavily cloaked figure into the yard, and with every -evidence of great respect, withdrew. The solitary figure paced the wet -cobbles nervously.</p> - -<p>Who, wondered Kieron, would be treated with such obvious obsequiousness -and yet left in a back courtyard to await the summons of Freka of -Kalgan? A sudden thought struck him. It could be only someone who -should not be seen by the star-kings and their attendants that filled -the Citadel of Neg to overflowing.</p> - -<p>Kieron studied the cloaked nobleman with renewed interest. It seemed to -him that he had seen that mincing walk before....</p> - -<p><i>Landor!</i></p> - -<p>Kieron flung open the door to the outer chamber. His startled men -gathered about him. Alys was on her feet behind him. He signalled for -Nevitta and four men to enter.</p> - -<p>"Nevitta! Tear down that wall tapestry and cut it into shreds.... Alys, -tie the strips together and make a rope of it! Make certain the knots -are secure enough to bear a man's weight.... That's Landor down there!"</p> - -<p>Kicking off his spurred boots, Kieron eased himself over the ledge -of the window. The courtyard was thirty feet below, but the ancient -walls of the Citadel were rough and full of the ornate projections of -Interregnal architecture. Kieron let himself down, feeling the mist -wet on his face. Twice he almost lost his footing and pitched to the -courtyard floor. Alys stared down at him from the window, white-faced.</p> - -<p>He was ten feet from the bottom when Landor looked up. Recognition was -instant. There was a moment of stunned silence, and Kieron dropped the -remaining distance to land cat-like on his feet, blade in hand.</p> - -<p>"Kieron!" Landor's face was grey.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The Valkyr advanced purposefully. "Yes, Landor! Kieron! I wasn't -supposed to see you here, was I? And you don't dare raise an outcry or -the others will see you, too! That would raise quite a smell in the -Consort's pretty brew, wouldn't it?"</p> - -<p>Landor shrank back, away from the gleaming blade in Kieron's hand.</p> - -<p>"Draw, Landor," said Kieron softly. "Draw now, or I'll kill you where -you stand."</p> - -<p>In a panic, the First Lord of Space drew his sword. He knew himself to -be no match for the Valkyr star-king, and at the first touch of blades, -he turned and fled for the gate. He banged hard against the heavy -panels. The gate was locked. Kieron followed him deliberately.</p> - -<p>"Cry for help, Landor," Kieron suggested with a short, hard laugh. "The -place is full of fighting men."</p> - -<p>Landor was wild-eyed. "Why do you want to kill me, Kieron," he cried -hoarsely; "what have I done to you...?"</p> - -<p>"You've taxed my people and insulted me, and if that were not enough -there would still be your treachery with Freka—tricking me and the -others into rebellion so that Ivane can seize the crown! That's more -than enough reason to kill you. Besides ..." Kieron smiled grimly, "I -just don't like you, Landor. I'd enjoy spilling some of your milky -blood."</p> - -<p>"Kieron! I swear, Kieron...."</p> - -<p>"Save it, dancing master!" Kieron touched Landor's loosely held weapon -with his own. "Guard yourself!"</p> - -<p>Landor uttered an animal cry of desperation and lunged clumsily at the -Valkyr. Kieron's sword made a glittering encirclement and the First -Lord's weapon clattered on the cobblestones twenty feet away.</p> - -<p>Kieron's eyes were cold as he advanced on the now thoroughly terrorized -courtier. "Kneel down, Landor. A lackey should always die on his knees."</p> - -<p>The First Lord threw himself to the cobbles, his arms around the -outworlder's knees. He was grey with fright and babbling for mercy, his -eyes tightly shut. Kieron reversed his sword and brought the heavy hilt -down sharply on Landor's head. The courtier sighed and pitched forward. -Kieron sheathed his weapon and picked the unconscious man up like a -sack of meal. Time was short. The guards would be returning to escort -Landor to Freka. Kieron picked up the courtier's fallen sword. There -must be no sign of struggle in the courtyard.</p> - -<p>The Valkyr carried Landor over to where Alys and Nevitta had lowered -their improvised rope. He trussed Landor up like a butchered boar and -called to them. "Haul him up!"</p> - -<p>Landor disappeared into the window and the rope came down again. Kieron -climbed hand over hand after the vanished courtier. Within seconds he -stood among his warriors again, and the courtyard was empty.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Landor!" Kieron splashed wine in the unconscious man's face. "Landor, -wake up!"</p> - -<p>The courtier stirred and opened his eyes. Immediately they filmed with -fear. A hostile circle of faces looked down at him. Kieron, his dark -eyes flaming. Alys ... the great red face of Nevitta, framed by the -winged helmet ... other savage looking Valkyrs. It was to Landor a -scene from the legendary Seventh Hell of the Great Destroyer.</p> - -<p>"If you want to live, talk," said Kieron. "What are you doing here on -Kalgan? It must be a message of importance you carry. Ivane would have -sent someone else if it weren't."</p> - -<p>"I ... I carry no message, Kieron."</p> - -<p>Kieron nodded to Nevitta who drew his dagger and placed it against -Landor's throat.</p> - -<p>"We have no time for lies, Landor," said Kieron.</p> - -<p>To emphasize the point, Nevitta pressed the blade tighter against the -pulse in the First Lord's neck. Landor screamed.</p> - -<p>"Don't...!"</p> - -<p>"Talk—or I'll cut the gizzard out of you!" Nevitta growled.</p> - -<p>"All right! All right! But take that knife away...!"</p> - -<p>"Ivane sent you here."</p> - -<p>Landor nodded soundlessly.</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"I ... I ... was to tell Freka that ... that his men failed to ... -to...."</p> - -<p>"To kill me!" finished Alys angrily. "What else?"</p> - -<p>"I ... was also to tell him that the rest of the plan was ... was ... -carried out ... successfully."</p> - -<p>"Damn you, don't talk in riddles!" Kieron said. "What 'plan'?"</p> - -<p>"The ... the Emperor is dead," Landor blurted, eyes wild with terror. -"But not by my hand! I swear it! Not by my hand!"</p> - -<p>Alys choked back a cry of pain.</p> - -<p>"Toran! Poor ... Toran...."</p> - -<p>Kieron took the terrified courtier by the throat and shook him.</p> - -<p>"You filthy swine! Who did it? <i>Who killed the Emperor?</i>"</p> - -<p>"<i>Ivane!</i>" gasped Landor. "The people do not know he is dead and she -awaits the star-king's invasion to proclaim herself Empress...! In the -gods' name, Kieron, don't kill me! I speak the truth!"</p> - -<p>"Freka helped plan this?" demanded Kieron.</p> - -<p>"He is Ivane's man," stammered Landor, "but I know nothing of him! -Nothing, Kieron! The warlock Geller brought him to Ivane five years -ago ... that is all I know!"</p> - -<p>Geller of the Marshes ... again. Kieron felt the awful dread seeping -through his anger. Somehow the connection between Geller and Freka must -be discovered. Somehow...!</p> - -<p>Kieron turned away from the terrified Landor. The picture was shaping -now. Freka and Ivane. The star-kings' rebellion. Toran ... murdered.</p> - -<p>"Keep this hound under guard!" ordered Kieron.</p> - -<p>Landor was led away, shaken and weak.</p> - -<p>"Nevitta!"</p> - -<p>"Sir?"</p> - -<p>"You and the princess will go back to the ship as you came. She must -be taken to safety at once. As soon as that pig is missed, we'll have -visitors...."</p> - -<p>"No, Kieron! I won't go!" cried Alys.</p> - -<p>"You must. If you are captured on Kalgan now it will mean a <i>carte -blanche</i> for Ivane."</p> - -<p>"But then you must come!"</p> - -<p>"I can't. If I tried to leave here now, Freka would detain me by force. -I know his plans." He turned again to Nevitta. "She goes with you, -Nevitta. By force if necessary.</p> - -<p>"Return to Valkyr and gather the tribes. We can do nothing without men -at our backs. One of the ships will remain here with me and the men. We -will try to get clear after we are certain that—" He looked over at -the slim girl, his eyes sombre—"that Her Majesty is safe."</p> - -<p>The Valkyr warriors in the room straightened, a subtle change in their -expression as they watched Alys. A gulf had suddenly opened between -this girl and their chieftain. They felt it too. One by one they -dropped to their knees before her. Alys made a protesting gesture, -her eyes bright with tears. She saw the chasm opening, and fought it -futilely. But when Kieron, too, went to his knees, she knew it was -<i>so</i>. In one fleeting moment, they had changed from lover and beloved -to sovereign and vassal.</p> - -<p>She forced back the tears and raised her head proudly; as Galactic -Empress, Heiress to the Thousand Emperors, she accepted the homage of -her fighting men.</p> - -<p>"My lord of Valkyr," she said in a low, unsteady voice. "My love and -affection for you—and these warriors will never be forgotten. If we -live...."</p> - -<p>Kieron rose to his full height, naked sword extended in his hands.</p> - -<p>"Your Imperial Majesty," he spoke the words formally and slowly, -regretting what was gone. "The men of Valkyr are yours. To the death."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kieron watched Nevitta and Alys vanish down the long, gloomy hall -outside the Valkyr chambers—to all appearances a warrior chieftain -and his slave-girl ordered away by their master. Even then, thought -Kieron bleakly, there was danger. He saw them pass one sentry, two ... -three.... They turned the corner and were gone, Kieron's hopes and -fears riding with them.</p> - -<p>Already, there were sounds of confusion in the Citadel of Neg. Men were -searching for the vanished Landor. Searching quietly, reflected Kieron -with grim satisfaction, for the visiting star-kings must not know that -Freka the Unknown held familiar audience with the Imperial First Lord -of Space. Spur of the moment hunting parties and entertainments were -keeping the visitors occupied while the Kalgan soldiery searched.</p> - -<p>Kieron weighed his chances of escape and found them small indeed. -They dared not stir from their quarters in the Citadel until the roar -of Nevitta's spaceship told that the Empress was safely away. And -meanwhile, the search for Landor drew nearer.</p> - -<p>An hour passed, the sand in the glass running with agonizing slowness. -Once Kieron thought he heard the beat of hooves on the drawbridge of -the Citadel, but he could not be certain.</p> - -<p>Two hours. Kieron paced the floor of the Valkyr chambers, his twelve -remaining warriors armed, alert, watching him. Nervously he fingered -the hilt of his sword.</p> - -<p>Another hour in the grey, eternal twilight. Still no sound of a -spaceship rising. Kieron's anxiety grew to gargantuan proportions. The -search for Landor came closer steadily. Kieron could hear the soldiers -tramping the stone corridors and causeways of the Citadel.</p> - -<p>Suddenly there was a knock at the barred door to the Valkyrs' quarters.</p> - -<p>"Open! In the name of the lord of Kalgan!"</p> - -<p>A Valkyr near the door replied languidly. "Our master sleeps. Go away."</p> - -<p>The knocking continued. "It is regretted that we must disturb him, but -a slave of the household has escaped. We must search for him."</p> - -<p>"Would you disturb the Warlord of Valkyr's repose for a slave, -barbarians?" demanded the warrior at the door in a hurt tone of voice. -"Go away."</p> - -<p>The officer in the hallway was beginning to lose patience.</p> - -<p>"Open, I say! Or we'll break in!"</p> - -<p>"Do," offered the Valkyr pleasantly. "I have a sword that has been too -long dry."</p> - -<p>How Landor must be sweating in that back room, Kieron thought wryly, -thinking that the Valkyrs would rather kill him than let his message -reach Freka. But Landor's death would serve no useful purpose now. -Time! Time was needed. Time enough to let Nevitta get Alys out of -danger!</p> - -<p>Kieron stepped to the door, hoping that some warriors of the Outer -Marches might possibly be within earshot and catch the implication -of his words. "Kieron of Valkyr speaks!" he cried. "We have Landor of -Earth here! Landor, the First Lord—is <i>that</i> the slave you seek?"</p> - -<p>But the only response was the sudden crash of a ram against the panels -of the wooden door. Kieron prepared to fight. Still, no sound of a -spaceship rising....</p> - -<p>The door collapsed, and a flood of Kalgan warriors poured into the -room, weapons flashing.</p> - -<p>Savagely, the Valkyrs closed with them, and the air rang with the -metallic clash of steel. No mercy was asked and none was given. Kieron -cut a circle of death with his long, outworld weapon, the fighting -blood of a hundred generations of warriors singing in his ears. The -savage chant of the Edge rose above the confused sounds of battle. A -man screamed in agony as his arm was severed by a blow from a Valkyr -blade, and he waved the stump desperately, spattering the milling men -with dark blood. A Valkyr warrior went down, locked in a death-embrace -with a Kalgan warrior, driving his dagger into his enemy again and -again even as he died. Kieron crossed swords with a guardsman, forcing -him backward until the Kalgan slipped on the flagstones made slippery -with blood and went down with a sword-cut from throat to groin.</p> - -<p>The Valkyrs were cutting down their opponents, but numbers were -beginning to tell. Two Valkyrs went down before fresh onslaughts. -Another, and another, and still another. Kieron felt the burning touch -of a dagger wound. He looked down and saw that a thrust from someone in -the <i>melee</i> had slashed him to the bone. His side was slick with blood -and the white ribs showed along the ten inch gash.</p> - -<p>Now, Kieron stood back to back with his two remaining companions. The -other Valkyrs were down, lying still on the bloody floor. Kieron caught -a glimpse of Freka's tall figure behind his guardsman and he lunged -for him, suddenly blind with fury. Two Kalgan guards engaged him and -he lost sight of Freka. A Valkyr went down with a thrust in the belly. -Kieron took another wound in the arm. He could not tell how badly hurt -he was, but faintness from the loss of blood was telling on him. It was -getting hard to see clearly. Darkness seemed to be flickering like a -black flame just beyond his range of vision. He saw Freka again and -tried to reach him. Again he failed, blocked by a Kalgan soldier. A -thrown sword whistled past him and imbedded itself in the last Valkyr's -chest. The man sank to the floor in silence, and Kieron fought alone.</p> - -<p>He saw the blade of an officer descending, but he could not ward it -off. And as it fell, a great hissing roar sounded beyond the open -window. Kieron almost smiled. Alys was safe....</p> - -<p>He lifted his sword to parry the descending stroke. Weakened, the best -he could do was deflect it slightly. The blade caught him a glancing -blow on the side of the head and he staggered to his knees. He tried -to raise his weapon again ... tried to fight on ... but he could not. -Slowly, reluctantly, he sank to the floor as darkness welled up out of -the bloody flagstones to engulf him....</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">V</p> - -<p>Kieron stirred, the pulsing ache in his side piercing the reddish veil -of unconsciousness. Under him, he could feel wet stones that stank -of death and filth. He moved painfully, and the throbbing agony grew -worse, making him teeter precariously between consciousness and the -dark.</p> - -<p>He was stiff and cold. Hurt badly, too, he thought vaguely. His wounds -had not been tended. Very carefully, he opened his eyes. They told him -what he had already known. He was in a dark cell, filthy and damp. A -sick chill shook him. Teeth chattering, huddled on the stone floor, -Kieron sank again into unconsciousness.</p> - -<p>When he awoke again, he was burning with fever and a cold bowl of -solidified, greasy gruel lay beside him. His tongue felt thick and -swollen, but the sharp agony of his wounded side had subsided to a dull -hurt. With a great effort, he dragged himself into a corner of the -dungeon and propped himself up facing the iron-bound door.</p> - -<p>His searching hands found that he had been stripped of his harness -and weapons. He was naked, smeared with filth and dried blood. As he -moved he felt a renewed flow of warmth flooding down from his torn -flank. The wound had reopened. Sweat was streaking the caked blood on -his cheek. His mind wandered in a feverish delirium—a nightmare dream -in which the tall, coldly arrogant figure of Freka seemed to fill all -space and all time. Kieron's over-bright eyes glittered with animal -hate....</p> - -<p>Somehow, he felt that the hated Kalgan was nearby. He tried to keep his -eyes open, but the lids seemed weighted. His head sagged and the fever -took him again into the ebony darkness of some fantastic intergalactic -night where weird shapes danced and whirled in hideous joyousness....</p> - -<p>The rattling of the door-lock woke him. It might have been minutes -later or days. Kieron had no way of knowing. He felt light-headed -and giddy. He watched the door open with fever-bright eyes. A jailer -carrying a flambeau entered and the light blinded Kieron. He shielded -his face with his hand. There was a voice speaking to him. A voice he -knew ... and hated. With a shuddering effort, he took a grip on his -staggering mind, his hate sustaining him now. Moving his hands away -from his face, he looked up—into the icy eyes of Freka the Unknown.</p> - -<p>"So you're awake at last," the Kalgan said.</p> - -<p>Kieron made no reply. He could feel the fury burning deep inside him.</p> - -<p>Freka held a jewelled dagger in his hands, toying with it idly. Kieron -watched the shards of light leaping from the faceted gems in the liquid -torchlight. The slender blade shimmered, blue and silvery in the -Kalgan's hands.</p> - -<p>"I have been told that the Lady Alys was with you—here on Kalgan. Is -this true?"</p> - -<p>Alys ... Kieron thought vaguely of her for a moment, but somehow the -picture brought sadness. He put her out of his mind and squinted up -at Freka's gemmed dagger, unable to take his eyes from the glittering -weapon.