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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..9a34d1f --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63605 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63605) diff --git a/old/63605-h.zip b/old/63605-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ac35163..0000000 --- a/old/63605-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63605-h/63605-h.htm b/old/63605-h/63605-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index f225ce2..0000000 --- a/old/63605-h/63605-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1238 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Beast-jewel of Mars, by V. E. Thiessen. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Beast-Jewel Of Mars, by V. E. Thiessen - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Beast-Jewel Of Mars - -Author: V. E. Thiessen - -Release Date: November 2, 2020 [EBook #63605] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BEAST-JEWEL OF MARS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>The Beast-Jewel of Mars</h1> - -<h2>By V. E. THIESSEN</h2> - -<p>The city was strange, fantastic, beautiful.<br /> -He'd never been there before, yet already he<br /> -was a fabulous legend—a dire, hateful legend.</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories Spring 1955.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>He lay on his stomach, a lean man in faded one piece dungarees, and an -odd metallic hat, peering over the side of the canal. Behind him the -little winds sifted red dust into his collar, but he could not move; he -could only sit there with his gaze riveted on the spires and minarets -that twinkled in the distance, far down the bottom of the canal.</p> - -<p>One part of his mind said, <i>This is it, this is the fabled city of -Mars. This is the beauty and the fantasy and the music of the legends, -and I must go down there.</i> Yet somewhere deeper in his mind, deep in -the primal urges that kept him from death, the warning was taut and -urgent. <i>Get away. They have a part of your mind now. Get away from the -city before you lose it all. Get away before your body becomes a husk, -a soulless husk to walk the low canals with sightless eyes, like those -who came before you.</i></p> - -<p>He strained to push back from the edge, trying to get that fantastic -beauty out of his sight. He fought the lids of his eyes, fought to -close them while he pushed himself back, but they remained open, -staring at the jeweled towers, and borne on the little winds the thin -wail of music reached him, saying, <i>Come into the city, come down into -the fabled city</i>.</p> - -<p>He slid over the edge, sliding down the sloping sides of the canal. -The rough sandstone tore at his dungarees, tore at his elbow where it -touched but he did not feel the pain. His face was turned toward the -towers, and the sound of his breathing was less than human.</p> - -<p>His feet caught a projecting bit of stone and were slowed for an -instant, so that he turned sideways and rolled on, down into the red -dust bottom of the canal, to lie face down in the dust, with the chin -strap of the odd metallic hat cutting cruelly into his chin.</p> - -<p>He lay there an instant, knowing that now he had a chance. With his -face down like this, and the dust smarting his eyes the image was gone -for an instant. He had to get away, he knew that. He had to mount the -sides of the canal and never look back.</p> - -<p>He told himself, "I am Eric North, from Earth, the Third Planet of Sol, -and this is not real."</p> - -<p>He squirmed in the dust, feeling it bite his cheeks; he squirmed until -he could get up and see nothing but the red sand stone walls of the -canal. He ran at the walls and clawed his way up like an animal in his -haste. He wouldn't look again.</p> - -<p>The wind freshened and the tune of the music began to talk to him. It -told of going barefoot over long streets of fur. It told of jewels, and -wine, and women as fair as springtime. These and more were in the city, -waiting for him to claim them.</p> - -<p>He sobbed, and clawed forward. He stopped to rest, and slowly his head -began to turn. He turned, and the spires and minarets twinkled at him, -beautiful, soothing, stopping the tears that had welled down his cheeks.</p> - -<p>When he reached the bottom of the canal he began to run toward the city.</p> - -<p>When he came to the city there was a high wall around it, and a heavy -gate carved with lotus blossoms. He beat against the gate and cried, -"Oh! Let me in. Let me in to the city!" The music was richer now, as if -it were everywhere, and the gate swung open without the faintest sound.</p> - -<p>A sentinel stood before the opened gate at the end of a long blue -street. He was dressed in red silk with his sleeves edged in blue -leopard skin, and he wore a belt with a jeweled short sword. He drew -the sword from its scabbard, and bowed forward until the point of the -sword touched the street of blue fur. He said, "I give you the welcome -of my sword, and the welcome of the city. Speak your name so that it -may be set in the records of the dreamers."</p> - -<p>The music sang, and the spires twinkled, and Eric said, "I am Eric -North!"</p> - -<p>The sword point jerked, and the sentinel straightened. His face was -white. He cried aloud, "It is Eric the Bronze. It is Eric of the -Legend." He whirled the sword aloft, and smashed it upon Eric's metal -hat, and the hatred was a blue flame in his eyes.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When Eric regained consciousness the people of the city were all about -him. They were very fair, and the women were more beautiful than music. -Yet now they stared at him with red hate in their eyes. An older man -came forward and struck at the copper hat with a stick. The clang -deafened Eric and the man cried, "You are right. It is Eric the Bronze. -Bring the ships and let him be scourged from the city."</p> - -<p>The man drew back the stick and struck again, and Eric's back took -fire with the blow. The crowd chanted, "Whips, bring the whips," and -fear forced Eric to his feet. He fled then, running on the heedless -feet of panic, outstripping those who were behind him until he passed -through the great gates into the red dust floor of the canal. The gates -closed behind him, and the dust beat upon him, and he paused, his heart -hammering inside his chest like a great bell clapper. He turned and -looked behind to be sure he was safe.</p> - -<p>The towers twinkled at him, and the music whispered to him, "Come back, -Eric North. Come back to the city."</p> - -<p>He turned and stumbled back to the great gate and hammered on it until -his fists were raw, pleading for it to open and let him back.</p> - -<p>And deep inside him some part of his mind said, "This is a madness you -cannot escape. The city is evil, an evil like you have never known," -and a fear as old as time coursed through his frame.</p> - -<p>He seized the copper hat from his head, and beat on the lotus carvings -of the great door, crying, "Let me in! Please, take me back into the -city."</p> - -<p>And as he beat the city changed. It became dull and sordid and evil, a -city of disgust, with every part offensive to the eye. The spires and -minarets were gargoyles of hatred, twisted and misshapen, and the sound -of the city was a macabre song of hate.</p> - -<p>He stared, and his back was chill with superstitions as old as the -beginning of man. The city flickered, changing before his eyes until it -was beautiful again.</p> - -<p>He stood, amazed, and put the metal hat back on his head. With the -motion the shift took place again, and beauty was ugliness. Amazed, he -stared at the illusion, and the thought came to him that the metal hat -had not entirely failed him after all.</p> - -<p>He turned and began to walk away from the city, and when it began to -call he took the hat off his head and found peace for a time. Then when -it began again he replaced the hat, and revulsion sped his footsteps. -And so, hat on, hat off, he made his way down the dusty floor of the -canal, and up the rocky sides until he stood on the Martian desert, and -the canal was a thin line behind him. He breathed easily then, for he -was beyond the range of the illusions.</p> - -<p>And now that his mind was his own again he began to study the problem, -and to understand something of the nature of the forces against which -he had been pitted.</p> - -<p>The helmet contained an electrical circuit, designed as a shield -against electrical waves tuned to affect his brain. But the hat had -failed because the city, whatever it was, had adjusted to this revised -pattern as he had approached it. Hence, the helmet had been no defense -against illusion. However, when he had jerked the helmet off suddenly -to beat on the door, his mental pattern had changed, too suddenly, and -the machine caught up only after he had glimpsed another image. Then as -the illusion adjusted replacing the helmet threw it off again.