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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..c9b59e4 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #68658 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68658) diff --git a/old/68658-0.txt b/old/68658-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 415a258..0000000 --- a/old/68658-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1655 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Temple of Earth, by Poul Anderson - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Temple of Earth - -Author: Poul Anderson - -Illustrator: ORBAN - -Release Date: July 31, 2022 [eBook #68658] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TEMPLE OF EARTH *** - - - - - - THE TEMPLE OF EARTH - - BY POUL ANDERSON - - ILLUSTRATED BY ORBAN - - All his life, Rikard had defied the warlords of Coper - City, but even the stoutest outlaw could be outnumbered. - Now Rayth offered him freedom for the death - of the Chief Engineer. It seemed simple enough--until - Rikard began to learn the History of Earth! - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Rocket Stories, July 1953. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -"Here they come!" - -Leda's voice vibrated in the ears of the four men with her. They stood -with their helmets touching so they could talk, eyes looking down the -rugged sweep of Copernicus to the force which came running upward -against them. At their backs, the brutal heights of rock climbed for -the stars, but they stood in a recess between looming crags, as good a -defensive position as they could hope for. - -"Eight, nine--" Rikard strained his eyes through the queer tricky light -and shadow--the brilliant rushing blue of Earth nearly in full phase, -the utter dark of knife-edged umbras, a sprawling savage confusion of -spires and cliffs tumbling down toward the far ghostly shimmer of the -plain. "Ten at least, I make it, probably more. It'll be a rough fight." - -The tiny metal-glinting specks bounded closer, twenty-foot leaps from -height to height, and now they could see the sheen of Earthglow on -spears and axes. Rikard said slowly: "It will most likely be death if -we make a stand. Let anyone who wishes go down to them now, and I -will not think the less of him." - -"Down to execution or enslavement? You should know us better than -that," said Huw. He hefted his own ax, and shadows crept over the folds -of his flexicord suit. "Heh, they'll have to come at us only a few at a -time. We'll mince 'em as they do." - -A mutter of assent rumbled from Jonak and Chungti. Leda remained -silent, but one gauntletted hand closed on Rikard's arm. - -The outlaw chief's gaunt dark face flashed in a brief grin. "Thank -you," he said. "We'll at least show the damned Copers that Nyrac can -still fight." - -He moved away from the group and strung his bow. It was a big one, -suitable for the giant who wielded it, and had been in his family for -a long time. Plastic bow, wire string, steel arrows that leaped out -with a hundred pounds of force behind them--such a weapon could pierce -a spacesuit and come out the other side in a rush of air. Wood and -cord were of little use on the surface; they dried and cracked in the -sucking vacuum, sizzled by day and froze by night. But with this weapon -he had sent more men than he remembered to Earth. - -Standing in the abysmal shadow of a crag, he nocked an arrow and took -aim. The bow thrummed in his hand and a bright shaft sprang forth. One -of the attacking band suddenly leaped up, fell, and rolled down the -long slope with the moisture-laden air gushing out like his fleeing -soul. - -"There's one less!" cried Leda savagely, and raised her pike. None -heard her speak in the looming silence, but they saw her lips laughing -behind the plastic helmet. Rikard turned for a glimpse of her, the -strong fair face, the heavy yellow hair--turned blue and green now by -the pouring Earthlight, but not the less good to look on. - -He had stolen her three years before, in a raid on Moonburg, and -she had fought him bitterly for awhile. But later there had been -understanding between them, and when the Copers overran Nyrac and he -and a few men fled into rebellious exile, she was the only one of his -wives who had come with him. They smiled briefly at each other and then -he faced back toward the enemy. - -His bow throbbed again, and he cursed as the shaft whipped past a -nearing figure. The man hurled a spear; it bounced off the crag and Huw -stepped forth to seize and throw it back. Rikard fired once more, and -another warrior tumbled to the stony ground, to freeze in death. - -Now they were close, terribly close, a good dozen of them rushing in -on him. He sent a final snapped shot against them, dropped the bow, -and grabbed up his ax. Swiftly the outlaws fell into a defending line: -Rikard, Huw, and Jonak, the heaviest, standing shoulder to shoulder -between the two great pillars; Leda and Chungti just behind them with -pikes at the ready. - -The first of the Copers hit Rikard with the furious velocity of a -broad jump, ax swinging down against the chief's helmet. Rikard caught -the blow on his own weapon's handle, twisted it down, and kicked the -attacker in the belly. He bounced away, wide open for assault, but it -wouldn't do to leave the line. The next was almost instantly on the -outlaw, blade cleaving vacuum. Rikard's ax blurred down and crashed -into the space helmet. The shock of the blow rammed home in his own -muscles, but it had burst open the tough plastic. Air whirled out, -white with frost, red with the blood that suddenly foamed from mouth -and nose. - -The enemy's own ax had dropped from his fingers as Rikard's blade -smashed home, and clanged off the chief's helmet. Rikard smote at the -warrior beyond, hit a metal shoulder plate, and dodged a counterblow. -Leda thrust between him and Jonak, driving the pike home with a -terrible force that split the Coper's suit at the belly. He lurched -back, clutching futile hands against the streaming air, his face -distorted with unheard screams. - -Two of them were on Rikard now, ax and spear, blows clattering off -his helmet and shoulder plates as he dodged and parried and hewed. He -whirled his weapon over his head, brought it crashing down to break -another helmet and the skull beneath, and his own yelling rang in his -ears. - -From the corner of one eye he saw Jonak fall. Snarling, he swung on -the killer, his blow parried by the other axhead. "Go to Mars, you -bastard!" he growled, and hailed blow after blow against the enemy's -guard, a leaping dancing fury of steel that drove the fellow back until -he was against a cliff. Rikard sprang in and slew him. - -Panting, he whirled around to see that the Copers had broken his line, -that they raged three or four about each of the survivors, thrusting -and smiting, a flicker of light and hard metal against the monstrous -blacknesses of shadow. Even as he watched, Chungti went down with a -spear in him. Huw and Leda stood back to back, beating off the pack -that snarled around them, and Rikard launched himself across the space -between to fall on the Copers. He clove one helmet from behind, pitched -another man aside, parried a thrust and kicked the thruster back, and -joined his comrades. - -A cloudiness of freezing moisture fogged his helmet, and Huw toppled -against him. He stood over the body and struck home. Leda swept her -pike in a wide arc, got it between a man's legs and tripped him, and -stabbed him before he could rise. Then a Coper got between her and -Rikard, threw his arms around her from behind and dragged her to the -ground. - -They closed in on Rikard, hemming him in a solid wall of armored -bodies, bearing him down and holding him fast with four men on each -arm. When they brought forth wire and began lashing his hands together -he kicked out, rose to his feet and knocked them away as they came on -him, until someone else tackled him and he went down once more. - -Captured! By the living Earth, no clean death in battle, but captured! - -He lay gasping the hot foul air of his suit, looking up to the crystal -dark of heaven, a million needle-sharp stars and the ghostly glory -of the Milky Way, up to Earth's huge blue disc, and the world, the -Moon-world of witchlight and shadow and cruel fanged stone, reeled -about him with his dismay. Captured! - -A tall man, apparently the chief of the band, counted the survivors -and then put his helmet against Rikard's. His face was sharply carved, -dark-eyed, with the pointed beard of a Coper noble and the hollow -cheeks corpse-blue in the light. He said slowly: "Yes, you are the -rebel leader. I'm glad we took you alive." - -Rikard looked sullenly back at him. - -"Behave yourself," advised the other. "Remember we hold the woman too." - - * * * * * - -They scaled the heights of Copernicus and descended to the plain which -the crater ringed in. Not far off was an armored dome with sentries -before it, one of the airlocks leading to a tunnel. They entered -this and came to the long tube-lit bareness underground. A few Coper -soldiers were posted here, taking turns at guard duty on the outside. - -Like all their city freemen they wore more clothes than the outlying -barbarians, who rarely donned more than a pocketed kilt if that -much--these had tunics as well, and flat steel helmets, and carried -the swords that were useful underground though ineffective against a -spacesuit; nor did they have the war-paint of barbarian fighters. They -did not mock the prisoners--the name of Rikard of Nyrac had been too -frightening for the past year--but they leered at Leda. - -Even the outlaws were glad to shed their spacesuits. Sweat and the -needs of nature made it uncomfortable to be outside more than a few -hours at a time. They were stripped, their hands bound behind them, and -marched between an alert guard down the tunnel toward Coper City. It -went rapidly, the long bounding pace of men in home territory who had -no ambush to fear. - -Rikard's mind whirled over the catastrophes of the past hours. He and -his men--some fifty in all--had been living mostly on the outside since -the fall of Nyrac a year ago. They had had seal-tents which they moved -from place to place, and had descended into the tunnels and cities -often through old unguarded airlocks to raid for food, water, air, and -the killing of Coper men. While they fought, they had been a symbol of -resistance to the free people within and beyond the expanding Coper -empire, they had checked its advance a little, they had been a rallying -force and many young men had come to join them. There had been hope. - -Then--Rikard and his four companions returned from a scouting trip to -find their camp in the hands of the enemy. They had fought clear, had -been pursued, and finally this squad had hunted them down and captured -the two rebel leaders--and that was all there was to it. That was the -end--the end of the fight, the end of hope, the end most likely of life. - -His bitter dark eyes turned on the leader of the squad. That one had -donned a tunic of brilliant colors, the dress of a mighty noble, and -the sword at his waist was jeweled. "Who are you?" he asked coldly. - -The lean face smiled. "I am Rayth, prince of Coper City," he answered. -"It was--fortunate for both of us--that I should have happened to lead -the group that found you. Others would have had you killed out of hand, -but I can find better uses for you." He nodded at Leda. "Yes indeed." - -Her head lifted haughtily, shining raw gold of hair spilling over broad -shoulders to her supple waist. Rikard snarled and wrenched at his -bonds. They dug harshly into his wrists, and a guard pricked him with a -spear. - -Rayth held Rikard's bow between his hands, "This is an unusually fine -weapon," he said. "I hadn't thought the barbarians had anything so -good. You may get it back, but you'll have to earn it." - - * * * * * - -The tunnel opened into a great cavern, a reaching vastness whose -farther walls could not be seen. It was farmland, peasants going -between the long rows of tanks and tending a riotous greenery of food -plants, an occasional hard-faced overseer pausing in his rounds to -salute the prince. They went by a stockyard, cattle, pigs, sheep, and -poultry in their pens, slaves cleaning and feeding. Not far off was a -slaughterhouse, and Rayth's aristocratic nose crinkled. - -A winding ramp led up through other levels. They passed the drab, -huddled compartments of the lower classes, gray-clad peasants crowded -with their families into doorless rooms. Above that was a factory -level, where acolyte engineers labored over weapons and tools, over -ore-smelting and refining, and other workmen turned out clothes and -cord and the remaining necessities of life. The party stopped here -to deliver the battle-torn spacesuits for repair. Flexicord would be -mended, plastic melted together again; nobody cared about the stripped -bodies withering on the outside. - -Rikard could not forbear to ask: "Where is your air factory?" - -"That is farther up, in the Temple and in direct charge of the Chief -Engineer," said Rayth politely. "It is, after all, among the most vital -jobs." He raised his eyebrows. "You didn't have an air plant at Nyrac, -did you?" - -"No. We bought or took it from elsewhere as needed." - -"Ah, I thought so. Most of the barbarians do. Now, Rikard, you are a -man of intelligence, and I ask you to think a bit. We must have extra -air, to replace that which is lost one way or another, but it takes -skill and some equipment to get it from the minerals in which it is -locked. Rather than war on us, one of the few places where they can -produce it, would it not have been wiser to accept us in friendship and -receive from us a steady and dependable supply?" - -"We were freemen. Now we are slaves, and must grovel to your overlords -and give them all we make in exchange for a miserly ration. That is -reason enough to fight you." - -"I don't think," said Rayth sardonically, "that your own slaves notice -any change." - -Rikard clamped his lips tight. - -Above the factory level was a park. It was known that the life of the -air, and hence of man, depended on green plants, so even the smallest -village had its farms and even the outlaws' crowded seal-tents had -contained some pots of vegetation. But Rikard and Leda had never seen -anything like this riot of blooms and rearing trees, had never felt -grass soft and cool beneath their bare feet, and the girl drew a gasp -of wonder and buried her face in a huge sweet cluster of roses. - -Rayth drew his sword and cut the flowers and handed them to her with a -bow. "No fairer than you," he smiled. - -She cursed and threw them at his feet. - -There were folk of noble class around, warriors, administrators, -ranking Engineers, and their children and colorfully gowned women. They -gathered about, laughing, shouting, cheering, and Rayth nodded affably -but led the way onward. - -Above the park were the levels of the spacious upper-class apartments, -where others of gentle birth went about in litters and slaves scurried -humbly on their errands. Rikard noticed the guardsmen standing rigidly -here and there, and decided that the power of the overlords was not so -secure as it might look. - -On and on, until at last they stood before a high wall ornamented with -murals of ancient triumphs and festivals. Four sentries stood in front -of the door, bringing their spears to rigid salute as Rayth approached. -A footman opened the door and they were ushered into the prince's home. - -It was richly furnished, with hangings and vases and furniture of -priceless ancient work--older than the Fall, it must be--as well as -the clumsier recent articles of carved wood and hammered metal. Rayth -led the way to a spacious chamber whose outer window looked on the -sky. Automatically, Rikard stepped over there to make a survey. This -place must be high in the dome which rose over the city's underground -levels. He could look down the great sweep of