</p> - -<p>"Can you speak?" demanded Freka. "Was Toran's sister with you?"</p> - -<p>Kieron watched the weapon, a feral brilliance growing like a flame in -his dark eyes.</p> - -<p>Freka shrugged. "Very well, Kieron. It makes no difference. Does it -interest you to know that the armies are gathering? Earth will be ours -within four weeks." His voice was cold, unemotional. "You realize, of -course, that you cannot be allowed to live."</p> - -<p>Kieron said nothing. Very carefully he gathered his strength. The -dagger ... the dagger...!</p> - -<p>"I will not risk war with Valkyr by killing you now. But you will be -tried by a council of star-kings on Earth when we have done what we -must do...."</p> - -<p>Kieron stared hard at the slender weapon, his hate pounding in his -fevered mind. He drew a deep, shuddering breath. Freka spun the blade -idly, setting the jewels afire.</p> - -<p>"We should have taken you the moment Landor was missed," mused the -Kalgan. "But ... it really doesn't matter now...."</p> - -<p>Kieron's taut muscles uncoiled in a snakelike, lashing movement. He -hit Freka below the knees with all his fevered strength and the Kalgan -went down without a sound, the slim dagger clattering on the slimy -floor of the cell. The guard leaped forward. Kieron's searching hand -closed about the hilt of the dagger. With a sound of pure animal rage -in his throat he drove it into Freka's unprotected chest. Twice again -his hand rose and fell, and then the guard caught him full in the face -with a booted foot and the light of the torch faded again into inky -blackness....</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In the darkness, time lost its meaning. Kieron woke a dozen times, -feeling the dull throbbing ache of his wounds and then fading again -into unconsciousness. He ate—or was fed—enough to keep him alive, -but he had no memory of it. He floated in a red-tinged sea of black, -unreal, frightening. He screamed or sobbed as the phantasms of his -sick dreams dictated, but through it all ran a single thread of -elation. Freka, the hated one, was dead. No horror of nightmare or -delirium could strip him of that one grip on life. Freka was dead. He -remembered vaguely the feel of the dagger plunging again and again -into his tormentor's breast. Sometimes he even forgot why he had hated -Freka, but he clung to the knowledge that he had killed him the way a -drowning man clings to the last suffocating breath.</p> - -<p>Sounds filtered into Kieron's dungeon. Sounds that were familiar. -The hissing roar of spaceships. Then later the awful susurration of -mob sounds. Kieron lay sprawled on the stones of his cell-floor, not -hearing, lost in the fantasmagoric stupor of delirium. His wounds still -untended, only the magnificent body of a warrior helped him cling to -the thread of life.</p> - -<p>Other sounds came. The crash of rams and the clatter of falling -masonry. The shrieks of men and women dying. The ringing cacophony of -weapons and the curses of fighting men. Hours passed and the din grew -louder, closer, in the heart of the Citadel of Neg itself. The torches -on the outer cellblocks guttered out and were left untended. The sounds -of fighting rose to a wild pitch, interlaced with the inhuman, animal -sounds of a mob gone mad.</p> - -<p>At last Kieron stirred, some of the familiar sounds of battle striking -buried chords in his fevered mind. He listened to the advancing clash -of weapons until it rang just beyond his dungeon door.</p> - -<p>He dragged himself into his corner again and crouched there, the feral -light in his eyes brilliant now. His hands itched for killing. He -flexed the fingers painfully and waited.</p> - -<p>The silence was sudden and as complete as the hush of the tomb.</p> - -<p>Kieron waited.</p> - -<p>The door was flung wide, and men bearing torches rushed into the cell. -Kieron lunged savagely for the first one, hands seeking a throat.</p> - -<p>"<i>Kieron!</i>" Nevitta threw himself backward violently. Kieron clung to -him, his face a fevered mask of hate. "Kieron! It is I ... Nevitta!"</p> - -<p>Kieron's hands fell away from the old warrior and he stood swaying, -squinting against the light of the torches. "Nevitta ... Nevitta?"</p> - -<p>A wild laugh came from the prisoner's cracked lips. He looked about -him, into the strained faces of his own fighting men.</p> - -<p>He took one step and pitched forward into the arms of Nevitta, who -carried him like a child up into the light, tears streaking his -grizzled cheeks....</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>For three weeks Alys and Nevitta nursed Kieron, sucking the poison of -his untended wounds with their mouths and bathing him to break the -fiery grip of the fever. At last they won. Kieron opened his eyes—and -they were sane and clear.</p> - -<p>"How long?" Kieron asked faintly.</p> - -<p>"We were gone from Kalgan twenty days ... you have lain here -twenty-one," Alys said thankfully.</p> - -<p>"Why did you come back here?" Kieron demanded bitterly. "You have lost -an Empire!"</p> - -<p>"We came for you, Kieron," Nevitta said. "For our king."</p> - -<p>"But ... Alys ..." Kieron protested.</p> - -<p>"I would not have the Great Throne, Kieron," said Alys, "if it meant -leaving you to rot in a cell!"</p> - -<p>Kieron turned his face to the wall. Because of him, the star-kings -fought Ivane's battle. And by now they would have won. The only thing -that had been done was the killing of the treacherous Freka. He held -Kalgan now, for the Valkyrs had returned seeking their Warlord after -Freka's plan had stripped the planet of fighting men—and the mobs had -done the Valkyr's work for them. But two worlds were not an Empire of -stars. Alys had been cheated. Because of him.</p> - -<p>No! thought Kieron, by the Seven Hells, no! They could not be defeated -so easily. There were five thousand warriors with him now. If need be, -he would fight the Imperium's massed forces to win Alys' rightful place -on the throne of Gilmer of Kaidor!</p> - -<p>"Let me up," Kieron demanded. "If we hit them on Earth before they have -a chance to consolidate, there's still a chance!"</p> - -<p>"There is no hurry, Kieron," said Nevitta holding him in the bed with a -great hand. "Freka and the star-kings have already...."</p> - -<p>"<i>Freka!</i>" Kieron sat bolt upright.</p> - -<p>"Why, yes ..." murmured Nevitta in perplexity. "Freka."</p> - -<p>"That's impossible!"</p> - -<p>"We have had information from the Imperial City, Kieron. Freka is -there," said Alys.</p> - -<p>Kieron sank back on the pillows. Had he dreamed killing the Kalgan? No! -It wasn't possible! He had driven the blade into his chest three -times ... driven it deep.</p> - -<p>With an effort he rose from the bed. "Order my charger, Nevitta!"</p> - -<p>"But sir!"</p> - -<p>"Quickly, Nevitta! There is no time!"</p> - -<p>Nevitta saluted reluctantly and withdrew.</p> - -<p>"Help me with my harness, Alys," ordered Kieron forgetful of majesty.</p> - -<p>"Kieron, you can't ride!"</p> - -<p>"I have to ride, Alys. Listen to me. I drove a dagger into Freka three -times ... and he has not died! One man can tell us why, and we must -know. <i>That man is Geller of the Marshes!</i>"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Neg was a shambles. The advent of the Valkyrs had been a signal for the -brutish population to go mad. Mobs had thronged the streets, smashing, -killing and looting. The few Kalgan warriors left behind to guard -the city had had to aid the Valkyrs in restoring order. It seemed to -Kieron, as he rode along the now sullenly silent streets, that Kalgan -and Neg had been deliberately abandoned as having served a purpose. If -Freka still lived, as they said, then he was something unique among -men, and not meant for so unimportant a world as Kalgan.</p> - -<p>Shops and houses had been gutted by fire. Goods of all kinds were -strewn about the streets, and here and there a body—twisted and -dismembered—awaited the harrassed burial detachments that roamed the -shattered megalopolis.</p> - -<p>Kieron and Alys rode slowly toward the marshy slums of the lower city, -Nevitta following them at a short distance. The three war horses, -creatures bred to war and destruction, paced along easily, flaring -nostrils taking in the familiar smells of a ruined city.</p> - -<p>Along the street of the Black Flames there was nothing left standing -whole. Every hovel, every tenement had been gutted and looted by the -mobs. Presently, Kieron drew rein before a shuttered shanty between two -structures of fire-blackened stone.</p> - -<p>Nevitta rode up with a protest. "Why do you seek this beloved of -demons, Kieron?" he asked fearfully. "No good can come of this!"</p> - -<p>Kieron stared at the shanty. It stared back at him with veiled -ghoulish eyes. The writhing mists shrouded the grey street in the -eternal twilight of Kalgan. Kieron felt his hands trembling on the -reins. This was the lair of the warlock.</p> - -<p>The stench of the marshes was thick and now the mists turned to soft -rain. Kieron dismounted.</p> - -<p>"Wait for me here," he ordered Nevitta and Alys.</p> - -<p>With pounding heart, he drew his sword and started for the door that -gaped like the black mouth of a plague victim. Alys touched his elbow, -disregarding his instructions. Her eyes were bright with fear, but -she followed him closely. Secretly glad of her companionship, Kieron -breathed a prayer to his Valkyr gods and stepped inside....</p> - -<p>The place was a wreck. Old books lay everywhere, ripped and tattered. -In a corner, someone had tried to make a bonfire of a pile of -manuscripts and broken furniture and had half succeeded.</p> - -<p>"The mob has been here," Alys said succinctly.</p> - -<p>Kieron led the way through the rubble toward the door of a back room. -Carefully, he pushed it ajar with the point of his blade. It creaked -menacingly, revealing another chamber—one filled with strange machines -and twisted tubes of glass. Great black boxes stood along one wall, -coils of bright wire running into the jumbled mass of shattered -machines that dominated the center of the room. The air of the cold, -silent room had a strange and unpleasant tang. The smell, thought the -Valkyr, of the Great Destroyer!</p> - -<p>The tip of his sword touched one of the bright copper coils springing -from the row of black boxes along the wall, and a tiny blue spark -leaped up the blade. Kieron yanked his weapon away, his heart racing -wildly. A thin curl of smoke hung in the air, and the steel of the -blade was pitted. Kieron fought down the urge to run in terror.</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid, Kieron!" whispered Alys, clinging to him.</p> - -<p>Kieron took her hand and moved cautiously around the pile of broken -machinery. He found Geller then, and tried to stop Alys from seeing.</p> - -<p>"The Great Destroyer he served failed him," Kieron said slowly.</p> - -<p>The warlock was dead. The mob, terrified—and hating what they could -not understand—had killed him cruelly. The staring eyes mocked Kieron, -the blackened tongue lolled stupidly out of the dry lips. Geller's -mystery, thought Kieron, was still safe with him....</p> - -<p>On the way out, Kieron stopped and picked up the remnants of a book of -sigils. It was incredibly old, for the characters on the cover were -those of the legendary First Empire. With some difficulty he made out -the title.</p> - -<p>"'<i>Perpetually Regenerating Warps and their Application in Interstellar -Engines</i>'...."</p> - -<p>The words meant nothing to him. He dropped the magic book and picked up -two others. This time his eyes widened.</p> - -<p>"What is it, Kieron?" Alys asked fearfully.</p> - -<p>"Long ago," Kieron said thoughtfully, "on Valkyr, it was said that the -ancients of the First Empire were familiar with the secrets of the -Great Destroyer...."</p> - -<p>"That's true. That is why the Interregnum came, and the dark ages," -said Alys.</p> - -<p>"I wonder," mused Kieron looking at the books. "What was this Geller -known best for?"</p> - -<p>Alys shuddered. "For his homunculi."</p> - -<p>"The ancients, it is said, knew many things. Even how to make ... -artificial servants. Robots, they were called." He handed her the book. -"Can you read this ancient script?"</p> - -<p>Alys read aloud, her voice unsteady.</p> - -<p>"'<i>First Principles of Robotics.</i>'"</p> - -<p>"And this one?"</p> - -<p>"<i>'Incubation and Gestation of Androids'...!</i>"</p> - -<p>Kieron of Valkyr stood in the silent, wrecked laboratory of the dead -warlock Geller, his medieval mind trying to break free of the bondage -of a millennium of superstition and ignorance. He understood now ... -many things.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VI</p> - -<p>Like great silver fish leaping up into the bowl of night, the ships -of the Valkyr fleet rose from Kalgan. Within the pulsing hulls five -thousand warriors rode, ready for battle. Against the mighty forces -of the assembled star-kings, the army of Valkyr counted for almost -nothing; but the savage fighting men of the Edge carried with them -their talisman—Alys Imperatrix, uncrowned sovereign of the Galaxy, -Heiress to the Thousand Emperors—the daughter of their beloved -warrior-prince, Gilmer, conqueror of Kaidor.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>Like great silver fish leaping up into the bowl of night, the ships of the Valkyr fleet rose from Kalgan</i>....</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>In the lead vessel, Nevitta dogged the harried Navigators, urging -greater speed. Below decks, the war chargers snorted and stomped the -steel decks, sensing the tension of the coming clash in the close, -smoky air of the spaceships.</p> - -<p>Kieron stood beside the forward port with Alys, looking out into the -strangely distorted night of space. As speed increased, the stars -vanished and the night that pressed against the flanks of the hurtling -ship grew grey and unsteady. Still velocity climbed, and then beyond -the great curving glass screen there was nothing. Not blackness, or -emptiness. A soul-chilling nothingness that twisted the mind and -refused to be accepted by human eyes. Hyperspace.</p> - -<p>Kieron drew the draperies closed and the observation lounge of the huge -ancient liner grew dim and warm.</p> - -<p>"What's ahead, Kieron?" the girl asked with a sigh. "More fighting and -killing?"</p> - -<p>The Valkyr shook his head. "Your Imperium, Your Majesty," he said -formally, "a crown of stars that a thousand generations have gathered -for you. That lies ahead."</p> - -<p>"Oh, Kieron! Can't you forget the Empire for the space of an hour?" -Alys demanded angrily.</p> - -<p>The Warlord of Valkyr looked at his Empress in perplexity. There were -times when women were hard to fathom.</p> - -<p>"Forget it, I say!" the girl cried, her eyes suddenly flaming.</p> - -<p>"If Your Majesty wishes, I'll not speak of it again," said Kieron -stiffly.</p> - -<p>Alys took a step toward him. "There was a time when you looked at me as -a woman. When you <i>thought</i> of me as a woman! Am I so different now?"</p> - -<p>Kieron studied her slim body and sensuously patrician face. "There was -a time when I thought of you as a child, too. Those times pass. You -are now my Empress. I am your vassal. Command me. I'll fight for you. -Die for you, if need be. Anything. But by the Seven Hells, Alys, don't -torture me with favors I can't claim!"</p> - -<p>"So I must command, then?" She stamped her foot angrily. "Very well, I -command you, Valkyr!"</p> - -<p>"Lady, I'll never be a Consort!"</p> - -<p>The girl's face flushed. "Did I ask it? I know I can't make a lapdog -out of you, Kieron."</p> - -<p>"Stop it, Alys," Kieron muttered heavily.</p> - -<p>"Kieron," she said softly, "I've loved you since I was a child. I love -you now. Does that mean nothing to you?"</p> - -<p>"Everything, Alys."</p> - -<p>"Then for the space of this voyage, Kieron, forget the Empire. Forget -everything except that I love you. Take what I offer you. There is no -Empress here...."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The silver fleet speared down into the atmosphere of the mother planet. -Earth lay beneath them like a globe of azure. The spaceships fanned out -into a wedge as they split the thin cold air high above the sprawling -megalopolis of the Imperial City.</p> - -<p>The capital lay ringed about with the somnolent shapes of the -star-kings' great armada. Somewhere down there, Kieron knew, Freka -waited. Freka the Unknown. The unkillable? Kieron wondered. For weapons -he had his sword and a little knowledge. He prayed it would be enough. -It had to be. Five thousand warriors could not defeat the assembled -might of the star-kings.</p> - -<p>Shunning the spaceport, Kieron led his fleet to a landing on the grassy -esplanade that surrounded the city. As the hurried debarkation of men -and horses began, Kieron could see a cavalry force massing before the -gates to oppose them. He cursed and urged his men to greater speed. -Horses reared and neighed; weapons glinted in the late afternoon -sunlight.</p> - -<p>Within the hour the debarkation was complete, and Kieron sat armed and -mounted before the serried ranks of his warriors. The afternoon was -filled with the flash of steel and the blazing glory of gonfalons as he -ordered his ranks for battle ... a battle that he hoped with all his -heart to avoid.</p> - -<p>Across the plain, the Valkyr could make out the pennon of Doorn in the -first rank of the advancing defenders. Kieron ordered Nevitta to stay -by the Empress in the rear ranks and to escort her forward with all -ceremony if he called for her.</p> - -<p>Alys rode a white charger and had clad herself in the panoply of a -Valkyr warrior maid. Her hips were girded in a harness of linked steel -plates, her long legs free to ride astride. Over her chest and breasts -was laced a hauberk of chain mail that shimmered in the slanting -sunlight. On her head a Valkyr's winged helmet—and from under it -her golden hair fell in cascades of light to her shoulders. A silver -cloak stood out behind her as she galloped past the ranks of Valkyrs, -and they cheered her as she went. Kieron, watching her, thought she -resembled the ancient war-goddess of his own world—imperious, regal.