</p> - -<p>He grinned wryly. He would have liked to know more about the city, -whatever it was. He would have liked to know more about the people he -had seen, whether they were real or part of the illusion, and if they -were as ugly as the second city had been.</p> - -<p>Yet the danger was too great. He would go back to his ship and make the -arrangements to destroy the city. The ship was armed, and to deliver -indirect fire over the edge of the canal would be simple enough. Garve -North, his brother, waited back at the ship. If he knew of the city he -would have to go there. Eric must not take a chance on that. After they -had blasted whatever it was that lay in the canal floor, then it would -be time enough to tell Garve, and go down to see what was left.</p> - -<p>The ship rested easily on the flat sandstone area where he had -established base camp. Its familiar lines brought a smile to Eric's -face, a feeling of confidence now that tools and weapons were his again.</p> - -<p>He opened the door and entered. The lock doors were left open so that -he could enter directly into the body of the ship. He came in in a -swift leap, calling, "Garve! Hey, Garve, where are you?"</p> - -<p>The ship remained mute. He prowled through it, calling, "Garve," -wondering where the young hothead had gone, and then he saw a note -clipped to the control board of the ship. He tore it loose impatiently -and began to read. Garve had scrawled:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>"Funny thing, Eric. A while ago I thought I heard music. I walked down -to the canal, and it seemed like there were lights, and a town of some -sort far down the canal. I wanted to investigate, but thought I'd -better come back. But the thing has been in my mind for hours now, and -I'm going down to see what it is. If you want to follow, come straight -down the canal."</p></div> - -<p>Eric stared at the note, and the line of his jaw was white. Apparently -Garve had seen the city from farther away, and its effect had not been -so strong. Even so, Garve's natural curiosity had done the rest.</p> - -<p>Garve had gone down to the city, and Garve had no shielded hat. Eric -selected two high explosive grenades from the ship's arsenal. They -were small but they packed a lot of power. He had a pistol packed -with smaller pellets of the same explosive, and he had the hat. That -should be adequate. He thrust the bronze hat back on his head and began -walking back to the canal.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The return back to the city would always live in his mind as a -phantasmagora, a montage of twisted hate and unseemly beauty. When he -came again to the gate he did not attempt to enter, but circled the -wall, hat on, hat off, stiff limbed like a puppet dancing to the same -tune over and over again. He found a place where he could scale the -wall, and thrust the helmet on his head, and clawed up the misshapen -wall. It was all he could do to make himself drop into the ugly city.</p> - -<p>He heard a familiar voice as he dropped. "Eric," the voice said. "Eric, -you did come back." The voice was his brother's, and he whirled, -seeking the voice. A figure stood before him, a twisted caricature of -his brother. The figure cried, "The hat! You fool, get rid of that -hat!" The caricature that was his brother seized the hat, and jerked -so hard that the chin strap broke under Eric's chin. The hat was flung -away and sailed high and far over the fence and outside the city.</p> - -<p>The phantasm flickered, the illusion moved. Garve was now more handsome -than ever, and the city was a dream of delight. Garve said, "Come," and -Eric followed down a street of blue fur. He had no will to resist.</p> - -<p>Garve said, "Keep your head down and your face hidden. If we meet -someone you may not be recognized. They won't be expecting you from -this side of the city."</p> - -<p>Eric asked, "You knew I'd come after you?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. The Legend said you'd be back."</p> - -<p>Eric stopped and whirled to face his brother. "The Legend? Eric the -Bronze? What is this wild fantasy?"</p> - -<p>"Not so loud!" Garve's voice cautioned him. "Of course the crowd called -you that because of the copper hat and your heavy tan. But the Elders -believe so too. I don't know what it is, Eric, reincarnation, prophesy, -superstition, I only know that when I was with the Elders I believed -them. You are a part of a Legend. You are Eric the Bronze."</p> - -<p>Eric looked down at his sun tanned hands and flexed them. He loosened -the explosive pistol in its holster. At least he was going to be a well -armed, well prepared Legend. And while one part of his mind marveled -at the city and relaxed into a pleasure as deep as a dream, another -struggled with the almost forgotten desire to rescue his brother and -escape. He asked, "Who are the Elders?"</p> - -<p>"We are going to them, to the center of the city." Garve's voice -sharpened, "Keep your head down. I think the last two men we passed are -looking after us. Don't look back."</p> - -<p>After a moment Garve said, "I think they are following us. Get ready -to run. If we are separated, keep going until you reach City Center. -The Elders will be expecting you." Garve glanced back, and his voice -sharpened, "Now! Run!"</p> - -<p>They ran. But as they ran figures began to converge upon them. Farther -up the street others appeared, cutting off their flight.</p> - -<p>Garve cried, "In here," and pulled Eric into a crevice between two -buildings. Eric drew his gun, and savagery began to dance in his eyes. -The soft fur muffled sounds of pursuit closed in upon them.</p> - -<p>Garve put one hand on Eric's gun hand and said, "Wait here. And if you -value my life, don't use that gun." Then he was gone, running deerlike -down the street.</p> - -<p>For an instant Eric thought the ruse had succeeded. He heard cries and -two men passed him running in pursuit. But then the cry came back. "Let -him go. Get the other one. The other one."</p> - -<p>Eric was seen an instant later, and the people of the city began to -converge upon him. He could have destroyed them all with his charges in -the gun, but his brother's warning shrieked in his ears, "If you value -my life don't use the gun."</p> - -<p>There was nothing he could do. Eric stood quietly until he was taken -prisoner. They moved him to the center of the wide fur street. Two men -held his arms, and twisted painfully. The crowd looked at him, coldly, -calculatingly. One of them said, "Get the whips. If we whip him he will -not come back." The city twinkled, and the music was so faint he could -hardly hear it.</p> - -<p>There was only one weapon Eric could use. He had gathered from Garve's -words that these people were superstitious.</p> - -<p>He laughed, a great chest-shattering laugh that gusted out into the -thin Martian air. He laughed and cried in a great voice, "And can you -so easily dispose of a Legend? If I am Eric of the Legend, can whips -defeat the prophesy?"</p> - -<p>There was an instant when he could have twisted loose. They stood, -fear-bound at his words. But there was no place to hide, and without -the use of his weapons Eric could not have gone far. He had to bluff it -out.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Then one of the men cried, "Fools! It is true. We must take no chance -with the whips. He would come back. But if he dies here before us now, -then we may forget the prophesy."</p> - -<p>The crowd murmured and a second voice cried, "Get the sword, get the -guards, and kill him at once!"</p> - -<p>Eric tensed to break away but now it was too late. His captors were -alert. They increased the twist on his arms until he almost screamed -with the pain.</p> - -<p>The crowd parted, and the guard came through, his red silk clothing -gleaming in the sun, his sword bright and deadly. He stopped before -Eric, and the sword swirled up like a saber, ready for a slashing cut -downward across Eric's neck.</p> - -<p>A woman's voice, soft and yet authoritative, called, "Hold!" And a -murmur of respect rippled through the crowd.</p> - -<p>"Nolette! The Daughter of the City comes."</p> - -<p>Eric turned his gaze to the side and saw the woman who had spoken. She -was mounted upon a black horse with a jeweled bridle. She was young and -her hair was long and free in the wind. She had ridden so softly across -the fur street that no one had been aware of her presence.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>She said, "Let me touch this man. Let me feel the pulse of his heart so -that I may know if he is truly the Bronze one of the Legend. Give me -your hand, stranger." She leaned down and grasped his hand. Eric shook -his arms free, and reached up and clung to the offered hand, thinking, -"If I pull her down perhaps I can use her as a shield." He tensed his -muscles and began to pull.</p> - -<p>She cried, "No! You fool. Come up on the horse," and pulled back with -an energy as fierce as his own. Then he had swung up on the horse, and -the animal leaped forward, its muffled gallop beating out a tattoo of -freedom.</p> - -<p>Eric clung tightly to the girl's waist. He could feel the young -suppleness of her body, and the fine strands of her hair kept swirling -back into his face. It had a faint perfume, a clean and heady scent -that made him more aware of the touch of her waist. He breathed deeply, -oddly happy as they rode.