metal and concrete to the -rugged plain beneath, and out toward the sharply curving horizon and -the mighty ringwall which shouldered above it. The stars thronged and -blazed in a cold glory of sky. - -"Unbind them," said Rayth. - -Rikard stretched mightily, rubbing cramped arms. Leda stepped over -beside him and her hand stole into his. The guards marched out, except -for two who stood alertly against the wall. - -"And now what?" asked the barbarian. - -"Why, I suppose you will want to clean yourselves. There is a bathroom -over that way. Afterward we will eat, and then we can talk." - - * * * * * - -There were garments for the prisoners, of a soft colorfulness such as -they had not known since the last time Nyrac captured a trading caravan -in the tunnels, and there was a feast of skillfully prepared meat and -bread, fresh fruit, wine and delicacies for which they had no name. -They sat around the table and gorged. - -Rayth exerted himself to be pleasant. He brought in slave girls to -dance and play, he kept the wine glasses full, and the words that -flowed from his smiling lips had nothing to do with immediate reality. -Despite himself, Rikard had to listen with interest and reply where he -could, and Leda sat enchanted. - -The prince got onto ancient history, which seemed to be a pet subject -of his. He discoursed of a thousand years of war, politics, conquest -and liberation, dynasties and gods and people, and after the vague -heroic songs of the barbarians it was a new experience to listen to his -crisp cynical prose. They could still read and write in Coper City, -though only a few nobles besides the Engineers took the trouble to -learn, and so they remembered with precision. - -"But the Fall?" whispered Leda. "What was that?" - -"The Fall from Earth?" Rayth smiled and arched his brows. "Well, my -fair one, suppose you tell me what you think." - -"Why--I never thought much about it," she said, her broad clear -forehead wrinkling above the steady blue eyes. "They say that man came -from Earth originally, and sinned, and was condemned to dwell in the -world here until the sin is redeemed. The souls of the dead return to -Earth--" - -"Or to Mars, if they are criminals or Copers," grunted Rikard. - -Leda threw him a little frown and spread her hands helplessly. "That is -all I know." - -"Hm--well, it's the general story. Our Engineers tell it to our own -commons, since it helps keep them in check. But what would you say if I -told you Earth is another world like our own?" - -"It couldn't be," said Leda. "The story is that on Earth you can walk -on the outside without a spacesuit. And there is green everywhere, and -great pools of water, and everyone has enough to eat." - -"Oh, yes, beyond doubt Earth is not quite the same as Luna. After all, -man and his animals are so ill suited to life here that I think it only -reasonable to suppose they came from Earth--not in any mystic Fall, -but by ordinary physical means." - -"They jumped?" asked Rikard scornfully. - -"No, they--well--I'll come to that later. They had ways. Such few books -as have survived tell something about what happened. Men came here from -Earth to look for minerals which they needed. Cities were built here -and there over the face of Luna, and tunnels cut to connect them and to -get at the ores. They were wise, those ancients. They built not only -the things we now have and use in a blind fashion, by rote, without -much understanding--smelters, sun-power accumulators, spacesuits, and -all the rest--but they had other things as well. Weapons more deadly -than bow or ax, machines which carried them over the surface and hauled -their loads and did the work we must do by hand--but those things have -long worn out or been destroyed, and their remnants have been wrecked -for the metal in them. We have a few relics in our Temple here, that is -all." Rayth's eyes gleamed briefly. - -He went on in a moment. "The sin and the Fall were something different -from what the Engineers have said in their sermons. I don't know -exactly what happened, except that even those wise ancients were not -united, they were divided into--cities, I suppose--and the separate -colonies here were owned by these various cities. A war broke out, not -a war as we know war but something with doom in it, all the power of -the machines turned loose to blast and burn. It must have destroyed -civilization on Earth; at least there have been no visitors from there -in a thousand years or more. Here on Luna the colonies also fought, -but in a more limited way since they had not the greatest engines of -destruction. But it was enough to wipe out many cities--you must have -seen some of the ruins--and to destroy most of the equipment. Such wise -men as survived had not the tools to work with to rebuild all they must -have, and the turbulent new generations paid little heed to teachings -which had no relation to their own experience. The remaining machines -wore out, the wise men died, the cities fought with swords and spears -for the necessities of life, and finally the long night of ignorance -fell on us. And that is the true story of the Fall." - -"How do you know?" challenged Rikard. - -"Oh, I have read the remaining old books and fragments of books, and -used my own head to piece together what little was known. Coper City -has kept more knowledge than the others anyway. Those went back to -naked barbarism, retaining barely enough tradition to survive; but we, -living in what had been the most important of the old colonies, kept -somewhat more than that. There have always been a few in Coper City who -knew the truth, though they lacked means to do anything about it." - -Rikard leaned back in his chair and surveyed the prince with arrogant -eyes. "All right," he said. "I'll accept it. What's the difference -anyway? What do you have us here for and why are you telling us this?" - -"Oh--I wanted you to realize that our frank goal of conquering the -world is not the unmitigated evil you insist. It will bring knowledge -to the barbarians, give them back their heritage, and end their stupid -squabbling in a unity of all mankind." - -"At the price of making them slaves and paupers!" - -"Well, I didn't say we were doing this for our health," said Rayth -mildly. "The outlier raids have been more than a little costly and -annoying to us, and of course we can always use more workers. However, -please don't tell me you are some kind of martyr whose heart bleeds -only for your poor oppressed people. You are angry because your -wealth and power were stripped from you. If you could get those back -threefold--" - - * * * * * - -His keen features jutted over the table as he leaned forward. "We -will impose the social pattern of Coper City everywhere, yes, because -it is our own. But we'll have to take the most able and trustworthy -barbarians into our own noble ranks as full citizens. How would you -like to trade the circumscribed darkness of Nyrac for a dwelling like -this, a score of slaves, a personal guard, a city for your private -estate? How would you like a hand in shaping the future?" - -"Hm." Rikard scowled and ran a hand through his stiff black hair. "You -won't give me that for nothing." - -"No, no. But you'll need a strong patron, my friend. Everyone else will -assume as a matter of course that you'll be executed or sent to the -mines. It will take all my influence to get you pardoned. In exchange, -you can do me a few services." His teeth flashed white in his beard. -"The first of which can begin now!" - -"_Hm?_" - -"I want you to kill a man for me." - -"Well--" Rikard sat thinking a moment, "Who is he?" - -"I'll come to that. It's nobody you know or care about. If you fullfil -that mission, there will be others, and your rise can be swift." - -"You turn me loose with a sword," said the barbarian slowly, "and -expect me to do just what you want?" - -"Naturally," said Rayth, "I will keep your charming lady as a hostage." -He smiled on Leda and a slow hot flush crept up her cheeks and stained -her breast. "I shall see that she is not bored." - - * * * * * - -With a shave and a haircut, a decent tunic and a sword at his waist -and a feather-cap tilted rakishly over one ear, Rikard could pass for -anyone but the hunted rebel of Nyrac--a young guardsman off duty, -perhaps, recruited from some recently conquered province and swaggering -into the civilization which had swallowed his people. He drew no -special attention as he pushed through the crowded hubbub of the city, -except from an occasional bold-eyed maiden. - -Toward the north side of the dome, roughly at ground level, was the -area of those who were more than simple freemen without being quite -nobles--merchants, shopkeepers, independent artisans of all kinds. -Moving through that district, Rikard was struck by the bearing of the -folk, neither servile nor haughty, neither uncouth nor overly mannered, -a more civilized version of the barbarians' egalitarianism. It occurred -to him that this class was an element which had entered into no one's -calculations. - -But he had a mission, and the farther he went the more desperate it -began to seem. - -_There's little choice_, he thought grayly. _If I'd refused, he'd have -had me slain then and there. But that I, who was chief over the freemen -of Nyrac, should sink to be Rayth's assassin--!_ - -Kill the Chief Engineer of Coper City. - -Rayth had shown him the layout, warned him that the Temple had its own -guards, and said that several of his men had attempted the job before -and failed bloodily. On the other hand, could he but accomplish his -task and fight his way out of the Temple, there'd be a gang of the -prince's bully boys waiting to escort him home. Rikard had pulled off -more daring stunts than this. - -As to why the old man should be murdered, Rayth had said little except -that he stood in the way of certain plans, and Rikard, who had small -tenderness for any Copers, didn't inquire further. - -He cast a glance behind him now and again as he thrust through -the crowds which swarmed and eddied around bazaars, taverns, and -playhouses, and once or twice thought he glimpsed a couple of the -prince's hard-faced personal guards lounging inconspicuously after -him--but he wasn't sure, the mob was too much a blend of every element -in Luna. A richly dressed, pot-bellied merchant borne in a litter by -four slaves; a pair of gay young warriors staggering out of a tavern -compartment; a hawker shrieking his wares where two corridors ran -together; a wondering leather-clad barbarian; a fantastically painted -strolling player, thrumming his harp and grinning at the girls as they -went by; a humble gray worker; a serious-faced young Engineer, his long -red robes swirling about him--it was a gay and noisy throng, a whirl of -life and color, and Rikard could not altogether suppress an answering -smile. There was nothing like this in the poor little outlier towns. - -He came from the passageway to a broad, grassy plaza, and felt a sudden -tightening of his muscles and a rising throb in his breast. Beyond it, -there was a great wall reaching the height of many levels, porticoed -and velvet-hung, with the sign of holy Earth inlaid above the door. The -Temple. - -It was past time for services, and few people were in sight before the -wall--mostly acolytes hurrying on their various tasks, and six Temple -guardsmen standing rock-stiff in gilt breast-plates and plumed helmets -before the looming gate. Rikard stood for a moment studying them, the -long pikes and the swords at their hips, and wondered how many more -there were inside the sacred precincts. He drew a deep breath, filling -his nostrils with the cool rich scent of grass and flowering shrubs for -perhaps the final time. - -Well--Leda was still Rayth's hostage. He shook himself, straightened -his back, and walked boldly up to the gate. - -Two pikes slanted across his path. "Hold! What do you wish?" - -"I have to see the Chief Engineer." - -"This is not the time for audiences. Come back after the sunrise -ceremonies." - -"It won't keep. I bear special news from the Lands-that-see-not-Earth." - -The guards captain's face lit with a flicker of interest. "What is it?" - -"It's for the ears of his Wisdom alone." - -"Then wait your turn." - -"Look here," said Rikard, "you can send him a message that it concerns -certain newly found ores of power. If his Wisdom isn't interested, -I'll go my way. But if you don't do this much, I'd hate to be in your -skin when he learns what you've kept from him." - -"Hmmm--well--" The captain rubbed his chin. There was a superstitious -awe deep within his eyes, and the other sentries gaped. "Well, all -right." He peered narrowly at the barbarian, "You're not of the city. -Where are you from?" - -"Moonburg, if you must know. But my message!" - -The captain blew a whistle, and an acolyte came forth from within to -receive the word and run back with it. Rikard stood waiting, trying not -to shiver with the gathering tautness of the moment. Rayth had told -him to give this message, and it seemed to work. The prince had added -that the Temple was seeking to recover the lost secret of the legendary -Tommic's Power, so immensely more potent than the sunlight batteries, -but had not gone far for lack of the necessary metals. To Rikard, -Tommic had merely been a local god worshipped by some towns, though in -other stories he was the devil responsible for the Fall. - -"Your sword," said the captain. - -Rikard shrugged. It was understandable that no visitor should bear -weapons within the Temple, especially after Rayth's last few attempts. -He unslung his glaive and handed it over, and permitted them to search -him for concealed knives. It did not seem to occur to them, in spite of -his hard-thewed size, that hands and shod feet have killed men. - -The acolyte returned, a full Engineer with him. The latter spoke -hurriedly. "Who are you, stranger, and what is this word you bear?" - -"I am Atli Athur's son of Moonburg, your Knowledge," said Rikard, -bowing as low as his stiff-necked soul permitted him. "If it please -you, this word I have should not be discussed out in public." - -"No--no--certainly not. I'll take you to his Wisdom. Follow me." - -Rikard went after the swirling red robe, his narrowed eyes taking -careful note of everything they passed. Down a long muraled corridor, -opening into rooms which seemed oddly little like religious -centers--they glittered with metal and glass and plastic, and Engineers -in drab, stained smocks labored with a bewildering variety of -instruments, past a couple of guardsmen-- - -The thing to do, he thought grimly, was to break the old fellow's -neck, grab a sword from the nearest armed man, and try to cut his way -out. None of Rayth's men were allowed inside the Temple, but if they -were waiting just beyond the gates he might have some chance. - -The corridor ended in a tall doorway where four sentries in gold and -scarlet stood by rigidly held pikes. Beyond was the great audience -chamber. - -It was lavishly furnished, gold and jewels and velvet and the lovely -ancient works. The far side was a great sheet of plastic opening on -the raw splendor of landscape and an Earth at the full, its eerie blue -radiance streaming in to blend with the soft glow of fluorotubes. -Rikard had little time for esthetics; his gaze roved in search of -enemies. - -No soldiers in this room, and the Engineer who guided him was closing -the massive door on the sentries--praise the gods, it gave him a chance -to kill the Chief and burst out and surprise those men! About a dozen -Engineers stood around the Throne of Wisdom--high-ranking to judge from -their robes, most of them young and burly, not a one of them bearing -sword or dagger. - -Rikard knelt before the Throne until a voice that was almost a whisper -said: "Rise, my son, and say your message." - -"Thank you, your Wisdom." The rebel got up and moved closer to the old -man who sat before him. A very old man, he saw, thin and stooped and -frail, with a halo of white hair about the gaunt face and the