</p> - -<p>With a cry, Kieron ordered his riders forward and the glittering ranks -swept forward across the esplanade like a turbulent wave, spear-heads -agleam, gonafalons fluttering. He rode far ahead, seeking a meeting -with old Eric of Doorn, his father's friend.</p> - -<p>He signalled, and the two surging masses of warriors slowed as the -two star-kings rode to a meeting between the armies. Kieron raised an -open right hand in the sign of truce and old Eric did likewise. Their -caparisoned chargers tossed their heads angrily at being restrained and -eyed each other with white-rimmed eyes.</p> - -<p>Kieron drew rein, facing the old star-king.</p> - -<p>"I greet you," he said formally.</p> - -<p>"Do you come in friendship, or in war?" asked Eric.</p> - -<p>"That will depend on the Empress," Kieron replied.</p> - -<p>The lord of Doorn smiled, and there was scorn on his face. He was -remembering Kalgan and Kieron's reluctance. "You will be pleased -to know, then, that the Imperial Ivane bids you enter her city in -peace—so that you may do her homage and throw yourself on her mercy -for your crimes against Kalgan."</p> - -<p>Kieron gave a short, steely laugh. So Ivane had already learned of the -Valkyr sack of Kalgan. "I do not know any 'Imperial Ivane,' Eric," he -said coldly. "When I spoke of the Empress, I meant the true Empress, -Alys, the daughter of your lord and mine, Gilmer of Kaidor." He -signalled Alys and Nevitta forward.</p> - -<p>The gonfalons of the Valkyr line dipped in salute as Alys trotted -through the ranks. She drew rein, facing the amazed Eric.</p> - -<p>"Noble lady!" he gasped. "We were told you were dead!"</p> - -<p>"And so I might have been, had Ivane had her way!"</p> - -<p>The old star-king stammered in confusion. There was more here than -he could understand. Only a week before, he and the other star-kings -had done homage to Ivane and hailed her as their savior from the -oppressions of the Emperor Toran, and the nearest living kin to the -late Gilmer. And now...!</p> - -<p>Eric frowned. "If we have been made fools, Freka must answer for this!"</p> - -<p>"And now," asked Kieron grimly, "do we enter the city in peace or do we -cut our way in?"</p> - -<p>Eric signalled his men to swing in beside the ranked Valkyrs and the -whole mass of armed men moved through the fading afternoon toward the -gates of the Imperial City.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was dusk by the time the cavalcade reached the walls of the Imperial -Palace. Kieron called a halt and ordered his men to rest on their arms. -Taking only Nevitta and Alys with him, he joined Eric of Doorn in -challenging the Janizaries of the Palace Guard.</p> - -<p>They were passed by the stolid Pleiadenes without comment, for the lord -of Doorn was known as a vassal of the Imperial Ivane. Faces set, the -small party strode up the wide curving stairway that led into the Hall -of the Great Throne. The courtiers had been warned by the shouts of -the people in the streets that something was happening, and they had -already begun to gather in the Throne Room.</p> - -<p>He had come a long way, thought Kieron, from the day when he had stood -before the Throne begging an audience with Toran. Now, everything hung -on his one chance to prove his case—and Alys'—to the assembled nobles.</p> - -<p>Kieron noted with some concern that the Palace Guards were gathering -too. They covered each exit to the chamber, cutting off retreat.</p> - -<p>By now, the Hall of the Great Throne was jammed with courtiers and -star-kings, all tensely silent—waiting. Nor did they wait long.</p> - -<p>With a blast of trumpets and a rolling of tympani, Ivane entered -the Throne Room. Some of the courtiers knelt, but others stood in -confusion, looking from Alys to Ivane and back again.</p> - -<p>Kieron studied Ivane coldly. She was, he had to admit, a regal figure. -A tall woman with hair the color of jet. A face that seemed chiseled -out of marble. Dark, predatory eyes and a figure like a Dawn Age -goddess. She stood before the Great Throne of the Empire, mantled in -the sable robe of the Imperium—a robe as black as space and spangled -with diamonds to resemble the stars of the Imperial Galaxy. On her head -rested the irridium tiara of Imperatrix.</p> - -<p>Ivane swept the Hall with a haughty stare that stung like a lash. When -her eyes found Alys standing beside Kieron, they brightened, became -feral.</p> - -<p>"Guards!" she commanded. "Seize that woman! She is the killer of the -Emperor Toran!"</p> - -<p>A murmuring filled the chamber. The Janizaries pressed forward. Kieron -drew his sword and leaped to the dais beside Ivane. She did not shrink -back from him.</p> - -<p>"Touch her, and Ivane dies!" shouted Kieron, his point at Ivane's naked -breast. The murmuring subsided and the Janizaries pulled up short.</p> - -<p>"Now, you are all going to listen to me!" shouted Kieron from the dais. -"This woman under my blade is a murderess and plotter, and I can prove -it!"</p> - -<p>Ivane's face was strained and white. Not from fear of his sword, Kieron -knew.</p> - -<p>"In the Palace dungeons you will likely find Landor ..." Kieron -continued. "He will be there because he knew of Ivane's plottings and -talked too much when he had a dagger at his throat. He will confirm -what I say!</p> - -<p>"This woman plotted to usurp the Imperium <i>as long as five years ago</i>! -It may have been longer...." He turned to Ivane. "How long does it take -to incubate an <i>android</i>, Ivane? A year? Two? And then to train him, -school him so that every move he makes is intended to further your -aims? How long does all that take?"</p> - -<p>Ivane uttered a scream of terror now. "Freka! Call Freka!"</p> - -<p>Kieron dropped his sword point and stepped away from Ivane as though -she were contaminated. There was little danger from <i>her</i> now—but -there was still another.</p> - -<p>Freka appeared at the edge of the dais, his tall form towering above -the courtiers. "You called for me, Imperial Ivane?"</p> - -<p>Ivane stared at Kieron with hate-filled eyes. "You have failed me! -<i>Kill him now!</i>"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kieron whirled and caught Freka's blade on his own. The courtiers drew -back, giving them room to fight. No one made a move to interfere. It -was known that Valkyrs had sacked the city of Neg, and according to the -warrior code the two warlords must be allowed to fight to the death if -they wished.</p> - -<p>Kieron made no attack. Instead he retreated before the expressionless -Freka.</p> - -<p>"Did you know, Freka," asked Kieron softly, "that Geller of the Marshes -is dead? He was your father in a way, wasn't he?"</p> - -<p>Freka made no reply, and for a moment the only sound in the hushed -chamber was the ring of blades.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Kieron lunged. His sword pierced Freka from breast to back. -The Valkyr stepped back and pulled his blade clear. The crowd gasped, -for Freka the Unknown did not fall....</p> - -<p>"Are you really unkillable?" breathed Kieron. "I wonder!"</p> - -<p>Again he lunged under the mechanical guard of the Kalgan. Again his -blade sank deep. Freka backed away for a moment, still alert and -unwounded.</p> - -<p>Kieron shouted derisively at the star-kings: "Great warriors! Do you -see? You have followed the leadership of an android! A homunculus -spawned by the warlock Geller!"</p> - -<p>A gasping roar went up in the chamber. A sound of superstitious horror -and growing anger.</p> - -<p>Kieron parried a thrust and brought his blade down on Freka's sword -arm. Hard. A sword clattered to the flagstones—still gripped by a -slowly relaxing hand. There was no blood. The android still moved -in, eyes expressionless, his one hand reaching for his enemy. Kieron -struck again. A clean cut opened from shoulder to belly, slicing the -artificial tendons and leaving the android helpless but still erect. -Kieron raised and lowered his blade in glittering arcs. Freka ... or -the thing that had been Freka ... collapsed in a grotesque heap. Still -it moved. Kieron passed his point again and again through the quivering -mass until at long last it was still. Somewhere a woman fainted.</p> - -<p>A thick silence fell over the assemblage. All eyes turned to Ivane. She -stood staring at the remnants of the thing that had been ... almost ... -a man. Her hand fluttered at her throat.</p> - -<p>Alys' voice cut through the heavy stillness. "Arrest that woman for the -murder of my brother Toran!"</p> - -<p>But the crowd of courtiers was thinking of other things. Jaded and -cynical, they had seen with their own eyes that Ivane was a familiar of -the dreaded Great Destroyer. Someone cried: "Witch! Burn her!"</p> - -<p>The mass of courtiers and warriors swept forward, screaming for the -kill. Kieron leaped for the dais, his sword still bared.</p> - -<p>"I'll kill the first one who sets foot on the Great Throne!" he cried.</p> - -<p>But Ivane had heard the crowd sounds. The black mantle slipped from -her shoulders, and she stood stripped to the waist, like a marble -goddess—her eyes recapturing some of their icy hauteur. Then, before -she could be stopped, she had taken a jewelled dagger and driven it -deep into her breast.</p> - -<p>Kieron caught her as she fell, feeling the warm blood staining his -hands. He eased her down on the foot of the Great Throne and laid his -ear to her breast.</p> - -<p>There was no pulse. Ivane was dead.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Before the assembled Court, the Warlord of Valkyr knelt before his -Empress. The star-kings had gone, and the Valkyrs were the last -outworld warriors remaining in the Imperial City. Now, they too, would -take their leave.</p> - -<p>The Empress sat on the Great Throne, mantled in sable. Somehow, the -huge throne and the vast vaulted chamber seemed to make her look small -and frail.</p> - -<p>"Your Imperial Majesty," said Kieron, "have we your leave to go?"</p> - -<p>Alys' eyes were bright with tears. She leaned forward so that none but -Kieron might hear. "Stay a while yet, Kieron. At least let us say our -goodbyes alone and not ..." She looked about the crowded Throne Room, -"... not here."</p> - -<p>Kieron shook his head mutely. Aloud, he said again, "Have I Your -Majesty's permission to return to Valkyr?"</p> - -<p>"Kieron...!" whispered Alys. "Please...."</p> - -<p>He looked up at her once, pain in his eyes, but he did not speak.</p> - -<p>Alys knew then that the gulf had opened between them again; that this -time, it was for the rest of their lives. The tears came and streaked -her cheek as she lifted her head and spoke for all the Court to hear.</p> - -<p>"Permission is granted, My Lord of Valkyr. You ... you may return to -Valkyr." And then she whispered, "And my love goes with you, Kieron!"</p> - -<p>Kieron raised her jewelled hands to his lips and kissed them.... Then -he arose and turned on his heel to stride swiftly from the Great Hall.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Rebel of Valkyr, by Alfred Coppel - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE REBEL OF VALKYR *** - -***** This file should be named 63960-h.htm or 63960-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/9/6/63960/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/63960-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/63960-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 60359b4..0000000 --- a/old/63960-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63960-h/images/illus1.jpg b/old/63960-h/images/illus1.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 6d3d361..0000000 --- a/old/63960-h/images/illus1.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63960-h/images/illus2.jpg b/old/63960-h/images/illus2.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3149cfe..0000000 --- a/old/63960-h/images/illus2.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63960-h/images/illusc.jpg b/old/63960-h/images/illusc.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0663b6a..0000000 --- a/old/63960-h/images/illusc.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63960.txt b/old/63960.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ed8d84a..0000000 --- a/old/63960.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2542 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Rebel of Valkyr, by Alfred Coppel - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Rebel of Valkyr - -Author: Alfred Coppel - -Release Date: December 5, 2020 [EBook #63960] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE REBEL OF VALKYR *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - The Rebel of Valkyr - - By ALFRED COPPEL - - ... _From the Dark Ages of Space emerged the Second - Empire ... ruled by a child, a usurper and a fool! - The Great Throne of Imperial Earth commanded a - thousand vassal worlds--bleak, starved worlds that - sullenly whispered of galactic revolt.... At last, - like eagles at a distant eyrie, the star-kings - gathered ... not to whisper, but to strike!_ - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories Fall 1950. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - _Out of the dark ages of the Interregnum emerged the Second Empire. - Once again in the space of a millennium, the banner of Imperial - Earth waved above the decimated lands of the inhabited worlds. Four - generations of conquerors, heirs to the greatness of the Thousand - Emperors, had recreated the Galactic Empire, by force of arms. But - technology, the Great Destroyer, was feared and forbidden. Only - witches, warlocks and sorcerers remembered the old knowledge, and - the mobs, tortured by the racial memories of the awful destruction - of the Civil Wars, stoned these seekers and burned them in the - squares of towns built amid the rubble of the old wars. The - ancient, mighty spaceships--indestructible, eternal--carried men - and horses, fire and sword across the Galaxy at the bidding of the - warlords. The Second Empire--four generations out of isolated - savagery--feudal, grim; a culture held together by bonds forged of - blood and iron and the loyalty of the warrior star-kings_.... - - --Quintus Bland, - - ESSAYS ON GALACTIC HISTORY. - - - I - -Kieron, Warlord of Valkyr, paced the polished floor angrily. The -flickering lights of the vast mirrored chamber glinted from the -jewels in his ceremonial harness and shimmered down the length of his -silver cape. For a moment, the star-king paused before the tall double -doors of beaten bronze, his strong hands toying with the hilt of his -sword. The towering Janizaries of the Palace Guard stood immobile on -either side of the arching doorway, their great axes resting on the -flagstones. It was as though the dark thoughts that coursed through -Kieron's mind were--to them--unthinkable. The huge warriors from the -heavy planets of the Pleiades were stolid, loyal, unimaginative. And -even a star-king did not dream of assaulting the closed portals of the -Emperor's chambers. - -Kieron's fingers opened and closed spasmodically over the gem-crusted -pommel of his weapon; his dark eyes glittered with unspent fury. -Muttering an oath, he turned away from the silent door and resumed his -pacing. His companion, a brawny man in the plain battle harness of -Valkyr, watched him quietly from under bushy yellow brows. He stood -with his great arms folded over the plaits of grizzled yellow hair that -hung to his waist, his deeply-lined face framed by the loosened lacings -of a winged helmet. A huge sword hugged his naked thigh; a massive -blade with worn and sweat-stained hilt. - -The lord of Valkyr paused in his angry pacing to glare at his aide. -"By the Great Destroyer, Nevitta! How long are we to stand this?" - -"Patience, Kieron, patience." The old warrior spoke with the assurance -of lifelong familiarity. "They try us sorely, but we have waited three -weeks. A little longer can do no harm." - -"Three weeks!" Kieron scowled at Nevitta. "Will they _drive_ us into -rebellion? Is that their intention? I swear I would not have taken this -from Gilmer himself!" - -"The great Emperor would never have dealt with us so. The fighting men -of Valkyr were ever closest to his heart, Kieron. This is a way of -doing that smacks of a woman's hand." He spat on the polished floor. -"May the Seven Hells claim her!" - -Kieron grunted shortly and turned again toward the silent door. Ivane! -Ivane the Fair ... Ivane the schemer. What devil's brew was she mixing -now? Intrigue had always been her weapon--and now that Gilmer was gone -and she stood by the Great Throne.... - -Kieron cursed her roundly under his breath. Nevitta spoke the truth. -There was Ivane's hand in this, as surely as the stars made Galaxies! - -Three weeks wasted. Long weeks. Twenty-one full days since their ships -had touched the Imperial City. Days of fighting through the swarms of -dilettantes and favor-seekers that thronged the Imperial Palace. There -had been times when Kieron had wanted to cut a path through the fawning -dandies with his sword! - -Gilmer of Kaidor lay dead a full year and still the new Court was a -madhouse of simpering sycophants. Petitions were being granted by the -score as the favorites collected their long-delayed largess from the -boy-Emperor Toran. And Kieron knew well enough that whatever favors -were granted came through the ambitious hands of the Consort Ivane. -She might not be allowed to wear the crown of an Empress without the -blood of the Thousand Emperors in her veins, but by now no one at Court -denied that she was the fountainhead of Imperial favor. Yet that wasn't -really enough for her, Kieron knew. Ivane dreamed of better things. And -because of all this hidden by-play, the old favorites of the warrior -Gilmer were snubbed and refused audience. A new inner circle was -building, and Kieron of Valkyr was not--it was plain to see--to be -included. He was prevented even from presenting his just complaints to -the Emperor Toran. - - * * * * * - -Other matters, he was told again and again, occupied His Imperial -Majesty's attention. Other matters! Kieron could feel the anger hot -and throbbing in his veins. What other matters could there be of more -importance to a sovereign than the loyalty of