</p> - -<p>After five minutes ride they came to a building in the center of the -city. The building was cubical, severe in line and architecture, and it -contrasted oddly with the exquisite ornament of the rest of the city. -It was as if it were a monolith from another time, a stranger crouched -among enemies.</p> - -<p>The girl halted before the structure and said, "Dismount here, Eric."</p> - -<p>Eric swung down, his arms still tingling with pleasure where he had -held her. She said, "Knock three times on the door. I will see you -again inside. And thank your brother for sending me to bring you here."</p> - -<p>Eric knocked on the door. The door was as plain as the building, made -of a luminous plastic. It had all the beauty of the great gate door, -but a more timeless, more functional beauty.</p> - -<p>The door opened and an old man greeted Eric. "Come in. The Council -awaits you. Follow me, please."</p> - -<p>Eric followed down a hallway and into a large room. The room was -obviously designed for a conference room. A great table stood in the -room, made of the same luminous plastic as the door of the building. -Six men sat at this conference table. Eric's guide placed him in a -chair at the base of the T-shaped table.</p> - -<p>There was one vacant seat beside the head of the T, and as Eric -watched, the young woman who had rescued him entered and took her place -there. She smiled at Eric, and the room took on a warmth that it had -lacked with only the older men present. The man at her right, obviously -presiding here looked at Eric and spoke. "I am Kroon, the eldest of -the elders. We have brought you here to satisfy ourselves of your -identity. In view of your danger in the City you are entitled to some -sort of explanation." He glanced around the room and asked, "What is -the judgment of the elders?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Eric caught a faint nod here, a gesture there. Kroon nodded as if -in satisfaction. He turned to the girl, "And what is your opinion, -Daughter of the City?"</p> - -<p>Nolette's expression held sorrow, as if she looked into the far future. -She said, "He is Eric the Bronze. I have no doubt."</p> - -<p>Eric asked, "And what is this Legend of Eric the Bronze? Why am I so -despised in the city?"</p> - -<p>Kroon answered, "According to the Ancient Legend you will destroy the -city. This, and other things."</p> - -<p>Eric gaped. No wonder the crowd had shown such hatred. But why were -the elders so friendly? They were obviously the governing body, and if -there was strife between them and the people it had not shown in the -respect the crowd had accorded Nolette.</p> - -<p>Kroon said, "I see you are puzzled. Let me tell you the story of the -City. The City is old. It dates from long ago when the canals of Mars -ran clear and green with water, and the deserts were vineyards and -gardens. The drouth came, and the changes in climate, and soon it -became plain that the people of Mars were doomed. They had ships, and -could build more, and gradually they left to colonize other planets. -Yet they could take little of their science. And fear and riots -destroyed much. Also there were those who were filled with love for -this homeland, and who thought that one day it might be habitable -again. All the skill of the ancient Martian fathers went into the -building of a giant machine, the machine that is the City, to protect a -small colony of those who were chosen to remain on Mars."</p> - -<p>"This whole city is a machine!" Eric asked.</p> - -<p>"Yes, or the product of one. The heart of it lies underneath our feet, -in caverns beneath this building. The nature of the machine is this, -that it translates thought into reality."</p> - -<p>Eric stared. The idea was staggering.</p> - -<p>"This is essentially simple, although the technology is complex. It is -necessary to have a recording device, to capture thought, a transmuting -device capable of transmuting the red dust of the desert into any -sort of material desired, and a construction device, to assemble this -material into the pattern already recorded from thought." Kroon paused. -"You still doubt, my friend. Perhaps you are thirsty after your escape. -Think strongly of a tall glass of cold water, visualize it in your -mind, the sight and the fluidity and the touch of it."</p> - -<p>Eric did so. Without warning a glass of water stood on the table before -him. He touched the water to his lips. It was cool and satisfying. He -drank it, convinced completely.</p> - -<p>Eric asked, "And I am to destroy the City?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. The time has come."</p> - -<p>"But why?" Eric demanded. For an instant he could see the twinkling -beauty as clearly as if he had stood outside the walls of this building.</p> - -<p>Kroon said, "There are difficulties. The machine builds according to -the mass will of the people, though it is sensitive to the individual -in areas where it does not conflict with the imagination of the mass. -We have had strangers, visitors, and even our own people, who grew -drunk with the power of the machine, who dreamed more and more lust and -greed into existence. These were banished from the city, and so strong -is the call of the city that many of them became victims of their own -evilness, and now walk mindlessly, with no thought but to seek for the -beauty they have lost here."</p> - -<p>Kroon sighed. "The people have lost the will to learn. Many do not even -know of the machine. Our science is almost gone, and only a few of us, -the dreamers, the elders, have kept alive the old knowledge of the -machine and its history. By the collected powers of our imagination we -build and control the outward appearance of the city.</p> - -<p>"We have passed this down from father to son. A part of the ancient -Legend is that the builders made provisions for the machine to be -destroyed when contact with outsiders had been made once again, so that -our people would again have to struggle forward to knowledge and power. -The instrument of destruction was to be a man termed Eric the Bronze. -It is not that you are reborn. It is just that sometime such a man -would come."</p> - -<p>Eric said, "I can understand the Bronze part. They had thought that a -space man might well be sun tanned. They had thought that a science to -protect against this beautiful illusion would provide a metal shield -of some sort, probably copper in nature. That such a man should come -is inevitable. But why Eric. Why the name Eric?"</p> - -<p>For the first time Nolette spoke. She said quietly, "The name Eric -was an honorable name of the ancient fathers. It must have been their -thought that the new beginning should wait for some of their own far -flung kind to return."</p> - -<p>Eric nodded. He asked, "What happens now?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing. Dwell here with us and you will be safe from our people. If -the prediction is not soon fulfilled and you are not the Eric of the -Legend, you may stay or go as you desire."</p> - -<p>"My brother, Garve. What about him?"</p> - -<p>"He loves the city. He will also stay, though he will be outside this -building." Kroon clasped his hands. "Nolette, will you show Eric his -quarters?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Eric followed Nolette through a hallway to a well furnished room. -Walking behind her the graceful sway of her walk reminded him of -the touch of her waist as he held it earlier when they rode, and he -felt the blood racing through his veins. He was tempted to seize her -shoulder, turn her, and take her in his arms.</p> - -<p>She indicated the room with a gesture. "You will be comfortable here, -and you have only to wish strongly for food or drink. If your wishes do -not conflict with those of the elders they will come into being."</p> - -<p>Eric asked, "And is this true of any wish? Suppose for instance I -wished for—You."</p> - -<p>She looked at him steadily, "That would depend on the nature of your -wish. If you wished to take me as your wife the elders would approve."</p> - -<p>Eric looked at her. He had hardly known her two hours. Yet the madness -of the moment made him rash, and he asked, "And what of your wishes, -Nolette?"</p> - -<p>She said, "I am the Daughter of the City, and a virgin. If the Legend -is to be fulfilled I would be wed before I die."</p> - -<p>He took a step forward and reached out to take her in his arms, but -she slipped away, saying quietly, "Not now. I will go away and let you -think. When you have decided call me in your mind, and the machine -will let me know." She smiled briefly, and left him alone in the room.</p> - -<p>Eric was hardly aware of his actions as he seated himself in the -comfortable chair. He fumbled about for his pipe. He must not be a -fool. Perhaps if he thought quietly, and smoked, he could decide if -this was a dream, if he had gone quietly mad in his space ship, and had -been the victim of hallucinations. The chair was real to his touch, his -pipe was gone, and he remembered leaving it in the navigator's section -of the ship upon his earlier return. The memory seemed real enough. He -wished for his pipe again, and realized that now he held it in his hand.