luminous -eyes and the wonderful dome of a forehead. For an instant, Rikard -despised himself. - -But Leda, Leda of the fair tresses and the low sweet laughter and the -undaunted gallantry, Leda was hostage to Rayth. - -"You brought word of ores of power found on the far side of Luna," said -the Chief Engineer. He pursed his lips and tapped his knee with the -jeweled slide rule of his office. "But how would the heathen there know -what to look for?" - -"They weren't looking for anything, your Wisdom," replied Rikard. -He stood some five feet away--one easy jump. "It was a certain -Engineer-educated trader from this city, Borsu by name, who several -years ago was captured by Moonburg men attacking a caravan of his. I -had him for slave, but he was so bold and wise a man that soon we were -more friends than master and servant, and it was he who organized an -expedition to the heathen lands. He thought their ores, which we on -Earthside have little exploited, could be obtained for our manufactured -goods at a fine profit and sold here in Coper City. It was he who -saw those deposits and had them mined. On our return, we found that -Moonburg had been brought under your city's rule, but nevertheless--" - -They were relaxing their wariness, intent on his account. - -"--we thought that we could still do business, especially with the -Temple. As Borsu was ill, I left him in Moonburg and came myself to--" - - * * * * * - -He hit the Chief Engineer with a smack of bodies and his hands closed -around the thin neck. - -Thunder and stars exploded in his skull. He reeled aside, falling to -the ground, and the Engineer rushed on him with the club he had pulled -from his long sleeve. - -Rikard kicked out, and the Coper flew backward, grunting. The barbarian -snarled and lurched to his feet. Swords and daggers gleamed as the -others yanked them from concealment. - -Trapped. They weren't stupid, these Engineers, and now he was trapped! - -Rikard hurled himself forward in a flying tackle, hit the nearest man -and rolled over on the floor with him. Wrenching the fellow's dagger -loose, he bounded back to his feet and rushed another Engineer. - -"Alive!" screamed the old man. "Take him alive!" - -For the torture cells--no! Rikard closed with the Engineer, stabbing -him in the shoulder before he could slash with his sword. He pulled the -glaive loose and backed toward the wall, growling, sword in one hand -and dagger in the other. The men formed a defensive line around their -Chief and brandished their blades. - -The wounded Engineer rose suddenly and sprinted for the door. Rikard -threw the knife after him, missed, and groaned as the door was swung -wide and the four guardsmen entered. - -"Ha, Nyrac!" he yelled and threw himself upon them. His sword whistled, -clanged off the metal shaft of the nearest pike, and raked the cuirass -beyond. Another guard hit him with the butt of his pike and he -staggered. Now the blows rained on him, smashing thunder of violence -and lightning-shot darkness. The sword fell from his hand and he -toppled, still cursing. Someone kicked him as he fell. - -He lay there, half conscious, mumbling through a mask of blood while -they bound him. When the reeling and the blurring ended, and only the -thumping pain and the slow drip of red were left, he sat up and glared -at them where they stood around him. - -"I thought Rayth was wiser than that," muttered an Engineer. - -"It wasn't a bad trick." The old man fingered his throat with a wry -smile. "He almost made it. But who are you, so bold as to go alone and -unarmed in war against the Temple?" - - * * * * * - -Rikard shook his ringing head. The sickness in him was as much from -stupefied dismay as from his hurts. That he should have failed--that he -should have been captured and bound like a pig for slaughter the second -time! - -"Hm--now let me think." The Chief Engineer stroked his chin. "Obviously -Rayth would only have tried this with an assassin so bold and strong -that there would be some chance of success, and at the same time one -over whom he had enough of a hold to drive him to this desperate -mission. Now it is only ten or fifteen hours since we heard that the -mighty Rikard of Nyrac had been captured by this same Rayth." - -"Rikard of Nyrac--aye, your Wisdom, they said he was big and dark, it -must be he. Right?" A foot kicked the prisoner. - -"Gently, Wanno, gently. There is no cause to maltreat him when he is -helpless. Nobody was killed in this little affair." The Chief Engineer -stooped over Rikard and smiled. "See here, my friend, I have no ill -will for you. I've chuckled for a long time over your impudent bearding -of the Coper lords, and I wouldn't mind doing you a good turn if you'd -let me." - -"But first I have to do something for you, eh?" Rikard grinned without -humor. "It seems to be a city custom." - -"Be reasonable, man. You've failed your mission; Rayth will have no -further use for you, and only here is there protection. I daresay -you've no love for Rayth, and he is our greatest enemy as well." - -Rikard was silent. - -"Now what reason did you have to do his foul work for him? I cannot -quite imagine Rikard of Nyrac turning assassin for hire." - -"They say a woman was captured with him, your Wisdom," said one of the -Engineers thoughtfully. - -"Ah, so. And Rayth holds her. Hm." The Chief Engineer paced back and -forth, the robes swirling around his thin stooped form. Suddenly he -said: "Bring this man a bowl of wine." - -It was a fire coursing in his veins, the leaden haze lifted from his -mind and he looked at his captors with cleared eyes. The Chief Engineer -said to him: - -"Rikard, this is the situation in Coper City. The old bold dynasty -of the Mayors has faded till the last of them sits bibbing in his -apartments with little interest in anything save a new wench. Meanwhile -the struggle for the real power over this growing empire lies between -the great nobles, of whom Rayth is chief, and the Temple, which -recruits from all ranks and is thus closer to the people and more alive -to their wants. The world has come down far since the Fall. What was a -wise and glorious and adventurous civilization has been destroyed, and -this, its successor, is stagnant and cruel and ignorant; it has done -little which was new or decent in a thousand years. I do not say that -the Temple is blameless; the early Chief Engineers found it convenient -to monopolize what true knowledge was left and to ally themselves with -the nobles in crushing the commons. But in the past generation we have -tried to make some amends, we have spoken against human slavery and -unjust laws, and we would like to teach all men enough to make them -more than walking bellies. Temple and nobles agree that man must be -united--" - -Rikard snarled at him. - -"--but it is rather for us to learn freedom from the barbarians, in -exchange for our order and culture, than for them to be enslaved by -us; and there is a sharp split between the parties. Furthermore, we -have tried to regain the ancient knowledge by the methods with which -it was won in the first place--that is, by trying our ideas to see if -they work, rather than by blind acceptance of ancient authority. You -must have noticed our laboratories as you entered. But this leads to -heretical questioning of everything, and the nobles do not like it. - -"Thus Rayth has several times sought to have me assassinated. There is -little I can do save guard against it--I would get no satisfaction in -the courts. If he should succeed, he could use his influence and very -likely get one of his own hand-picked Engineers named to my office. For -we--scientists--are a small party in the Temple, and only the more or -less accidental fact that I was converted to such views shortly after -assuming the slide rule has given us our success. If we could somehow -overcome him, there would be a chance to make some improvement in human -life, perhaps even to reach Earth eventually. If we fail, as seems all -too probable, the long night will descend completely." - -He stopped, and there was a moment's silence in the great chamber. -Then Rikard said: "I suppose you're telling me more or less the truth. -I don't really care, one way or the other. But why? What do you want of -me?" - -"I don't know," said the Chief Engineer frankly. "I really don't know -whether it wouldn't be safer all around just to return your head to -Rayth. But--Rikard, the Temple has been at one grave disadvantage. Its -younger men are often doughty fighters, as you have seen, but they -are still mostly technicians, intellectuals, people without practical -experience in warfare. You, on the other hand, have fought all your -life. If you have any suggestions, they will be carefully considered." - -"And what do I get from this?" - -"Your life, of course, and your freedom. Likewise your woman's, if -we can save her. We can talk later of other rewards. You may find it -worthwhile to work with us." - -Rikard leaned back against the wall, letting his mind slide over the -facts and the chances. Presently he nodded his blood-matted head and -began to talk. - - * * * * * - -The Temple gate burst open and the big man shot out in a flying leap -that carried him over the heads of the sentries to land on the plaza -grass. A spear flew after him. He grabbed it and whirled about and -threw it back. - -"Stop him!" roared an Engineer. "Kill him! He killed the Chief!" - -The guards sprang at Rikard, yelling, and others boiled out of the -Temple in their wake. He was already fleeing toward the corridor -beyond. A shrieking laborer sought to bring him down--he kicked the man -in the teeth, beat another aside with the flat of his sword, and pushed -a way into the suddenly milling throng. - -Half a dozen armed men were around him, blades flashing out. One -grinned savagely in his beard. "We thought you were dead," he gasped. -"You were in there so long--" - -"We'll all be dead if we don't get out of here," snapped Rikard. - -The raging Temple warriors were crowding through the press of humanity -toward them. And from the swirling mob there seemed to rise one great -groan. - -"_The Chief is dead.... The Chief is dead.... They killed him, the -dirty murdering nobles_--" - -The old fellow's claim to be beloved of the people was not a lie, -thought Rikard tautly, and crammed a fist into the mouth of the nearest -man who rushed, weeping and cursing at him. - -Swords and pikes clattered together as the guards hit the tight circle -of Rayth's warriors. Rikard led the retreat, his sword whistling and -thumping--he did not cut, but he hammered a way through the mob, and it -fell back before his great bloody shape. - -"The ramp--over there--" - -They braced themselves and leaped, ten feet straight up, arcing forward -to land on the upward-curving surface. Then they ran! - -A hurled spear flashed, and one of Rayth's men toppled. Two more had -been pulled down by the bare hands of the commons, and another had -fallen in the retreat. The crowd, half angry, half frightened, moved -slowly after them. - -They dashed into a corridor on the noble level, and the two city -guardsmen posted there clanged the gate shut in the face of pursuit. -Panting, they stopped and looked at each other. - -"There'll be Mars to pay down there," said the leader hoarsely. -"Riots--" - -"Take me to his Excellency," said Rikard. - -"Aye--at once--and good work, barbarian! You did a job that we've tried -to do for the past five years." - -They went swiftly down the long passageways, up ramps and stairs, past -the sumptuous apartments of the rich where men and women, children and -servants and slaves cowered at sight of drawn weapons and at the faint, -rising noise of the lower levels. When they came to Rayth's door, they -entered without ceremony. - -The prince leaped to his feet, spilling his wine-glass, and the lean -bearded face blazed at Rikard. "Is it done?" he yelled. "Did you really -do it?" - -"Aye--aye--" The rebel leaned wearily on his sword and let his eyes -rove the chamber. There were seven or eight other men seated around the -table, mostly older and fatter than Rayth but all with the rich dress -and the inbred hauteur of the rulers. There was also a high-ranking -Engineer, a sly-faced elderly man whose heavy-lidded eyes barely -flicked over the newcomers before retreating back to their own dreams. -But it was to Leda that Rikard's gaze went first, Leda who had been -sprawling sullen and splendid on a couch and who now started up and ran -to him and clung wordlessly to his bleeding form. - -"Aye, he's dead," nodded the barbarian. - -"It took you several hours," said Rayth. "I was sure you had failed." - -"They made me wait a long time while the Chief finished an--an -experiment, they called it. But I got at him, broke his neck, and -grabbed a sword and chopped my way out." Rikard strode boldly over to -the table and grabbed up a glass and drained it. - -"Do you hear that?" Rayth turned on the others and his voice rose to a -shout. "Do you hear that?" His laughter was loud and wild. "He's dead! -His Wisdom Laon XIII, Chief Engineer of Coper City, is dead! Are you -ready to assume the post, Jastur?" he cried to the Engineer, "Would you -like to take the name of Laon XIV?" - -"It might be a good idea to wait for some confirmation," said the other -imperturbably. - -Rayth paced the chamber, restlessly, eyes smoldering, and the guests -muttered to each other. Rikard and Leda paid no attention; they were -holding close, and his hands and lips caressed her with a new and -desperate tenderness. - -Someone else entered, a strong young acolyte who saluted and said -between gasps for air: "He's dead, sirs, he's been killed, and it's -Mars down there! The commons are running wild!" There was a knife-slash -across his face; blood dripped slowly to the red of his gown. - -"What did you see?" snapped Rayth. He sprang over and grabbed the -acolyte by the shoulders and shook him, "What did you see?" - -"I--I heard a great uproar in the audience chamber, through the closed -doors. That must have been something else, though, for his Wis--old -Laon came out and went into a laboratory. Then some hours later he -returned to the chamber, and--and presently there was another noise, -louder and lasting longer--then I saw this man here burst out, knock -down a guard in his way, and go down the hall, I looked in--they were -lying heaped in blood, and an Engineer came in and lifted the old man -and shrieked that he was dead. Then there was panic, everyone running, -guards fighting to get out after the killer--I slipped away and came -here as you told me, sir--" - - * * * * * - -"Dead!" Rayth's shout echoed between the walls. "Dead, d'you hear? -After five years I've killed the old swine, and Temple and commons -alike are rioting--What more excuse do we need?" - -"Excuse?" whispered a noble. - -"Certainly!" Rayth grinned. "As a public-spirited gesture, we assemble -our personal guards and march them down there to restore order. With -the Temple occupied by us, your election to the slide rule becomes a -certainty, Jastur." - -"There'll be fighting," said the Engineer nervously. "The young -Engineers are--were--almost all on his side, you know; they won't -receive you kindly--and then there are the commons--" - -"Bah! Engineers and mobs against trained blades? Certainly there'll be -bloodletting, but it won't be our blood--at least, if we can get down -there before they have time to organize." - -Rayth lifted his voice to a shout, and a guards officer stepped in and -saluted. There was something like terror under his hard-held mask. -Rayth snapped swift orders and he ran off. - -"We'll unite all our personal forces," said the prince, biting the -words out as he paced from wall to wall. "The Mayor's men and the -regular city guards aren't to be relied on; I wouldn't be surprised if -half of them swung to the Temple's side if they get a chance. Most of -the regular army is out of the city, on garrison or combat duty, and -it wouldn't be too safe either. But between us we've got three hundred -trained bold men ready to follow us down there." - -"_Us?