his finest fighting men? -Or if Toran was a fool as the courtiers privately claimed, then surely -Ivane had more intelligence than to keep a Warlord of the Outer Marches -cooling his heels in antechambers for three weeks! The Lady Ivane, -herself so proud, should know how near to rebellion were the warrior -peoples of the Periphery. - -Under such deliberate provocations it was difficult to loyally ignore -the invitation of Freka of Kalgan to meet with the other star-kings in -grievance council. Rebellion was not alluring to one like Kieron who -had spent his boyhood fighting beside Gilmer, but there was a limit to -human endurance, and he was fast reaching it. - -"Nevitta," Kieron spoke abruptly. "Were you able to find out anything -concerning the Lady Alys?" - -The grizzled warrior shook his head. "Nothing but the common talk. It -is said that she has secluded herself, still mourning for Gilmer. You -know, Kieron, how the little princess loved her father." - -The lord of Valkyr frowned thoughtfully. Yes, it was true enough that -Alys had loved Gilmer. He could remember her at the great Emperor's -side after the battle of Kaidor. Even the conquered interregnal lords -of that world had claimed that Gilmer would have surrendered the planet -if they had been able to capture his daughter. The bond between father -and daughter had been a close one. Possibly Alys _had_ secluded herself -to carry on with her mourning--but Kieron doubted it. That would not -have been Gilmer's way, nor his daughter's. - -"Things would be different here," said Nevitta with feeling, "if the -little princess ruled instead of Toran." - -Very different, thought Kieron. The foolish Toran bid fair to lose what -four generations of loyal fighters had built up out of the rubble of -the dark ages. Alys, the warrior princess, would add to the glory of -the Imperium, not detract from it. But perhaps he was prejudiced in her -favor, reflected Kieron. It was hard not to be. - -He recalled her laughing eyes and her courage. A slim child, direct in -manner and bearing. Embarrassing him before his roaring Valkyrs with -her forthright protestations of love. The armies had worshipped her. A -lovely child--with pride of race written into her patrician face. But -compassionate, too. Gravely comforting the dying and the wounded with a -touch or a word. - -Eight years had passed since bloody Kaidor. The child of twelve -would be a woman now. And, thought Kieron anxiously, a threat to the -ascendant power of the Consort Ivane.... - - * * * * * - -The tall bronze doors swung open suddenly, and Kieron turned. But it -was not the Emperor who stood there framed in the archway, nor even the -Consort. It was the gem-bedecked figure of Landor, the First Lord of -Space. - -Kieron snorted derisively. First Lord! The shades of the mighty -fighters who had carried that title through a thousand of Imperial -Earth's battles must have been sickened by young Toran's ... or -Ivane's ... choice of the mincing courtier who now stood before him. - -The more cynical courtiers said that Landor had won his honors in -Ivane's bed, and Kieron could well believe it. Out in the vast -emptinesses of the Edge men lived by different standards. Out there -a woman was a woman--a thing to be loved or beaten, cherished or -enjoyed and cast off--but not a touchstone to wealth and power. Kieron -had loathed Landor on sight, and there was reason enough to believe -that the First Lord reciprocated most completely. It was not wise for -anyone, even a Warlord, to openly scorn the Consort's favorites--but -restraint was not one of the lord of Valkyr's virtues, though even -Nevitta warned him to take care. Assassination was a fine art in the -Imperial City, and one amply subsidized by the First Lord of Space. - -"Well, Landor?" Kieron demanded, disdaining to use Landor's title. - -Landor's smoothly handsome features showed no expression. The pale eyes -veiled like a serpent's. - -"I regret," the First Lord of Space said easily, "that His Imperial -Majesty has retired for the night, Valkyr. Under the circumstances...." -He spread his slender hands in a gesture of helplessness. - -The lie was obvious. Through the open doorway of the royal chambers -came the murmuring sound of laughter and the reedy melody of a -minstrel's pipes in the age-old ballad of _Lady Greensleeves_. Kieron -could hear Toran's uncertain voice singing: - - "Greensleeves was all my joy, - Greensleeves was all my joy, - And who but Lady Greensleeves?" - -Kieron could imagine the boy--lolling foolishly before the glittering -Ivane, trying to win with verses what any man could have for a pledge -of loyalty to the Consort. - -The Valkyr glared at Landor. "I'm not to be received, is that it? By -the Seven Hells, why don't you say what you mean?" - -Landor's smile was scornful. "You outworlders! You should learn how to -behave, really. Perhaps later...." - -"Later be damned!" snapped Kieron. "My people are starving _now_! Your -grubbing tax-gatherers are wringing us dry! How long do you think -they'll stand for it? How long do you imagine _I_ will stand for it?" - -"Threats, Valkyr?" asked the First Lord, his eyes suddenly venomous. -"Threats against your Emperor? Men have been whipped to death for much -less." - -"Not men of Valkyr," retorted Kieron. - -"The men of Valkyr no longer hold the favored position they once did, -Kieron. I counsel you to remember that." - -"True enough," Kieron replied scornfully. "Under Gilmer, fighting men -were the power of the Empire. Now Toran rules with the hands of -women ... and dancing masters." - - * * * * * - -The First Lord's face darkened at the insult. He laid a hand on the -hilt of his ornate sword, but the Valkyr's eyes remained insolent. The -huge Nevitta stirred, measuring the Pleiadene Janizaries at the door, -ready for trouble. - -But Landor had no stomach for swordplay--particularly with as young and -supple a fighter as the Warlord of Valkyr. His own ready tongue was a -better weapon than steel. With an effort, he forced himself to smile. -It was a cold smile, pregnant with subtle danger. - -"Harsh words, Valkyr. And unwise. I shall not forget them. I doubt -that you will be able to see His Majesty, since I do not believe the -tribulations of a planet of savages would concern him. You waste your -time here. If you have other business, you had better be about it." - -It was Kieron's turn to feel the hot goad of anger. "Are those Toran's -words or Ivane's dancing master?" - -"The Consort Ivane, of course, agrees. If your people cannot pay their -taxes, let them sell a few of their brats into service," Landor said -smoothly. - -The die was cast, then, thought Kieron furiously. All hope for an -adjustment from Toran was gone and only one course lay open to him now. - -"Nevitta! See that our men and horses are loaded tonight and the ships -made ready for space!" - -Nevitta saluted and turned to go. He paused, looked insolently at the -First Lord, and deliberately spat on the floor. Then he was gone, his -spurs ringing metallically as he disappeared through the high curving -archway. - -"Savage," muttered Landor. - -"Savage enough to be loyal and worthy of any trust," said Kieron; "but -you would know nothing of that." - -Landor ignored the thrust. "Where do you go now, Valkyr?" - -"Off-world." - -"Of course," Landor smiled thinly, his eyebrows arching over pale, -shrewd eyes. "Off-world." - -Kieron felt a stab of suspicion. How much did Landor know? Had his -spies pierced Freka the Unknown's counter-espionage cordon and brought -word of the star-kings gathering on Kalgan? - -"It cannot concern you where I go now, Landor," said Kieron grimly. -"You've won here. But...." Kieron stepped a pace nearer the resplendent -favorite. "Warn your tax-gatherers to go armed when they land on -Valkyr. Well armed, Landor." - -Kieron turned on his heel and strode out of the antechamber, his booted -heels staccato on the flagstones, silver cape flaunting like a proud -banner. - - - II - -Past the tall arch of the Emperor's antechamber lay the Hall of the -Thousand Emperors. Kieron strode through it, the flickering flames of -the wall-sconces casting long shadows out behind him--shadows that -danced and whirled on the tapestried walls and touched the composed -faces of the great men of Earth. - -These were brooding men; men who stared down at him out of their -thousand pasts. Men who had stood with a planet for a throne and -watched their Empire passing in ordered glory from horizon to horizon -across the night sky of Earth--men worshipped as gods on outworld -planets, who watched and guided the tide of Empire until it crashed -thundering on the shores of ten thousand worlds beyond Vega and Altair. -Men who sat cloaked in sable robes with diamond stars encrusted and saw -their civilization built out from the Great Throne, tier on shining -tier until at last it reached the Edge and strained across the awful -gulf for the terrible seetee suns of mighty Andromeda itself.... - -The last few of the men like gods had watched the First Empire crumble. -They had seen the wave of annihilation sweeping in from the Outer -Marches of the Periphery; had seen their gem-bright civilization -shattered with destructive forces so hideous that the spectre of the -Great Destroyer hung like a mantle of death over the Galaxy, a thing to -be shunned and feared forever. And thus had come the Interregnum. - -Kieron had no eyes for these brooding giants; his world was not the -world they had known. It was in the next chamber that the outworld -warrior paused. It was a vast and empty place. Here there were but -five figures and space for a thousand more. This was the Empire that -Kieron knew. This Empire he had fought for and helped secure; a -savage, darkling thing spawned in the dark ages of the Interregnum, -a Galaxy-spanning fief of star-kings and serfs--of warlocks and -spaceships--of light and shadow. This Empire had been born in the agony -of a Galaxy and tempered in the bitter internecine wars of reconquest. - -Before the image of Gilmer of Kaidor, Kieron stopped. He stood in -silence, looking into the face of his dead liege. The hour was late -and the Hall deserted. Kieron knelt, suddenly filled with sadness. -He was on his way to rebellion against the Empire that he had helped -this stern-faced man to expand and hold--rebellion against the power -of Imperial Earth, personified by the weak-faced boy standing draped -in the sable mantle of sovereignty in the next niche. Kieron looked -from father to son. By its composure and its nearness to the magnetic -features of the great Gilmer, the face of young Toran seemed to draw -character and strength. It was an illusion, Kieron knew. - -The young Valkyr felt driven hard. His people hungered. Military -service was no longer enough for the Imperial Government as it had been -for decades. Money was demanded, and there was no money on Valkyr. So -the people hungered--and Kieron was their lord. He could not stand by -and see the agony on the faces of his warrior maids as their children -weakened, nor could he see his proud warriors selling themselves into -slavery for a handful of coins. The Emperor would not listen. Kieron -had recourse only to the one thing he knew ... the sword. - -He bowed his head and asked the shade of Gilmer for forgiveness. - - * * * * * - -A slight movement caught his battle-sharpened eye as someone stirred -behind a fluted column. Kieron's sword whispered as it slid from the -scabbard, the gemmed hilt casting shards of light into the dimness of -the colonnade. - -Treading softly, Kieron eased his tall frame into the shadows, weapon -alert. The thought of assassination flashed across his mind and he -smiled grimly. Could it be that Landor had his hirelings after him -already? - -Kieron saw the shadowy shape slip from the colonnade out onto the great -curving terrace that bordered the entire west wing of the Palace. Eyes -narrowed under his black brows, the lord of Valkyr followed. - -The stars gleamed in the moonless night, and far below, Kieron could -see the flickering torchlights of the Imperial City fanning out to the -horizon like the spokes of some fantastic, glittering wheel. The dark -figure ahead had vanished. - -Kieron sheathed his sword and drew his poniard. It was far too dark for -swordplay, and he did not wish to risk letting the assassin escape. -Melting into the shadows of the colonnade again, he made his way -parallel to the terrace, alert for any sign of movement. Presently, -the figure appeared again beside the balustrade, and the Valkyr moved -swiftly and quietly up behind. With a cat-like movement, he slipped his -free arm about the slight shape, pulling it tight against himself. The -poniard flashed in his upraised hand, the slender blade reflecting the -starlight. - -The weapon did not descend.... - -Against his forearm, Kieron felt a yielding softness, and the hair that -brushed his cheek was warm and perfumed. - -He stood transfixed. The girl twisted in his grasp and broke free with -a gasping cry. Instantly, a blade gleamed in her hand and she had -launched herself at the Valkyr furiously. Her voice was tight with rage. - -"Murdering butcher! _You dare...!_" - -Kieron caught her upraised arm and wrenched the dagger from her grasp. -She clawed at him, kicking, biting, but never once calling aloud for -aid. At last Kieron was able to pin her to a column with his weight, -and he held her there, arms pinioned to her sides. - -"You hellcat!" he muttered against her hair, "Who are you?" - -"You know well enough, you murdering lackey! Why don't you kill me and -go collect your pay, damn you!" gritted the girl furiously. "Must you -manhandle me too?" - -Kieron gasped. "_I_ kill _you_!" He caught the girl's hair and pulled -her head back so that her features would catch the faint glow of light -from the city below. "Who are you, hellcat?" - -The light outlined his own features and the Arms of Valkyr on the -clasp of his cloak at his throat. The girl's eyes widened. Slowly the -tenseness went out of her and she relaxed against him. - -"Kieron! Kieron of Valkyr!" - - * * * * * - -Kieron was still alert for some trick. Landor could have hired a female -assassin just as well as a man. - -"You know me?" he asked cautiously. - -"_Know_ you!" She laughed suddenly, and it was a silvery sound in the -night. "I _loved_ you ... beast!" - -"By the Seven Hells, you speak in riddles! Who are you?" the Valkyr -demanded irritably. - -"And I thought you had come to kill me," mused the girl in -self-reproach. "My own Kieron!" - -"I'm not your Kieron or anyone else's, Lady," said Kieron rather -stiffly, "and you'd better explain why you were watching me in the Hall -of Emperors before I'll let you go." - -"My father warned me that you would forget me. I did not think you -would be so cruel," she taunted. - -"I knew your father?" - -"Well enough, I think." - -"I've had a hundred wenches--and known some of their fathers, too. You -can't expect me to...." - -"Not _this_ wench, Valkyr!" the girl exploded furiously. - -The tone carried such command that Kieron involuntarily stepped back, -but still keeping the girl's hands pinned to her sides. - -"If you had spoken so on Kaidor, I'd have had the skin stripped from -your back, outworld savage!" she cried. - -Kaidor! Kieron felt the blood drain away from his face. This, then, -was ... Alys. - -"Ha! So you remember now! Kaidor you can recall, but you have forgotten -me! Kieron, you always were a beast!" - -Kieron felt a smile spreading across his face. It was good to smile -again. And it was good to know that Alys was ... safe. - -"Highness...." - -"Don't 'Highness' me!" - -"Alys, then. Forgive me. I could not have known you. After all it has -been eight years...." - -"And there have been a hundred wenches ..." mimicked the girl angrily. - -Kieron grinned. "There really haven't been that many. I boasted." - -"Any would be too many!" - -"You haven't changed, Alys, except that you...." - -"Have grown so? Spare me that!" She glared at him, eyes flaming in the -shadows. Then suddenly she was laughing again, a silvery laugh that -hung like a bright thread in the soft tapestry of night sounds. "Oh, -Kieron, it is good to see you again!" - -"I thought to hear from you, Alys, when we reached Earth--but there was -nothing. No word of any kind. I was told you were in seclusion still -mourning Gilmer." - - * * * * * - -Alys bowed her head. "I will never stop mourning him." She looked up, -her eyes suddenly bright with unshed tears. "Nor will you. I saw you -kneeling inside. I thought then that it might be you. No one kneels -to Gilmer now but the old comrades." She walked to the balustrade and -stood looking out over the lights of the Imperial City. Kieron watched -the play of emotions over her face, caught suddenly by her beauty. - -"I tried to reach you, Kieron--tried hard. But my servants have been -taken from me since I was caught spying on Ivane. And I'm kept under -cover now, permitted out only after dark--and then only on the Palace -grounds. Ivane has convinced Toran that I'm dangerous. The people like -me because I was father's favorite. My poor stupid little brother! How -that woman rules him...!" - -Kieron was aghast. "You spied on Ivane? In heaven's name, why?" - -"That woman is a born plotter, Kieron. She isn't satisfied with a -Consort's coronet. She's brewing something. Emmissaries have come to -her from certain of the star-kings and _others_...." - -"Others?" - -Alys' voice was hushed. "A warlock, Kieron! He has been seeing Ivane -privately for more than a year. An awful man!" - -Superstition stirred like a quickening devil inside the Valkyr. The -shuddering horror of the dark and bloody tales he had heard all his -life about the warlocks who clung to the knowledge of the Great -Destroyer rose like a wave of blackness within him. - -Alys felt the same dark tide rising in her. She moved closer to Kieron, -her slim body trembling slightly against his. "The people would tear -Ivane to pieces if they knew," she whispered. - -"You _saw_ this warlock?" asked Kieron, sick with dread. - -Alys nodded soundlessly. - -Kieron fought down his fears and wondered uneasily what Ivane's -connection could be with such a pariah. The warlocks and witches were -despised and feared above all other creatures in the Galaxy. - -"His name?" Kieron asked. - -"Geller. Geller of the Marshes. It is said that he is a conjurer of -devils ... _and that he can create homunculi_! Out of the very filth of -the marshes! Oh, Kieron!" Alys shuddered. - -An awful plan was forming in Kieron's mind. He was thinking that Ivane -must be stripped of the sigils and powers of this devil-man. With such -powers at her command there might be nothing impossible of attainment. -Even the crown of the Imperium itself.... - -"Where," Kieron asked slowly, "can this warlock be found?" - -"On the street of the Black Flame, in the city of Neg ... on Kalgan." - -"_Kalgan!