</p> - -<p>This was no mirage. He tamped tobacco created by the machine from Red -Martian dust into the bowl of the pipe, and the smoke was as fragrant -as ever. He could see how such luxury would stagnate a race. As the -smoke curled around him he knew that two hours or two years were not -important, and he knew what he wanted. He wished for Nolette.</p> - -<p>She came into the room, watching him quietly, suddenly shy. He said, -"It has come to me that I love you. Will you do me the honor to become -my wife?"</p> - -<p>She said, "Yes, Eric. Oh! Yes!" and came running to him. Her kiss had -all the passion of his own.</p> - -<p>An hour later she slipped from his arms, saying, "I must go and talk -with the elder dreamers. We must be married today, at once. We have so -little time. We must be husband and wife tonight." She slipped softly -from the room.</p> - -<p>Eric watched her, marveling at his luck. He suddenly remembered that -he had not seen his brother since he had arrived at the house of the -elder dreamers. He wondered where Garve was, and wanted to talk to him. -Perhaps if he thought strongly enough the machine would get the message -thought to Garve. He concentrated.</p> - -<p>Ten minutes later Garve walked into the room. He said, "I thought I -heard you calling. How'd you make out with the dreamers?"</p> - -<p>"Well enough. Don't think me mad, Garve, but Nolette and I are to be -married, tonight."</p> - -<p>Garve's face grew red, then as white as river sand. He said bitterly, -"I should have let them kill you in the street, but how could I? After -all we are brothers."</p> - -<p>"You love her too."</p> - -<p>"No! But I love this city. It is paradise, and now you will destroy it."</p> - -<p>Eric said, "The Legend again! Everyone believes it. Yet it is but a -prediction. In time such a man as the Legend had to come, and some day -one more greedy than myself may destroy the city. Perhaps I will refuse -to carry out the destruction."</p> - -<p>Garve laughed, a bitter cynical laugh. He cried, "You fool! How can you -help yourself? Everyone believes you are the Bronze one and the machine -will make that come true. How can you defeat the machine?"</p> - -<p>Eric was staggered by a logic he had not even considered.</p> - -<p>"Piece by piece," Garve said, "the prediction is coming to pass. Now -you are to wed Nolette, and that too is a part of the Legend."</p> - -<p>"That was predicted?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. And that is not the end." Garve's voice was as sharp as the bite -of a whip. "Do you know what else you will do?"</p> - -<p>"No!" A thin horror seeped slowly into Eric's mind.</p> - -<p>"You will destroy the Daughter of the City."</p> - -<p>Eric's eyes were wide. He shuddered and cried, "NO! NO!"</p> - -<p>Garve's face took on the glint of madness. He said, "But I will stop -you. I'll stop you if I have to kill you." He turned and strode -bitterly from the room.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Horror was still fresh in Eric's mind when Nolette returned. "All is -ready," she said. "Come now, my husband-to-be."</p> - -<p>Eric followed her into the chamber of the elder dreamers. Kroon stood -at the doorway and greeted him as he entered. He said, "One cannot -fight the truth, so we have consented to this marriage. Will you join -hands?"</p> - -<p>The ceremony was simple, but beautiful, much like an Earth wedding, -with the city making music that was beautiful beyond belief. But all -the time Eric listened his mind was working, and by the time he had -kissed his bride at the end of the ceremony he knew what he had to do. -He walked back to their room with his arm around her waist, and his -resolve weakened with each step.</p> - -<p>Yet when he reached the room he had the will to say, "I must leave you -for a time. When I return our life together will begin." He kissed her -again, and said, "It will not be long."</p> - -<p>He broke away, and left her. When he reached the hallway he felt once -in his pocket to be sure the explosive grenades were still there. So -far the machine had controlled his destiny. So far the very belief of -the dreamers in his destiny had brought the predictions to pass. Very -well now, he would destroy the machine, but not at the request of the -dreamers. He would do it now, before there was time to consummate the -horrible part of the prediction. Then he would come back to Nolette and -his honeymoon.</p> - -<p>He ran along the hallways, always going down when he found a stairway, -always seeking the central area below that had been indicated by Kroon -in their first talk. And when at length he came out into a large room, -with a maze of delicate electronic apparatus below, he knew he had -arrived, and he pulled the grenade from his pocket.</p> - -<p>Yet before he pulled the safety release he could not but marvel a -moment at the intricate science below him. Much was familiar, and much -was unintelligible.</p> - -<p>As he stood he was seized from behind, and he twisted to find he was -caught in the hate-strengthened grip of his brother. Pain lanced -through his arm, and Garve gritted, "Drop it." Eric dropped the -grenade, and it fell between them. Eric was suddenly glad that the -safety had not been pulled, and then he was fighting savagely with his -brother.</p> - -<p>He was older, and wiser in the dirty tricks of fighters from the -planets. After a time he was able to set himself, and bend forward. -Where Garve had been behind, now he was flung up, over Eric's back in a -sprawling arc. He fell, teetered for an instant, and then crashed into -the delicate heart of the machine below. Glass tinkled, and a flare lit -the room. Eric closed his eyes, afraid to look. Garve must have been -electrocuted.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Eric opened his eyes to find the room subtly changed. It was roughly -the same, but the walls were a rough sandstone, and the glamour was -gone. He heard sounds, and saw Garve struggling up from the wreckage -below. Both of them knew it was ended. The machine was beyond repair.</p> - -<p>Garve paused. He said, "It's over now. I suppose in a year or two I -shall forget this. I am going away. Until I can forgive you I shall -stay away. God grant you peace, for you have lost more than I." Garve's -steps echoed hollowly on the stone corridor and he disappeared in the -distance.</p> - -<p>Eric stood quietly. There was no happiness in him, only a nameless -fear brought on by his brother's words, a fear that he had forgotten -something.</p> - -<p>Then suddenly he knew what it was. He remembered the ugly city. When -he came out of the corridor, out of this building, the city would be a -foul sty again. And the people, he had not seen the people, but they -would no doubt be horrible. Nolette, his wife—he could not let himself -think of how she would look. It seemed Garve was right and the final -prediction had come true. All was finished, even the Daughter of the -City had been destroyed.</p> - -<p>He began to move up out of the subterranean room and back to the city. -He reached the outer door, and did not even pause to look for Nolette, -but set his teeth, and stepped out into the city.</p> - -<p>And there he was surprised. Here was no ugly city, only a very normal, -ordinary one, with ordinary persons going about the streets, blinking -at the changes. The lines of the city were still there, but the jeweled -panes were ordinary glass.</p> - -<p>Eric tried to understand. Then suddenly he recalled his hatred of the -city when he had been cast out, his subconscious thoughts of it as -evil. He had taken off the helmet, and for an instant he had been out -of contact with the elders, disoriented. In that instant the city had -shown him his concept of ugliness. That ugly city was as unreal as the -fantastically beautiful one created by the elders.</p> - -<p>Eric turned, and went back into the building, looking for Nolette.</p> - -<p>He found her, standing with Kroon in the great room, before a table -which was only laminated wood. She was a slender girl, gray eyed, -pleasant to look at, but without the beauty and the music and the -witchery of her counterpart.</p> - -<p>She said quietly, "It is finished, Eric, and we are not the two who -married. It is finished, and the dream is ended."</p> - -<p>Eric said only, "Yes," watching her.</p> - -<p>She said, "I release you from the marriage. It will be a memory for us -both, a wonderful dream that ended before it was consummated, a dream -cut short too soon."</p> - -<p>Eric asked, "What will you do?" Her voice was hardly changed, and -watching her he felt an odd pleasure. There was no wild racing of his -blood, yet his interest was awakening.</p> - -<p>She said, "Go away, I suppose, as far as I can from this place."</p> - -<p>He liked the way she was taking this. No dramatics, no tears.</p> - -<p>He said, "I could take you back to Earth as a passenger. You might like -Earth." He felt oddly eager as she considered.