_" squeaked a noble. - -"Oh, stay if you want. I'm going down!" Rayth turned to clap Rikard's -shoulder, "You too, my friend. You've done well, oh, excellently well, -and you'll have a rich reward!" - -The Nyracan shrugged. Inwardly, he was filled with a sudden wonder as -to whether he had done the right thing or not. He didn't much care, -really, who won; they were all Copers to him--but the prince's payment -was more certain and tangible than the Temple's, and-- - -Too late now. - -He went into the bathroom, where Leda washed and bandaged his hurts and -whispered to him: "There is more behind this than you say, my dearest, -I know you too well." - -"Aye, there is, but I can't tell you now. Stay close by me and don't be -too surprised at anything I may do." - -Leda went back to Rayth and said: "Give me a blade too." - -"You--a woman?" he asked. - -"I've sent more men to Earth than you ever did," she snapped. "From -here on, Rikard and I fight together." - -"Well--I hate to risk such beauty being hacked up--but far be it -from me to oppose that beauty's lightest wish," laughed the Coper. -"Remember, though--you'll be among my own troops, and they don't take -kindly to traitors." - -She smiled at him. "How could anyone betray you?" she whispered. - -"The oldest trick in the world," sighed Rayth, "and it still works. -Very well, take what you wish from the armor chest over there." - -She and Rikard equipped themselves with weapons--a sword for her, an ax -for him--cuirasses, and helmets. By that time they could hear the sound -of marching feet. Rayth buckled on his own armor, lifted his sword in a -mocking salute to his timorous comrades, and walked out into the hall. - - * * * * * - -It was a strong and well-trained force, filling the corridor with hard -bodies and edged steel, pikes and axes aloft, raising a shout that -roared and boomed down the hall as Rayth appeared. He put himself in -the van, with the barbarians in the second rank behind his, and the -troop started off to battle. - -Clang of booted feet slammed echoing on the metal floor, rattle and -clash of armor, grim jests tossed from lip to bearded lip. These were -the killers, the professionals without fear of man or Earth, the -trained elite which formed an army within an army and the fulcrum of -the noble power. Watching them, marching with them, Rikard felt a -sudden sick doubt within him. Untrained barbarians had toppled before -this iron weapon-- - -They came to the closed gate, and Rayth unlocked it and led the way -down the ramp beyond. Level after level dropped past them, deserted -now, silent and empty, but the broken roaring from below had grown, -screaming its outrage, screaming for blood. - -When they emerged on a landing at the ceiling of the Temple level and -looked down twenty feet, it was to a boiling pool of humankind, gray -workers, naked slaves, velvet merchants, leather artisans, women and -children, howling and trampling until the din shook the walls and -rattled the teeth in a man's skull. The surge of white, hating faces -reached beyond vision, mouths agape, eyes red and running, animal -voices barking and clamoring. Rikard had never seen a true mob before, -and the elemental violence of it shook even his calloused soul. It did -not occur to him to regret the fact that many of these people must die. - -Rayth stood for an instant stroking his beard, thinking, and then he -lifted his sword and sprang over the rail. The lines followed him, -jumping one by one, a dozen men simultaneously floating down with pikes -reaching beneath them. - -They landed among the mob, hewing a clear way even as they fell, and -struck out. The crowd surged back, leaving red remnants underfoot, and -the troopers continued to leap--forward ranks pressing toward the -Temple, while the rearward lines were still jumping. Rayth's blade -whistled and butchered; his face was alight with a dark glee. Rikard -and Leda, sandwiched between others, could do nothing but add the -weight of their bodies to the mass of the troop. The pack howled and -bayed and cursed around them. - -Missiles began to fly, hammers, ore-lumps, crowbars, wrenches, anvils -hurled by brawny arms. A guardsman staggered and fell, his face cracked -open. Another was seized by the cloak, dragged into a group of women, -and carved with butcher knives. A third had his pike snatched from him, -and a big smith jabbed it into the throat of a fourth before he was -killed. The crowd gave way before the ruthlessly advancing soldiers, -but it closed behind them and filled the air with noise and flying -death. - -"_They killed the Chief!_" - -Leda's eyes were wide and her breast rose and fell behind the binding -corselet. Her voice came dimly to Rikard under the boom and howl of raw -voices. "They hate us!" - -"So they do." He smiled bleakly. - -Now the Temple was before them, its high wall looming over the trample -and clamor, a thin line of its own guards holding back the rioters. -Rayth's red blade lifted anew, and his bugler wound a single harsh -note. The troop moved forward on the double. - -Vaguely, Rikard heard the prince calling to the guards, "Let us -through--Mayor's order--protect you--" - -"No one goes in--you bloody swine!" - -The bugle screamed again and the soldiers locked ranks and charged. - -Swords and pikes clanged at the gate; the sudden recoil hurled the rear -lines backward. Rikard grabbed Leda's flowing hair and pulled her ear -close to his lips and muttered swiftly, "Listen, we're with the Temple. -First chance you get, break free and go over to them--once we're -inside!" - -She clasped his hand, briefly, and then the sentries were down and the -troop rushed inside. - -Beyond was a long narrow darkness of corridor. Nothing stirred, nothing -spoke; they hastened through a fumbling gloom with only their footfalls -and hoarse breathing and clash of metal for company. Rikard heard -Rayth's voice, puzzled. "Where are the others? The Temple has plenty -of its own guardsmen, where are they? Has everyone fled?" Then, he -laughed. "If so, why, it makes our task all the easier. Forward!" - -They burst into the great audience chamber, and it was lighted and the -Temple was waiting for them. - -The young Engineers were reinforced by commoners, weapons in hand and -armored in spacesuits. - -The invaders let out one roar and the forward ranks hurled spears that -bounced off metal and plastic and tough cord. From the Engineers, -arrows suddenly darkened the air, the whistling death flamed among the -soldiers and the lines sagged amidst their toppling members. - -There was a press from the rear, men driven forward, and in the -instant's bawling panic only Rikard knew what it was--the Temple -guardsmen, aided perhaps by armed commoners themselves, throwing their -power out of the rooms and side passages where it had lurked, blocking -the troop's retreat and falling on it from the rear! - -The line eddied and swirled about him, spears flying, arrows and hurled -throwing-axes, the ranks of Rayth buckling under pressure from both -ends. Time to get out of here, before anyone suspected that he, Rikard -of Nyrac, had led them into the trap. - -He turned on the man beside him and his ax hewed low, shearing through -flesh and bone of a leg. As the screaming warrior fell, he brought -his weapon up, a backhanded blow crashing into the face beyond. The -man behind him thrust from the side; he took the spear on his cuirass -and kneed viciously. Stooping over, he undercut another of his late -companions, and Leda reached over his back to slash down the soldier -beyond. - -Rikard bent his knees and leaped, soaring over the fallen, a dozen -pikes stabbing up after him. He hardly noticed the sharp bright pain -where one raked his thigh; he was through their line and Leda was with -him. They drifted down among the Engineers. - - * * * * * - -A big red-faced young man snarled behind his space helmet and lifted -an ax as Rikard descended. Someone else grabbed his arm. The helmets -were left propped open, and his voice could reach. "No, Shan, those are -friends!" - -"Oh, sorry--I forgot." Shan swung about and spattered the brains of the -nearest trooper. - -The fight was now pressed into the audience chamber; men jammed -together, slashing and hacking at arm's range--there'd soon be more -room, thought Rikard grimly, and took his place in the Engineer line. -The Temple, though, had order and plans of a sort, however relatively -untrained its fighters were, while the invaders were broken up into -knots and fragments where their discipline could not exist. The -important thing was to hit them, and keep hitting them, so they didn't -get a chance to reform. - -His ax smote, clanging off metal, raking the face and the arm behind. -A blade hacked at him; he caught it on his helve and turned the blow -and hewed back. Leda was beside him, her clear war-cry raising as she -stabbed and struck; Shan the Engineer was chopping and roaring pious -mottoes on his other flank: the Temple men pushed against the roiling -soldiers, took their blows on their heavier armor, and gave them back -with murder behind. The clamor of men and metal was a roar as of -sundering worlds. - -Rayth was fighting like a demon, his blade whirling and shrieking, -his voice lifted in a rallying-cry that drew his scattered followers -together. He had courage, thought Rikard above the snarl of -combat--perhaps he was a fitter chief after all. But too late now! - -Ha, there went another, tumbling with his head half off his -shoulders--so, a helmet crumpled, and the skull beneath it. - -Back and forth the battle raged, breaking and tearing, ruining the -chamber and the lives of men, and over it lifted the great calm disc -of Earth and the million scornful stars. Back and forth, trampling, -sundering, killing and laming, and Rikard was painted with blood and -his arms grew weary from swinging the ax. - -The chamber began to clear as men fell; it was floored with corpses and -one had room to cast a spear or take a flying leap down on the head -of an enemy. The soldiers had suffered hideously, but there were many -Temple dead, ordinary guardsmen, scantily armored commoners, Engineers -with their spacesuits pierced or their helmets cloven. The fight was -breaking into knots and clusters, small whirlpools of murder swaying -back and forth over the great blood-wet space, men springing through -the air at each other. It seemed to Rikard, as he raised blurred eyes -toward holy Earth, that the disc had grown noticeably gibbous--had they -fought that long? - -"Over here! Stand and fight, men of Coper!" - -It was Rayth, backed into a corner above a high heap of fallen Temple -men, foremost in a grim and haggard line of troopers hurling back wave -after wave. Rikard shook his head, a sudden dark sense of destiny on -him, and moved across the floor with lifted ax. - -"You," said Rayth, very softly. "You--the triple turncoat--" Suddenly -he threw back his head and laughter pulsed in his throat. "Oh, it was -lovely, man, lovely, I never thought you had that kind of brains! Shall -we play the game out?" - -He stepped from his line, tossing his sword and catching it again, -kissed his hand to Leda, and fell into an alert position before Rikard. -The barbarian growled, squared off, and fell on him. - -Rayth danced aside from the shrieking ax, and his blade whipped in -against Rikard's throat. The rebel rolled, barely ducking the thrust, -and Rayth grinned without much malice and sprang at him. His sword -clattered and yelled, biting the Nyracan's arms, bouncing off the -hard-held guard to sing around his opponent's ears. Rikard fell back, -grunting in surprise, and Rayth pursued him, lightfooted, leaping, -playing with him. - -Scream and clangor of steel, hoarse gasps for breath, bounding human -forms in a strange and terrible grace of murder, clash and bite and -two faces staring into each other's eyes across the web of flying -metal. Rikard hewed out again and again, cleaving empty air; his -phantom enemy was somewhere else to rake him until he staggered and -splashed his blood on the floor. - -Leda yelled and sprang on Rayth from behind. His sword whirled around, -caught in the guard of hers and sent it spinning free, and slewed -back to meet Rikard's charge. He retreated before the rebel's rush, -laughing, parrying blow after clumsy blow, waiting for the end. - - * * * * * - -It came swiftly. Rikard's bull charge forced Rayth back into a corner -where he braced himself and smiled. As the ax whirred down toward his -skull, he lifted his blade to parry it as he had done before--and the -steel broke across. - -Rikard stood gasping, reeling on his feet, looking down at the body -of his foe with a numbness stealing over him. He hardly noticed the -sobbing girl who flung herself into his arms; he stood mute for a long -while and when he spoke at last it was dully. - -"That wasn't right. I didn't kill him--a flaw in his blade did--it -isn't right, somehow." - -The Chief Engineer came to Rikard where he stood watching the first -harsh glare of sunrise creep over the heights of Copernicus. The -barbarian leaned heavily on his woman. He had taken many hurts. - - * * * * * - -Laon's old face was drawn with weariness; there was no great triumph in -him. "It's over," he said. "It was a bloody, horrible business, but we -hold the entire city now, all levels; the nobles are our prisoners and -the Mayor is our puppet and the Temple is victorious. Thanks to you, my -friend." - -"There is more to do," said Rikard. "The armies will hear about this, -out in the conquered provinces, and many of them, at least, won't like -it. There'll be hard fighting to hold what we have." - -"Oh, yes. Though I think with some diplomacy, and with the provinces -restless at their backs, they may decide--well, we must see. And -afterward there is much more to do, generations of work--Are you with -us, Rikard?" - -"I suppose so. I'll have to think about it. Nyrac should not be a mere -province, but--well--I'll think about it." - -"At least," said Laon, "we can rest a little while now." - -"It's over, darling, darling," whispered Leda. "The fight is over." - -Rikard held her close, but he was thinking of the armies beyond the -city, and the restlessness of the conquered towns and the ruthless -will of those still free; of the long task of raising men turned into -brutes by centuries of injustice and oppression, of making them free -and fit to use their freedom, and of all the evil elements which would -be seeking to thwart that goal; of the still greater war to be fought -by quiet men. In the Temple, the war to regain the lost wisdom of the -ancients, the battle which would hammer out the long road back to Earth. - -"No, Leda," he said, very softly, "it's just beginning." - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TEMPLE OF EARTH *** - -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. 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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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Temple of Earth</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Poul Anderson</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrator: ORBAN</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: July 31, 2022 [eBook #68658]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TEMPLE OF EARTH ***</div> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>THE TEMPLE OF EARTH</h1> - -<h2>BY POUL ANDERSON</h2> - -<p>ILLUSTRATED BY ORBAN</p> - -<p>All his life, Rikard had defied the warlords of Coper<br /> -City, but even the stoutest outlaw could be outnumbered.<br /> -Now Rayth offered him freedom for the death<br /> -of the Chief Engineer. It seemed simple enough—until<br /> -Rikard began to learn the History of Earth!</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Rocket Stories, July 1953.<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="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Here they come!"