_" Kieron's heart contracted. Was there a connection? Kalgan! -What had Ivane to do with that lonely planet beyond the dark veil of -the Coalsack? Was it coincidence? Out of all the thousands of worlds in -space ... Kalgan. - -"Is there something wrong, Kieron? You know this man?" - -Kieron shook his head. It had suddenly become more than imperative -that he go to Kalgan. The mystery of the Imperial Consort's connection -with a warlock of Kalgan must be unraveled. And the star-kings were -gathering.... - -The Valkyr was suddenly taken with a new and different fear. If Alys -had spied on Ivane, then she must be in danger here. Ivane would never -tolerate interference with her plans from Gilmer's daughter. - -"Alys, are you a prisoner here?" - -"More, I'm afraid," the girl said sadly. "I'm a reminder to Toran of -the days of our father. One that he would like to eliminate, I think." - - * * * * * - -Kieron studied her in the starlight. His eyes sought the thick golden -hair that brushed her shoulders, the glittering metallic skirt that -hung low on her hips, outlining the slim thighs. He watched the -graceful line of her unadorned throat, the bare shoulders and breasts, -the small waist, the flat, firm stomach--all revealed by the studied -nakedness of the fashions of the Inner Marches. This was no child. The -thought of her in danger shook him badly. - -"Toran would not dare harm you, Alys," said Kieron uncertainly. There -had been a time when he could have said such a thing with perfect -assurance, but since the death of Gilmer, the Imperial City was like an -over-civilized jungle--full of beasts of prey. - -"No, Toran wouldn't ... alone," said Alys; "but there are Ivane and -Landor." She laughed, suddenly gay; her eyes, seeking Kieron's, were -shining. "But not now! You are here, Kieron!" - -The Valkyr felt his heart contract. "Alys," he said softly, "I leave -Earth tonight. For Kalgan." - -"For Kalgan, Kieron?" Alys' eyes widened. "To seek that warlock?" - -"For another reason, Alys." Kieron paused uneasily. It was hard to -speak to Gilmer of Kaidor's daughter about rebellion. Yet he could not -lie to her. He temporized. - -"I have business with the lord of Kalgan," he said. - -Alys' face was shadowed and her voice when she spoke was sad. "Do the -star-kings gather, Kieron? Have they had all they can stand of Toran's -foolish rule?" - -Kieron nodded wordlessly. - -The girl flared up with a sudden imperious anger. "That fool! He is -letting the favorites drive the Empire to ruin!" She looked up at -Kieron pleadingly. "Promise me one thing, Kieron." - -"If I can." - -"That you will not commit yourself to any rebellion until we have -spoken again." - -"Alys, I...." - -"Oh, Kieron! Promise me! If there is no other way, then fight the -Imperial House. But give me one chance to save what my father and his -father died for...!" - -"And mine," added Kieron sombrely. - -"You know that if there is no other way, I won't try to dissuade you. -But while you are on Kalgan, I'll speak to Toran. Please, Kieron, -promise me that Valkyr will not rebel until we have tried everything." -Her eyes shone with passion. "Then if it comes to war, I'll ride by -your side!" - -"Done, Alys," said Kieron slowly. "But take care when you speak to -Toran. Remember there is danger here for you." He wondered briefly -what Freka the Unknown would think of his sudden reluctance to commit -the hundred spaceships and five thousand warriors of Valkyr to the -coming rebellion. A thought struck him and quickly he discarded it. -For just an instant he had wondered if Geller of the Marshes and the -mysterious Freka the Unknown might be the same.... Stranger things had -happened. But Alys had described Geller as old, and Freka was known to -be a six-and-one-half foot warrior, the perfect 'type' of the star-king -caste. - -"One thing more, Alys," Kieron said; "I will leave one of my vessels -here for your use. Nevitta and a company will remain, too. Keep them by -you. They will guard you with their lives." He slipped his arm about -her, holding her to him. - -"Nevitta?" Alys said with a slow smile. "Nevitta of the yellow braids -and the great sword? I remember him." - -"The braids are greying, but the sword is as long as ever. He can guard -you for me, and keep you safe." - -The girl's smile deepened at the words 'for me' but Kieron did not -notice. He was deep in planning. "Be very careful, Alys. And watch out -for Landor." - -"Yes, Kieron," the girl breathed meekly. She looked up at the tall -outworld warrior's face, lips parted. - -But Kieron was looking up at the stars of the Empire, and there was -uneasiness in his heart. He tightened his arm about Alys, holding her -closer to him as though to protect her from the hot gaze of those fiery -stars. - - - III - -The spaceship was ancient, yet the mysterious force of the Great -Destroyer chained within the sealed coils between the hulls drove it -with unthinkable speed across the star-shot darkness. The interior was -close and smoky, for the only light came from oil lamps turned low to -slow the fouling of the air. Once, there had been light without fire -in the thousand-foot hulls, but the tiny orbs set into the ceilings -had failed for they were not of a kind with the force in the sealed, -eternal coils. - -On the lower decks, the horses of the small party of Valkyr warriors -aboard stomped the steel deck-plates, impatient in their close -confinement; while in the tiny bubble of glass at the very prow of the -ancient vessel, two shamen of the hereditary caste of Navigators drove -the pulsing starship toward the spot beyond the veil of the Coalsack -where their astrolabes and armillary spheres told them that the misty -globe of Kalgan lay. - -Many men--risking indictment as warlocks or sorcerers--had tried to -probe the secrets of the Great Destroyer and compute the speed of -these mighty spacecraft of antiquity. Some had even claimed a speed -of 100,000 miles per hour for them. But since the starships made the -voyage from Earth to the agricultural worlds of Proxima Centauri in -slightly less than twenty-eight hours, such calculations would place -the nearest star-system an astounding _two million eight hundred -thousand_ miles from Earth--a figure that was as absurd to all -Navigators as it was inconceivable to laymen. - -The great spaceship bearing the Warlord of Valkyr's blazon solidified -into reality near Kalgan as its great velocity diminished. It circled -the planet to kill speed and nosed down into the damp air of the grey -world. The high cloud cover passed, it slanted down into slightly -clearer air. Kalgan did not rotate: in its slow orbit around the red -giant parent star, the planet turned first one face, and then another -to the slight heat of its sun. Great oceans covered the poles, and the -central land mass was like a craggy girdle of rock and soil around the -bulging equator. Only in the twilight zone was life endurable, and -the city of Neg, stronghold of Freka the Unknown, was the only urban -grouping on the planet. - -Neg lay sullen in the eternal twilight when at last Kieron's spaceship -landed outside the gates and the debarkation of his retinue had begun; -the spaceport, however, was ablaze with flares and torches, and the -lord of Kalgan had sent a corps of drummers--signal honors--to greet -the visiting star-king. The hot, misty night air throbbed with the -beat of the huge kettle-drums, and weapons and jewelled harness flashed -in the yellow light of the flames. - -At last the debarkation was complete, and Kieron and his warriors -were led by a torch-bearing procession of soldiery into the fortified -city of Neg--along ancient cobbled streets--through small crowded -squares--and finally to the Citadel of Neg itself. The residence of -Freka the Unknown, Lord of Kalgan. - -The people they passed were a silent, sullen lot. Dull, brutish faces. -The faces of slaves and serfs held in bondage by fear and force. These -people, Kieron reflected, would go mad in a carnival of destruction if -the heavy hand of their lord should falter. - -He turned his attention from the people of Neg to the massive Citadel. -It was a powerful keep with high walls and turreted outworks. It spoke -of Kalgan's bloody history in every squat, functional line. A history -of endless rebellion and uprising, of coups and upheavals. Warrior -after warrior had set himself up as ruler of this sullen world only -to fall before the assaults of his own vassals. It had ever been the -policy of the Imperial Government never to interfere with these purely -local affairs. It was felt that out of the crucibles of domestic strife -would arise the best fighting men, and they, in turn, could serve the -Imperium. As long as Kalgan produced its levy of fighting men and -spaceships, no one on Earth cared about the local government. So Kalgan -wallowed in blood. - -Out of the last nightmare had come Freka. He had risen rapidly to power -on Kalgan--and _stayed_ in power. Hated by his people, he nevertheless -ruled harshly, for that was his way. Kieron had been told that this -warrior who had sprung out of nowhere was different from other men. The -Imperial courtiers claimed that he cared nothing for wine or women, and -that he loved only battle. It would take such a man, thought Kieron -studying the Citadel, to take and hold a world like Kalgan. It would -take such a man to want it! - -If Freka of Kalgan loved bloodshed, he would be happy when this coming -council of star-kings ended, the Valkyr reflected moodily. He knew -himself how near to rebellion he was, and the other lords of the Outer -Marches, the lords of Auriga, Doorn, Quintain, Helia--all were ready to -strike the Imperial crown from Toran's foolish head. - - * * * * * - -Kieron was escorted with his warriors to a luxurious suite within the -Citadel. Freka, he was informed, regretted his inability to greet him -personally, but intended to meet all the gathered star-kings in the -Great Hall within twelve hours. Meanwhile, there would be entertainment -for the visiting warriors, and the hospitality of Kalgan. Which -hospitality, claimed the hawk-faced steward pridefully, was without -peer in the known Universe! - -An imp of perversity stirred in Kieron. He found that he did -not completely trust Freka of Kalgan. There was a premeditated -cold-bloodedness about this whole business of the star-kings' grievance -council that alerted him to danger. There should have been less -smoothness and efficiency in the way the visitors were handled, Kieron -thought illogically, remembering the troubles he, himself, had gone to -whenever outworld rulers had visited Valkyr. He was suddenly glad that -he had warned Nevitta to use extreme caution should it be necessary to -bring Alys to Kalgan. It was possible he was being over-suspicious, but -he could not forget that Alys herself had seen a warlock from Kalgan -in familiar conversation with the woman really to blame for the danger -that smouldered red among the worlds of the Empire. - -The drums told the Valkyr that the other star-kings were arriving. -Torches flared in the courtyards of the Citadel, and the hissing roar -of spaceships landing told of the eagles gathering. - -Through the long, featureless twilight, the sounds continued. Freka -made no appearances, but the promised entertainment was forthcoming -and lavish. Food and wine in profusion were brought to the apartments -of the Valkyrs. Musicians and minstrels came too, to sing and play the -love songs and warchants of ancient Valkyr while the warriors roared -approval. - -Kieron sat on the high seat reserved for him and watched the dancing -yellow light of the flambeaux light up the stone rooms and play across -the ruddy faces of his warriors as they drank and gamed and quarreled. - -Dancing girls were sent them, and the Valkyrs howled with savage -pleasure as the naked bodies, glistening with scented oils, gyrated in -the barbaric rhythms of the sword dances steel whirring in bright arcs -above the tawny heads. The long, gloomy twilight passed unregretted -in the warm, flame-splashed closeness of the Citadel. Kieron watched -thoughtfully as more women and fiery vintages were brought into the -merrymaking. The finest wines and the best women were passed hand -to hand over the heads of laughing warriors to Kieron's place, and -he drank deeply of both. The wines were heady, the full lips of the -sybaritic houris bittersweet, but Kieron smiled inwardly--if Freka the -Unknown sought to bring him into the gathering of the star-kings drunk -and satiated and amenable to suggestion, the lord of Kalgan knew little -of the capacity of the men of the Edge. - -The hours passed and revelry filled the Citadel of Neg. Life on the -outer worlds was harsh, and the gathering warriors took full measure -of the pleasures placed at their disposal by the lord of Kalgan. The -misty, eternal dusk rang with the drinking songs and battle-cries, the -quarreling and lovemaking of warriors from a dozen outworld planets. -Each star-king, Kieron knew, was being entertained separately, plied -with wine and woman-flesh until the hour for the meeting came. - -The sands had run their course in the glass five times before the -trumpets blared through the Citadel, calling the lords to the meeting. -Kieron left his men to enjoy themselves, and with an attendant in the -harness of Kalgan made his way toward the Great Hall. - -Through dark passageways that reeked of ancient violence, by walls hung -with tapestries and antique weapons, they went; over flagstones worn -smooth by generations. This keep had been old when the reconquering -heirs to the Thousand Emperors rode their chargers into the Great Hall -and dictated their peace terms to the interregnal lords of Kalgan. - - * * * * * - -The hall was a vast, vaulted stone room filled with the smoky heat -of torches and many bodies. It teemed with be-jewelled warriors, -star-kings, warlords, aides and attendants. For just a moment the lord -of Valkyr regretted having come into the impressive gathering alone. -Yet it was unimportant. These men were--for the most part--his peers -and friends; the warrior kings of the Edge. - -Odo of Helia was there, filling the room with his great laughter; and -Theron, the Lord of Auriga; Kleph of Quintain; and others. Many others. -Kieron saw the white mane of his father's friend Eric, the Warlord -of Doorn, the great Red Sun beyond the Horsehead Nebula. Here was an -aggregation of might to give even a Galactic Emperor pause. The warlike -worlds of the Edge, gathered on Kalgan to decide the issue of war -against the uneasy crown of Imperial Earth. - -Questions coursed through Kieron's mind as he stood among the -star-kings. Alys--pleading with Toran--what success could she have -against the insidious power of the Consort? Was Alys in danger? And -there was Geller, the mysterious warlock of the Marshes. Kieron felt -he must seek out the man. There were questions that only Geller could -answer. Yet at the thought of a warlock--a familiar of the Great -Destroyer--Kieron's blood ran cold. - -The Valkyr looked about him. That there was power enough here to crush -the forces of Earth, there was no doubt. But what then? When Toran -was stripped of his power, who would wear the crown? The Empire was -a necessity--without it the dark ages of the Interregnum would fall -again. For four generations the mantle of shadows had hovered over the -youngling Second Empire. Not even the most savage wanted a return of -the lost years of isolation. The Empire must live. But the Empire would -need a titular head. If not Toran, the foolish weak boy, then who? -Kieron's suspicions stirred.... - -A rumble of tympani announced the entrance of the host. The murmuring -voices grew still. Freka the Unknown had entered the Great Hall. - -Kieron stared. The man was--magnificent! The tall figure was muscled -like a statue from the Dawn Age; sinews rippling under the golden hide -like oiled machinery, grace and power in every movement. A mane of hair -the color of fire framed a face of classic purity--ascetic, almost -inhuman in its perfection. The pale eyes that swept the assemblage -were like drops of molten silver. Hot, but with a cold heat that seared -with an icy touch. Kieron shivered. This man was already half a god.... - -Yet there was something in Freka that stirred resentment in the Valkyr. -Some indefinable lack that was sensed rather than seen. Kieron knew he -looked upon a magnificent star-king, but there was no warmth in the man. - -Kieron fought down the unreasonable dislike. It was not his way to -judge men so emotionally. _Perhaps_, thought the Valkyr, _I imagine the -coldness._ But it was there! - -Yet when Freka spoke, the feeling vanished, and Kieron felt himself -transported by the timbre and resonant power of the voice. - -"Star-kings of the Empire!" Freka cried, and the sound of his words -rolled out over the gathering like a wave, gaining power even as he -continued: "For more than a hundred years you and your fathers have -fought for the glory and gain of the Great Throne! Under Gilmer of -Kaidor you carried the gonfalon of Imperial Earth to the Edge and -planted it there under the light of Andromeda itself! Your blood was -shed and your treasure spent for the new Emperors! And what is your -reward? _The heavy hand of a fool!