</p> - -<p>And then suddenly, he could not wait, and the words came tumbling out. -"Nolette," he said, "you must come with me. I do not know how it will -be with us yet. But somehow I feel that if we stay together things will -be good."</p> - -<p>He waited for her decision, half afraid, half eager, and then saw a -slow smile break the seriousness of her eyes.</p> - -<p>She said gently, "If that is what you wish." The smile widened. "A girl -must follow her husband. Even I know that."</p> - -<p>Eric reached out and took her hand. "The ship is waiting," he said. -"Let's go home."</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Beast-Jewel Of Mars, by V. E. Thiessen - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BEAST-JEWEL OF MARS *** - -***** This file should be named 63605-h.htm or 63605-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/6/0/63605/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/63605-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/63605-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4e59a98..0000000 --- a/old/63605-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63605-h/images/illus.jpg b/old/63605-h/images/illus.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f5abab3..0000000 --- a/old/63605-h/images/illus.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63605.txt b/old/63605.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b2fe12d..0000000 --- a/old/63605.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1132 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Beast-Jewel Of Mars, by V. E. Thiessen - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Beast-Jewel Of Mars - -Author: V. E. Thiessen - -Release Date: November 2, 2020 [EBook #63605] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BEAST-JEWEL OF MARS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - The Beast-Jewel of Mars - - By V. E. THIESSEN - - The city was strange, fantastic, beautiful. - He'd never been there before, yet already he - was a fabulous legend--a dire, hateful legend. - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories Spring 1955. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -He lay on his stomach, a lean man in faded one piece dungarees, and an -odd metallic hat, peering over the side of the canal. Behind him the -little winds sifted red dust into his collar, but he could not move; he -could only sit there with his gaze riveted on the spires and minarets -that twinkled in the distance, far down the bottom of the canal. - -One part of his mind said, _This is it, this is the fabled city of -Mars. This is the beauty and the fantasy and the music of the legends, -and I must go down there._ Yet somewhere deeper in his mind, deep in -the primal urges that kept him from death, the warning was taut and -urgent. _Get away. They have a part of your mind now. Get away from the -city before you lose it all. Get away before your body becomes a husk, -a soulless husk to walk the low canals with sightless eyes, like those -who came before you._ - -He strained to push back from the edge, trying to get that fantastic -beauty out of his sight. He fought the lids of his eyes, fought to -close them while he pushed himself back, but they remained open, -staring at the jeweled towers, and borne on the little winds the thin -wail of music reached him, saying, _Come into the city, come down into -the fabled city_. - -He slid over the edge, sliding down the sloping sides of the canal. -The rough sandstone tore at his dungarees, tore at his elbow where it -touched but he did not feel the pain. His face was turned toward the -towers, and the sound of his breathing was less than human. - -His feet caught a projecting bit of stone and were slowed for an -instant, so that he turned sideways and rolled on, down into the red -dust bottom of the canal, to lie face down in the dust, with the chin -strap of the odd metallic hat cutting cruelly into his chin. - -He lay there an instant, knowing that now he had a chance. With his -face down like this, and the dust smarting his eyes the image was gone -for an instant. He had to get away, he knew that. He had to mount the -sides of the canal and never look back. - -He told himself, "I am Eric North, from Earth, the Third Planet of Sol, -and this is not real." - -He squirmed in the dust, feeling it bite his cheeks; he squirmed until -he could get up and see nothing but the red sand stone walls of the -canal. He ran at the walls and clawed his way up like an animal in his -haste. He wouldn't look again. - -The wind freshened and the tune of the music began to talk to him. It -told of going barefoot over long streets of fur. It told of jewels, and -wine, and women as fair as springtime. These and more were in the city, -waiting for him to claim them. - -He sobbed, and clawed forward. He stopped to rest, and slowly his head -began to turn. He turned, and the spires and minarets twinkled at him, -beautiful, soothing, stopping the tears that had welled down his cheeks. - -When he reached the bottom of the canal he began to run toward the city. - -When he came to the city there was a high wall around it, and a heavy -gate carved with lotus blossoms. He beat against the gate and cried, -"Oh! Let me in. Let me in to the city!" The music was richer now, as if -it were everywhere, and the gate swung open without the faintest sound. - -A sentinel stood before the opened gate at the end of a long blue -street. He was dressed in red silk with his sleeves edged in blue -leopard skin, and he wore a belt with a jeweled short sword. He drew -the sword from its scabbard, and bowed forward until the point of the -sword touched the street of blue fur. He said, "I give you the welcome -of my sword, and the welcome of the city. Speak your name so that it -may be set in the records of the dreamers." - -The music sang, and the spires twinkled, and Eric said, "I am Eric -North!" - -The sword point jerked, and the sentinel straightened. His face was -white. He cried aloud, "It is Eric the Bronze. It is Eric of the -Legend." He whirled the sword aloft, and smashed it upon Eric's metal -hat, and the hatred was a blue flame in his eyes. - - * * * * * - -When Eric regained consciousness the people of the city were all about -him. They were very fair, and the women were more beautiful than music. -Yet now they stared at him with red hate in their eyes. An older man -came forward and struck at the copper hat with a stick. The clang -deafened Eric and the man cried, "You are right. It is Eric the Bronze. -Bring the ships and let him be scourged from the city." - -The man drew back the stick and struck again, and Eric's back took -fire with the blow. The crowd chanted, "Whips, bring the whips," and -fear forced Eric to his feet. He fled then, running on the heedless -feet of panic, outstripping those who were behind him until he passed -through the great gates into the red dust floor of the canal. The gates -closed behind him, and the dust beat upon him, and he paused, his heart -hammering inside his chest like a great bell clapper. He turned and -looked behind to be sure he was safe. - -The towers twinkled at him, and the music whispered to him, "Come back, -Eric North. Come back to the city." - -He turned and stumbled back to the great gate and hammered on it until -his fists were raw, pleading for it to open and let him back. - -And deep inside him some part of his mind said, "This is a madness you -cannot escape. The city is evil, an evil like you have never known," -and a fear as old as time coursed through his frame. - -He seized the copper hat from his head, and beat on the lotus carvings -of the great door, crying, "Let me in! Please, take me back into the -city." - -And as he beat the city changed. It became dull and sordid and evil, a -city of disgust, with every part offensive to the eye. The spires and -minarets were gargoyles of hatred, twisted and misshapen, and the sound -of the city was a macabre song of hate. - -He stared, and his back was chill with superstitions as old as the -beginning of man. The city flickered, changing before his eyes until it -was beautiful again. - -He stood, amazed, and put the metal hat back on his head. With the -motion the shift took place again, and beauty was ugliness. Amazed, he -stared at the illusion, and the thought came to him that the metal hat -had not entirely failed him after all. - -He turned and began to walk away from the city, and when it began to -call he took the hat off his head and found peace for a time. Then when -it began again he replaced the hat, and revulsion sped his footsteps. -And so, hat on, hat off, he made his way down the dusty floor of the -canal, and up the rocky sides until he stood on the Martian desert, and -the canal was a thin line behind him. He breathed easily then, for he -was beyond the range of the illusions. - -And now that his mind was his own again he began to study the problem, -and to understand something of the nature of the forces against which -he had been pitted. - -The helmet contained an electrical circuit, designed as a shield -against electrical waves tuned to affect his brain. But the hat had -failed because the city, whatever it was, had adjusted to this revised -pattern as he had approached it. Hence, the helmet had been no defense -against illusion. However, when he had jerked the helmet off suddenly -to beat on the door, his mental pattern had changed, too suddenly, and -the machine caught up only after he had glimpsed another image. Then as -the illusion adjusted replacing the helmet threw it off again. - -He grinned wryly. He would have liked to know more about the city, -whatever it was. He would have liked to know more about the people he -had seen, whether they were real or part of the illusion, and if they -were as ugly as the second city had been. - -Yet the danger was too great. He would go back to his ship and make the -arrangements to destroy the city. The ship was armed, and to deliver -indirect fire over the edge of the canal would be simple enough. Garve -North, his brother, waited back at the ship. If he knew of the city he -would have to go there. Eric must not take a chance on that. After they -had blasted whatever it was that lay in the canal floor, then it would -be time enough to tell Garve, and go down to see what was left. - -The ship rested easily on the flat sandstone area where he had -established base camp. Its familiar lines brought a smile to Eric's -face, a feeling of confidence now that tools and weapons were his again. - -He opened the door and entered. The lock doors were left open so that -he could enter directly into the body of the ship. He came in in a -swift leap, calling, "Garve! Hey, Garve, where are you?" - -The ship remained mute. He prowled through it, calling, "Garve," -wondering where the young hothead had gone, and then he saw a note -clipped to the control board of the ship. He tore it loose impatiently -and began to read. Garve had scrawled: - - "Funny thing, Eric. A while ago I thought I heard music. I walked - down to the canal, and it seemed like there were lights, and a town - of some sort far down the canal. I wanted to investigate, but - thought I'd better come back. But the thing has been in my mind for - hours now, and I'm going down to see what it is. If you want to - follow, come straight down the canal." - -Eric stared at the note, and the line of his jaw was white. Apparently -Garve had seen the city from farther away, and its effect had not been -so strong. Even so, Garve's natural curiosity had done the rest. - -Garve had gone down to the city, and Garve had no shielded hat. Eric -selected two high explosive grenades from the ship's arsenal. They -were small but they packed a lot of power. He had a pistol packed -with smaller pellets of the same explosive, and he had the hat. That -should be adequate. He thrust the bronze hat back on his head and began -walking back to the canal. - - * * * * * - -The return back to the city would always live in his mind as a -phantasmagora, a montage of twisted hate and unseemly beauty. When he -came again to the gate he did not attempt to enter, but circled the -wall, hat on, hat off, stiff limbed like a puppet dancing to the same -tune over and over again. He found a place where he could scale the -wall, and thrust the helmet on his head, and clawed up the misshapen -wall. It was all he could do to make himself drop into the ugly city. - -He heard a familiar voice as he dropped. "Eric," the voice said. "Eric, -you did come back." The voice was his brother's, and he whirled, -seeking the voice. A figure stood before him, a twisted caricature of -his brother. The figure cried, "The hat! You fool, get rid of that -hat!" The caricature that was his brother seized the hat, and jerked -so hard that the chin strap broke under Eric's chin. The hat was flung -away and sailed high and far over the fence and outside the city. - -The phantasm flickered, the illusion moved. Garve was now more handsome -than ever, and the city was a dream of delight. Garve said, "Come," and -Eric followed down a street of blue fur. He had no will to resist. - -Garve said, "Keep your head down and your face hidden. If we meet -someone you may not be recognized. They won't be expecting you from -this side of the city." - -Eric asked, "You knew I'd come after you?" - -"Yes. The Legend said you'd be back." - -Eric stopped and whirled to face his brother. "The Legend? Eric the -Bronze? What is this wild fantasy?" - -"Not so loud!" Garve's voice cautioned him. "Of course the crowd called -you that because of the copper hat and your heavy tan. But the Elders -believe so too. I don't know what it is, Eric, reincarnation, prophesy, -superstition, I only know that when I was with the Elders I believed -them. You are a part of a Legend. You are Eric the Bronze." - -Eric looked down at his sun tanned hands and flexed them. He loosened -the explosive pistol in its holster. At least he was going to be a well -armed, well prepared Legend. And while one part of his mind marveled -at the city and relaxed into a pleasure as deep as a dream, another -struggled with the almost forgotten desire to rescue his brother and -escape. He asked, "Who are the Elders?" - -"We are going to them, to the center of the city." Garve's voice -sharpened, "Keep your head down. I think the last two men we passed are -looking after us. Don't look back." - -After a moment Garve said, "I think they are following us. Get ready -to run. If we are separated, keep going until you reach City Center. -The Elders will be expecting you." Garve glanced back, and his voice -sharpened, "Now! Run!" - -They ran. But as they ran figures began to converge upon them. Farther -up the street others appeared, cutting off their flight. - -Garve cried, "In here," and pulled Eric into a crevice between two -buildings. Eric drew his gun, and savagery began to dance in his eyes. -The soft fur muffled sounds of pursuit closed in upon them. - -Garve put one hand on Eric's gun hand and said, "Wait here. And if you -value my life, don't use that gun." Then he was gone, running deerlike -down the street. - -For an instant Eric thought the ruse had succeeded. He heard cries and -two men passed him running in pursuit. But then the cry came back. "Let -him go. Get the other one. The other one." - -Eric was seen an instant later, and the people of the city began to -converge upon him. He could have destroyed them all with his charges in -the gun, but his brother's warning shrieked in his ears, "If you value -my life don't use the gun." - -There was nothing he could do. Eric stood quietly until he was taken -prisoner. They moved him to the center of the wide fur street. Two men -held his arms, and twisted painfully. The crowd looked at him, coldly, -calculatingly. One of them said, "Get the whips. If we whip him he will -not come back." The city twinkled, and the music was so faint he could -hardly hear it. - -There was only one weapon Eric could use. He had gathered from Garve's -words that these people were superstitious. - -He laughed, a great chest-shattering laugh that gusted out into the -thin Martian air. He laughed and cried in a great voice, "And can you -so easily dispose of a Legend? If I am Eric of the Legend, can whips -defeat the prophesy?" - -There was an instant when he could have twisted loose. They stood, -fear-bound at his words. But there was no place to hide, and without -the use of his weapons Eric could not have gone far. He had to bluff it -out. - - * * * * * - -Then one of the men cried, "Fools! It is true. We must take no chance -with the whips. He would come back. But if he dies here before us now, -then we may forget the prophesy." - -The crowd murmured and a second voice cried, "Get the sword, get the -guards, and kill him at once!" - -Eric tensed to break away but now it was too late. His captors were -alert. They increased the twist on his arms until he almost screamed -with the pain. - -The crowd parted, and the guard came through, his red silk clothing -gleaming in the sun, his sword bright and deadly. He stopped before -Eric, and the sword swirled up like a saber, ready for a slashing cut -downward across Eric's neck. - -A woman's voice, soft and yet authoritative, called, "Hold!" And a -murmur of respect rippled through the crowd. - -"Nolette! The Daughter of the City comes." - -Eric turned his gaze to the side and saw the woman who had spoken. She -was mounted upon a black horse with a jeweled bridle. She was young and -her hair was long and free in the wind. She had ridden so softly across -the fur street that no one had been aware of her presence. - -She said, "Let me touch this man. Let me feel the pulse of his heart so -that I may know if he is truly the Bronze one of the Legend. Give me -your hand, stranger." She leaned down and grasped his hand. Eric shook -his arms free, and reached up and clung to the offered hand, thinking, -"If I pull her down perhaps I can use her as a shield." He tensed his -muscles and began to pull. - -She cried, "No! You fool. Come up on the horse," and pulled back with -an energy as fierce as his own. Then he had swung up on the horse, and -the animal leaped forward, its muffled gallop beating out a tattoo of -freedom. - -Eric clung tightly to the girl's waist. He could feel the