Gondwane - The Enchantress Of World's End Part 10

The whole scene was getting on his nerves! With a deep-chested growl, the busly Karjixian shook himself and cast off his spooky speculations. Probably, the answer to the question was simplicity itself: perhaps Lin Carter Kan Zar Kan had only observed real human cities by daylight, and had no way of knowing the lengths to which men go to illuminate their centers of population after nightfall.

The citadel was nearer now: he eyed it thoughtfully. If he managed to gain entry un.o.bserved and unmolested, was able to search the towering ziggurat in satisfactorily thorough manner and did not find Gane-lon Silvermane, then he had no idea where else to seek his missing friend.

But-first things first. The central structure was the most obvious place to look for the bronze man. He would worry about what to do after that when the time came.

Grrff was completely practical and methodical, and took things as they came.

Suddenly, the whistling silence was broken by the shrill and clamor of alarms. Grrff started, jumped four inches into the air and cursed himself for his jumpi-ness. Had he accidentally tripped some warning device, unwittingly announcing his presence? Hefting the ygdraxel he had retrieved from the munic.i.p.al stores, he peered about for some type of robotic guards, monitors or police. He found none.

Then a deep, calm voice spoke out of thin air, echoing through the length of the City.

"Attention all Citizens! This is your City speaking. I am about to^suffer attack by unknown enemies who will strike simultaneously from the Earth's surface and the upper atmosphere! All attempts to enter into electronic communication with this unknown foe have proved futile. But fear not, people of Kan Zar Kan! Your City will defend its inhabitants against exterior molestation with the utmost vigor and ingenuity its mentation tanks are capable of! Remain hi your homes and be of good cheer: The City has never yet been conquered or even invaded. If all Citizens do their part in our Civil Defense program, we shall elude or destroy our enemies 167.

without serious harm. Evasive maneuvers will begin in approximately nine seconds. Secure a comfortable position in a p.r.o.ne posture, if you please, to avoid being flung about and thereby bruising yourselves against my edges. Evasive action begins->nowf'

And the City took an abrupt curve at right angles to its former course. Grrff was flung off-balance and he cracked his head against the curbing. His skull rang and he saw stars. Shaking his head furiously, he got to his feet and peered around intently to discern the nature of the attack.

From the upper works of the forward traveling edge of the City, lamps cast a piercing actinic glare on the prairie directly ahead. Peering down the length of the street whereon he stood, Grrff saw nothing but an endless plain of waving gra.s.ses, formerly cloaked hi darkness but not brilliantly illuminated by the stabbing rays.

The night was young and the Falling Moon had not yet entered the sky. By the searchlights, Grrff now saw a turmoil of sudden activity far out on the gra.s.sy plains. Thousands of small, scuttling bow-legged figures, vaguely humanoid in appearance, came into view. They seemed to have diverted then* course to intercept the Mobile City. They were too small or too distant, or perhaps both, for him to mark them clearly. The City was now moving at such velocity that then* small, waddled figures were mere blurs against the brightly-lit field.

Then something fairly large swooped down low over the City and burst like deadly fireworks, becoming a drifting cloud of small red lights. Grrff looked up, shading his eyes against the ruddy glare. The slowly falling red b.a.l.l.s of flame exploded with deafening concussions when they came into contact with the upper tiers, tower-tops or aerial walkways. One red fireball struck an empty bubble car and the resultant explosion tore the plastic vehicle asunder. Shards of red hot plastic showered the street and rooftops directly beneath.

The City was indeed under attack. But -by whom?

Lin Carter Staring up into the black sky, Grrff strove to discern the nature of the air a.s.sault. Then more searchlights snapped on, spearing the sky, snaring a flying vehicle in their shafts of brilliance.

Now Grrff could see the air enemy clearly-and he roared with astonishment at what he saw.

IN THE RED.

ZIGGURAT.

Lin Carter Ganelon stared, grunted with surprise, then relaxed grinning happily. For the person who had addressed him from the darkness of the room proved to be a remarkably handsome young woman in a state of nudity, brandis.h.i.+ng a longsword in one small, capable fist. A young woman with tousled red hair, sharp green eyes and a dusting of freckles across the bridge of her small snub hose.

It was Xarda, the girl knight of Jemmerdy!

She was almost as surprised to see him as he was to see her. Her green eyes widened and she started to ask him some mane question like "What are you doing here?", when she was suddenly reminded of her state of undress. Dropping her sword (which thumped to the carpet), she s.n.a.t.c.hed a sheet from the bed in which she had been sleeping and hastily held it before her.