</p> - -<p>Leda's voice vibrated in the ears of the four men with her. They stood -with their helmets touching so they could talk, eyes looking down the -rugged sweep of Copernicus to the force which came running upward -against them. At their backs, the brutal heights of rock climbed for -the stars, but they stood in a recess between looming crags, as good a -defensive position as they could hope for.</p> - -<p>"Eight, nine—" Rikard strained his eyes through the queer tricky light -and shadow—the brilliant rushing blue of Earth nearly in full phase, -the utter dark of knife-edged umbras, a sprawling savage confusion of -spires and cliffs tumbling down toward the far ghostly shimmer of the -plain. "Ten at least, I make it, probably more. It'll be a rough fight."</p> - -<p>The tiny metal-glinting specks bounded closer, twenty-foot leaps from -height to height, and now they could see the sheen of Earthglow on -spears and axes. Rikard said slowly: "It will most likely be death if -we make a stand. Let anyone who wishes go down to them now, and I -will not think the less of him."</p> - -<p>"Down to execution or enslavement? You should know us better than -that," said Huw. He hefted his own ax, and shadows crept over the folds -of his flexicord suit. "Heh, they'll have to come at us only a few at a -time. We'll mince 'em as they do."</p> - -<p>A mutter of assent rumbled from Jonak and Chungti. Leda remained -silent, but one gauntletted hand closed on Rikard's arm.</p> - -<p>The outlaw chief's gaunt dark face flashed in a brief grin. "Thank -you," he said. "We'll at least show the damned Copers that Nyrac can -still fight."</p> - -<p>He moved away from the group and strung his bow. It was a big one, -suitable for the giant who wielded it, and had been in his family for -a long time. Plastic bow, wire string, steel arrows that leaped out -with a hundred pounds of force behind them—such a weapon could pierce -a spacesuit and come out the other side in a rush of air. Wood and -cord were of little use on the surface; they dried and cracked in the -sucking vacuum, sizzled by day and froze by night. But with this weapon -he had sent more men than he remembered to Earth.</p> - -<p>Standing in the abysmal shadow of a crag, he nocked an arrow and took -aim. The bow thrummed in his hand and a bright shaft sprang forth. One -of the attacking band suddenly leaped up, fell, and rolled down the -long slope with the moisture-laden air gushing out like his fleeing -soul.</p> - -<p>"There's one less!" cried Leda savagely, and raised her pike. None -heard her speak in the looming silence, but they saw her lips laughing -behind the plastic helmet. Rikard turned for a glimpse of her, the -strong fair face, the heavy yellow hair—turned blue and green now by -the pouring Earthlight, but not the less good to look on.</p> - -<p>He had stolen her three years before, in a raid on Moonburg, and -she had fought him bitterly for awhile. But later there had been -understanding between them, and when the Copers overran Nyrac and he -and a few men fled into rebellious exile, she was the only one of his -wives who had come with him. They smiled briefly at each other and then -he faced back toward the enemy.</p> - -<p>His bow throbbed again, and he cursed as the shaft whipped past a -nearing figure. The man hurled a spear; it bounced off the crag and Huw -stepped forth to seize and throw it back. Rikard fired once more, and -another warrior tumbled to the stony ground, to freeze in death.</p> - -<p>Now they were close, terribly close, a good dozen of them rushing in -on him. He sent a final snapped shot against them, dropped the bow, -and grabbed up his ax. Swiftly the outlaws fell into a defending line: -Rikard, Huw, and Jonak, the heaviest, standing shoulder to shoulder -between the two great pillars; Leda and Chungti just behind them with -pikes at the ready.</p> - -<p>The first of the Copers hit Rikard with the furious velocity of a -broad jump, ax swinging down against the chief's helmet. Rikard caught -the blow on his own weapon's handle, twisted it down, and kicked the -attacker in the belly. He bounced away, wide open for assault, but it -wouldn't do to leave the line. The next was almost instantly on the -outlaw, blade cleaving vacuum. Rikard's ax blurred down and crashed -into the space helmet. The shock of the blow rammed home in his own -muscles, but it had burst open the tough plastic. Air whirled out, -white with frost, red with the blood that suddenly foamed from mouth -and nose.</p> - -<p>The enemy's own ax had dropped from his fingers as Rikard's blade -smashed home, and clanged off the chief's helmet. Rikard smote at the -warrior beyond, hit a metal shoulder plate, and dodged a counterblow. -Leda thrust between him and Jonak, driving the pike home with a -terrible force that split the Coper's suit at the belly. He lurched -back, clutching futile hands against the streaming air, his face -distorted with unheard screams.</p> - -<p>Two of them were on Rikard now, ax and spear, blows clattering off -his helmet and shoulder plates as he dodged and parried and hewed. He -whirled his weapon over his head, brought it crashing down to break -another helmet and the skull beneath, and his own yelling rang in his -ears.</p> - -<p>From the corner of one eye he saw Jonak fall. Snarling, he swung on -the killer, his blow parried by the other axhead. "Go to Mars, you -bastard!" he growled, and hailed blow after blow against the enemy's -guard, a leaping dancing fury of steel that drove the fellow back until -he was against a cliff. Rikard sprang in and slew him.</p> - -<p>Panting, he whirled around to see that the Copers had broken his line, -that they raged three or four about each of the survivors, thrusting -and smiting, a flicker of light and hard metal against the monstrous -blacknesses of shadow. Even as he watched, Chungti went down with a -spear in him. Huw and Leda stood back to back, beating off the pack -that snarled around them, and Rikard launched himself across the space -between to fall on the Copers. He clove one helmet from behind, pitched -another man aside, parried a thrust and kicked the thruster back, and -joined his comrades.</p> - -<p>A cloudiness of freezing moisture fogged his helmet, and Huw toppled -against him. He stood over the body and struck home. Leda swept her -pike in a wide arc, got it between a man's legs and tripped him, and -stabbed him before he could rise. Then a Coper got between her and -Rikard, threw his arms around her from behind and dragged her to the -ground.</p> - -<p>They closed in on Rikard, hemming him in a solid wall of armored -bodies, bearing him down and holding him fast with four men on each -arm. When they brought forth wire and began lashing his hands together -he kicked out, rose to his feet and knocked them away as they came on -him, until someone else tackled him and he went down once more.</p> - -<p>Captured! By the living Earth, no clean death in battle, but captured!</p> - -<p>He lay gasping the hot foul air of his suit, looking up to the crystal -dark of heaven, a million needle-sharp stars and the ghostly glory -of the Milky Way, up to Earth's huge blue disc, and the world, the -Moon-world of witchlight and shadow and cruel fanged stone, reeled -about him with his dismay. Captured!</p> - -<p>A tall man, apparently the chief of the band, counted the survivors -and then put his helmet against Rikard's. His face was sharply carved, -dark-eyed, with the pointed beard of a Coper noble and the hollow -cheeks corpse-blue in the light. He said slowly: "Yes, you are the -rebel leader. I'm glad we took you alive."</p> - -<p>Rikard looked sullenly back at him.</p> - -<p>"Behave yourself," advised the other. "Remember we hold the woman too."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They scaled the heights of Copernicus and descended to the plain which -the crater ringed in. Not far off was an armored dome with sentries -before it, one of the airlocks leading to a tunnel. They entered -this and came to the long tube-lit bareness underground. A few Coper -soldiers were posted here, taking turns at guard duty on the outside.</p> - -<p>Like all their city freemen they wore more clothes than the outlying -barbarians, who rarely donned more than a pocketed kilt if that -much—these had tunics as well, and flat steel helmets, and carried -the swords that were useful underground though ineffective against a -spacesuit; nor did they have the war-paint of barbarian fighters. They -did not mock the prisoners—the name of Rikard of Nyrac had been too -frightening for the past year—but they leered at Leda.</p> - -<p>Even the outlaws were glad to shed their spacesuits. Sweat and the -needs of nature made it uncomfortable to be outside more than a few -hours at a time. They were stripped, their hands bound behind them, and -marched between an alert guard down the tunnel toward Coper City. It -went rapidly, the long bounding pace of men in home territory who had -no ambush to fear.</p> - -<p>Rikard's mind whirled over the catastrophes of the past hours. He and -his men—some fifty in all—had been living mostly on the outside since -the fall of Nyrac a year ago. They had had seal-tents which they moved -from place to place, and had descended into the tunnels and cities -often through old unguarded airlocks to raid for food, water, air, and -the killing of Coper men. While they fought, they had been a symbol of -resistance to the free people within and beyond the expanding Coper -empire, they had checked its advance a little, they had been a rallying -force and many young men had come to join them. There had been hope.</p> - -<p>Then—Rikard and his four companions returned from a scouting trip to -find their camp in the hands of the enemy. They had fought clear, had -been pursued, and finally this squad had hunted them down and captured -the two rebel leaders—and that was all there was to it. That was the -end—the end of the fight, the end of hope, the end most likely of life.</p> - -<p>His bitter dark eyes turned on the leader of the squad. That one had -donned a tunic of brilliant colors, the dress of a mighty noble, and -the sword at his waist was jeweled. "Who are you?" he asked coldly.</p> - -<p>The lean face smiled. "I am Rayth, prince of Coper City," he answered. -"It was—fortunate for both of us—that I should have happened to lead -the group that found you. Others would have had you killed out of hand, -but I can find better uses for you." He nodded at Leda. "Yes indeed."</p> - -<p>Her head lifted haughtily, shining raw gold of hair spilling over broad -shoulders to her supple waist. Rikard snarled and wrenched at his -bonds. They dug harshly into his wrists, and a guard pricked him with a -spear.</p> - -<p>Rayth held Rikard's bow between his hands, "This is an unusually fine -weapon," he said. "I hadn't thought the barbarians had anything so -good. You may get it back, but you'll have to earn it."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The tunnel opened into a great cavern, a reaching vastness whose -farther walls could not be seen. It was farmland, peasants going -between the long rows of tanks and tending a riotous greenery of food -plants, an occasional hard-faced overseer pausing in his rounds to -salute the prince. They went by a stockyard, cattle, pigs, sheep, and -poultry in their pens, slaves cleaning and feeding. Not far off was a -slaughterhouse, and Rayth's aristocratic nose crinkled.</p> - -<p>A winding ramp led up through other levels. They passed the drab, -huddled compartments of the lower classes, gray-clad peasants crowded -with their families into doorless rooms. Above that was a factory -level, where acolyte engineers labored over weapons and tools, over -ore-smelting and refining, and other workmen turned out clothes and -cord and the remaining necessities of life. The party stopped here -to deliver the battle-torn spacesuits for repair. Flexicord would be -mended, plastic melted together again; nobody cared about the stripped -bodies withering on the outside.</p> - -<p>Rikard could not forbear to ask: "Where is your air factory?"</p> - -<p>"That is farther up, in the Temple and in direct charge of the Chief -Engineer," said Rayth politely. "It is, after all, among the most vital -jobs." He raised his eyebrows. "You didn't have an air plant at Nyrac, -did you?"</p> - -<p>"No. We bought or took it from elsewhere as needed."</p> - -<p>"Ah, I thought so. Most of the barbarians do. Now, Rikard, you are a -man of intelligence, and I ask you to think a bit. We must have extra -air, to replace that which is lost one way or another, but it takes -skill and some equipment to get it from the minerals in which it is -locked. Rather than war on us, one of the few places where they can -produce it, would it not have been wiser to accept us in friendship and -receive from us a steady and dependable supply?"</p> - -<p>"We were freemen. Now we are slaves, and must grovel to your overlords -and give them all we make in exchange for a miserly ration. That is -reason enough to fight you."</p> - -<p>"I don't think," said Rayth sardonically, "that your own slaves notice -any change."</p> - -<p>Rikard clamped his lips tight.</p> - -<p>Above the factory level was a park. It was known that the life of the -air, and hence of man, depended on green plants, so even the smallest -village had its farms and even the outlaws' crowded seal-tents had -contained some pots of vegetation. But Rikard and Leda had never seen -anything like this riot of blooms and rearing trees, had never felt -grass soft and cool beneath their bare feet, and the girl drew a gasp -of wonder and buried her face in a huge sweet cluster of roses.</p> - -<p>Rayth drew his sword and cut the flowers and handed them to her with a -bow. "No fairer than you," he smiled.</p> - -<p>She cursed and threw them at his feet.</p> - -<p>There were folk of noble class around, warriors, administrators, -ranking Engineers, and their children and colorfully gowned women. They -gathered about, laughing, shouting, cheering, and Rayth nodded affably -but led the way onward.</p> - -<p>Above the park were the levels of the spacious upper-class apartments, -where others of gentle birth went about in litters and slaves scurried -humbly on their errands. Rikard noticed the guardsmen standing rigidly -here and there, and decided that the power of the overlords was not so -secure as it might look.</p> - -<p>On and on, until at last they stood before a high wall ornamented with -murals of ancient triumphs and festivals. Four sentries stood in front -of the door, bringing their spears to rigid salute as Rayth approached. -A footman opened the door and they were ushered into the prince's home.</p> - -<p>It was richly furnished, with hangings and vases and furniture of -priceless ancient work—older than the Fall, it must be—as well as -the clumsier recent articles of carved wood and hammered metal. Rayth -led the way to a spacious chamber whose outer window looked on the -sky. Automatically, Rikard stepped over there to make a survey. This -place must be high in the dome which rose over the city's underground -levels. He could look down the great sweep of metal and concrete to the -rugged plain beneath, and out toward the sharply curving horizon and -the mighty ringwall which shouldered above it. The stars thronged and -blazed in a cold glory of sky.</p> - -<p>"Unbind them," said Rayth.</p> - -<p>Rikard stretched mightily, rubbing cramped arms. Leda stepped over -beside him and her hand stole into his. The guards marched out, except -for two who stood alertly against the wall.</p> - -<p>"And now what?" asked the barbarian.</p> - -<p>"Why, I suppose you will want to clean yourselves. There is a bathroom -over that way. Afterward we will eat, and then we can talk."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>There were garments for the prisoners, of a soft colorfulness such as -they had not known since the last time Nyrac captured a trading caravan -in the tunnels, and there was a feast of skillfully prepared meat and -bread, fresh fruit, wine and delicacies for which they had no name. -They sat around the table and gorged.