young -suppleness of her body, and the fine strands of her hair kept swirling -back into his face. It had a faint perfume, a clean and heady scent -that made him more aware of the touch of her waist. He breathed deeply, -oddly happy as they rode. - -After five minutes ride they came to a building in the center of the -city. The building was cubical, severe in line and architecture, and it -contrasted oddly with the exquisite ornament of the rest of the city. -It was as if it were a monolith from another time, a stranger crouched -among enemies. - -The girl halted before the structure and said, "Dismount here, Eric." - -Eric swung down, his arms still tingling with pleasure where he had -held her. She said, "Knock three times on the door. I will see you -again inside. And thank your brother for sending me to bring you here." - -Eric knocked on the door. The door was as plain as the building, made -of a luminous plastic. It had all the beauty of the great gate door, -but a more timeless, more functional beauty. - -The door opened and an old man greeted Eric. "Come in. The Council -awaits you. Follow me, please." - -Eric followed down a hallway and into a large room. The room was -obviously designed for a conference room. A great table stood in the -room, made of the same luminous plastic as the door of the building. -Six men sat at this conference table. Eric's guide placed him in a -chair at the base of the T-shaped table. - -There was one vacant seat beside the head of the T, and as Eric -watched, the young woman who had rescued him entered and took her place -there. She smiled at Eric, and the room took on a warmth that it had -lacked with only the older men present. The man at her right, obviously -presiding here looked at Eric and spoke. "I am Kroon, the eldest of -the elders. We have brought you here to satisfy ourselves of your -identity. In view of your danger in the City you are entitled to some -sort of explanation." He glanced around the room and asked, "What is -the judgment of the elders?" - - * * * * * - -Eric caught a faint nod here, a gesture there. Kroon nodded as if -in satisfaction. He turned to the girl, "And what is your opinion, -Daughter of the City?" - -Nolette's expression held sorrow, as if she looked into the far future. -She said, "He is Eric the Bronze. I have no doubt." - -Eric asked, "And what is this Legend of Eric the Bronze? Why am I so -despised in the city?" - -Kroon answered, "According to the Ancient Legend you will destroy the -city. This, and other things." - -Eric gaped. No wonder the crowd had shown such hatred. But why were -the elders so friendly? They were obviously the governing body, and if -there was strife between them and the people it had not shown in the -respect the crowd had accorded Nolette. - -Kroon said, "I see you are puzzled. Let me tell you the story of the -City. The City is old. It dates from long ago when the canals of Mars -ran clear and green with water, and the deserts were vineyards and -gardens. The drouth came, and the changes in climate, and soon it -became plain that the people of Mars were doomed. They had ships, and -could build more, and gradually they left to colonize other planets. -Yet they could take little of their science. And fear and riots -destroyed much. Also there were those who were filled with love for -this homeland, and who thought that one day it might be habitable -again. All the skill of the ancient Martian fathers went into the -building of a giant machine, the machine that is the City, to protect a -small colony of those who were chosen to remain on Mars." - -"This whole city is a machine!" Eric asked. - -"Yes, or the product of one. The heart of it lies underneath our feet, -in caverns beneath this building. The nature of the machine is this, -that it translates thought into reality." - -Eric stared. The idea was staggering. - -"This is essentially simple, although the technology is complex. It is -necessary to have a recording device, to capture thought, a transmuting -device capable of transmuting the red dust of the desert into any -sort of material desired, and a construction device, to assemble this -material into the pattern already recorded from thought." Kroon paused. -"You still doubt, my friend. Perhaps you are thirsty after your escape. -Think strongly of a tall glass of cold water, visualize it in your -mind, the sight and the fluidity and the touch of it." - -Eric did so. Without warning a glass of water stood on the table before -him. He touched the water to his lips. It was cool and satisfying. He -drank it, convinced completely. - -Eric asked, "And I am to destroy the City?" - -"Yes. The time has come." - -"But why?" Eric demanded. For an instant he could see the twinkling -beauty as clearly as if he had stood outside the walls of this building. - -Kroon said, "There are difficulties. The machine builds according to -the mass will of the people, though it is sensitive to the individual -in areas where it does not conflict with the imagination of the mass. -We have had strangers, visitors, and even our own people, who grew -drunk with the power of the machine, who dreamed more and more lust and -greed into existence. These were banished from the city, and so strong -is the call of the city that many of them became victims of their own -evilness, and now walk mindlessly, with no thought but to seek for the -beauty they have lost here." - -Kroon sighed. "The people have lost the will to learn. Many do not even -know of the machine. Our science is almost gone, and only a few of us, -the dreamers, the elders, have kept alive the old knowledge of the -machine and its history. By the collected powers of our imagination we -build and control the outward appearance of the city. - -"We have passed this down from father to son. A part of the ancient -Legend is that the builders made provisions for the machine to be -destroyed when contact with outsiders had been made once again, so that -our people would again have to struggle forward to knowledge and power. -The instrument of destruction was to be a man termed Eric the Bronze. -It is not that you are reborn. It is just that sometime such a man -would come." - -Eric said, "I can understand the Bronze part. They had thought that a -space man might well be sun tanned. They had thought that a science to -protect against this beautiful illusion would provide a metal shield -of some sort, probably copper in nature. That such a man should come -is inevitable. But why Eric. Why the name Eric?" - -For the first time Nolette spoke. She said quietly, "The name Eric -was an honorable name of the ancient fathers. It must have been their -thought that the new beginning should wait for some of their own far -flung kind to return." - -Eric nodded. He asked, "What happens now?" - -"Nothing. Dwell here with us and you will be safe from our people. If -the prediction is not soon fulfilled and you are not the Eric of the -Legend, you may stay or go as you desire." - -"My brother, Garve. What about him?" - -"He loves the city. He will also stay, though he will be outside this -building." Kroon clasped his hands. "Nolette, will you show Eric his -quarters?" - - * * * * * - -Eric followed Nolette through a hallway to a well furnished room. -Walking behind her the graceful sway of her walk reminded him of -the touch of her waist as he held it earlier when they rode, and he -felt the blood racing through his veins. He was tempted to seize her -shoulder, turn her, and take her in his arms. - -She indicated the room with a gesture. "You will be comfortable here, -and you have only to wish strongly for food or drink. If your wishes do -not conflict with those of the elders they will come into being." - -Eric asked, "And is this true of any wish? Suppose for instance I -wished for--You." - -She looked at him steadily, "That would depend on the nature of your -wish. If you wished to take me as your wife the elders would approve." - -Eric looked at her. He had hardly known her two hours. Yet the madness -of the moment made him rash, and he asked, "And what of your wishes, -Nolette?" - -She said, "I am the Daughter of the City, and a virgin. If the Legend -is to be fulfilled I would be wed before I die." - -He took a step forward and reached out to take her in his arms, but -she slipped away, saying quietly, "Not now. I will go away and let you -think. When you have decided call me in your mind, and the machine -will let me know." She smiled briefly, and left him alone in the room. - -Eric was hardly aware of his actions as he seated himself in the -comfortable chair. He fumbled about for his pipe. He must not be a -fool. Perhaps if he thought quietly, and smoked, he could decide if -this was a dream, if he had gone quietly mad in his space ship, and had -been the victim of hallucinations. The chair was real to his touch, his -pipe was gone, and he remembered leaving it in the navigator's section -of the ship upon his earlier return. The memory seemed real enough. He -wished for his pipe again, and realized that now he held it in his hand. - -This was no mirage. He tamped tobacco created by the machine from Red -Martian dust into the