"It's not that I am sorry to see you," she grexed, "but, gadzooks, must you come popping through the window of a lady's bedchamber?"

Ganelon solemnly apologized, explaining the situation. Then he released a torrent of questions which the Sirix of Jemmerdy stilled with a lifted palm.

"Save all that for later, can't you? The magister will want to be apprised of your arrival. I'll get dressed now-if you don't mind!"

Ganelon loitered in the hallway until she rejoined a few moments later, now bedecked with odds 170 Lin Carter and ends of steel armor which she thought were decent and proper garb for a young woman. She led him through a maze of rooms into a huge chamber mostly filled with towering banks of machinery where the Illusionist toiled, his silken robes besmirched with daubs of graphite lubricant. He was delighted to see Ganelon, but it was obvious his attentions were elsewhere.

"Thought you'd be turning up before long," he murmured abstractedly. "Wherever have you been all this while? Getting into trouble as usual, I'll hazard! Never mind: tell me later. Must get these switches connected to the power source . . ."

Above them, a huge lens swung about to observe the grouping amiably. A toneless mechanical voice spoke from a grill situated beneath the lens.

"I perceive you have been joined by one of my more recent Citizens," the voice stated calmly.

"Yes," grunted the old magician briefly. "Ganelon, meet the City. City, this is my a.s.sociate Ganelon, called Silvermane."

Never having been formally introduced to a city before, Ganelon groped for something to say. The City, on the other hand, felt no such restraints.

"How do you do, Ganelon-Called-Silvermane? Welcome to myself. Enjoy your stay here. Should you desire to reside within me permanently, the Immigration Bureau opens tomorrow morning at nine. All applications considered promptly. While you are within me, do not neglect to see the several major tourist attractions. TheJRed Ziggurat, which is the largest metal building presently extant in Greater Zuavia. The Fire Fountain, newly restored and renovated. An aerial tour via bubble car can be arranged."

"Oh, do be quiet, City!" the magician said, testily. "These connections are tricky." The voice lapsed into silence on the half-syllable.

"How did you get here, anyway?" asked Ganelon of Xarda in low tones. She told him briefly of their escape from Chx and how they had discovered the Bazonga rendered temporarily inoperable, having run into the 171.

Vanis.h.i.+ng Mountains head-first; how they had searched Chx and Dwarfland for him and would have extended the quest to include the Land of Red Magic, had not the witless Bird flown them into the northern plains country.

"Well, that's where I was, all right," said Silver-mane. While the Illusionist listened with half an ear, swearing under his breath at the wiring problems, the young giant explained how the Death Dwarves had captured him and turned him over to Red Magic legionnaires. He told of his captivity by the Enchantress, his escape with Grrff and Phadia, their weird inter-dimensional trip through the hyperspatial tube, their stay with the Old Dragon, and so on.

By the time Ganelon had concluded an account of his most recent adventures, the magician had finished rewiring the City's bypa.s.s unit, as he explained it to be.

"The City desires nothing more than to become a real city, which implies a stationary locale; but the prime directives implanted in its mentation tanks force it to continually wander about hunting for ore deposits which it no longer has any reason to mine,'* he explained, wiping his hands on a bit of waste.* "These emergency bypa.s.s circuits, which I have just installed, should enable the poor thing to get around those of the directives which it no longer wishes to obey. So you fell into the toils of Zelmarine, heh? Remember how I spirited you out of Zermish to keep you from her clutches? Well, you seem to, ah, have escaped her dominions unscathed: tell me, dear boy, did you find out what it was she wanted you for?"

* Ganelon had never before seen the Illusionist's bare hands, or for that matter, any portion of his anatomy unclothed, due to his habitually wearing a mask, robes and gloves. The Epic at this point explains that his hands, while completely human in appearance and structure, were the color of silver. Originally, this meant nothing to me, so I eliminated it from my redaction of the text at this point But in the light of something mentioned in the Third Book, it does indeed seem significant, hence I have restored it to the text at this point Lin Carter Ganelon, with a shamefaced glance at Xarda, blushed darkly crimson.

"Well, uh . . ."

"I see, just as I thought! For breeding purposes. And did you succ.u.mb to her wiles in that direction?"

"Well, I, uh . . ."

"Good! The last thing this part of Gondwane needs is a race of immortal supermen fired with ambitions of an imperial destiny. Providing she did not abstract a sample of your sperm for artificial insemination while you slept or were drugged or enchanted, she may still be after you. Red Magic, her specialty you know, works through the human aura. Her abilities to detect individual auric spectra from over a great distance may lead to a further confrontation between us. Let us hope this does not occur."