</p> - -<p>Rayth exerted himself to be pleasant. He brought in slave girls to -dance and play, he kept the wine glasses full, and the words that -flowed from his smiling lips had nothing to do with immediate reality. -Despite himself, Rikard had to listen with interest and reply where he -could, and Leda sat enchanted.</p> - -<p>The prince got onto ancient history, which seemed to be a pet subject -of his. He discoursed of a thousand years of war, politics, conquest -and liberation, dynasties and gods and people, and after the vague -heroic songs of the barbarians it was a new experience to listen to his -crisp cynical prose. They could still read and write in Coper City, -though only a few nobles besides the Engineers took the trouble to -learn, and so they remembered with precision.</p> - -<p>"But the Fall?" whispered Leda. "What was that?"</p> - -<p>"The Fall from Earth?" Rayth smiled and arched his brows. "Well, my -fair one, suppose you tell me what you think."</p> - -<p>"Why—I never thought much about it," she said, her broad clear -forehead wrinkling above the steady blue eyes. "They say that man came -from Earth originally, and sinned, and was condemned to dwell in the -world here until the sin is redeemed. The souls of the dead return to -Earth—"</p> - -<p>"Or to Mars, if they are criminals or Copers," grunted Rikard.</p> - -<p>Leda threw him a little frown and spread her hands helplessly. "That is -all I know."</p> - -<p>"Hm—well, it's the general story. Our Engineers tell it to our own -commons, since it helps keep them in check. But what would you say if I -told you Earth is another world like our own?"</p> - -<p>"It couldn't be," said Leda. "The story is that on Earth you can walk -on the outside without a spacesuit. And there is green everywhere, and -great pools of water, and everyone has enough to eat."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, beyond doubt Earth is not quite the same as Luna. After all, -man and his animals are so ill suited to life here that I think it only -reasonable to suppose they came from Earth—not in any mystic Fall, -but by ordinary physical means."</p> - -<p>"They jumped?" asked Rikard scornfully.</p> - -<p>"No, they—well—I'll come to that later. They had ways. Such few books -as have survived tell something about what happened. Men came here from -Earth to look for minerals which they needed. Cities were built here -and there over the face of Luna, and tunnels cut to connect them and to -get at the ores. They were wise, those ancients. They built not only -the things we now have and use in a blind fashion, by rote, without -much understanding—smelters, sun-power accumulators, spacesuits, and -all the rest—but they had other things as well. Weapons more deadly -than bow or ax, machines which carried them over the surface and hauled -their loads and did the work we must do by hand—but those things have -long worn out or been destroyed, and their remnants have been wrecked -for the metal in them. We have a few relics in our Temple here, that is -all." Rayth's eyes gleamed briefly.</p> - -<p>He went on in a moment. "The sin and the Fall were something different -from what the Engineers have said in their sermons. I don't know -exactly what happened, except that even those wise ancients were not -united, they were divided into—cities, I suppose—and the separate -colonies here were owned by these various cities. A war broke out, not -a war as we know war but something with doom in it, all the power of -the machines turned loose to blast and burn. It must have destroyed -civilization on Earth; at least there have been no visitors from there -in a thousand years or more. Here on Luna the colonies also fought, -but in a more limited way since they had not the greatest engines of -destruction. But it was enough to wipe out many cities—you must have -seen some of the ruins—and to destroy most of the equipment. Such wise -men as survived had not the tools to work with to rebuild all they must -have, and the turbulent new generations paid little heed to teachings -which had no relation to their own experience. The remaining machines -wore out, the wise men died, the cities fought with swords and spears -for the necessities of life, and finally the long night of ignorance -fell on us. And that is the true story of the Fall."</p> - -<p>"How do you know?" challenged Rikard.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I have read the remaining old books and fragments of books, and -used my own head to piece together what little was known. Coper City -has kept more knowledge than the others anyway. Those went back to -naked barbarism, retaining barely enough tradition to survive; but we, -living in what had been the most important of the old colonies, kept -somewhat more than that. There have always been a few in Coper City who -knew the truth, though they lacked means to do anything about it."</p> - -<p>Rikard leaned back in his chair and surveyed the prince with arrogant -eyes. "All right," he said. "I'll accept it. What's the difference -anyway? What do you have us here for and why are you telling us this?"</p> - -<p>"Oh—I wanted you to realize that our frank goal of conquering the -world is not the unmitigated evil you insist. It will bring knowledge -to the barbarians, give them back their heritage, and end their stupid -squabbling in a unity of all mankind."</p> - -<p>"At the price of making them slaves and paupers!"</p> - -<p>"Well, I didn't say we were doing this for our health," said Rayth -mildly. "The outlier raids have been more than a little costly and -annoying to us, and of course we can always use more workers. However, -please don't tell me you are some kind of martyr whose heart bleeds -only for your poor oppressed people. You are angry because your -wealth and power were stripped from you. If you could get those back -threefold—"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>His keen features jutted over the table as he leaned forward. "We -will impose the social pattern of Coper City everywhere, yes, because -it is our own. But we'll have to take the most able and trustworthy -barbarians into our own noble ranks as full citizens. How would you -like to trade the circumscribed darkness of Nyrac for a dwelling like -this, a score of slaves, a personal guard, a city for your private -estate? How would you like a hand in shaping the future?"</p> - -<p>"Hm." Rikard scowled and ran a hand through his stiff black hair. "You -won't give me that for nothing."</p> - -<p>"No, no. But you'll need a strong patron, my friend. Everyone else will -assume as a matter of course that you'll be executed or sent to the -mines. It will take all my influence to get you pardoned. In exchange, -you can do me a few services." His teeth flashed white in his beard. -"The first of which can begin now!"</p> - -<p>"<i>Hm?</i>"</p> - -<p>"I want you to kill a man for me."</p> - -<p>"Well—" Rikard sat thinking a moment, "Who is he?"</p> - -<p>"I'll come to that. It's nobody you know or care about. If you fullfil -that mission, there will be others, and your rise can be swift."</p> - -<p>"You turn me loose with a sword," said the barbarian slowly, "and -expect me to do just what you want?"</p> - -<p>"Naturally," said Rayth, "I will keep your charming lady as a hostage." -He smiled on Leda and a slow hot flush crept up her cheeks and stained -her breast. "I shall see that she is not bored."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>With a shave and a haircut, a decent tunic and a sword at his waist -and a feather-cap tilted rakishly over one ear, Rikard could pass for -anyone but the hunted rebel of Nyrac—a young guardsman off duty, -perhaps, recruited from some recently conquered province and swaggering -into the civilization which had swallowed his people. He drew no -special attention as he pushed through the crowded hubbub of the city, -except from an occasional bold-eyed maiden.</p> - -<p>Toward the north side of the dome, roughly at ground level, was the -area of those who were more than simple freemen without being quite -nobles—merchants, shopkeepers, independent artisans of all kinds. -Moving through that district, Rikard was struck by the bearing of the -folk, neither servile nor haughty, neither uncouth nor overly mannered, -a more civilized version of the barbarians' egalitarianism. It occurred -to him that this class was an element which had entered into no one's -calculations.</p> - -<p>But he had a mission, and the farther he went the more desperate it -began to seem.</p> - -<p><i>There's little choice</i>, he thought grayly. <i>If I'd refused, he'd have -had me slain then and there. But that I, who was chief over the freemen -of Nyrac, should sink to be Rayth's assassin—!</i></p> - -<p>Kill the Chief Engineer of Coper City.</p> - -<p>Rayth had shown him the layout, warned him that the Temple had its own -guards, and said that several of his men had attempted the job before -and failed bloodily. On the other hand, could he but accomplish his -task and fight his way out of the Temple, there'd be a gang of the -prince's bully boys waiting to escort him home. Rikard had pulled off -more daring stunts than this.</p> - -<p>As to why the old man should be murdered, Rayth had said little except -that he stood in the way of certain plans, and Rikard, who had small -tenderness for any Copers, didn't inquire further.</p> - -<p>He cast a glance behind him now and again as he thrust through -the crowds which swarmed and eddied around bazaars, taverns, and -playhouses, and once or twice thought he glimpsed a couple of the -prince's hard-faced personal guards lounging inconspicuously after -him—but he wasn't sure, the mob was too much a blend of every element -in Luna. A richly dressed, pot-bellied merchant borne in a litter by -four slaves; a pair of gay young warriors staggering out of a tavern -compartment; a hawker shrieking his wares where two corridors ran -together; a wondering leather-clad barbarian; a fantastically painted -strolling player, thrumming his harp and grinning at the girls as they -went by; a humble gray worker; a serious-faced young Engineer, his long -red robes swirling about him—it was a gay and noisy throng, a whirl of -life and color, and Rikard could not altogether suppress an answering -smile. There was nothing like this in the poor little outlier towns.</p> - -<p>He came from the passageway to a broad, grassy plaza, and felt a sudden -tightening of his muscles and a rising throb in his breast. Beyond it, -there was a great wall reaching the height of many levels, porticoed -and velvet-hung, with the sign of holy Earth inlaid above the door. The -Temple.</p> - -<p>It was past time for services, and few people were in sight before the -wall—mostly acolytes hurrying on their various tasks, and six Temple -guardsmen standing rock-stiff in gilt breast-plates and plumed helmets -before the looming gate. Rikard stood for a moment studying them, the -long pikes and the swords at their hips, and wondered how many more -there were inside the sacred precincts. He drew a deep breath, filling -his nostrils with the cool rich scent of grass and flowering shrubs for -perhaps the final time.</p> - -<p>Well—Leda was still Rayth's hostage. He shook himself, straightened -his back, and walked boldly up to the gate.</p> - -<p>Two pikes slanted across his path. "Hold! What do you wish?"</p> - -<p>"I have to see the Chief Engineer."</p> - -<p>"This is not the time for audiences. Come back after the sunrise -ceremonies."</p> - -<p>"It won't keep. I bear special news from the Lands-that-see-not-Earth."</p> - -<p>The guards captain's face lit with a flicker of interest. "What is it?"</p> - -<p>"It's for the ears of his Wisdom alone."</p> - -<p>"Then wait your turn."</p> - -<p>"Look here," said Rikard, "you can send him a message that it concerns -certain newly found ores of power. If his Wisdom isn't interested, -I'll go my way. But if you don't do this much, I'd hate to be in your -skin when he learns what you've kept from him."</p> - -<p>"Hmmm—well—" The captain rubbed his chin. There was a superstitious -awe deep within his eyes, and the other sentries gaped. "Well, all -right." He peered narrowly at the barbarian, "You're not of the city. -Where are you from?"</p> - -<p>"Moonburg, if you must know. But my message!"</p> - -<p>The captain blew a whistle, and an acolyte came forth from within to -receive the word and run back with it. Rikard stood waiting, trying not -to shiver with the gathering tautness of the moment. Rayth had told -him to give this message, and it seemed to work. The prince had added -that the Temple was seeking to recover the lost secret of the legendary -Tommic's Power, so immensely more potent than the sunlight batteries, -but had not gone far for lack of the necessary metals. To Rikard, -Tommic had merely been a local god worshipped by some towns, though in -other stories he was the devil responsible for the Fall.</p> - -<p>"Your sword," said the captain.</p> - -<p>Rikard shrugged. It was understandable that no visitor should bear -weapons within the Temple, especially after Rayth's last few attempts. -He unslung his glaive and handed it over, and permitted them to search -him for concealed knives. It did not seem to occur to them, in spite of -his hard-thewed size, that hands and shod feet have killed men.</p> - -<p>The acolyte returned, a full Engineer with him. The latter spoke -hurriedly. "Who are you, stranger, and what is this word you bear?"</p> - -<p>"I am Atli Athur's son of Moonburg, your Knowledge," said Rikard, -bowing as low as his stiff-necked soul permitted him. "If it please -you, this word I have should not be discussed out in public."</p> - -<p>"No—no—certainly not. I'll take you to his Wisdom. Follow me."</p> - -<p>Rikard went after the swirling red robe, his narrowed eyes taking -careful note of everything they passed. Down a long muraled corridor, -opening into rooms which seemed oddly little like religious -centers—they glittered with metal and glass and plastic, and Engineers -in drab, stained smocks labored with a bewildering variety of -instruments, past a couple of guardsmen—</p> - -<p>The thing to do, he thought grimly, was to break the old fellow's -neck, grab a sword from the nearest armed man, and try to cut his way -out. None of Rayth's men were allowed inside the Temple, but if they -were waiting just beyond the gates he might have some chance.</p> - -<p>The corridor ended in a tall doorway where four sentries in gold and -scarlet stood by rigidly held pikes. Beyond was the great audience -chamber.</p> - -<p>It was lavishly furnished, gold and jewels and velvet and the lovely -ancient works. The far side was a great sheet of plastic opening on -the raw splendor of landscape and an Earth at the full, its eerie blue -radiance streaming in to blend with the soft glow of fluorotubes. -Rikard had little time for esthetics; his gaze roved in search of -enemies.</p> - -<p>No soldiers in this room, and the Engineer who guided him was closing -the massive door on the sentries—praise the gods, it gave him a chance -to kill the Chief and burst out and surprise those men! About a dozen -Engineers stood around the Throne of Wisdom—high-ranking to judge from -their robes, most of them young and burly, not a one of them bearing -sword or dagger.</p> - -<p>Rikard knelt before the Throne until a voice that was almost a whisper -said: "Rise, my son, and say your message."</p> - -<p>"Thank you, your Wisdom." The rebel got up and moved closer to the old -man who sat before him. A very old man, he saw, thin and stooped and -frail, with a halo of white hair about the gaunt face and the luminous -eyes and the wonderful dome of a forehead. For an instant, Rikard -despised himself.</p> - -<p>But Leda, Leda of the fair tresses and the low sweet laughter and the -undaunted gallantry, Leda was hostage to Rayth.