_ Your people writhe under the burden -of excessive taxation--your women starve and your children are sold -into slavery! You are in bondage to a foolish boy who squats like a -toad on the Great Throne...." - - * * * * * - -Kieron listened breathlessly as Freka of Kalgan wove a web of -half-truths around the assembled warriors. The compelling power of the -man was astounding. - -"The worlds writhe in the grip of an idiot! Helia, Doorn, Auriga, -Valkyr, Quintain...." He called the roll of the warrior worlds. "Yes, -and Kalgan, too! There is not enough wealth in the Universe to satiate -Toran and the Great Throne! And the Court laughs at our complaints! At -us! The star-kings who are the fists of the Empire! How long will we -endure it? How long will we maintain Toran on a throne that he is too -weak to hold?" - -_Toran_, thought Kieron grimly, always Toran. Never a word of Ivane or -Landor or the favorites who twisted Toran around their fingers. - -Freka's voice dropped low and he leaned out over the first row of -upturned faces. "I call upon you--as you love your people and your -freedom--to join with Kalgan and rid the Empire of this weakling and -his money-grubbing and neglect!" - -In the crowd, someone stirred. All but this one seemed hypnotized. It -was old Eric of Doorn who stepped forward. - -"You speak treason! You brought us here to discuss grievances, and you -preach rebellion and treason, I say!" he shouted angrily. - -Freka turned cold eyes on the old warrior. - -"If this is treason," he said ominously, "it is the Emperor's -treason--not ours." - -Eric of Doorn seemed to wilt under the icy gaze of those inhuman eyes. -Kieron watched him step back into the circle of his followers, fear -in his aging face. There was a power in Freka to quell almost any -insurrection here, thought the Valkyr uneasily. He, himself, was bound -by the promise he had made to Alys, but it was only that that kept him -from casting in his lot with the compelling lord of Kalgan. Such a -feeling was unreason itself, he knew, and he fought against it, drawing -on his reserves of information to strengthen his resolve to obstruct -Freka if he could. Yet it was easy to understand how this strange man -had sprung out of obscurity and made himself master of Kalgan. Freka -was a creature made for leadership. - -Kieron stood away from the crowd and forced himself to speak. All his -earlier suspicions were growing like a suffocating cloud within him. -Someone was being fooled and used, and it was _not_ the lord of Kalgan! - -"You, Freka!" he cried, and the lords turned to listen. "You shout of -getting rid of Toran--but what do you offer in his place?" - -Freka's eyes were like steel now, glinting dully in the light of the -wall-torches. - -"Not myself. Is that what you feared?" The fine mouth curled -scornfully. "I ask no man to lay down his life so that _I_ may take for -myself the Great Throne and the sable mantle of Emperor! I renounce -here and now any claim to the Imperial Crown! When the time is right, I -will make my wishes known." - -The crowd of star-kings murmured approvingly. Freka had won them. - -"A vote!" someone cried. "Those who are with Freka and against Toran! A -vote!" - -Swords leaped from scabbards and glittered in the torchlight while the -chamber rang to a savage cheer. Here was war and loot to satisfy the -savage heart! The sack of Imperial Earth herself! Even old Eric of -Doorn's sword was reluctantly raised. Kieron alone remained silent, -sword sheathed. - -Freka looked down at him coldly. - -"Well, Valkyr? Do you ride with us?" - -"I need more time to consider," said Kieron carefully. - -Freka's laughter was like a lash. "Time! Time to worry about risking -his skin! Valkyr needs time!" - -Kieron felt his quick anger surging. The blood pounded in his temples, -throbbing, pulsing, goading him to fight. His hand closed on the hilt -of his sword and it slipped half out of the sheath. But Kieron caught -himself. There was something sinister in this deliberate attempt to -ruin him--to brand him a coward before his peers. A man faced two -choices here, apparently; follow Freka into rebellion, or be branded -craven. Kieron glared into the cold eyes of the Kalgan lord. The -temptation to challenge him was strong--as strong as Kieron's whole -background and training in the harsh warrior-code of the Edge. But -he could not. Not yet. There were too many irons in the fire to be -watched. There was Alys and her plea to Toran. There was the plight of -his people. He could not risk the danger to himself of driving a blade -through Freka's throat, no matter how his blood boiled with rage. - -He turned on his heel and strode from the Great Hall, the laughter of -Freka and the star-kings ringing mockingly in his ears. - - - IV - -Kieron awoke in darkness. Of the fire on the hearth, only embers -remained and the stone rooms were silent but for the sound of sleeping -men. The single Valkyr sentry was at his elbow, whispering him into -wakefulness. Kieron threw back the fur coverlets and swung his feet -over the edge of the low couch. - -"What is it?" he asked. - -"Nevitta, sir." - -"Nevitta! Here?" Kieron sprang to his feet, fully awake now. "Is there -a woman with him?" - -"A slave-girl, sir. They wait in the outer chamber." - -Kieron reached for his harness and weapons, threading his way through -his sleeping men. In the dimly lit antechamber, Nevitta stood near the -muffled figure of Alys. Kieron went immediately to the girl, and she -threw back her hood, baring her golden head to the torchlight. Her eyes -were bright with the pleasure of seeing Kieron again, but there was -anger in them, too. The lord of Valkyr knew at once that she had not -succeeded with Toran. - -"What happened, Nevitta?" - -"An attempt was made on the little princess' life, sir." - -"_What?_" Kieron felt the blood drain from his face. - -"As I say, Kieron." The old Valkyr's face was grim. "We had to fight -our way out of the Palace." - -"I never had a chance to speak to Toran," the girl said sombrely. "It -was all that could be done to reach the spaceship. Even the Janizaries -tried to stop us. Two of your men died for me, Kieron." - -"Who did this thing?" asked Kieron ominously. - -"The men who attacked the princess' quarters," said Nevitta -deliberately, "wore the harness of Kalgan." - -That hit Kieron like a physical blow ... hard. "_Kalgan!_ And you -brought her _here_? You fool, Nevitta!" - -The old Valkyr nodded agreement. "Yes, Kieron. Fool is the proper -word...." - -"No!" Alys spoke up imperiously. "It was my command that brought us -here. I insisted." - -"By the Seven Hells! Why?" demanded Kieron. "Why here? You could have -been safe on Valkyr! I know it was my order to bring you here, but -after what happened...." - -"The princess would not hear of seeking safety, Kieron," said Nevitta. -"When Kalgan proved its treachery by trying to assassinate her, she -could think only of your danger here ... unwarned. She would risk her -life to bring you this news, Kieron." - -Kieron turned to face the girl. She looked up at him, eyes bright, lips -parted. - -"What could make a princess risk her life ..." Kieron began numbly. - -"Kieron...." The girl breathed his name softly. "I was so afraid for -you." - -The Valkyr reached slowly for the clasp of her cloak and unfastened -it. The heavy mantle dropped unnoticed to the flagstones. Alys stood, -swaying slightly, parted lips inviting. Kieron watched the throbbing -pulse in her white throat and felt his own pounding. He took a step -toward her, his arms closing about her yielding suppleness. His mouth -sought her lips. - -Unnoticed, Nevitta slipped from the antechamber and silently closed the -door after him.... - - * * * * * - -Kieron stook before the arched window, staring out into the eternal, -misty dusk of Kalgan, his heart heavy. Behind him, Alys lay on the low -couch. Her bright hair lay in tumbled profusion about her face as she -watched her lover at the window. Kieron turned to look at her, feeling -the impact of her warm beauty. He began to pace the floor, wracking his -brains for a lead to his next move in the subtle war of treachery and -intrigue that had taken shape around him. - -He had ordered his men ready for attack, but for the moment there -was little need for that kind of vigilance. What was needed was more -information. Carefully, he marshalled what few facts he had at his -disposal. - -The connection between Freka and the plotters in the Imperial City that -he had suspected was proved at last by the attempt on Alys' life by men -of Kalgan. The star-kings were being used to fight a battle not their -own. But whose? Freka's ... or Ivane's? No matter which, they were -being tricked into striking the Imperial Crown from Toran's head, and -the gain to them and their people would be--more oppression. - -The treatment he, himself, had received in the Imperial Court made -sense now. Landor sought to drive him into the arms of Freka's revolt. -Only Alys had spared him. - -Now, the star-kings must be warned. But by the code of the Edge, Kieron -must prove to them that he was not the craven coward that Freka's -laughter had branded him. And he needed _proof_. Proof of the monstrous -structure of treachery and intrigue that had sprung up out of a woman's -cupidity and an unknown star-king's cold inhumanity. - -Kieron stared moodily down into the damp courtyard beneath the open -window. In the early dawn it was deserted. Then, quite suddenly, -there was activity in the walled-in square. An officer of the Citadel -guard escorted a heavily cloaked figure into the yard, and with every -evidence of great respect, withdrew. The solitary figure paced the wet -cobbles nervously. - -Who, wondered Kieron, would be treated with such obvious obsequiousness -and yet left in a back courtyard to await the summons of Freka of -Kalgan? A sudden thought struck him. It could be only someone who -should not be seen by the star-kings and their attendants that filled -the Citadel of Neg to overflowing. - -Kieron studied the cloaked nobleman with renewed interest. It seemed to -him that he had seen that mincing walk before.... - -_Landor!_ - -Kieron flung open the door to the outer chamber. His startled men -gathered about him. Alys was on her feet behind him. He signalled for -Nevitta and four men to enter. - -"Nevitta! Tear down that wall tapestry and cut it into shreds.... Alys, -tie the strips together and make a rope of it! Make certain the knots -are secure enough to bear a man's weight.... That's Landor down there!" - -Kicking off his spurred boots, Kieron eased himself over the ledge -of the window. The courtyard was thirty feet below, but the ancient -walls of the Citadel were rough and full of the ornate projections of -Interregnal architecture. Kieron let himself down, feeling the mist -wet on his face. Twice he almost lost his footing and pitched to the -courtyard floor. Alys stared down at him from the window, white-faced. - -He was ten feet from the bottom when Landor looked up. Recognition was -instant. There was a moment of stunned silence, and Kieron dropped the -remaining distance to land cat-like on his feet, blade in hand. - -"Kieron!" Landor's face was grey. - - * * * * * - -The Valkyr advanced purposefully. "Yes, Landor! Kieron! I wasn't -supposed to see you here, was I? And you don't dare raise an outcry or -the others will see you, too! That would raise quite a smell in the -Consort's pretty brew, wouldn't it?" - -Landor shrank back, away from the gleaming blade in Kieron's hand. - -"Draw, Landor," said Kieron softly. "Draw now, or I'll kill you where -you stand." - -In a panic, the First Lord of Space drew his sword. He knew himself to -be no match for the Valkyr star-king, and at the first touch of blades, -he turned and fled for the gate. He banged hard against the heavy -panels. The gate was locked. Kieron followed him deliberately. - -"Cry for help, Landor," Kieron suggested with a short, hard laugh. "The -place is full of fighting men." - -Landor was wild-eyed. "Why do you want to kill me, Kieron," he cried -hoarsely; "what have I done to you...?" - -"You've taxed my people and insulted me, and if that were not enough -there would still be your treachery with Freka--tricking me and the -others into rebellion so that Ivane can seize the crown! That's more -than enough reason to kill you. Besides ..." Kieron smiled grimly, "I -just don't like you, Landor. I'd enjoy spilling some of your milky -blood." - -"Kieron! I swear, Kieron...." - -"Save it, dancing master!" Kieron touched Landor's loosely held weapon -with his own. "Guard yourself!" - -Landor uttered an animal cry of desperation and lunged clumsily at the -Valkyr. Kieron's sword made a glittering encirclement and the First -Lord's weapon clattered on the cobblestones twenty feet away. - -Kieron's eyes were cold as he advanced on the now thoroughly terrorized -courtier. "Kneel down, Landor. A lackey should always die on his knees." - -The First Lord threw himself to the cobbles, his arms around the -outworlder's knees. He was grey with fright and babbling for mercy, his -eyes tightly shut. Kieron reversed his sword and brought the heavy hilt -down sharply on Landor's head. The courtier sighed and pitched forward. -Kieron sheathed his weapon and picked the unconscious man up like a -sack of meal. Time was short. The guards would be returning to escort -Landor to Freka. Kieron picked up the courtier's fallen sword. There -must be no sign of struggle in the courtyard. - -The Valkyr carried Landor over to where Alys and Nevitta had lowered -their improvised rope. He trussed Landor up like a butchered boar and -called to them. "Haul him up!" - -Landor disappeared into the window and the rope came down again. Kieron -climbed hand over hand after the vanished courtier. Within seconds he -stood among his warriors again, and the courtyard was empty. - - * * * * * - -"Landor!" Kieron splashed wine in the unconscious man's face. "Landor, -wake up!" - -The courtier stirred and opened his eyes. Immediately they filmed with -fear. A hostile circle of faces looked down at him. Kieron, his dark -eyes flaming. Alys ... the great red face of Nevitta, framed by the -winged helmet ... other savage looking Valkyrs. It was to Landor a -scene from the legendary Seventh Hell of the Great Destroyer. - -"If you want to live, talk," said Kieron. "What are you doing here on -Kalgan? It must be a message of importance you carry. Ivane would have -sent someone else if it weren't." - -"I ... I carry no message, Kieron." - -Kieron nodded to Nevitta who drew his dagger and placed it against -Landor's throat. - -"We have no time for lies, Landor," said Kieron. - -To emphasize the point, Nevitta pressed the blade tighter against the -pulse in the First Lord's neck. Landor screamed. - -"Don't...!" - -"Talk--or I'll cut the gizzard out of you!" Nevitta growled. - -"All right! All right! But take that knife away...!" - -"Ivane sent you here." - -Landor nodded soundlessly. - -"Why?" - -"I ... I ... was to tell Freka that ... that his men failed to ... -to...." - -"To kill me!" finished Alys angrily. "What else?" - -"I ... was also to tell him that the rest of the plan was ... was ... -carried out ... successfully." - -"Damn you, don't talk in riddles!" Kieron said. "What 'plan'?" - -"The ... the Emperor is dead," Landor blurted, eyes wild with terror. -"But not by my hand! I swear it! Not by my hand!" - -Alys choked back a cry of pain. - -"Toran! Poor ... Toran...." - -Kieron took the terrified courtier by the throat and shook him. - -"You filthy swine! Who did it? _Who killed the Emperor?_" - -"_Ivane!_" gasped Landor. "The people do not know he is dead and she -awaits the star-king's invasion to proclaim herself Empress...! In the -gods' name, Kieron, don't kill me! I speak the truth!" - -"Freka helped plan this?" demanded Kieron. - -"He is Ivane's man," stammered Landor, "but I know nothing of him! -Nothing, Kieron! The warlock Geller brought him to Ivane five years -ago ... that is all I know!" - -Geller of the Marshes ... again. Kieron felt the awful dread seeping -through his anger. Somehow the connection between Geller and Freka must -be discovered. Somehow...! - -Kieron turned away from the terrified Landor. The picture was shaping -now. Freka and Ivane. The star-kings' rebellion. Toran ... murdered. - -"Keep this hound under guard!" ordered Kieron. - -Landor was led away, shaken and weak. - -"Nevitta!" - -"Sir?" - -"You and the princess will go back to the ship as you came. She must -be taken to safety at once. As soon as that pig is missed, we'll have -visitors...." - -"No, Kieron! I won't go!" cried Alys. - -"You must. If you are captured on Kalgan now it will mean a _carte -blanche_ for Ivane." - -"But then you must come!" - -"I can't. If I tried to leave here now, Freka would detain me by force. -I know his plans." He turned again to Nevitta. "She goes with you, -Nevitta. By force if necessary. - -"Return to Valkyr and gather the tribes. We can do nothing without men -at our backs. One of the ships will remain here with me and the men. We -will try to get clear after we are certain that--" He looked over at -the slim girl, his eyes sombre--"that Her Majesty is safe." - -The Valkyr warriors in the room straightened, a subtle change in their -expression as they watched Alys. A gulf had suddenly opened between -this girl and their chieftain. They felt it too. One by one they -dropped to their knees before her. Alys made a protesting gesture, -her eyes bright with tears. She saw the chasm opening, and fought it -futilely. But when Kieron, too, went to his knees, she knew it was -_so_. In one fleeting moment, they had changed from lover and beloved -to sovereign and vassal. - -She forced back the tears and raised her head proudly; as Galactic -Empress, Heiress to the Thousand Emperors, she accepted the homage of -her fighting men. - -"My lord of Valkyr," she said in a low, unsteady voice. "My love and -affection for you--and these warriors will never be forgotten. If we -live...." - -Kieron rose to his full height, naked sword extended in his hands. - -"Your Imperial Majesty," he spoke the words formally and slowly, -regretting what was gone. "The men of Valkyr are yours. To the death." - - * * * * * - -Kieron watched Nevitta and Alys vanish down the long, gloomy hall -outside the Valkyr chambers--to all appearances a warrior chieftain -and his slave-girl ordered away by their master. Even then, thought -Kieron bleakly, there was danger. He saw them pass one sentry, two ... -three.... They turned the corner and were gone, Kieron's hopes and -fears