Ganelon, happy to change the subject, inquired after Erigon and the Bazonga. The Illusionist sniifed.

"Prince Erigon doubtless sleeps in his apartments here in the Red Ziggurat. The City was more than happy to employ its trans.m.u.tation factories for the production of room furnis.h.i.+ngs, carpets, bedding and the like, once I explained to it that humans require such luxuries for their comforts. Hence, several apartments here in the Brain Complex have been reserved and furnished for our usage. As for the dear Bird, she is probably cruising about in the central air duct, which is as large as a wind tunnel. It amuses her to improve her flyingjskills in this manner. Now, m' boy, I am interested in what you say about the lomagoths. The City is aware of them, of course, and wishes they would come out of the sewers and settle down in any of the houses or cottages already standing. The City will, of course, furnish these according to their wishes. It has promised to equip them with sanitation facilities and running water, now that the poor mechanism understands these human requirements. You must introduce me to the chieftain of the gypsies, so that I may attempt to coax him and his tribe to accept the ac- 173.

comodations the City offers . . . Great Galendil, what's that?"

'That* was a m.u.f.fled clangor and shriek-the munic.i.p.al alarm system, as heard from within the central edifice.

A moment later, the loudspeakers in the Ziggurat came on and made the identical announcement which had so surprised Grrff the Tigerman on the street.

The Illusionist asked the City who or what was attacking it. In response, a large ground-gla.s.s screen lit with swirling colors which resolved themselves, by split-screen process, into a three-dimensional view of the forces striking simultaneously from the ground and from the air.

A vista of artificially-lit meadowland swam into focus, filled with stunted, scurrying green imps. Behind them, mounted on prancing white OrnithaWppi, came troops of human soldiery in red armor of curious design.

"Death Dwarves, and a back-up regiment of Red Magic soldiers," mused the Illusionist worriedly. "That means ... my prediction was correct. The Enchantress has traced you here and is making an all-out effort to recapture you!"

The split-screen showed, on its upper half, a fantastic vista of blowing clouds pierced by searchlights. A flying chariot came into view: standing therein, holding the reins in one hand, the Red Queen towered. Her glossy, darkly crimson locks flowing behind her like a tattered banner, the expression on her face was that of a vengeful Fury. The sky chariot was drawn by a matched team of green-scaled, bat-winged, two-legged wyverns.

In her right hand she bore a long iron staff with a flared tip. A spluttering red light blazed in this flared cup. When she gestured, a shower of red fireb.a.l.l.s was sprinkled forth on the winds, drifting down to detonate with resounding bangs against the streets and buildings of the Mobile City. "I am adopting evasive tactics," advised the City, Lin Carter swerving from its path to avoid the onslaught of the ground forces. But the Red Magic legion was too quick for it, and diverted their own advance to intercept Kan Zar Kan on its new course.

"Stand by for collision," announced the City calmly.

A moment later, the forward edge of the City encountered the vanguard of the Death Dwarves and the Red Magic soldiers. The vision screen tilted its angle of vision to show what occurred at the moment of impact.

And Xarda screamed-!

BATTLE ON THE ENDLESS PLAIN.

As the forward edge of the City came into contact with the vanguard of the Death Dwarves and the Red Magic legion, something wonderful and terrible occurred.

The dwarvish little green monsters were suddenly s.n.a.t.c.hed up by an invisible force which bowled them over. Squalling and kicking furiously, they were drawn out of sight under the lip of the vast metal dish on which the City was built A moment later, the same irresistible force struck the Red Magic warriors. They were torn out of their saddles, some of them, and flew through the air to vanish beneath the City's edge. Others were drawn beneath the City, Ornith and all. It was mysterious and appalling.

The City itself, no longer floating a few yards above the Purple Plain on its air cus.h.i.+on, now settled towards the meadow's surface. Its undercarriage mechanisms prevented it from sinking down into the gra.s.s. Still, the lip of Kan Zar Kan stood ten feet or so above the planetary surface.

The inexplicable force continued to suck in the attacking force, underneath the Mobile City. Now, as the enormous edge of the Moon began to rise up over the horizon, and to augment by its silvery glare the illumination afforded by the City's searchlights, the effects of the mystery force could be more clearly observed. The purple gra.s.s itself was literally being 175.

176.

Lin Carter pulled out of the soil, tugging and straining at its roots in a frenzied effort to fly into the undercarriage mechanism. It was quite inexplicable.