</p> - -<p>"You brought word of ores of power found on the far side of Luna," said -the Chief Engineer. He pursed his lips and tapped his knee with the -jeweled slide rule of his office. "But how would the heathen there know -what to look for?"</p> - -<p>"They weren't looking for anything, your Wisdom," replied Rikard. -He stood some five feet away—one easy jump. "It was a certain -Engineer-educated trader from this city, Borsu by name, who several -years ago was captured by Moonburg men attacking a caravan of his. I -had him for slave, but he was so bold and wise a man that soon we were -more friends than master and servant, and it was he who organized an -expedition to the heathen lands. He thought their ores, which we on -Earthside have little exploited, could be obtained for our manufactured -goods at a fine profit and sold here in Coper City. It was he who -saw those deposits and had them mined. On our return, we found that -Moonburg had been brought under your city's rule, but nevertheless—"</p> - -<p>They were relaxing their wariness, intent on his account.</p> - -<p>"—we thought that we could still do business, especially with the -Temple. As Borsu was ill, I left him in Moonburg and came myself to—"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He hit the Chief Engineer with a smack of bodies and his hands closed -around the thin neck.</p> - -<p>Thunder and stars exploded in his skull. He reeled aside, falling to -the ground, and the Engineer rushed on him with the club he had pulled -from his long sleeve.</p> - -<p>Rikard kicked out, and the Coper flew backward, grunting. The barbarian -snarled and lurched to his feet. Swords and daggers gleamed as the -others yanked them from concealment.</p> - -<p>Trapped. They weren't stupid, these Engineers, and now he was trapped!</p> - -<p>Rikard hurled himself forward in a flying tackle, hit the nearest man -and rolled over on the floor with him. Wrenching the fellow's dagger -loose, he bounded back to his feet and rushed another Engineer.</p> - -<p>"Alive!" screamed the old man. "Take him alive!"</p> - -<p>For the torture cells—no! Rikard closed with the Engineer, stabbing -him in the shoulder before he could slash with his sword. He pulled the -glaive loose and backed toward the wall, growling, sword in one hand -and dagger in the other. The men formed a defensive line around their -Chief and brandished their blades.</p> - -<p>The wounded Engineer rose suddenly and sprinted for the door. Rikard -threw the knife after him, missed, and groaned as the door was swung -wide and the four guardsmen entered.</p> - -<p>"Ha, Nyrac!" he yelled and threw himself upon them. His sword whistled, -clanged off the metal shaft of the nearest pike, and raked the cuirass -beyond. Another guard hit him with the butt of his pike and he -staggered. Now the blows rained on him, smashing thunder of violence -and lightning-shot darkness. The sword fell from his hand and he -toppled, still cursing. Someone kicked him as he fell.</p> - -<p>He lay there, half conscious, mumbling through a mask of blood while -they bound him. When the reeling and the blurring ended, and only the -thumping pain and the slow drip of red were left, he sat up and glared -at them where they stood around him.</p> - -<p>"I thought Rayth was wiser than that," muttered an Engineer.</p> - -<p>"It wasn't a bad trick." The old man fingered his throat with a wry -smile. "He almost made it. But who are you, so bold as to go alone and -unarmed in war against the Temple?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Rikard shook his ringing head. The sickness in him was as much from -stupefied dismay as from his hurts. That he should have failed—that he -should have been captured and bound like a pig for slaughter the second -time!</p> - -<p>"Hm—now let me think." The Chief Engineer stroked his chin. "Obviously -Rayth would only have tried this with an assassin so bold and strong -that there would be some chance of success, and at the same time one -over whom he had enough of a hold to drive him to this desperate -mission. Now it is only ten or fifteen hours since we heard that the -mighty Rikard of Nyrac had been captured by this same Rayth."</p> - -<p>"Rikard of Nyrac—aye, your Wisdom, they said he was big and dark, it -must be he. Right?" A foot kicked the prisoner.</p> - -<p>"Gently, Wanno, gently. There is no cause to maltreat him when he is -helpless. Nobody was killed in this little affair." The Chief Engineer -stooped over Rikard and smiled. "See here, my friend, I have no ill -will for you. I've chuckled for a long time over your impudent bearding -of the Coper lords, and I wouldn't mind doing you a good turn if you'd -let me."</p> - -<p>"But first I have to do something for you, eh?" Rikard grinned without -humor. "It seems to be a city custom."</p> - -<p>"Be reasonable, man. You've failed your mission; Rayth will have no -further use for you, and only here is there protection. I daresay -you've no love for Rayth, and he is our greatest enemy as well."</p> - -<p>Rikard was silent.</p> - -<p>"Now what reason did you have to do his foul work for him? I cannot -quite imagine Rikard of Nyrac turning assassin for hire."</p> - -<p>"They say a woman was captured with him, your Wisdom," said one of the -Engineers thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>"Ah, so. And Rayth holds her. Hm." The Chief Engineer paced back and -forth, the robes swirling around his thin stooped form. Suddenly he -said: "Bring this man a bowl of wine."</p> - -<p>It was a fire coursing in his veins, the leaden haze lifted from his -mind and he looked at his captors with cleared eyes. The Chief Engineer -said to him:</p> - -<p>"Rikard, this is the situation in Coper City. The old bold dynasty -of the Mayors has faded till the last of them sits bibbing in his -apartments with little interest in anything save a new wench. Meanwhile -the struggle for the real power over this growing empire lies between -the great nobles, of whom Rayth is chief, and the Temple, which -recruits from all ranks and is thus closer to the people and more alive -to their wants. The world has come down far since the Fall. What was a -wise and glorious and adventurous civilization has been destroyed, and -this, its successor, is stagnant and cruel and ignorant; it has done -little which was new or decent in a thousand years. I do not say that -the Temple is blameless; the early Chief Engineers found it convenient -to monopolize what true knowledge was left and to ally themselves with -the nobles in crushing the commons. But in the past generation we have -tried to make some amends, we have spoken against human slavery and -unjust laws, and we would like to teach all men enough to make them -more than walking bellies. Temple and nobles agree that man must be -united—"</p> - -<p>Rikard snarled at him.</p> - -<p>"—but it is rather for us to learn freedom from the barbarians, in -exchange for our order and culture, than for them to be enslaved by -us; and there is a sharp split between the parties. Furthermore, we -have tried to regain the ancient knowledge by the methods with which -it was won in the first place—that is, by trying our ideas to see if -they work, rather than by blind acceptance of ancient authority. You -must have noticed our laboratories as you entered. But this leads to -heretical questioning of everything, and the nobles do not like it.</p> - -<p>"Thus Rayth has several times sought to have me assassinated. There is -little I can do save guard against it—I would get no satisfaction in -the courts. If he should succeed, he could use his influence and very -likely get one of his own hand-picked Engineers named to my office. For -we—scientists—are a small party in the Temple, and only the more or -less accidental fact that I was converted to such views shortly after -assuming the slide rule has given us our success. If we could somehow -overcome him, there would be a chance to make some improvement in human -life, perhaps even to reach Earth eventually. If we fail, as seems all -too probable, the long night will descend completely."</p> - -<p>He stopped, and there was a moment's silence in the great chamber. -Then Rikard said: "I suppose you're telling me more or less the truth. -I don't really care, one way or the other. But why? What do you want of -me?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know," said the Chief Engineer frankly. "I really don't know -whether it wouldn't be safer all around just to return your head to -Rayth. But—Rikard, the Temple has been at one grave disadvantage. Its -younger men are often doughty fighters, as you have seen, but they -are still mostly technicians, intellectuals, people without practical -experience in warfare. You, on the other hand, have fought all your -life. If you have any suggestions, they will be carefully considered."</p> - -<p>"And what do I get from this?"</p> - -<p>"Your life, of course, and your freedom. Likewise your woman's, if -we can save her. We can talk later of other rewards. You may find it -worthwhile to work with us."</p> - -<p>Rikard leaned back against the wall, letting his mind slide over the -facts and the chances. Presently he nodded his blood-matted head and -began to talk.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The Temple gate burst open and the big man shot out in a flying leap -that carried him over the heads of the sentries to land on the plaza -grass. A spear flew after him. He grabbed it and whirled about and -threw it back.</p> - -<p>"Stop him!" roared an Engineer. "Kill him! He killed the Chief!"</p> - -<p>The guards sprang at Rikard, yelling, and others boiled out of the -Temple in their wake. He was already fleeing toward the corridor -beyond. A shrieking laborer sought to bring him down—he kicked the man -in the teeth, beat another aside with the flat of his sword, and pushed -a way into the suddenly milling throng.</p> - -<p>Half a dozen armed men were around him, blades flashing out. One -grinned savagely in his beard. "We thought you were dead," he gasped. -"You were in there so long—"</p> - -<p>"We'll all be dead if we don't get out of here," snapped Rikard.</p> - -<p>The raging Temple warriors were crowding through the press of humanity -toward them. And from the swirling mob there seemed to rise one great -groan.</p> - -<p>"<i>The Chief is dead.... The Chief is dead.... They killed him, the -dirty murdering nobles</i>—"</p> - -<p>The old fellow's claim to be beloved of the people was not a lie, -thought Rikard tautly, and crammed a fist into the mouth of the nearest -man who rushed, weeping and cursing at him.</p> - -<p>Swords and pikes clattered together as the guards hit the tight circle -of Rayth's warriors. Rikard led the retreat, his sword whistling and -thumping—he did not cut, but he hammered a way through the mob, and it -fell back before his great bloody shape.</p> - -<p>"The ramp—over there—"</p> - -<p>They braced themselves and leaped, ten feet straight up, arcing forward -to land on the upward-curving surface. Then they ran!</p> - -<p>A hurled spear flashed, and one of Rayth's men toppled. Two more had -been pulled down by the bare hands of the commons, and another had -fallen in the retreat. The crowd, half angry, half frightened, moved -slowly after them.</p> - -<p>They dashed into a corridor on the noble level, and the two city -guardsmen posted there clanged the gate shut in the face of pursuit. -Panting, they stopped and looked at each other.</p> - -<p>"There'll be Mars to pay down there," said the leader hoarsely. -"Riots—"</p> - -<p>"Take me to his Excellency," said Rikard.</p> - -<p>"Aye—at once—and good work, barbarian! You did a job that we've tried -to do for the past five years."</p> - -<p>They went swiftly down the long passageways, up ramps and stairs, past -the sumptuous apartments of the rich where men and women, children and -servants and slaves cowered at sight of drawn weapons and at the faint, -rising noise of the lower levels. When they came to Rayth's door, they -entered without ceremony.</p> - -<p>The prince leaped to his feet, spilling his wine-glass, and the lean -bearded face blazed at Rikard. "Is it done?" he yelled. "Did you really -do it?"</p> - -<p>"Aye—aye—" The rebel leaned wearily on his sword and let his eyes -rove the chamber. There were seven or eight other men seated around the -table, mostly older and fatter than Rayth but all with the rich dress -and the inbred hauteur of the rulers. There was also a high-ranking -Engineer, a sly-faced elderly man whose heavy-lidded eyes barely -flicked over the newcomers before retreating back to their own dreams. -But it was to Leda that Rikard's gaze went first, Leda who had been -sprawling sullen and splendid on a couch and who now started up and ran -to him and clung wordlessly to his bleeding form.</p> - -<p>"Aye, he's dead," nodded the barbarian.</p> - -<p>"It took you several hours," said Rayth. "I was sure you had failed."</p> - -<p>"They made me wait a long time while the Chief finished an—an -experiment, they called it. But I got at him, broke his neck, and -grabbed a sword and chopped my way out." Rikard strode boldly over to -the table and grabbed up a glass and drained it.</p> - -<p>"Do you hear that?" Rayth turned on the others and his voice rose to a -shout. "Do you hear that?" His laughter was loud and wild. "He's dead! -His Wisdom Laon XIII, Chief Engineer of Coper City, is dead! Are you -ready to assume the post, Jastur?" he cried to the Engineer, "Would you -like to take the name of Laon XIV?"</p> - -<p>"It might be a good idea to wait for some confirmation," said the other -imperturbably.</p> - -<p>Rayth paced the chamber, restlessly, eyes smoldering, and the guests -muttered to each other. Rikard and Leda paid no attention; they were -holding close, and his hands and lips caressed her with a new and -desperate tenderness.</p> - -<p>Someone else entered, a strong young acolyte who saluted and said -between gasps for air: "He's dead, sirs, he's been killed, and it's -Mars down there! The commons are running wild!" There was a knife-slash -across his face; blood dripped slowly to the red of his gown.</p> - -<p>"What did you see?" snapped Rayth. He sprang over and grabbed the -acolyte by the shoulders and shook him, "What did you see?"</p> - -<p>"I—I heard a great uproar in the audience chamber, through the closed -doors. That must have been something else, though, for his Wis—old -Laon came out and went into a laboratory. Then some hours later he -returned to the chamber, and—and presently there was another noise, -louder and lasting longer—then I saw this man here burst out, knock -down a guard in his way, and go down the hall, I looked in—they were -lying heaped in blood, and an Engineer came in and lifted the old man -and shrieked that he was dead. Then there was panic, everyone running, -guards fighting to get out after the killer—I slipped away and came -here as you told me, sir—"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Dead!" Rayth's shout echoed between the walls. "Dead, d'you hear? -After five years I've killed the old swine, and Temple and commons -alike are rioting—What more excuse do we need?"</p> - -<p>"Excuse?" whispered a noble.</p> - -<p>"Certainly!" Rayth grinned. "As a public-spirited gesture, we assemble -our personal guards and march them down there to restore order. With -the Temple occupied by us, your election to the slide rule becomes a -certainty, Jastur."</p> - -<p>"There'll be fighting," said the Engineer nervously. "The young -Engineers are—were—almost all on his side, you know; they won't -receive you kindly—and then there are the commons—"</p> - -<p>"Bah! Engineers and mobs against trained blades? Certainly there'll be -bloodletting, but it won't be our blood—at least, if we can get down -there before they have time to organize."</p> - -<p>Rayth lifted his voice to a shout, and a guards officer stepped in and -saluted. There was something like terror under his hard-held mask. -Rayth snapped swift orders and he ran off.