riding with them. - -Already, there were sounds of confusion in the Citadel of Neg. Men were -searching for the vanished Landor. Searching quietly, reflected Kieron -with grim satisfaction, for the visiting star-kings must not know that -Freka the Unknown held familiar audience with the Imperial First Lord -of Space. Spur of the moment hunting parties and entertainments were -keeping the visitors occupied while the Kalgan soldiery searched. - -Kieron weighed his chances of escape and found them small indeed. -They dared not stir from their quarters in the Citadel until the roar -of Nevitta's spaceship told that the Empress was safely away. And -meanwhile, the search for Landor drew nearer. - -An hour passed, the sand in the glass running with agonizing slowness. -Once Kieron thought he heard the beat of hooves on the drawbridge of -the Citadel, but he could not be certain. - -Two hours. Kieron paced the floor of the Valkyr chambers, his twelve -remaining warriors armed, alert, watching him. Nervously he fingered -the hilt of his sword. - -Another hour in the grey, eternal twilight. Still no sound of a -spaceship rising. Kieron's anxiety grew to gargantuan proportions. The -search for Landor came closer steadily. Kieron could hear the soldiers -tramping the stone corridors and causeways of the Citadel. - -Suddenly there was a knock at the barred door to the Valkyrs' quarters. - -"Open! In the name of the lord of Kalgan!" - -A Valkyr near the door replied languidly. "Our master sleeps. Go away." - -The knocking continued. "It is regretted that we must disturb him, but -a slave of the household has escaped. We must search for him." - -"Would you disturb the Warlord of Valkyr's repose for a slave, -barbarians?" demanded the warrior at the door in a hurt tone of voice. -"Go away." - -The officer in the hallway was beginning to lose patience. - -"Open, I say! Or we'll break in!" - -"Do," offered the Valkyr pleasantly. "I have a sword that has been too -long dry." - -How Landor must be sweating in that back room, Kieron thought wryly, -thinking that the Valkyrs would rather kill him than let his message -reach Freka. But Landor's death would serve no useful purpose now. -Time! Time was needed. Time enough to let Nevitta get Alys out of -danger! - -Kieron stepped to the door, hoping that some warriors of the Outer -Marches might possibly be within earshot and catch the implication -of his words. "Kieron of Valkyr speaks!" he cried. "We have Landor of -Earth here! Landor, the First Lord--is _that_ the slave you seek?" - -But the only response was the sudden crash of a ram against the panels -of the wooden door. Kieron prepared to fight. Still, no sound of a -spaceship rising.... - -The door collapsed, and a flood of Kalgan warriors poured into the -room, weapons flashing. - -Savagely, the Valkyrs closed with them, and the air rang with the -metallic clash of steel. No mercy was asked and none was given. Kieron -cut a circle of death with his long, outworld weapon, the fighting -blood of a hundred generations of warriors singing in his ears. The -savage chant of the Edge rose above the confused sounds of battle. A -man screamed in agony as his arm was severed by a blow from a Valkyr -blade, and he waved the stump desperately, spattering the milling men -with dark blood. A Valkyr warrior went down, locked in a death-embrace -with a Kalgan warrior, driving his dagger into his enemy again and -again even as he died. Kieron crossed swords with a guardsman, forcing -him backward until the Kalgan slipped on the flagstones made slippery -with blood and went down with a sword-cut from throat to groin. - -The Valkyrs were cutting down their opponents, but numbers were -beginning to tell. Two Valkyrs went down before fresh onslaughts. -Another, and another, and still another. Kieron felt the burning touch -of a dagger wound. He looked down and saw that a thrust from someone in -the _melee_ had slashed him to the bone. His side was slick with blood -and the white ribs showed along the ten inch gash. - -Now, Kieron stood back to back with his two remaining companions. The -other Valkyrs were down, lying still on the bloody floor. Kieron caught -a glimpse of Freka's tall figure behind his guardsman and he lunged -for him, suddenly blind with fury. Two Kalgan guards engaged him and -he lost sight of Freka. A Valkyr went down with a thrust in the belly. -Kieron took another wound in the arm. He could not tell how badly hurt -he was, but faintness from the loss of blood was telling on him. It was -getting hard to see clearly. Darkness seemed to be flickering like a -black flame just beyond his range of vision. He saw Freka again and -tried to reach him. Again he failed, blocked by a Kalgan soldier. A -thrown sword whistled past him and imbedded itself in the last Valkyr's -chest. The man sank to the floor in silence, and Kieron fought alone. - -He saw the blade of an officer descending, but he could not ward it -off. And as it fell, a great hissing roar sounded beyond the open -window. Kieron almost smiled. Alys was safe.... - -He lifted his sword to parry the descending stroke. Weakened, the best -he could do was deflect it slightly. The blade caught him a glancing -blow on the side of the head and he staggered to his knees. He tried -to raise his weapon again ... tried to fight on ... but he could not. -Slowly, reluctantly, he sank to the floor as darkness welled up out of -the bloody flagstones to engulf him.... - - - V - -Kieron stirred, the pulsing ache in his side piercing the reddish veil -of unconsciousness. Under him, he could feel wet stones that stank -of death and filth. He moved painfully, and the throbbing agony grew -worse, making him teeter precariously between consciousness and the -dark. - -He was stiff and cold. Hurt badly, too, he thought vaguely. His wounds -had not been tended. Very carefully, he opened his eyes. They told him -what he had already known. He was in a dark cell, filthy and damp. A -sick chill shook him. Teeth chattering, huddled on the stone floor, -Kieron sank again into unconsciousness. - -When he awoke again, he was burning with fever and a cold bowl of -solidified, greasy gruel lay beside him. His tongue felt thick and -swollen, but the sharp agony of his wounded side had subsided to a dull -hurt. With a great effort, he dragged himself into a corner of the -dungeon and propped himself up facing the iron-bound door. - -His searching hands found that he had been stripped of his harness -and weapons. He was naked, smeared with filth and dried blood. As he -moved he felt a renewed flow of warmth flooding down from his torn -flank. The wound had reopened. Sweat was streaking the caked blood on -his cheek. His mind wandered in a feverish delirium--a nightmare dream -in which the tall, coldly arrogant figure of Freka seemed to fill all -space and all time. Kieron's over-bright eyes glittered with animal -hate.... - -Somehow, he felt that the hated Kalgan was nearby. He tried to keep his -eyes open, but the lids seemed weighted. His head sagged and the fever -took him again into the ebony darkness of some fantastic intergalactic -night where weird shapes danced and whirled in hideous joyousness.... - -The rattling of the door-lock woke him. It might have been minutes -later or days. Kieron had no way of knowing. He felt light-headed -and giddy. He watched the door open with fever-bright eyes. A jailer -carrying a flambeau entered and the light blinded Kieron. He shielded -his face with his hand. There was a voice speaking to him. A voice he -knew ... and hated. With a shuddering effort, he took a grip on his -staggering mind, his hate sustaining him now. Moving his hands away -from his face, he looked up--into the icy eyes of Freka the Unknown. - -"So you're awake at last," the Kalgan said. - -Kieron made no reply. He could feel the fury burning deep inside him. - -Freka held a jewelled dagger in his hands, toying with it idly. Kieron -watched the shards of light leaping from the faceted gems in the liquid -torchlight. The slender blade shimmered, blue and silvery in the -Kalgan's hands. - -"I have been told that the Lady Alys was with you--here on Kalgan. Is -this true?" - -Alys ... Kieron thought vaguely of her for a moment, but somehow the -picture brought sadness. He put her out of his mind and squinted up -at Freka's gemmed dagger, unable to take his eyes from the glittering -weapon. - -"Can you speak?" demanded Freka. "Was Toran's sister with you?" - -Kieron watched the weapon, a feral brilliance growing like a flame in -his dark eyes. - -Freka shrugged. "Very well, Kieron. It makes no difference. Does it -interest you to know that the armies are gathering? Earth will be ours -within four weeks." His voice was cold, unemotional. "You realize, of -course, that you cannot be allowed to live." - -Kieron said nothing. Very carefully he gathered his strength. The -dagger ... the dagger...! - -"I will not risk war with Valkyr by killing you now. But you will be -tried by a council of star-kings on Earth when we have done what we -must do...." - -Kieron stared hard at the slender weapon, his hate pounding in his -fevered mind. He drew a deep, shuddering breath. Freka spun the blade -idly, setting the jewels afire. - -"We should have taken you the moment Landor was missed," mused the -Kalgan. "But ... it really doesn't matter now...." - -Kieron's taut muscles uncoiled in a snakelike, lashing movement. He -hit Freka below the knees with all his fevered strength and the Kalgan -went down without a sound, the slim dagger clattering on the slimy -floor of the cell. The guard leaped forward. Kieron's searching hand -closed about the hilt of the dagger. With a sound of pure animal rage -in his throat he drove it into Freka's unprotected chest. Twice again -his hand rose and fell, and then the guard caught him full in the face -with a booted foot and the light of the torch faded again into inky -blackness.... - - * * * * * - -In the darkness, time lost its meaning. Kieron woke a dozen times, -feeling the dull throbbing ache of his wounds and then fading again -into unconsciousness. He ate--or was fed--enough to keep him alive, -but he had no memory of it. He floated in a red-tinged sea of black, -unreal, frightening. He screamed or sobbed as the phantasms of his -sick dreams dictated, but through it all ran a single thread of -elation. Freka, the hated one, was dead. No horror of nightmare or -delirium could strip him of that one grip on life. Freka was dead. He -remembered vaguely the feel of the dagger plunging again and again -into his tormentor's breast. Sometimes he even forgot why he had hated -Freka, but he clung to the knowledge that he had killed him the way a -drowning man clings to the last suffocating breath. - -Sounds filtered into Kieron's dungeon. Sounds that were familiar. -The hissing roar of spaceships. Then later the awful susurration of -mob sounds. Kieron lay sprawled on the stones of his cell-floor, not -hearing, lost in the fantasmagoric stupor of delirium. His wounds still -untended, only the magnificent body of a warrior helped him cling to -the thread of life. - -Other sounds came. The crash of rams and the clatter of falling -masonry. The shrieks of men and women dying. The ringing cacophony of -weapons and the curses of fighting men. Hours passed and the din grew -louder, closer, in the heart of the Citadel of Neg itself. The torches -on the outer cellblocks guttered out and were left untended. The sounds -of fighting rose to a wild pitch, interlaced with the inhuman, animal -sounds of a mob gone mad. - -At last Kieron stirred, some of the familiar sounds of battle striking -buried chords in his fevered mind. He listened to the advancing clash -of weapons until it rang just beyond his dungeon door. - -He dragged himself into his corner again and crouched there, the feral -light in his eyes brilliant now. His hands itched for killing. He -flexed the fingers painfully and waited. - -The silence was sudden and as complete as the hush of the tomb. - -Kieron waited. - -The door was flung wide, and men bearing torches rushed into the cell. -Kieron lunged savagely for the first one, hands seeking a throat. - -"_Kieron!_" Nevitta threw himself backward violently. Kieron clung to -him, his face a fevered mask of hate. "Kieron! It is I ... Nevitta!" - -Kieron's hands fell away from the old warrior and he stood swaying, -squinting against the light of the torches. "Nevitta ... Nevitta?" - -A wild laugh came from the prisoner's cracked lips. He looked about -him, into the strained faces of his own fighting men. - -He took one step and pitched forward into the arms of Nevitta, who -carried him like a child up into the light, tears streaking his -grizzled cheeks.... - - * * * * * - -For three weeks Alys and Nevitta nursed Kieron, sucking the poison of -his untended wounds with their mouths and bathing him to break the -fiery grip of the fever. At last they won. Kieron opened his eyes--and -they were sane and clear. - -"How long?" Kieron asked faintly. - -"We were gone from Kalgan twenty days ... you have lain here -twenty-one," Alys said thankfully. - -"Why did you come back here?" Kieron demanded bitterly. "You have lost -an Empire!" - -"We came for you, Kieron," Nevitta said. "For our king." - -"But ... Alys ..." Kieron protested. - -"I would not have the Great Throne, Kieron," said Alys, "if it meant -leaving you to rot in a cell!" - -Kieron turned his face to the wall. Because of him, the star-kings -fought Ivane's battle. And by now they would have won. The only thing -that had been done was the killing of the treacherous Freka. He held -Kalgan now, for the Valkyrs had returned seeking their Warlord after -Freka's plan had stripped the planet of fighting men--and the mobs had -done the Valkyr's work for them. But two worlds were not an Empire of -stars. Alys had been cheated. Because of him. - -No! thought Kieron, by the Seven Hells, no! They could not be defeated -so easily. There were five thousand warriors with him now. If need be, -he would fight the Imperium's massed forces to win Alys' rightful place -on the throne of Gilmer of Kaidor! - -"Let me up," Kieron demanded. "If we hit them on Earth before they have -a chance to consolidate, there's still a chance!" - -"There is no hurry, Kieron," said Nevitta holding him in the bed with a -great hand. "Freka and the star-kings have already...." - -"_Freka!_" Kieron sat bolt upright. - -"Why, yes ..." murmured Nevitta in perplexity. "Freka." - -"That's impossible!" - -"We have had information from the Imperial City, Kieron. Freka is -there," said Alys. - -Kieron sank back on the pillows. Had he dreamed killing the Kalgan? No! -It wasn't possible! He had driven the blade into his chest three -times ... driven it deep. - -With an effort he rose from the bed. "Order my charger, Nevitta!" - -"But sir!" - -"Quickly, Nevitta! There is no time!" - -Nevitta saluted reluctantly and withdrew. - -"Help me with my harness, Alys," ordered Kieron forgetful of majesty. - -"Kieron, you can't ride!" - -"I have to ride, Alys. Listen to me. I drove a dagger into Freka three -times ... and he has not died! One man can tell us why, and we must -know. _That man is Geller of the Marshes!_" - - * * * * * - -Neg was a shambles. The advent of the Valkyrs had been a signal for the -brutish population to go mad. Mobs had thronged the streets, smashing, -killing and looting. The few Kalgan warriors left behind to guard -the city had had to aid the Valkyrs in restoring order. It seemed to -Kieron, as he rode along the now sullenly silent streets, that Kalgan -and Neg had been deliberately abandoned as having served a purpose. If -Freka still lived, as they said, then he was something unique among -men, and not meant for so unimportant a world as Kalgan. - -Shops and houses had been gutted by fire. Goods of all kinds were -strewn about the streets, and here and there a body--twisted and -dismembered--awaited the harrassed burial detachments that roamed the -shattered megalopolis. - -Kieron and Alys rode slowly toward the marshy slums of the lower city, -Nevitta following them at a short distance. The three war horses, -creatures bred to war and destruction, paced along easily, flaring -nostrils taking in the familiar smells of a ruined city. - -Along the street of the Black Flames there was nothing left standing -whole. Every hovel, every tenement had been gutted and looted by the -mobs. Presently, Kieron drew rein before a shuttered shanty between two -structures of fire-blackened stone. - -Nevitta rode up with a protest. "Why do you seek this beloved of -demons, Kieron?" he asked fearfully. "No good can come of this!" - -Kieron stared at the shanty. It stared back at him with veiled -ghoulish eyes. The writhing mists shrouded the grey street in the -eternal twilight of Kalgan. Kieron felt his hands trembling on the -reins. This was the lair of the warlock. - -The stench of the marshes was thick and now the mists turned to soft -rain. Kieron dismounted. - -"Wait for me here," he ordered Nevitta and Alys. - -With pounding heart, he drew his sword and started for the door that -gaped like the black mouth of a plague victim. Alys touched his elbow, -disregarding his instructions. Her eyes were bright with fear, but -she followed him closely. Secretly glad of her companionship, Kieron -breathed a prayer to his Valkyr gods and stepped inside.... - -The place was a wreck. Old books lay everywhere, ripped and tattered. -In a corner, someone had tried to make a bonfire of a pile of -manuscripts and broken furniture and had half succeeded. - -"The mob has been here," Alys said succinctly. - -Kieron led the way through the rubble toward the door of a back room. -Carefully, he pushed it ajar with the point of his blade. It creaked -menacingly, revealing another chamber--one filled with strange machines -and twisted tubes of glass. Great black boxes stood along one wall, -coils of bright wire running into the jumbled mass of shattered -machines that dominated the center of the room. The air of the cold, -silent room had a strange and unpleasant tang. The smell, thought the -Valkyr, of the Great Destroyer! - -The tip of his sword touched one of the bright copper coils springing -from the row of black boxes along the wall, and a tiny blue spark -leaped up the blade. Kieron yanked his weapon away, his heart racing -wildly. A thin curl of smoke hung in the air, and the steel of the -blade was pitted. Kieron fought down the urge to run in terror. - -"I'm afraid, Kieron!" whispered Alys, clinging to him. - -Kieron took her hand and moved cautiously around the pile of broken -machinery. He found Geller then, and tried to stop Alys from seeing. - -"The Great Destroyer he served failed him," Kieron said slowly. - -The warlock was dead. The mob, terrified--and hating what they could -not understand--had killed him cruelly. The staring eyes mocked Kieron, -the blackened tongue lolled stupidly out of the dry lips. Geller's -mystery, thought Kieron, was still safe with him.... - -On the way out, Kieron stopped and picked up the remnants of a book of -sigils. It was incredibly old, for the characters on the cover were -those of the legendary First Empire. With some difficulty he made out -the title. - -"'_Perpetually Regenerating Warps and their Application in Interstellar -Engines_'...." - -The words meant nothing to him. He dropped the magic book and picked up -two others. This time his eyes widened. - -"What is it, Kieron?" Alys asked fearfully. - -"Long ago," Kieron said thoughtfully, "on Valkyr, it was said that the -ancients of the First Empire were familiar with the secrets of the -Great Destroyer...." - -"That's true. That is why the Interregnum came, and the dark ages," -said Alys. - -"I wonder," mused Kieron looking at the books. "What was this Geller -known best for?" - -Alys shuddered. "For his homunculi." - -"The ancients, it is said, knew many things. Even how to make ... -artificial servants. Robots, they were called." He handed her the book. -"Can you read this ancient script?" - -Alys read aloud, her voice unsteady. - -"'_First Principles of Robotics._'" - -"And this one?" - -"_'Incubation and Gestation of Androids'...!