Inexplicable, that is, to all save the Illusionist. The old magician caught on almost at once. He yowled with glee, hopping from one foot to another in a caper* ing dance. Xarda, Erigon and Silvermane stared at him without comprehension.

"Don't you understand, you simpletons?" the Illusionist crowed. "The air cus.h.i.+on upon which the City rides is reversible! Under normal circ.u.mstances, the air is drawn in the side vents by the suction of powerful fans and is thrust out beneath the City, but Kan Zar Kan has simply reversed the circulation of air. Now, it is being sucked in by the powerful fans which normally expel it. That powerful suction is the force which has irresistibly pulled the little green horrors and Zelmarine's soldiers into the mechanism. At any moment, we may expect the City to reverse the system and we shall see the results--ah, hahr The faint whirring of the air system changed to a full-throated drone. Suddenly the City opened its side vents, spewing forth a gory rain which sprinkled the surrounding meadows with something remarkably like a thin, stocky chowder. The fluid was mixed with lumps, shreds of green dwarf flesh and soldier meat, as well as sc.r.a.ps of white fluff from the unfortunate Orniths.

The flesh of the Death Dwarves was tough, and so was the armor of "me Red Magic legionnaires. But, quite obviously, not tough enough to avoid being sliced to tiny gobbets when it was drawn through the whirling blades of the fans.

Now the City slid forward some seventy feet, again reversed its ah* suction, and made further disastrous inroads upon the remainder of Zelmarine's force which broke its lines and attempted to flee in all directions. A full score of Red Magic attackers were sucked into the fans, steed, saddle, soldier and all: a few escaped, spurring their swift-footed bh"4-horses into fligjht. As 177.

for the remaining Death Dwarves, the bandy-legged little monsters could not run very fast and therefore sought to elude the dreadful suction by burrowing under the meadow. The City remorselessly sucked them squealing and kicking out of their hasty holes, and a few moments later exhaled a ghastly greenish soup in all directions. The Battle of the Purple Plain had been won-on land, at least.

The angle of the vision screen tilted sharply, as the lenses traversed aloft. Evidently, the City was capable of doing two things at once, for now they saw the Enchantress safely imprisoned in a dull gla.s.sy sphere against whose durable curvature she raged impotently, hurling small red thunderbolts which only splattered in miniature explosions of sparks against the gla.s.sy stuff which encircled her.

"However did you do that?" marveled the old magician delightedly.

"An indestructible plastic of my own manufacture," said the City complacently. "I generally employ it for lining the sewers. It required very little adjustment to extrude it skywards from the spouts, spinning it into a globe."

Some chemical formulae appeared on the screen. The Illusionist studied them briefly, then nodded with satisfaction.

"Splendid stuff! Even the power of Red Magic cannot reduce that form of matter to dust. Well then, congratulations, City! You have won your first battle without the loss of a single life."

Xarda eyed the raging Queen dubiously.

"That's all very weS, Pm sure," the girl knight observed cooly. "But it does not really solve the problem, you know."

"Problem? What problem?" sniffed the magician.

The Sirix of Jemmerdy shrugged. "Now that you've got her, what do you intend doing with her?" she inquired practically. "Sending her back to Shai will do no good, you know. By my troth, she's wild with fury: once she gets out of there, she'll be hot on our trail Lin Carter again. Defeat is a mortal insult to her. The poor City will never be safe, so long as she lives."

Prince Erigon swallowed, grimacing fastidiously. The amiable young man found Xarda attractive and interesting, but at times a trifle too blood-thirsty for comfort. "I say, you don't mean to kill a helpless captive, do you?" he inquired anxiously.

"What else?" demanded Xarda, callously. "As we say back home, 'the only good foe is him who's gone to GalendiT."

"I'm afraid I agree with Xarda,'* said the Illusionist. "The Enchantress must be disposed of. However, that presents us with quite a problem. Being partly a supernatural ent.i.ty, she would be quite difficult to destroy. Mere physical force would hardly do the trick, I fear. And, being far from my magical laboratory, I lack at present the magical, ah, 'clout', to work the thing."

They stared at one another thoughtfully. How do you permanently dispose of a dangerous and vindictive enemy who is a bit too powerful to be easily destroyed?

To the surprise of them all, it was Ganelon Silver-mane who came up with the best idea. Because the giant youth was rather stolid and slow-speaking, they were all accustomed to thinking of him as being just a bit slower mentally than they were themselves. This, as the Dlujsionist could have told them, was a fundamental erjor. Silvermane was possessed of a first-rate brain, but he tended to rely on others to come up with ideas, either out of habitual diffidence or modesty.