</p> - -<p>"We'll unite all our personal forces," said the prince, biting the -words out as he paced from wall to wall. "The Mayor's men and the -regular city guards aren't to be relied on; I wouldn't be surprised if -half of them swung to the Temple's side if they get a chance. Most of -the regular army is out of the city, on garrison or combat duty, and -it wouldn't be too safe either. But between us we've got three hundred -trained bold men ready to follow us down there."</p> - -<p>"<i>Us?</i>" squeaked a noble.</p> - -<p>"Oh, stay if you want. I'm going down!" Rayth turned to clap Rikard's -shoulder, "You too, my friend. You've done well, oh, excellently well, -and you'll have a rich reward!"</p> - -<p>The Nyracan shrugged. Inwardly, he was filled with a sudden wonder as -to whether he had done the right thing or not. He didn't much care, -really, who won; they were all Copers to him—but the prince's payment -was more certain and tangible than the Temple's, and—</p> - -<p>Too late now.</p> - -<p>He went into the bathroom, where Leda washed and bandaged his hurts and -whispered to him: "There is more behind this than you say, my dearest, -I know you too well."</p> - -<p>"Aye, there is, but I can't tell you now. Stay close by me and don't be -too surprised at anything I may do."</p> - -<p>Leda went back to Rayth and said: "Give me a blade too."</p> - -<p>"You—a woman?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"I've sent more men to Earth than you ever did," she snapped. "From -here on, Rikard and I fight together."</p> - -<p>"Well—I hate to risk such beauty being hacked up—but far be it -from me to oppose that beauty's lightest wish," laughed the Coper. -"Remember, though—you'll be among my own troops, and they don't take -kindly to traitors."</p> - -<p>She smiled at him. "How could anyone betray you?" she whispered.</p> - -<p>"The oldest trick in the world," sighed Rayth, "and it still works. -Very well, take what you wish from the armor chest over there."</p> - -<p>She and Rikard equipped themselves with weapons—a sword for her, an ax -for him—cuirasses, and helmets. By that time they could hear the sound -of marching feet. Rayth buckled on his own armor, lifted his sword in a -mocking salute to his timorous comrades, and walked out into the hall.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was a strong and well-trained force, filling the corridor with hard -bodies and edged steel, pikes and axes aloft, raising a shout that -roared and boomed down the hall as Rayth appeared. He put himself in -the van, with the barbarians in the second rank behind his, and the -troop started off to battle.</p> - -<p>Clang of booted feet slammed echoing on the metal floor, rattle and -clash of armor, grim jests tossed from lip to bearded lip. These were -the killers, the professionals without fear of man or Earth, the -trained elite which formed an army within an army and the fulcrum of -the noble power. Watching them, marching with them, Rikard felt a -sudden sick doubt within him. Untrained barbarians had toppled before -this iron weapon—</p> - -<p>They came to the closed gate, and Rayth unlocked it and led the way -down the ramp beyond. Level after level dropped past them, deserted -now, silent and empty, but the broken roaring from below had grown, -screaming its outrage, screaming for blood.</p> - -<p>When they emerged on a landing at the ceiling of the Temple level and -looked down twenty feet, it was to a boiling pool of humankind, gray -workers, naked slaves, velvet merchants, leather artisans, women and -children, howling and trampling until the din shook the walls and -rattled the teeth in a man's skull. The surge of white, hating faces -reached beyond vision, mouths agape, eyes red and running, animal -voices barking and clamoring. Rikard had never seen a true mob before, -and the elemental violence of it shook even his calloused soul. It did -not occur to him to regret the fact that many of these people must die.</p> - -<p>Rayth stood for an instant stroking his beard, thinking, and then he -lifted his sword and sprang over the rail. The lines followed him, -jumping one by one, a dozen men simultaneously floating down with pikes -reaching beneath them.</p> - -<p>They landed among the mob, hewing a clear way even as they fell, and -struck out. The crowd surged back, leaving red remnants underfoot, and -the troopers continued to leap—forward ranks pressing toward the -Temple, while the rearward lines were still jumping. Rayth's blade -whistled and butchered; his face was alight with a dark glee. Rikard -and Leda, sandwiched between others, could do nothing but add the -weight of their bodies to the mass of the troop. The pack howled and -bayed and cursed around them.</p> - -<p>Missiles began to fly, hammers, ore-lumps, crowbars, wrenches, anvils -hurled by brawny arms. A guardsman staggered and fell, his face cracked -open. Another was seized by the cloak, dragged into a group of women, -and carved with butcher knives. A third had his pike snatched from him, -and a big smith jabbed it into the throat of a fourth before he was -killed. The crowd gave way before the ruthlessly advancing soldiers, -but it closed behind them and filled the air with noise and flying -death.</p> - -<p>"<i>They killed the Chief!</i>"</p> - -<p>Leda's eyes were wide and her breast rose and fell behind the binding -corselet. Her voice came dimly to Rikard under the boom and howl of raw -voices. "They hate us!"</p> - -<p>"So they do." He smiled bleakly.</p> - -<p>Now the Temple was before them, its high wall looming over the trample -and clamor, a thin line of its own guards holding back the rioters. -Rayth's red blade lifted anew, and his bugler wound a single harsh -note. The troop moved forward on the double.</p> - -<p>Vaguely, Rikard heard the prince calling to the guards, "Let us -through—Mayor's order—protect you—"</p> - -<p>"No one goes in—you bloody swine!"</p> - -<p>The bugle screamed again and the soldiers locked ranks and charged.</p> - -<p>Swords and pikes clanged at the gate; the sudden recoil hurled the rear -lines backward. Rikard grabbed Leda's flowing hair and pulled her ear -close to his lips and muttered swiftly, "Listen, we're with the Temple. -First chance you get, break free and go over to them—once we're -inside!"</p> - -<p>She clasped his hand, briefly, and then the sentries were down and the -troop rushed inside.</p> - -<p>Beyond was a long narrow darkness of corridor. Nothing stirred, nothing -spoke; they hastened through a fumbling gloom with only their footfalls -and hoarse breathing and clash of metal for company. Rikard heard -Rayth's voice, puzzled. "Where are the others? The Temple has plenty -of its own guardsmen, where are they? Has everyone fled?" Then, he -laughed. "If so, why, it makes our task all the easier. Forward!"</p> - -<p>They burst into the great audience chamber, and it was lighted and the -Temple was waiting for them.</p> - -<p>The young Engineers were reinforced by commoners, weapons in hand and -armored in spacesuits.</p> - -<p>The invaders let out one roar and the forward ranks hurled spears that -bounced off metal and plastic and tough cord. From the Engineers, -arrows suddenly darkened the air, the whistling death flamed among the -soldiers and the lines sagged amidst their toppling members.</p> - -<p>There was a press from the rear, men driven forward, and in the -instant's bawling panic only Rikard knew what it was—the Temple -guardsmen, aided perhaps by armed commoners themselves, throwing their -power out of the rooms and side passages where it had lurked, blocking -the troop's retreat and falling on it from the rear!</p> - -<p>The line eddied and swirled about him, spears flying, arrows and hurled -throwing-axes, the ranks of Rayth buckling under pressure from both -ends. Time to get out of here, before anyone suspected that he, Rikard -of Nyrac, had led them into the trap.</p> - -<p>He turned on the man beside him and his ax hewed low, shearing through -flesh and bone of a leg. As the screaming warrior fell, he brought -his weapon up, a backhanded blow crashing into the face beyond. The -man behind him thrust from the side; he took the spear on his cuirass -and kneed viciously. Stooping over, he undercut another of his late -companions, and Leda reached over his back to slash down the soldier -beyond.</p> - -<p>Rikard bent his knees and leaped, soaring over the fallen, a dozen -pikes stabbing up after him. He hardly noticed the sharp bright pain -where one raked his thigh; he was through their line and Leda was with -him. They drifted down among the Engineers.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A big red-faced young man snarled behind his space helmet and lifted -an ax as Rikard descended. Someone else grabbed his arm. The helmets -were left propped open, and his voice could reach. "No, Shan, those are -friends!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, sorry—I forgot." Shan swung about and spattered the brains of the -nearest trooper.</p> - -<p>The fight was now pressed into the audience chamber; men jammed -together, slashing and hacking at arm's range—there'd soon be more -room, thought Rikard grimly, and took his place in the Engineer line. -The Temple, though, had order and plans of a sort, however relatively -untrained its fighters were, while the invaders were broken up into -knots and fragments where their discipline could not exist. The -important thing was to hit them, and keep hitting them, so they didn't -get a chance to reform.</p> - -<p>His ax smote, clanging off metal, raking the face and the arm behind. -A blade hacked at him; he caught it on his helve and turned the blow -and hewed back. Leda was beside him, her clear war-cry raising as she -stabbed and struck; Shan the Engineer was chopping and roaring pious -mottoes on his other flank: the Temple men pushed against the roiling -soldiers, took their blows on their heavier armor, and gave them back -with murder behind. The clamor of men and metal was a roar as of -sundering worlds.</p> - -<p>Rayth was fighting like a demon, his blade whirling and shrieking, -his voice lifted in a rallying-cry that drew his scattered followers -together. He had courage, thought Rikard above the snarl of -combat—perhaps he was a fitter chief after all. But too late now!</p> - -<p>Ha, there went another, tumbling with his head half off his -shoulders—so, a helmet crumpled, and the skull beneath it.</p> - -<p>Back and forth the battle raged, breaking and tearing, ruining the -chamber and the lives of men, and over it lifted the great calm disc -of Earth and the million scornful stars. Back and forth, trampling, -sundering, killing and laming, and Rikard was painted with blood and -his arms grew weary from swinging the ax.</p> - -<p>The chamber began to clear as men fell; it was floored with corpses and -one had room to cast a spear or take a flying leap down on the head -of an enemy. The soldiers had suffered hideously, but there were many -Temple dead, ordinary guardsmen, scantily armored commoners, Engineers -with their spacesuits pierced or their helmets cloven. The fight was -breaking into knots and clusters, small whirlpools of murder swaying -back and forth over the great blood-wet space, men springing through -the air at each other. It seemed to Rikard, as he raised blurred eyes -toward holy Earth, that the disc had grown noticeably gibbous—had they -fought that long?</p> - -<p>"Over here! Stand and fight, men of Coper!"</p> - -<p>It was Rayth, backed into a corner above a high heap of fallen Temple -men, foremost in a grim and haggard line of troopers hurling back wave -after wave. Rikard shook his head, a sudden dark sense of destiny on -him, and moved across the floor with lifted ax.</p> - -<p>"You," said Rayth, very softly. "You—the triple turncoat—" Suddenly -he threw back his head and laughter pulsed in his throat. "Oh, it was -lovely, man, lovely, I never thought you had that kind of brains! Shall -we play the game out?"</p> - -<p>He stepped from his line, tossing his sword and catching it again, -kissed his hand to Leda, and fell into an alert position before Rikard. -The barbarian growled, squared off, and fell on him.</p> - -<p>Rayth danced aside from the shrieking ax, and his blade whipped in -against Rikard's throat. The rebel rolled, barely ducking the thrust, -and Rayth grinned without much malice and sprang at him. His sword -clattered and yelled, biting the Nyracan's arms, bouncing off the -hard-held guard to sing around his opponent's ears. Rikard fell back, -grunting in surprise, and Rayth pursued him, lightfooted, leaping, -playing with him.</p> - -<p>Scream and clangor of steel, hoarse gasps for breath, bounding human -forms in a strange and terrible grace of murder, clash and bite and -two faces staring into each other's eyes across the web of flying -metal. Rikard hewed out again and again, cleaving empty air; his -phantom enemy was somewhere else to rake him until he staggered and -splashed his blood on the floor.</p> - -<p>Leda yelled and sprang on Rayth from behind. His sword whirled around, -caught in the guard of hers and sent it spinning free, and slewed -back to meet Rikard's charge. He retreated before the rebel's rush, -laughing, parrying blow after clumsy blow, waiting for the end.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It came swiftly. Rikard's bull charge forced Rayth back into a corner -where he braced himself and smiled. As the ax whirred down toward his -skull, he lifted his blade to parry it as he had done before—and the -steel broke across.</p> - -<p>Rikard stood gasping, reeling on his feet, looking down at the body -of his foe with a numbness stealing over him. He hardly noticed the -sobbing girl who flung herself into his arms; he stood mute for a long -while and when he spoke at last it was dully.</p> - -<p>"That wasn't right. I didn't kill him—a flaw in his blade did—it -isn't right, somehow."</p> - -<p>The Chief Engineer came to Rikard where he stood watching the first -harsh glare of sunrise creep over the heights of Copernicus. The -barbarian leaned heavily on his woman. He had taken many hurts.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Laon's old face was drawn with weariness; there was no great triumph in -him. "It's over," he said. "It was a bloody, horrible business, but we -hold the entire city now, all levels; the nobles are our prisoners and -the Mayor is our puppet and the Temple is victorious. Thanks to you, my -friend."</p> - -<p>"There is more to do," said Rikard. "The armies will hear about this, -out in the conquered provinces, and many of them, at least, won't like -it. There'll be hard fighting to hold what we have."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes. Though I think with some diplomacy, and with the provinces -restless at their backs, they may decide—well, we must see. And -afterward there is much more to do, generations of work—Are you with -us, Rikard?"</p> - -<p>"I suppose so. I'll have to think about it. Nyrac should not be a mere -province, but—well—I'll think about it."</p> - -<p>"At least," said Laon, "we can rest a little while now."</p> - -<p>"It's over, darling, darling," whispered Leda. "The fight is over."</p> - -<p>Rikard held her close, but he was thinking of the armies beyond the -city, and the restlessness of the conquered towns and the ruthless -will of those still free; of the long task of raising men turned into -brutes by centuries of injustice and oppression, of making them free -and fit to use their freedom, and of all the evil elements which would -be seeking to thwart that goal; of the still greater war to be fought -by quiet men. In the Temple, the war to regain the lost wisdom of the -ancients, the battle which would hammer out the long road back to Earth.</p> - -<p>"No, Leda," he said, very softly, "it's just beginning."</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TEMPLE OF EARTH ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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. 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