_" - -Kieron of Valkyr stood in the silent, wrecked laboratory of the dead -warlock Geller, his medieval mind trying to break free of the bondage -of a millennium of superstition and ignorance. He understood now ... -many things. - - - VI - -Like great silver fish leaping up into the bowl of night, the ships -of the Valkyr fleet rose from Kalgan. Within the pulsing hulls five -thousand warriors rode, ready for battle. Against the mighty forces -of the assembled star-kings, the army of Valkyr counted for almost -nothing; but the savage fighting men of the Edge carried with them -their talisman--Alys Imperatrix, uncrowned sovereign of the Galaxy, -Heiress to the Thousand Emperors--the daughter of their beloved -warrior-prince, Gilmer, conqueror of Kaidor. - -[Illustration: _Like great silver fish leaping up into the bowl of -night, the ships of the Valkyr fleet rose from Kalgan_....] - -In the lead vessel, Nevitta dogged the harried Navigators, urging -greater speed. Below decks, the war chargers snorted and stomped the -steel decks, sensing the tension of the coming clash in the close, -smoky air of the spaceships. - -Kieron stood beside the forward port with Alys, looking out into the -strangely distorted night of space. As speed increased, the stars -vanished and the night that pressed against the flanks of the hurtling -ship grew grey and unsteady. Still velocity climbed, and then beyond -the great curving glass screen there was nothing. Not blackness, or -emptiness. A soul-chilling nothingness that twisted the mind and -refused to be accepted by human eyes. Hyperspace. - -Kieron drew the draperies closed and the observation lounge of the huge -ancient liner grew dim and warm. - -"What's ahead, Kieron?" the girl asked with a sigh. "More fighting and -killing?" - -The Valkyr shook his head. "Your Imperium, Your Majesty," he said -formally, "a crown of stars that a thousand generations have gathered -for you. That lies ahead." - -"Oh, Kieron! Can't you forget the Empire for the space of an hour?" -Alys demanded angrily. - -The Warlord of Valkyr looked at his Empress in perplexity. There were -times when women were hard to fathom. - -"Forget it, I say!" the girl cried, her eyes suddenly flaming. - -"If Your Majesty wishes, I'll not speak of it again," said Kieron -stiffly. - -Alys took a step toward him. "There was a time when you looked at me as -a woman. When you _thought_ of me as a woman! Am I so different now?" - -Kieron studied her slim body and sensuously patrician face. "There was -a time when I thought of you as a child, too. Those times pass. You -are now my Empress. I am your vassal. Command me. I'll fight for you. -Die for you, if need be. Anything. But by the Seven Hells, Alys, don't -torture me with favors I can't claim!" - -"So I must command, then?" She stamped her foot angrily. "Very well, I -command you, Valkyr!" - -"Lady, I'll never be a Consort!" - -The girl's face flushed. "Did I ask it? I know I can't make a lapdog -out of you, Kieron." - -"Stop it, Alys," Kieron muttered heavily. - -"Kieron," she said softly, "I've loved you since I was a child. I love -you now. Does that mean nothing to you?" - -"Everything, Alys." - -"Then for the space of this voyage, Kieron, forget the Empire. Forget -everything except that I love you. Take what I offer you. There is no -Empress here...." - - * * * * * - -The silver fleet speared down into the atmosphere of the mother planet. -Earth lay beneath them like a globe of azure. The spaceships fanned out -into a wedge as they split the thin cold air high above the sprawling -megalopolis of the Imperial City. - -The capital lay ringed about with the somnolent shapes of the -star-kings' great armada. Somewhere down there, Kieron knew, Freka -waited. Freka the Unknown. The unkillable? Kieron wondered. For weapons -he had his sword and a little knowledge. He prayed it would be enough. -It had to be. Five thousand warriors could not defeat the assembled -might of the star-kings. - -Shunning the spaceport, Kieron led his fleet to a landing on the grassy -esplanade that surrounded the city. As the hurried debarkation of men -and horses began, Kieron could see a cavalry force massing before the -gates to oppose them. He cursed and urged his men to greater speed. -Horses reared and neighed; weapons glinted in the late afternoon -sunlight. - -Within the hour the debarkation was complete, and Kieron sat armed and -mounted before the serried ranks of his warriors. The afternoon was -filled with the flash of steel and the blazing glory of gonfalons as he -ordered his ranks for battle ... a battle that he hoped with all his -heart to avoid. - -Across the plain, the Valkyr could make out the pennon of Doorn in the -first rank of the advancing defenders. Kieron ordered Nevitta to stay -by the Empress in the rear ranks and to escort her forward with all -ceremony if he called for her. - -Alys rode a white charger and had clad herself in the panoply of a -Valkyr warrior maid. Her hips were girded in a harness of linked steel -plates, her long legs free to ride astride. Over her chest and breasts -was laced a hauberk of chain mail that shimmered in the slanting -sunlight. On her head a Valkyr's winged helmet--and from under it -her golden hair fell in cascades of light to her shoulders. A silver -cloak stood out behind her as she galloped past the ranks of Valkyrs, -and they cheered her as she went. Kieron, watching her, thought she -resembled the ancient war-goddess of his own world--imperious, regal. - -With a cry, Kieron ordered his riders forward and the glittering ranks -swept forward across the esplanade like a turbulent wave, spear-heads -agleam, gonafalons fluttering. He rode far ahead, seeking a meeting -with old Eric of Doorn, his father's friend. - -He signalled, and the two surging masses of warriors slowed as the -two star-kings rode to a meeting between the armies. Kieron raised an -open right hand in the sign of truce and old Eric did likewise. Their -caparisoned chargers tossed their heads angrily at being restrained and -eyed each other with white-rimmed eyes. - -Kieron drew rein, facing the old star-king. - -"I greet you," he said formally. - -"Do you come in friendship, or in war?" asked Eric. - -"That will depend on the Empress," Kieron replied. - -The lord of Doorn smiled, and there was scorn on his face. He was -remembering Kalgan and Kieron's reluctance. "You will be pleased -to know, then, that the Imperial Ivane bids you enter her city in -peace--so that you may do her homage and throw yourself on her mercy -for your crimes against Kalgan." - -Kieron gave a short, steely laugh. So Ivane had already learned of the -Valkyr sack of Kalgan. "I do not know any 'Imperial Ivane,' Eric," he -said coldly. "When I spoke of the Empress, I meant the true Empress, -Alys, the daughter of your lord and mine, Gilmer of Kaidor." He -signalled Alys and Nevitta forward. - -The gonfalons of the Valkyr line dipped in salute as Alys trotted -through the ranks. She drew rein, facing the amazed Eric. - -"Noble lady!" he gasped. "We were told you were dead!" - -"And so I might have been, had Ivane had her way!" - -The old star-king stammered in confusion. There was more here than -he could understand. Only a week before, he and the other star-kings -had done homage to Ivane and hailed her as their savior from the -oppressions of the Emperor Toran, and the nearest living kin to the -late Gilmer. And now...! - -Eric frowned. "If we have been made fools, Freka must answer for this!" - -"And now," asked Kieron grimly, "do we enter the city in peace or do we -cut our way in?" - -Eric signalled his men to swing in beside the ranked Valkyrs and the -whole mass of armed men moved through the fading afternoon toward the -gates of the Imperial City. - - * * * * * - -It was dusk by the time the cavalcade reached the walls of the Imperial -Palace. Kieron called a halt and ordered his men to rest on their arms. -Taking only Nevitta and Alys with him, he joined Eric of Doorn in -challenging the Janizaries of the Palace Guard. - -They were passed by the stolid Pleiadenes without comment, for the lord -of Doorn was known as a vassal of the Imperial Ivane. Faces set, the -small party strode up the wide curving stairway that led into the Hall -of the Great Throne. The courtiers had been warned by the shouts of -the people in the streets that something was happening, and they had -already begun to gather in the Throne Room. - -He had come a long way, thought Kieron, from the day when he had stood -before the Throne begging an audience with Toran. Now, everything hung -on his one chance to prove his case--and Alys'--to the assembled nobles. - -Kieron noted with some concern that the Palace Guards were gathering -too. They covered each exit to the chamber, cutting off retreat. - -By now, the Hall of the Great Throne was jammed with courtiers and -star-kings, all tensely silent--waiting. Nor did they wait long. - -With a blast of trumpets and a rolling of tympani, Ivane entered -the Throne Room. Some of the courtiers knelt, but others stood in -confusion, looking from Alys to Ivane and back again. - -Kieron studied Ivane coldly. She was, he had to admit, a regal figure. -A tall woman with hair the color of jet. A face that seemed chiseled -out of marble. Dark, predatory eyes and a figure like a Dawn Age -goddess. She stood before the Great Throne of the Empire, mantled in -the sable robe of the Imperium--a robe as black as space and spangled -with diamonds to resemble the stars of the Imperial Galaxy. On her head -rested the irridium tiara of Imperatrix. - -Ivane swept the Hall with a haughty stare that stung like a lash. When -her eyes found Alys standing beside Kieron, they brightened, became -feral. - -"Guards!" she commanded. "Seize that woman! She is the killer of the -Emperor Toran!" - -A murmuring filled the chamber. The Janizaries pressed forward. Kieron -drew his sword and leaped to the dais beside Ivane. She did not shrink -back from him. - -"Touch her, and Ivane dies!" shouted Kieron, his point at Ivane's naked -breast. The murmuring subsided and the Janizaries pulled up short. - -"Now, you are all going to listen to me!" shouted Kieron from the dais. -"This woman under my blade is a murderess and plotter, and I can prove -it!" - -Ivane's face was strained and white. Not from fear of his sword, Kieron -knew. - -"In the Palace dungeons you will likely find Landor ..." Kieron -continued. "He will be there because he knew of Ivane's plottings and -talked too much when he had a dagger at his throat. He will confirm -what I say! - -"This woman plotted to usurp the Imperium _as long as five years ago_! -It may have been longer...." He turned to Ivane. "How long does it take -to incubate an _android_, Ivane? A year? Two? And then to train him, -school him so that every move he makes is intended to further your -aims? How long does all that take?" - -Ivane uttered a scream of terror now. "Freka! Call Freka!" - -Kieron dropped his sword point and stepped away from Ivane as though -she were contaminated. There was little danger from _her_ now--but -there was still another. - -Freka appeared at the edge of the dais, his tall form towering above -the courtiers. "You called for me, Imperial Ivane?" - -Ivane stared at Kieron with hate-filled eyes. "You have failed me! -_Kill him now!_" - - * * * * * - -Kieron whirled and caught Freka's blade on his own. The courtiers drew -back, giving them room to fight. No one made a move to interfere. It -was known that Valkyrs had sacked the city of Neg, and according to the -warrior code the two warlords must be allowed to fight to the death if -they wished. - -Kieron made no attack. Instead he retreated before the expressionless -Freka. - -"Did you know, Freka," asked Kieron softly, "that Geller of the Marshes -is dead? He was your father in a way, wasn't he?" - -Freka made no reply, and for a moment the only sound in the hushed -chamber was the ring of blades. - -Suddenly Kieron lunged. His sword pierced Freka from breast to back. -The Valkyr stepped back and pulled his blade clear. The crowd gasped, -for Freka the Unknown did not fall.... - -"Are you really unkillable?" breathed Kieron. "I wonder!" - -Again he lunged under the mechanical guard of the Kalgan. Again his -blade sank deep. Freka backed away for a moment, still alert and -unwounded. - -Kieron shouted derisively at the star-kings: "Great warriors! Do you -see? You have followed the leadership of an android! A homunculus -spawned by the warlock Geller!" - -A gasping roar went up in the chamber. A sound of superstitious horror -and growing anger. - -Kieron parried a thrust and brought his blade down on Freka's sword -arm. Hard. A sword clattered to the flagstones--still gripped by a -slowly relaxing hand. There was no blood. The android still moved -in, eyes expressionless, his one hand reaching for his enemy. Kieron -struck again. A clean cut opened from shoulder to belly, slicing the -artificial tendons and leaving the android helpless but still erect. -Kieron raised and lowered his blade in glittering arcs. Freka ... or -the thing that had been Freka ... collapsed in a grotesque heap. Still -it moved. Kieron passed his point again and again through the quivering -mass until at long last it was still. Somewhere a woman fainted. - -A thick silence fell over the assemblage. All eyes turned to Ivane. She -stood staring at the remnants of the thing that had been ... almost ... -a man. Her hand fluttered at her throat. - -Alys' voice cut through the heavy stillness. "Arrest that woman for the -murder of my brother Toran!" - -But the crowd of courtiers was thinking of other things. Jaded and -cynical, they had seen with their own eyes that Ivane was a familiar of -the dreaded Great Destroyer. Someone cried: "Witch! Burn her!" - -The mass of courtiers and warriors swept forward, screaming for the -kill. Kieron leaped for the dais, his sword still bared. - -"I'll kill the first one who sets foot on the Great Throne!" he cried. - -But Ivane had heard the crowd sounds. The black mantle slipped from -her shoulders, and she stood stripped to the waist, like a marble -goddess--her eyes recapturing some of their icy hauteur. Then, before -she could be stopped, she had taken a jewelled dagger and driven it -deep into her breast. - -Kieron caught her as she fell, feeling the warm blood staining his -hands. He eased her down on the foot of the Great Throne and laid his -ear to her breast. - -There was no pulse. Ivane was dead. - - * * * * * - -Before the assembled Court, the Warlord of Valkyr knelt before his -Empress. The star-kings had gone, and the Valkyrs were the last -outworld warriors remaining in the Imperial City. Now, they too, would -take their leave. - -The Empress sat on the Great Throne, mantled in sable. Somehow, the -huge throne and the vast vaulted chamber seemed to make her look small -and frail. - -"Your Imperial Majesty," said Kieron, "have we your leave to go?" - -Alys' eyes were bright with tears. She leaned forward so that none but -Kieron might hear. "Stay a while yet, Kieron. At least let us say our -goodbyes alone and not ..." She looked about the crowded Throne Room, -"... not here." - -Kieron shook his head mutely. Aloud, he said again, "Have I Your -Majesty's permission to return to Valkyr?" - -"Kieron...!" whispered Alys. "Please...." - -He looked up at her once, pain in his eyes, but he did not speak. - -Alys knew then that the gulf had opened between them again; that this -time, it was for the rest of their lives. The tears came and streaked -her cheek as she lifted her head and spoke for all the Court to hear. - -"Permission is granted, My Lord of Valkyr. You ... you may return to -Valkyr." And then she whispered, "And my love goes with you, Kieron!" - -Kieron raised her jewelled hands to his lips and kissed them.... Then -he arose and turned on his heel to stride swiftly from the Great Hall. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Rebel of Valkyr, by Alfred Coppel - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE REBEL OF VALKYR *** - -***** This file should be named 63960.txt or 63960.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/9/6/63960/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/63960.zip b/old/63960.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2534ceb..0000000 --- a/old/63960.zip +++ /dev/null |