"The hyperspatial tube," he said suddenly.

They stared at him uncomprehending^.

"Eh, my boy, what was that?" asked the Illusionist absently. Silvermane repeated the phrase. They ogled him blankly, so he elaborated on his suggestion.

"The hyperspatial tube. You know, the interdimen-sional Labyrinth by which Grrff, Phadia and I (of course you haven't met them yet because they're still down in the sewers with all those lomagoths) escaped from Shai. Once you're inside it, it's awfully hard to 179.

figure out where you want to go and just how to get there. Couldn't the City render the plastic sphere opaque, go back to that place on the Plains where we came out, and pop her inside the tiling at such a speed that by the tune she slowed down and managed to get out of the globe, she'd be thoroughly lost. It might take her years to find her way back to Gondwane again?"

They mulled that over in silence for a time. Then the Illusionist cleared his throat.

"Ahem! While your syntax may leave something to be desired in terms of clarity, m'boy, your idea is perfectly feasible. In fact, I can't think of a better solution to our problem myself! I say, City, can you locate the nearest terminus of the Cavern of a Thousand Perils?"

The City, in its pleasantly neutral voice, said that it certainly could. Extruding plastic nets wherein to snare the durable bubble which enclosed the raging but helpless Enchantress, it chased away her wyvernchariot, which flew off in the general direction taken by the few surviving Red Magic legionnaires. Then, returning to normal traveling circuits, it lifted itself up onto its air cus.h.i.+on and went whiffling off over the blood-bedewed meadow gra.s.s in the direction of the terminus, which happened to be due southwest.

Well before morning paled in the east, the Enchantress had been hurled through the interdimen-sional gate at such extreme velocity that by the time she slowed and came to rest, she should be hopelessly lost somewhere between the worlds, planes, lands and ages connected by the hyperspatial network.

Doubtless, she would never be able to bother any of them again. Or so they hoped, anyway. Privately, the Illusionist was not so sure. But time would tell, as always.

THE CITY MOVES NORTH.

Ganelon came out of the Red Ziggurat about the same time as Grrff succeeded in entering it. The burly Karjixian was delighted and relieved to see his friend safe and whole, but was mighty mystified by all the recent goings-on.

"Ho, big man! Still in one piece, eh? Grrff is happy to find you at last," rumbled the Tigerman. "But whatever has been happening hi this cursed walking city, anyway? First Drng's little green devils attack, then- whoos.h.!.+-they go splattering all over the plain in bite-size chunks; then the Red b.i.t.c.h is somehow globed up and the crazy city goes zipping back south again-"

Ganelon explained as best he could what was behind the recent events, then introduced the affable Grrff to his friends, Erigon, Xarda and the Illusionist. About that jsame time the Bazonga, considerably ruffled and bjesplattered, emerged from the ducts to indignantly inquire about who had turned on the garbage. While she was being mollified and cleaned up a bit, Yemple and his cohorts emerged timidly from the nearer sewer-grille, quite shaken up by the recent inexplicable happenings. Introductions were made all around and the entire population of Kan Zar Kan gathered timidly hi a nearby square for an impromptu picnic breakfast while the Illusionist harangued the cowed, bewildered lomagoths and formally introduced them to their host.*

* That is, to the City itsell 181.

"Kan Zar Kan is a changed City," he told them. "It wishes for nothing more than to become your friendly and cooperative home on a permanent basis. It now understands about 'too much cleaning-up' and furnis.h.i.+ngs and such-like. Already, the robot factories are turning out cus.h.i.+ons, carpets, window-curtains and kitchenware. If you will promise to settle here without attempting to escape, the City will consider all pleas, pet.i.tions and other requests from your elective spokesmen. Quite frankly, it is anxious to please. The City yearns to settle down in one place permanently and enter into trade with nearby civilizations. It remains armed and alert to defend its inhabitants against all foes. Well, what do you lomagoths say?"

King Yemple hemmed and hawed, raised quibbles and questions; but the womenfolk were ogling the array of new home furnis.h.i.+ngs temptingly displayed in the shop-windows, which had a direct conduit to the robot factories. The last vestige of lomagothic reluctance vanished when Yemple learned that the most imposing edifice of the City-the Red Ziggurat itself-would of course be reserved as the residence of the royal family. Articles of Mutual Agreement were drawn up on the instant, with Ganelon and the Illusionist as chief witnesses to the signing.