bowl of the pipe, and the smoke was as fragrant -as ever. He could see how such luxury would stagnate a race. As the -smoke curled around him he knew that two hours or two years were not -important, and he knew what he wanted. He wished for Nolette. - -She came into the room, watching him quietly, suddenly shy. He said, -"It has come to me that I love you. Will you do me the honor to become -my wife?" - -She said, "Yes, Eric. Oh! Yes!" and came running to him. Her kiss had -all the passion of his own. - -An hour later she slipped from his arms, saying, "I must go and talk -with the elder dreamers. We must be married today, at once. We have so -little time. We must be husband and wife tonight." She slipped softly -from the room. - -Eric watched her, marveling at his luck. He suddenly remembered that -he had not seen his brother since he had arrived at the house of the -elder dreamers. He wondered where Garve was, and wanted to talk to him. -Perhaps if he thought strongly enough the machine would get the message -thought to Garve. He concentrated. - -Ten minutes later Garve walked into the room. He said, "I thought I -heard you calling. How'd you make out with the dreamers?" - -"Well enough. Don't think me mad, Garve, but Nolette and I are to be -married, tonight." - -Garve's face grew red, then as white as river sand. He said bitterly, -"I should have let them kill you in the street, but how could I? After -all we are brothers." - -"You love her too." - -"No! But I love this city. It is paradise, and now you will destroy it." - -Eric said, "The Legend again! Everyone believes it. Yet it is but a -prediction. In time such a man as the Legend had to come, and some day -one more greedy than myself may destroy the city. Perhaps I will refuse -to carry out the destruction." - -Garve laughed, a bitter cynical laugh. He cried, "You fool! How can you -help yourself? Everyone believes you are the Bronze one and the machine -will make that come true. How can you defeat the machine?" - -Eric was staggered by a logic he had not even considered. - -"Piece by piece," Garve said, "the prediction is coming to pass. Now -you are to wed Nolette, and that too is a part of the Legend." - -"That was predicted?" - -"Yes. And that is not the end." Garve's voice was as sharp as the bite -of a whip. "Do you know what else you will do?" - -"No!" A thin horror seeped slowly into Eric's mind. - -"You will destroy the Daughter of the City." - -Eric's eyes were wide. He shuddered and cried, "NO! NO!" - -Garve's face took on the glint of madness. He said, "But I will stop -you. I'll stop you if I have to kill you." He turned and strode -bitterly from the room. - - * * * * * - -Horror was still fresh in Eric's mind when Nolette returned. "All is -ready," she said. "Come now, my husband-to-be." - -Eric followed her into the chamber of the elder dreamers. Kroon stood -at the doorway and greeted him as he entered. He said, "One cannot -fight the truth, so we have consented to this marriage. Will you join -hands?" - -The ceremony was simple, but beautiful, much like an Earth wedding, -with the city making music that was beautiful beyond belief. But all -the time Eric listened his mind was working, and by the time he had -kissed his bride at the end of the ceremony he knew what he had to do. -He walked back to their room with his arm around her waist, and his -resolve weakened with each step. - -Yet when he reached the room he had the will to say, "I must leave you -for a time. When I return our life together will begin." He kissed her -again, and said, "It will not be long." - -He broke away, and left her. When he reached the hallway he felt once -in his pocket to be sure the explosive grenades were still there. So -far the machine had controlled his destiny. So far the very belief of -the dreamers in his destiny had brought the predictions to pass. Very -well now, he would destroy the machine, but not at the request of the -dreamers. He would do it now, before there was time to consummate the -horrible part of the prediction. Then he would come back to Nolette and -his honeymoon. - -He ran along the hallways, always going down when he found a stairway, -always seeking the central area below that had been indicated by Kroon -in their first talk. And when at length he came out into a large room, -with a maze of delicate electronic apparatus below, he knew he had -arrived, and he pulled the grenade from his pocket. - -Yet before he pulled the safety release he could not but marvel a -moment at the intricate science below him. Much was familiar, and much -was unintelligible. - -As he stood he was seized from behind, and he twisted to find he was -caught in the hate-strengthened grip of his brother. Pain lanced -through his arm, and Garve gritted, "Drop it." Eric dropped the -grenade, and it fell between them. Eric was suddenly glad that the -safety had not been pulled, and then he was fighting savagely with his -brother. - -He was older, and wiser in the dirty tricks of fighters from the -planets. After a time he was able to set himself, and bend forward. -Where Garve had been behind, now he was flung up, over Eric's back in a -sprawling arc. He fell, teetered for an instant, and then crashed into -the delicate heart of the machine below. Glass tinkled, and a flare lit -the room. Eric closed his eyes, afraid to look. Garve must have been -electrocuted. - - * * * * * - -Eric opened his eyes to find the room subtly changed. It was roughly -the same, but the walls were a rough sandstone, and the glamour was -gone. He heard sounds, and saw Garve struggling up from the wreckage -below. Both of them knew it was ended. The machine was beyond repair. - -Garve paused. He said, "It's over now. I suppose in a year or two I -shall forget this. I am going away. Until I can forgive you I shall -stay away. God grant you peace, for you have lost more than I." Garve's -steps echoed hollowly on the stone corridor and he disappeared in the -distance. - -Eric stood quietly. There was no happiness in him, only a nameless -fear brought on by his brother's words, a fear that he had forgotten -something. - -Then suddenly he knew what it was. He remembered the ugly city. When -he came out of the corridor, out of this building, the city would be a -foul sty again. And the people, he had not seen the people, but they -would no doubt be horrible. Nolette, his wife--he could not let himself -think of how she would look. It seemed Garve was right and the final -prediction had come true. All was finished, even the Daughter of the -City had been destroyed. - -He began to move up out of the subterranean room and back to the city. -He reached the outer door, and did not even pause to look for Nolette, -but set his teeth, and stepped out into the city. - -And there he was surprised. Here was no ugly city, only a very normal, -ordinary one, with ordinary persons going about the streets, blinking -at the changes. The lines of the city were still there, but the jeweled -panes were ordinary glass. - -Eric tried to understand. Then suddenly he recalled his hatred of the -city when he had been cast out, his subconscious thoughts of it as -evil. He had taken off the helmet, and for an instant he had been out -of contact with the elders, disoriented. In that instant the city had -shown him his concept of ugliness. That ugly city was as unreal as the -fantastically beautiful one created by the elders. - -Eric turned, and went back into the building, looking for Nolette. - -He found her, standing with Kroon in the great room, before a table -which was only laminated wood. She was a slender girl, gray eyed, -pleasant to look at, but without the beauty and the music and the -witchery of her counterpart. - -She said quietly, "It is finished, Eric, and we are not the two who -married. It is finished, and the dream is ended." - -Eric said only, "Yes," watching her. - -She said, "I release you from the marriage. It will be a memory for us -both, a wonderful dream that ended before it was consummated, a dream -cut short too soon." - -Eric asked, "What will you do?" Her voice was hardly changed, and -watching her he felt an odd pleasure. There was no wild racing of his -blood, yet his interest was awakening. - -She said, "Go away, I suppose, as far as I can from this place." - -He liked the way she was taking this. No dramatics, no tears. - -He said, "I could take you back to Earth as a passenger. You might like -Earth." He felt oddly eager as she considered. - -And then suddenly, he could not wait, and the words came tumbling out. -"Nolette," he said, "you must come with me. I do not know how it will -be with us yet. But somehow I feel that if we stay together things will -be good." - -He waited for her decision, half afraid, half eager, and then saw a -slow smile break the seriousness of her eyes. - -She said gently, "If that is what you wish." The smile widened. "A girl -must follow her husband. Even I know that." - -Eric reached out and took her hand. "The ship is waiting," he said. -"Let's go home." - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Beast-Jewel Of Mars, by V. E. 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